Altec Lansing Octane 7 vs. Creative Labs SBS 350

[Top Gun]

Hi guys,

I have a Creative Labs SBS 350 2.1 speakers. Im wondering if its worth buying an Altec Lansing Octane 7 2.1 speaker. Im an avid fan of sounds as well as graphics when it comes to game and music listening. Will there be a big difference? What do you guys suggest?

Thanks!

[bigBonehead]

The design of the Altec is good looking enough, but actually hurts the sound...

Most reviews I've read state the mids are muddy as well as non-descriptive as far as the left / right placement. The Expressionist Ultra MX6021 would be a better choice for Altec products, but comes with a price premium that may be hard to justify.

Creative's Inspire S2 Bluetooth would be a good alternative to the Altec 7.2.1 IMO...

[KarmaKiller]

I'm an audio snob, I'll say that now. I've listened to LOTS of the popular speaker setups that are out on the market, and IMO, your probably best off getting a GOOD set of bookshelfs/monitors. If you are concerned with audio quality, I would suggest these:
Amazon.com: M-Audio Studiophile AV40 Powered Monitor Speakers (Latest Version): Electronics
I know these are about 2x the price of what was listed previously, but the audio quality is worth it IMO. They produce VERY clean high's and mid's, but the low end bass is a bit lacking. (Mainly because of the driver size and enclosure)
Pair those up with a nice sub, maybe something like the VX-11, and you'll be loving life!

If your looking for something that is cheaper, I would suggest these:
Swan M10 active desktop loudspeaker system, white
They produce super clear high's, the mid's are decent, but I've heard better, and the sub does teh job IMO. (nothing overly bassy, but just enough to make movies sound right)

Klipsch also makes a very nice 2.1 setup. I've only gotten a chance to hear these for a few min's (inside a huge tech convention) so I didn't get a chance to test them on everything. But from what I heard, they sounded very nice.
ProMedia 2.1 Computer Speakers | Klipsch

Now I should also note, ALL of these will sound 10x better with a nice quality soundcard pushing them. If your running onboard audio, I would suggest first you upgrade that. You'd be amazed at the difference that makes alone with a nice set of speakers.

[Top Gun]

Thanks for the feedback guys, ill look into you suggestions. Im also looking for a sound card prolly creative 5.1 but they are saying that it has blue screen bugs on windows 7 64 bit. Ill check prices and prolly review on th speakers. Im using it more on a huge room.

Thanks again!

[KarmaKiller]

Creative doesn't have the best history with drivers, but I know for a fact most newer era cards Creative has put out works fine in Windows 7. Every now and then you might find a odd bug or issue with some setups, but for majority of people there isn't an issue.

I would suggest the Titanium HD or Asus Xonar Essence STX for soundcards.

[ShyguyXPC]

Also take a gander at HT Omega's cards as well, their not bad for Audiophile's as well, usually need a bit of tinkering with settings once installed, but their definitely worth a look IMO.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Input Devices, Sound Cards, HT Omega




but I agree on the M-Audio speakers, a buddy of mine does various EDM mixing for a couple clubs when he is off from his day job (Lives in UK Currently, but hails from Holland), and swears by them, maybe not those particular models, but when I was asking him about some decent speakers a year ago or so, I think those were the same ones he recommended me as well.

[Top Gun]

Okiedokie, hmm the titanium HD looks good as well as the omega card. Maybe ill look into that. Ill check on my budget hehehe. I think I need to buy the speakers first then get a sound card next


Thanks guys!

[bigBonehead]

I'm a fan of M-Audio too... The 2496 is a steal at $99

as far as the speakers go, it really depends more on what the source material is. If mostly MP3 based then inexpensive stand-alones are fine... For high quality source, a set of powered studio monitors like these Alesis are a good bet. $300 for the whole card/speaker setup...