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Page 2 has alternative options including soundbars

Following my recent review of the Creative Sound Blaster X4 external soundcard, which has 5.1 output, I thought I would look into the best surround sound speaker options for PC gaming.

In recent years, the trend has shifted away from 5.1 surround for PC gaming. Creative is the only company offering 5.1 speakers on its external soundcards, and PCIe soundcards have fallen out of fashion in general, but Creative and Asus have several options.

Most people have shifted to 2.1/2.0 speakers or headsets, and many devices now offer virtual surround, which in my opinion, is a poor imitation of the real thing.

This has meant that the number of 5.1 speaker options has dwindled over the years, with only around 5 options that I found with most of the options looking mediocre for anyone looking for decent quality surround audio.

Logitech Z906 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System

It looks like the Logitech Z906 was launched around 10 years ago, and it is about the best active 5.1 speaker system you can get, confirming how unpopular this style of system has become.

The system is favourably reviewed by users and professional reviews alike. It is quite a powerful system with 500w of total power, and your input options are digital optical, Digital coaxial, Six Channel Direct, RC & 3.5mm inputs.

The subwoofer is capable of 165W, while the satellites can do 65W.

Edifier E255 5.1 Home Theatre Speaker System

This is aimed more towards a home theatre system, but it will work well for PC gaming speakers. The main issue you may have are the inputs, this only accepts optical or aux, which will limit the compatible audio formats. It can do Dolby/DTS & Dolby Pro Logic II, and the Creative Sound Blaster X4 has an optical out that will do Dolby Digital Live, which should work well with this.

It has wireless rear speakers reducing the cable mess, you get quite a powerful subwoofer at 220W with the other 5 speakers offering 16W (treble) + 20W (mid-range).

At £599, it is perhaps a little expensive.

Trust Gaming GXT 698 Torro

The extravagantly named Trust Gaming GXT 698 Torro is affordable and well-reviewed on Amazon. Trust Gaming have several 5.1 systems, with this being their most advanced system. You get 180W of peak power, quite a bit less than the Logitech or Edifier. This is also the only Trust Gaming system that has an optical input. Personally, at this price, I’d just get a decent pair of headphones or 2.0 speakers.

Logitech Z607

Another budget option that is well-reviewed on Amazon. This has the same power rating as the Trust Gaming system, and considering the price, may be a better buy overall. Similar to the Trust system, I’d personally suggest investing more money into something a bit more competent.

Edifier S760D [Possibly discontinued]

The Edifier S760D looks like a good option, but it no longer appears to be available to buy.

Features include:

  • 5.1 channel home theatre system with Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, and DTS Digital Surround decoders
  • 3 optical, 1 coaxial input, analogue 5.1 channel, and dual stereo inputs
  • 10”(260 mm) subwoofer driver with twin bass reflex radiators
  • 2-way satellite speakers with 3½”(92 mm) mid-range drivers and 1”(25 mm) silk dome tweeters
  • Class D amplifier and DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology
  • Built-in 600W high efficiency switching power supply with low standby power consumption

Edifier C6XD  [Possibly discontinued]

PreviewProductRatingPrice
Edifier C6XD USB, Wired Edifier C6XD USB, Wired No ratings yet

Another Edifier surround system is likely discontinued. Overclockers allow you to add it to basket, but it is classed as out of stock. Amazon hasn’t had it in stock since the end of 2019, so you are probably best off spending a little extra on the Logitech Z90.

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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One Comment

  1. Nice article. I think you covered most of the options.
    I used to have the Edifier s760d and while it’s a good system with pretty good quality sound (a step up from the Logitech z5500 I had before it), it had a major bug with regards digital inputs. If you use the optical or coaxial inputs, it distorts some bass notes massively. No idea why this happens but never found a fix and moved onto seperate AV reciever and speakers.

    One other note is that if you use displayport to your monitor and output hdmi to the av reciever, you only need a reciever with hdmi 1.3 or above (circa 2010+). I bought an Onkyo tx-sr705 second hand receiver for just £60!

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