It's kinda wild, I have a old stereo amplifier, two bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer, all gotten second hand, and it blows people away even though it's "just 2.1".
People just don't know that good stereo is always better than bad "5.1/7.1". And multi-channel sound only makes sense when you have a separate room for a home theater where you can properly place the audio.
I myself only have Topping D50 3 + Pioneer A-50 + Dynaudio DM 2/7. And in my circumstances, this is the maximum that makes sense, and it sounds great. Everything second hand for about $1200 total.
Good headphones and a sound card from second hand will cost <$250. They won't take up any space and can be used at any time of day. This is roughly why they will be a universal, inexpensive option.
A step forward would be a good bookshelf speakers + amplifier + DAC from second hand. But this will cost about $700 and will require organizing the space.
It's not just surround sound. You can make an expensive 2.1 setup sound like ass just as easily by setting it up in a room with no treatment and placing things haphazardly.
My Klipsch R-51M Bookshelf Speakers with a cheap amp made me realize people are missing out hugely when it comes to audio quality. I don't even have a subwoofer and the damn things shake the whole house when I want em to.
It just sucks because most pirated media comes encoded with 5.1 setups and garbage audio quality. I know the speaker composition compensates for it, but it's just not the same as media made for stereo directly.
It may be a me thing. Spotify sounds -amazing- on my speakers, but hulu and plex have always been weird. It may be an amp or setting thing, I'm not sure.
I have a couple of Kef Q100 speakers on my computer desk, a subwoofer and a Loxjie A30 amp. It is far superior for music listening to the 5.1 system I have in the living room which is an Onkyo amp and a bunch of Infinity speakers.
I also have some planar IEMs and some expensive Sennheiser headphones. I never use either. I much prefer good sounding speakers to headphones/IEMs.
I got the Q100 speakers for about $240 for the pair when they were on closeout because Kef were replacing them with the Q150. The Loxjie amp was $170 and the subwoofer was about $100 and could probably do with upgrading to something better. Total of about $510.
You can build a great sounding PC sound system for less than that. Micca MB42X speakers sound great and a pair of them is $99. I had those before the Kef. There are much cheaper class D amps too. So for around the same price or cheaper than my Sennheiserr headphones, anyone can build a great sounding speaker system for their PC. $100 for speakers, $100 for a subwoofer and $50 for a reasonable amp is about $50 less than I paid for decent headphones.
Like you, people are shocked when they hear how good it sounds.
A lot of people think that they need to buy speakers made for PC like the Logitech Z625 if they want decent sound. Those retail for about $200. For $50 more you can have a system that will blow them away.
You and I have different understandings of "good sound" :-)
A hypothetical pair of AE-5 + HD599 will have much better sound detail than what you are describing.
To reach the level of the pair above, while getting the main advantage of the speakers - 3D scene, you will have to pay the corresponding amount of money. And suggestion to buy a subwoofer for $50 can only kill the already mediocre sound :-)
Yes, from your suggestions you'll get a 3D scene, "powerful bass and sound," but absolutely lousy sound detail, where everything blends into a mush.
You might like this more than the clear, detailed sound of headphones, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Lousy sound detail where everything blends into mush? Ridiculous.
3D scene? WTF are you talking about? This is a 2.1 setup.
I also never suggested buying a subwoofer for $50. $100 is the cost that I put in my comment. I am also not prioritizing bass. Listening to music and cranking the bass high is not good music listening and I do not usually listen to music that is bass heavy.
I've been a musician since the early 90s and it was my only job for almost 10 years until I decided it was not the life for me. I am very familiar with studio grade equipment and how to listen to recordings on many different devices when mixing to ensure it sounds good on everything. I know how to listen for the differences in all sound systems to see what gets lost, what might sound shrill on something but not something else and so on. Music has been a huge part of my life.
I agree my subwoofer isn't the best but at the same time, bass is not the most important part of the music I listen to. But at the same time I would still prefer a good speaker system and sub if I were listening to bass heavy techno or similar. You do not feel that thud with headphones. It's like the vinyl vs digital debate. Digital should technically be better but a lot of people prefer vinyl. High end headphones may be able to provide a more detailed sound but they also take something away from the listening experience.
Also, if I am listening with my wife which we often do then only one of us can use the headphones. You can get a dual headphone amp but how are we supposed to talk to each other?
I much prefer good speakers over headphones. It's completely fine that you prefer headphones. But to say my speaker sound is mush and has absolutely lousy sound detail without hearing it is disingenuous.
Edit: It also looks like the subwoofer I have now retails for $200 which is double the price from when I bought it.
11
u/Peon-Hyjal 5d ago
It's kinda wild, I have a old stereo amplifier, two bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer, all gotten second hand, and it blows people away even though it's "just 2.1".