no doubt i vote for Z4i because of its sub size and price...

get M3300. wont regret.

of course X600 bass is better but the overall sound M3300 is much better that's why the price is much higher. X600 is good if u;re looking for budget 2.1 with booming bass especially for gaming.
i guess i suggest get Edifier C3. it has 8" sub.

i suggest u a C3 cause i thought u want a deep bass.

of course i myself will get a S2.1M anytime if were to choose between those 2. S series use better material for sure and have digital input (S330D).

price of S2.1M or S330D is about 400. definitely worth the price. can hear the clarity urself. nothing beats it in its price...

hmm
i bought it last month at 99SGD at the creative singapore.
now in the website says only 89 :swt: just after 1 week 10sgd loss...

but seriously this card doesn't impress me so much...
its because using USB. my other usb port become slower and my obsolete laptop getting even slower... perhaps i should upgrade my system

I recommend the Edifier M1310 or newer version of it, or Altec 121i.
Evo3 sucks big time. the small 4 inch woofer and incompetent bandpass woofer construction sounds terrible.

Try listening M2300 or E3100 first. would not disappoint...

@ siva
I recommend Edifier S530D, AEGO M, or Altec MX5021. FX6021 not bad but its too bright.

@eRock
i'd think majority would prefer M3300. just like me. E3300 only design nice. use external power adapter, and so-so sound. Better get M3300 or M3300SF.
M3300SF still not yet avail but coming soon they said.

@siowchabour:

well, amplifier is used to drive passive speaker. ur S2.1M already have an amp, but its inside the subwoofer box. if u're not using computer then get a DAC. having double amplifier to drive a speaker can kill it within seconds.

definitely worth it.

maybe the wires or board need some inspection...
if u cant open it yourself, or diy-trial-and-error then i suggest get a new better 5.1 system. it might be a call to get a new 5.1 !

hmm...
have u tried connecting the satellites to other multimedia speaker?
are the sounds also cracked?

also, have u tried cleaning the cable contacts with metal polish, as mine become better after polishing the 3.5mm cable with metal polish after 2 years.... lastly, if u want then try open the sub and check whether any loosen cable or dried solder..

for PS3 i suggest Edifier C3. Picture Click Here

@lockhart:

for computer, the small 2.0 speaker that i recommend is Creative T40. but maybe overpriced, can try T20 instead.

250 can get some low-end bookshelf speaker. that one definitely better than T20...

i will choose M3300 in no time. but somehow i also like E3100 which is cheaper. due to the subwoofer definitely...

i dun recommend usage of sb 24-bit external., im using the SB X-Fi 5.1 USB. i also have M3300 before. but use another better multimedia speaker now. honestly i dun really find / notice any difference... i think its quite a waste to buy M3300 and sb x-fi usb altogether. better buy AEGO M, S530D or MX5021. summore the usb thingy drain up my cpu speed, since my laptop is 3.5 years old now... unless u getting 5.1 or better speaker, i really dun recommend the sb 24bit with m3300...

BUT! when i pair my x-fi 5.1 usb to my old amp driving two 6.5" woofer and 2" midrange, it sounds much sweeter than the onboard soundcard (mine is 16-bit). so its not bad after all...

the usb is not useless, its useful, but not worth it because i buy X-fi 5.1 more expensive than the M3300 itself. the M3300 performance are not really improved using the usb soundcard. unless, u're planning to upgrade in the near future, then no doubt get the soundcard. i think getting both M3300 and usb x-fi can costs 500. well, better get better speaker isnt it?

anyway if your laptop is after mid 2005, should be 24bit alredy. mine is early 2005, still using AC97, which is 16-bit...

M3300 is a very good speaker in 250. but not the best for basshead type. please listen before buying otherwise regret. i like the way M3300 speak, which is clear and sharp for its price... but frankly speaking i dun like its subwoofer. thats y i gave it to my cousin, im using speaker which is better than it today.

i just listened to C3 today.
(listen S730D, S330D, C3 but didnt try S530 cause have tried it before)
C3 is very nice for its price. even, its more expensive than S330D in some stores...

hmm i check it in sg. so it was 180. but i think can bargain to 170. sonic a5 is 125, bargained 115.
hoope you can convert it down there... oh ya S330D usually 189 - 200, but strangely the shop sell 129 only.

well for laptop, i'd recommend a 2.1 instead of 5.1
for 2.1 whats ur budget?

dun ever get creative speakers. if must, just get the gigaworks series.
theyre bunch of problems and the sound isnt warm at all...
gigaworks is the best they have.

for 650 just get aego M or MX5021. L3800 design isnt really fantastic, but sound quality cannot go near MX5021 or AEGO M. try to listen yourself first though.

hmmm... actually u cannot really compare S330D and Aego M. although S330D has excellent tweeters, u should ocmpare Aego M and S530D.

between these, it just depends on what kind of sounds u listen to. if u like MX5021 due to its bass, i'd say probably u'd like S530D more than S330D and Aego M. otherwise, S330D have a very sharp sound, as well as Aego M.

when i listened to Aego M. my first impression was not what ppl said. its bass is deep and wide. when played on low volume, its sound best. its bass is wide and better than MX5021, the clarity is superb, although i know S330D has 2 excellent tweeters. Aego M have wider bass than S330D, thats what i did not expect.

the weaknesses of Edifiers, is that, they sometimes doesn't really speak if u dun turn them abit loud. not all the time though. also, Edifier well known for tight bass and not "thumping" one like logitech. Although im being sarcastic (because i also like Edifier so much)

Let me tell u that, imo, the Edifiers that produce good bass are those who have treble controller (i.e. C3, S530D, R401, E3100 but S330D doesn't have this). Edifier speakers are well known for having good clarity, compared to competitors, but the best tweeter are used in S330D.

MX5021 is well known for its powerful bass. yes its not so thumping like those logitechs but it can be pop out loud, while i dun think aegos can be. If u dun like to listen at high volumes, i think, Aego M will suit you.
im not being bias, but i just feel that i like Aego M more than S330D, maybe because my ears like em more and the pricetag shows the fact.

reading from your high end specs, u should get a high end system too. at least to match the system la.
logitech Z series, like the Z5500 would be good, since u game and movie alot


400 its quite hard because there is few 5.1 at that price. try Altec 3251, or Edifier M3500.
i suggest get a Edifier C3 or S330D (2.1) because at that price, the 2.1 is much better than the 5.1

2.0 - Edifier S2000 (may be out of stock)
2.1 - Edifier S730D
5.1 - Edifier S550D or Logitech Z5500

thats the only thing i know at the price.