What should I buy? (Old system failed, computer sound system)

[liquidbiue]

In a moment of idiocy I purchased a Creative GigaWorks S750 via Newegg. Sadly, the reviews for it were quite accurate in the information about the subwoofer being very unreliable. Purchased in May of 06 they died once in January of 07 and were sent back to be replaced. Another 60 dollars wasted. Tonight the problem continued as their oh so reliable subwoofer has died again. Creative will be just as helpful as they were last time and I'm probably going to have to shell out 60 more to send it back just to get another junk part.

So, Audioholics, I'm asking you for advice on what I need to purchase. I'd like to make use of the 7 satellite speakers that it came with, if possible. They sound nice and I've already taken the time to mount them around the room. I want to get the most quality for the lowest price. I'd like to get a new receiver and a single subwoofer to replace it. This set up will be mostly used for computer audio, but more inputs for other things (consoles, television, etc) are alright too. The sound card in the PC is a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum. While I believe that I'm quite tech savvy I have very little experience dealing with component home audio.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

 

[Adam]

Greetings. I'm sure that you can use the satellite speakers with a new receiver. Just be careful not to overpower them. There are quite a few receivers out there for not much money. Personally, I think that I'd recommend the Onkyo 504 7.1 receiver. I've read nothing but good reviews about Onkyo's 500-series over the years, and that unit is selling for $170 at Amazon or $160 at JR. That's a good price for that unit, which retailed for $300 (but was generally on sale for around $250). The new Onkyo 505 is out the month at $300, but you don't need the updates in your system. The 504 should suit your needs for a PC system just great. As for powered subs, there are a LOT of opinions on this forum and others as to which would be the best. I've seen recommendations lately for the Onix X-Sub that sells for $200 at av123.com.

Good luck.