Buying a 5.1 surround sound system

I'm kind of torn between these two different 5.1 speaker setups:

Option 1 VIVAX VOX HT-100 speakers

Option 2 VIVAX VOX HT-210 speakers

I guess I’m leaning toward the second set just because they're black, which honestly looks a bit nicer to me.

I was also wondering about the signal-to-noise ratio—what kind of dB number should I really be looking for? Is a higher number better, or does a lower one actually mean something else? I'm a little lost there.

Also, would these work okay if I plug them directly into my PC's built-in sound card? I do have a dedicated sound card sitting in a cabinet that I could pop into a PCI slot if that's a better move. The onboard audio has five jacks, including the mic input.

And please, I'm begging you guys, don't go spamming this thread just because these VIVAX speakers are budget-friendly. I'm only picking them up because I really want a 5.1 system, and honestly, once they inevitably give out—maybe in six months or so—I'll just grab some new ones anyway. To me, a 5.1 setup is always going to feel better than any 2.1 system, regardless of the wattage, simply because having those extra speakers creates such a much better vibe.

If anyone has suggestions for other 5.1 systems that are roughly in this same price range, I'd definitely love to hear them!

You can just plug that straight into an integrated sound card... and honestly, don't sweat the signal-to-noise ratio—given the quality of the "amplifiers" inside those speakers, that's a completely irrelevant detail at this price point. Just be happy you can actually hear anything coming out of them. 🙂

vividhawk19 said:Even so, a 5.1 setup beats any 2.1 system. Having more speakers just creates a better atmosphere, regardless of the wattage...

🤣
Are you sure about that? Any decent 2.1 system is 1000% better than this one... just because you have five speakers doesn't mean they'll actually sound good...

I mean, if I don't hear anything coming from them, they’re probably busted, so I'll just head out and grab some new ones.
Now, a 2.1 setup isn't really going to give you that true surround sound experience, whereas a 5.1 system can definitely pull it off, provided you actually know how to position the speakers around the room correctly.
Of course, if we're strictly talking about listening to music, a 2.1 setup is arguably better, but you really shouldn't try to compare a 2.1 rig to a full 5.1 surround system when you're sitting down to watch movies.
And honestly, if you ever find yourself needing to listen to music through a 5.1 setup, you can just go into the Dashboard and switch the setting to 2.1, and that should pretty much do the trick.

vividhawk19 said:A 2.1 setup isn't going to give you actual surround sound—but look, a 5.1 system can do the trick, provided you actually know how to space everything out properly in the room.

I really hope your room is tiny, because I seriously doubt you're going to get more than ten feet of cable for those rear satellites.

Look, if you’re actually planning on hooking those speakers up to a PC, you aren't getting anything resembling real surround sound—your computer just fakes the whole thing. You're better off grabbing a decent 2.1 setup. And honestly? Those Vivax ones are total junk... you get what you pay for, and in this case, you're paying for nothing.
If you’re dead set on 5.1, just bite the bullet and buy Logitech. If you're looking to save some cash, grab some Microsoft gear instead; they aren't high-end, but they're lightyears ahead of that Vivax garbage. http://www.diskont24.com/product.php...cat=144&page=3

Let’s be realistic here. If you're playing a movie or music encoded in 5.1, the sound chip is going to process it that way. Everything else is just the same old logic used in AV receivers: Dolby Surround, DTS, various simulations, or simply upmixing the front channels to the rear. Sure, on a PC, the quality usually takes a hit, but we're talking about technical execution, not making things up.

Marshall and Sony are both part of the same parent group and they're manufactured in the same factories over in China—along with a dozen other cheap budget brands. It’s all the exact same stuff, just different packaging.