Do I need a new sound card with my new speakers? (computer)

The onboard sound does really well. Only real audio enthusiast will appreciate what a dedicated sound card brings to the table. The only time it's really needed IMO is when your using high impedance headphones.

what speakers specifically? if you are talking of buying pc speakers, have you thought to going the hifi route instead?

without knowing details, the answer is up in the air as in some cases a soundcard helps and in others it does not.

You have 2 basic ways of using speakers. Powered and unpowered. Pc's are low level output devices, you need to supply power somehow, somewhere. The Logitech speakers are powered. Plug a cord to the wall and the signal from the pc. The Klipsh are unpowered. For those speakers you need an external power source, like an audio amplifier or tuner (radio set to aux input). That's hi-fi, short for high fidelity.

The motherboard has several outputs for surround sound, most radios have matching inputs, so you can get full center channel, rear, front surround sound through your radio to big speakers.

With the Logitech speakers, what you see is all you can get.

A term arising from the 1950s denoting a high fidelity [sound accurate to recording] audio system. The term fell out of use after the advent of stereo, but is used today to denote a class of audio equipment above the mass market which reproduces audio faithful to the recording. The term is best used to differentiate real audiophile audio equipment from the myriad of clock radios, cheap home theater in boxes, and offcourse systems designed for listening to music of the urban persuasion.

--

best in terms of quality? home theater / hifi speakers are going to be significantly better sounding than any pc speakers hands down. they will tend to cost more and unless you buy powered ones will need an amplifier of some sort. pc speakers are easier to hook up and "just work" without any fancy but you overpay for the limited quality you get and speakers like the z623 will sound bloated and flubby on bass.

the klipsch icons [or any entry level hifi speakers for that matter] will tear the z623 a new one. no comparison. keep in mind that you will need an amplifier for them, or receiver. the pioneer bs22 are good entry level hifi as well.

i have a klipsch setup myself [quintet 5.0 satelite speakers, with 450w sub and pioneer receiver] and the horns [instead of dome tweeters] really bring out nice bright and detailed highs. i certainly enjoy them and would have loved to have the budget for bookshelves when i bought my set.

standard dome tweeters are going to be a bit more mellow than horn style tweeters. not everyone likes the sound of horns, if possible go to a best buy [or other store which has speakers] and give them a listen to see what you think. i'm sure one of the others will be by to give some additional speaker brand/model ideas.

as for powering them... you could use an inexpensive little mini amplifier such as a dayton dta-120 if you do not have much room although having a receiver instead is something to think about as well as it gives you the option to link up to multiple sources easier, connect up a powered subwoofer easier as well as create a 5.1 system [or 3.1, 7.1, other setup]. given that the cost of an entry level unit is only double that of a low-end amp its really not a leap. you might end up stretching a bit on your budget to do it but depending on your plans it might be worthwhile.

@kara thanks, forgot to describe powered speakers.

op, basically they are like hifi speakers except have an amplifier internal to them so do not need any amp or receiver to be purchased. they are plug and play with any analog input source.

the downside? not so nice when it comes to upgrade to a larger setup or using receivers, limited selection of models compared with unpowered.

the audioengine a5+ would be an example of powered speakers.

The Klipsch speaker you linked will need a audio receiver to power them. Honestly you can get very good computer speakers that don't take up all the space. Also you can have to much power for a small room. The logitech speakers are ok. The corsair set I linked is probably the best you can get for the money as far as PC speakers go. The razer set produces pretty good sound as well. Plus has Bluetooth compatibility for phones.

http/www.amazon.com/Corsair-Gaming-High-Power-Speaker-CA-SP211NA/dp/B004H0MQYW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449623293&sr=1-1&keywords=corsair+2.1

http/www.amazon.com/Razer-Leviathan-Elite-Gaming-Music/dp/B00PK2POOU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449623473&sr=1-1&keywords=razer+sound+bar

My pc is hooked to an Onkyo DTS receiver/amplifier which puts out 100w per channel true RMS to a JBL 4:1 surround sound and a pair of KMX v2 12" subwoofer towers (12" sub, 8" woofer, 4" midrange and horn). No joke that they'll rattle my neighbors windows at half volume, I've already had that discussion and felt the evidence. (neighbors house is 43 feet away from mine).

It's physically impossible for speakers such as the Logitech listed above to reproduce either the clarity or sheer volume that a standalone receiver system can create.

If you have never been simply 'immersed' in the music, you'll never truly appreciate just what real music is

not that the only benefit to hifi is volume, but clarity and accurate sound.

Yep. A cheap system confuses volume for clarity. The ability to have high clarity across the entire spectrum at any volume is what separates hi-fi from the boom box.

Of course, my system was also bought in 1996, so quality is also a bonus.

well, you could go three routes:

buy a pair of active speakers
buy passive speakers and a small amp
buy passive speakers and a receiver

the benefit to active [powered] speakers is that there is no need for extra equipment. the downside is if you plan on enlarging your setup you could run into some issues. also, there are not too many choices available.

the benefit to using a mini smplifier like the dta-120 is size and price. the downside is that its non expandable to more speakers.

the benefit to a receiver is the ability to easily connect subwoofers, more speakers and multiple sources. the downside is size and cost.

some of the bookshelf speakers on their own are capable of tight bass however if you want sheer quantity of bass it is best to pair a subwoofer up with bookshelf speakers as it will fill in the low end better than bookshelves alone. if all you want is tight bass but arent looking for room-shaking quantity then bookshelves alone are likely fine.

clarity, certainly if you get good speakers.
bass, yes, as long as you're not looking for subwoofer level quantities of it without buying a subwoofer.
volume, that depends on the power of the amp you buy and wattage of the speakers but generally yes more than is needed for most small to medium sized rooms.

another note about volume: do not be expecting to throw house parties on a small cheap setup with bookshelves [nor on the corsair 2.1] but for most situations such a small setup is fine.

personally i lean more towards the passive speakers with an amp or avr.. though its certainly your choice if you want to look at actives as well.

For the record I would go with the Corsair or Logitech set. While enthusiast hifi equipment is nice, The added space and power consumption of a dedicated reciever isn't worth it. The corsair and logitech set will easily provide enough sound for typical bedroom or a small living room.

I'd say location would be a strong consideration. If you are in a bedroom, sure, use some small speakers, bookshelf or pc, but if you game on the big screen in the living room, then hooking up through the tv to a home theatre system is preferable.

Lol, ok, my Onkyo was $700 new, nowadays you can find the new models in the $300 range and up, I like Denon and Yamaha too, but that's also top tier. Middle tier, you are looking at Sony, Panasonic, Kenwood, Pioneer, Sharp, JVC etc and prices range from about $100 to $500. Low tier units are Sherwood, Insignia, anything Chinese sounding (Japanese is usually top tier like Nakamichi) and those will still run $70+. Honestly, for the best deals, hit your local pawnshops for a receiver that looks good and has multiple options like Dolby digital, Blu-ray source, as that'll be newer units. Anything with laser disc or just Dolby is a dead giveaway for an old unit.

Top tier units use RMS, which is a Root Mean Square (that's where positive sine phases cross creating DC voltage basically) setting. This setting is only a % of applicable, positive amplitude, basically it cuts out high amplitude (volume) distortion. Mid range units usually measure in Peak values, which is the positive side of the amplitude sinewave, but it's the whole thing, so after @70% you'll start to get distortion. Low range units use peak-to-peak, which is both negative and positive sine, and since negative sine is inaudible, its useless.

This means a cheap receiver saying it puts out 100w per channel is the same as a decent receiver at 50w per channel or a good receiver at @35w per channel. It's all a marketing ploy by cheaper companies because big numbers sound better, so don't be misled. My 100w per channel Onkyo is the same as a Pioneer 150w, same as a Fisher 300w, so buying a 100w Fisher because that's all your speakers rate, will get you crappy sound until you turn the dial up to 3-5, when you turn the dial up past 7 it distorts like crazy, whereas my Onkyo sounds fantastic at any volume.

you will not find a receiver for $50.

if you want a 5.1 capable model, think $200 for cheap models like a sony or onkyo unless you're talking pyle junk units not worth buying.
if you want a 2.0 capable model, generally think $100 unless you're talking pyle junk units.
if you want an amp only, the one i mentioned earlier is about $100 though you could probably make do with a cheaper one... though you do get what you pay for.

also, do not bump threads. its against our rules. post deleted.