Wired stereo or 2.1 speakers are a much better choice for the office. You'll get better imaging and clarity for the same amount of money. Plus, you won't have to deal with extra batteries or power cords.
5.1 computer systems are a bad choice unless you'll be using the computer almost entirely for watching movies. Even then, they're mostly popular with kids and novices. Once the novelty wears off, it becomes clear that a pair of higher quality speakers will sound better for most purposes. Surround sound is desirable when you have a large screen, a wide seperation between the main speakers, and more than one person in the audience. It makes a more uniform surround field for everyone.
With a (relatively) tiny computer screen and one person in the audience, a properly configured stereo or 2.1 system generally makes more sense.
[EDIT]
Not that I'm anti surround sound. I have an 8.1 setup in my home theater. (Yes, eight point one.) But for an office computer, surround sound almost always sounds worse once the novelty wears off. A gunshot wizzing overhead will be more convincing on a $300 pair of speakers than on a $300 set of 5 speakers. I recommend spending your money on better but fewer speakers.
Last edited by dfiler : 2005-10-25 at 08:28.
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