# Nice, small speaker/speaker set for media centre?



## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

So as some of you know, I bought something like this...



...which no, it's not a bread making machine as @Krispy would have you believe. It's actually a mini PC. Hooked the thing up to a 32' LG TV. I usually use wireless headphones when I'm watching something but I used to have this big arse Logitech 5.1 sound system which was way too powerful for the space I'm in and meant wires everywhere. I was hoping the 2 TV speakers would do the trick with playing music but no, they are pretty bad IMO.

Now, I don't have the usual RCA or optical jacks, just a 3.5mm socket and USB. The space I'm in has between 25 to 50 square meters (that's.... mumblemumble... feet) and I don't need something as powerful as a Manowar stage setup. Saw these JBL pebbles that look really nice, seem to have great reviews but not too sure I like the fact there are two wires connecting the things.






Any thoughts? And no, bluetooth is not something I'm thinking about... they still need to be charged and I need something that takes the headphones jack and mute the speakers. Doing that through software is a pain.


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Aw...I'm sorry for being mean!

At 50 sq/m I think you'll struggle to find anything to really 'fill' the space but if it's just an improvement over the TV speakers you're after they look good. Maybe worth considering Bose? The Comparison 2's are very good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bose-Companion-Multimedia-Speaker-System/dp/B00CL83JVQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=network-media&ie=UTF8&qid=1451754531&sr=1-3


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Ah, but they don't look as nearly as cute... artytime: And the JBLs can be placed sitting down, which I think the guy doesn't show in the video.

I'm might be imagining things but wasn't there a Bose speaker system that was a single small cube? Had sound shooting everywhere and stuff, so no need for multiple units?


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## Krispy (Nov 7, 2010)

Or these then? 'Cute' AND sitting down! 










http://www.giftedideas.co.uk/designer-ipodpclaptop-dog-stereo-speakerspink-by-luft-hong-kong-95-p.asp


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Or these maglev led Chinese thing?






Should be great to leave mechanical watches around it :laugh:


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## jsud2002 (Nov 7, 2015)

How about a soundbar specifically designed for tv's ? Not sure how you connect them though


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## DJH584 (Apr 10, 2013)

Kutusov said:


> seem to have great reviews but not too sure I like the fact there are two wires connecting the things.


 Is that because there is a link cable between the two speakers and then a separate speaker to USB cable?

David


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

There are no "good" computer speakers anymore. Manufacturers gave up on computers. You can buy overpriced Bluetooth omnidirectional "dimensional" thing-a-ma-jigs. Once you get over the gimmickyness of them I don't think they really sound that great, it is more a matter of convenience. If you are looking for reasonable surround then you should have a look at home entertainment systems. There are lots to choose from - Sony, Onkyo, Pioneer and so forth. You can find something among these that can do the decoding and provide proper surround at a reasonable sound level.

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

jsud2002 said:


> How about a soundbar specifically designed for tv's ? Not sure how you connect them though


 I don't think I can... I mean, I probably can plug them to the TV (I hope so, it wasn't the cheapest thing around) but controling them through the PC would probably have to be done via bluetooth.



DJH584 said:


> Is that because there is a link cable between the two speakers and then a separate speaker to USB cable?
> 
> David


 Pretty much, yes. I'm stuck with this image of a single cube speaker I've seen in someone's home. Quite a small thing and it was mindblowing. Probably some Harman Kardon super expensive stuff.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> I don't think I can... I mean, I probably can plug them to the TV (I hope so, it wasn't the cheapest thing around) but controling them through the PC would probably have to be done via bluetooth.


 No. You can provide digital sound to the TV via the HDMI connection. Then attach you sound bar to the TV line level output. It is quite efficient though perhaps not really "HiFi" in the true sense.

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> . If you are looking for reasonable surround then you should have a look at home entertainment systems. There are lots to choose from - Sony, Onkyo, Pioneer and so forth.


 Nha, not really. I spent a fortune on those top of the line Logitechs way back when and they were considered for a long time the best thing Logitech ever put out. But there's no point in surround sound to me. Two speakers at most, just a central one would be great. Think Asus Vivo inbuilt speakers.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Nha, not really. I spent a fortune on those top of the line Logitechs way back when and they were considered for a long time the best thing Logitech ever put out. But there's no point in surround sound to me. Two speakers at most, just a central one would be great. Think Asus Vivo inbuilt speakers.


 If that's the way you are leaning... then jsud2002's sound bar idea is your best bet. You can get a compact footprint with better bass and a minimum of cabling. You are already using the HDMI anyway.

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> No. You can provide digital sound to the TV via the HDMI connection. Then attach you sound bar to the TV line level output. It is quite efficient though perhaps not really "HiFi" in the true sense.
> 
> Later,
> William


 How does it connect? I was just looking at the back and I don't think I can... PC connects to the TV via HDMI. I have no other ports on the TV that I can find (reading the Manuel might help...). All I see is a USB port which I think is to to connect a HD, a PCMCIA slot, cable and antena ports. There's not even a plug for headphones that I can find.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> How does it connect? I was just looking at the back and I don't think I can... PC connects to the TV via HDMI. I have no other ports on the TV that I can find (reading the Manuel might help...). All I see is a USB port which I think is to to connect a HD, a PCMCIA slot, cable and antena ports. There's not even a plug for headphones that I can find.


 What is the exact model number of the TV? I expect there is something there, also check the outer and bottom edges of the TV, they sometimes hide connections there.

Later,
William


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## Bob Sheruncle (Aug 28, 2013)

A soundbar should connect to the TV using an "optical" cable.

I bought a sony soundbar for my new smart TV. I was totally underwhelmed. There was no wow factor and the signal dropout drove me nuts. It went back for a refund.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

My BOSE is the one with the small cubes, they're about 60mm square with a smallish subwoofer. Nice and neat and sounds okay


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

And the small rotary volume control has a headphone socket and 3.5 aux socket, it also turn on and off with the slightest swipe of a finger so easy to mute.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> What is the exact model number of the TV? I expect there is something there, also check the outer and bottom edges of the TV, they sometimes hide connections there.
> 
> Later,
> William





Bob Sheruncle said:


> A soundbar should connect to the TV using an "optical" cable.
> 
> I bought a sony soundbar for my new smart TV. I was totally underwhelmed. There was no wow factor and the signal dropout drove me nuts. It went back for a refund.


 You guys must be right because I don't see anything where I can connect anything. Must find Manuel...








BondandBigM said:


> My BOSE is the one with the small cubes, they're about 60mm square with a smallish subwoofer. Nice and neat and sounds okay


 Not those... I'm not even sure it was a Bose anymore. It was a single and perfect all black cube. I seem to recall you could add more units if you wanted but not sure why or how or for what but it was its thing.

...I'm almost sure I was pretty drunk at time, remembering whose house it was, so it might have been a white triangle for all I know... :laugh:



BondandBigM said:


> And the small rotary volume control has a headphone socket and 3.5 aux socket, it also turn on and off with the slightest swipe of a finger so easy to mute.


 Oh, that's cool and something it would be a plus. I thought it was some sort of subwoofer, as every set I look at seems to need to have one of those things. Even those tv soundbar things... most of them have a subwoofer. Why?? :angry:


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Well, the JBLs were a no go for several reasons, currently looking into this


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## jsud2002 (Nov 7, 2015)

Looks like all your boxes are ticked its small enough yet loud and as a plus you can link your mobile up to it via bluetooth , looks to me win win all round.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

I had completely forgot about Creative as I don't see them selling anything other than soundcards and gaming headsets around here. But then I got a newsletter with this speaker on sale and so far it seems to beat Bose, etc equivalents on the reviews I've seen. A bit more than I was planning to spend but hey...


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## xellos99 (Dec 17, 2015)

You absolutely cant beat a brick and mortar store for any sound equipment. try before you buy.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

xellos99 said:


> You absolutely cant beat a brick and mortar store for any sound equipment. try before you buy.


 Can't on this case. Never seen it before nor do I remember a single Creative speaker system being sold around here. And I'm really no audiophile, used to know this guy that kept on improving his Hi-Fi with 24k gold cables, etc, the thing costed already the price of a semi-new Porsche and I couldn't tell the difference between that a regular good Hi-Fi system.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Well, ordered straight from Creative, that's done. The 2 internal amplifiers sold me on it over the Bose as everybody says it lends to more defenition, less distortion but less bass than the Bose. Great, that's exactly what I wanted.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Renato, I hate you.
I purchased a small Onkyo home theatre set last year. Its speakers are small one way things that I was considering upgrading in the distant future. Now, because of this thread, I have ordered three sets of Polk speakers that were on sale. 










TSX 150










Monitor 45










M20

This is for my desktop system. I could have gone for ages without giving this a thought, save for this thread. :taz:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Ah, come on Will... it's not like I've made you purchase a Seagull 1963 or anything like that... :thumbsup: artytime:

That looks like a great set up and something I would probably love to have save for the space I don't have (or want to keep). Going through this minimalistic phase and all that rubbish... by the way things are going, I must be starting to wear eyeliner pretty soon... :swoon:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Ah, come on Will... it's not like I've made you purchase a Seagull 1963 or anything like that... :thumbsup: artytime:
> 
> That looks like a great set up and something I would probably love to have save for the space I don't have (or want to keep). Going through this minimalistic phase and all that rubbish... by the way things are going, I must be starting to wear eyeliner pretty soon... :swoon:


 :tongue:

The area these things are going into is 294 cm x 183 cm, so not really that large a space.
The front speakers are each:
Width:7.00 inches
Height:15.75 inches
Depth:12.00 inches
Weight:16.00 pounds

The centre speaker is:
Width:20.00 inches
Height:7.00 inches
Depth:8.50 inches
Weight:14.60 pounds

The rear speakers are each:
Width:7.75 inches
Height:33.75 inches
Depth:9.00 inches
Weight:15.00 pounds

Rather petite, of course almost all mass produced modern speakers sacrifice quality for size and efficiency. 

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

I know I'm going to regret it somehow but despite the "small" size of those speakers, there's the wiring... that's what drives me crazy! I bet I have goblins in the house doing their nastinesses while I'm asleep because I even had those velcro wire organizer thingies and whenever I looked there would be just a big pile of tangled wires and cables. I'm rather looking forward to have the Roar sitting on a shelf and be done with it. And the size is only 57 x 202 x 115mm, so quite compact.

If it turns out to be crap, I'll try to trade for a watch just so I can post something new on the Friday threads artytime:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

I'd like to do a bit of a technical comparison between my current speakers and the new ones when they arrive... Does anyone want to lend me a Neumann KU-100 binaural dummy head microphone? :biggrin:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Nha... Use your eardrums artytime:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Nha... Use your eardrums artytime:


 Are they anything like Ludwigs?

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> Are they anything like Ludwigs?
> 
> Later,
> William


 Hope not, hope your's are working, not like poor Ludwig ones...

was having a bit of cold feet regarding the Roar as aparently the JBL Xtreme is rated much higher. I then looked at the price of the JBL and sure hope it's better than the Creative... that thing isn't cheap! And can be used in a pool, as some other speakers!! :wacko: I'll never understand why you would need a speaker inside a pool, floating around but it's probably an American thing...


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Not Ludwig's... Ludwigs! Like Pearls or Tamas. We were talking about drum sets were we not? Though, I have never heard of the Ear brand before.










Aquatic speakers are nothing new Naval vessels have used them for decades. :biggrin:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> Not Ludwig's... Ludwigs! Like Pearls or Tamas. We were talking about drum sets were we not? Though, I have never heard of the Ear brand before.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I know the drums, was just suggesting you use your eardrums instead of a the Neumann artytime:

I was watching a couple more reviews and side by sides on speakers and I don't get it... some are buried in mud and then hosed down. A lot of them! I mean, I get some brand would come up with something like that for the zombie apocalypse survivalists but apparently that's something important for the market. Some reviewers even give Bose and Creative speakers bad scores for not even being splash proof :wacko: I don't get kids these days...


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> I know the drums, was just suggesting you use your eardrums instead of a the Neumann artytime:
> 
> I was watching a couple more reviews and side by sides on speakers and I don't get it... some are buried in mud and then hosed down. A lot of them! I mean, I get some brand would come up with something like that for the zombie apocalypse survivalists but apparently that's something important for the market. Some reviewers even give Bose and Creative speakers bad scores for not even being splash proof :wacko: I don't get kids these days...


 It is similar to watches, in that if a watch isn't made from the very best stainless steel it won't survive you plunging it into sulphuric acid and lava while wearing it. :biggrin:

As for Herman's Head, it would be interesting to actually compare performance (or lack thereof) with regards to efficiency across a range of frequencies. These days sound equipment specifications seem to be all fictional. Another thing, now that I'm in my fifties, I'm not sure if muddiness and terrible transient response is my fault or the speaker's. :wink:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Oh, don't worry about that... it can only go worst... :laugh:

Besides, I've just checked the price on those things. I don't know how big the sale was but for that amount of money, if you don't get a great sound out of those things they'll have to be a rip-off of the century.

And here's one of those survivalist speakers http://www.jimsreviewroom.com/ue-roll-bluetooth-speaker.html


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Oh, don't worry about that... it can only go worst... :laugh:
> 
> Besides, I've just checked the price on those things. I don't know how big the sale was but for that amount of money, if you don't get a great sound out of those things they'll have to be a rip-off of the century.
> 
> And here's one of those survivalist speakers http://www.jimsreviewroom.com/ue-roll-bluetooth-speaker.html


 It was $495 Canadian total for the bunch, which had a lot to do with my decision. :wink:

I guess it is important these days to have tiny wireless speakers you can take outside and kick into a mud puddle and then stamp on with your foot! I often wish I could do that with my speakers in my family room, but they are 36 year old Mach Ones with 15" woofers and actual wooden boxes that weigh too much. :laugh:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

I just sent to the garbage dump a set of old school Pioneer speakers like those. From the time when Pioneer was a great brand and not a generic one. Damn good speakers but no one I've asked wanted them so off they went along with the old shelves and other stuff. I still have the amp for those somewhere in storage. You can break a foot if you drop that thing on target.

Probably a good thing, I have no idea on what shape they were, I was using them pretty much as a fancy table on a corner of my office where I've smoked 2 packs a day for over 20 years.

Me quitting smoking and having all the heavy, bulky gear cover in tar is part of the reason why I'm now going with a complete change of things, caring about simplicity and how things look.


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## urzamoon (Dec 2, 2012)

What about the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II ?

These are similar price to the Bose ones but I would say much better sound overall. I have both T20 and T40 and for what you pay they deliver quite a lot.


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## trackrat (Jan 23, 2012)

urzamoon said:


> What about the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II ?
> 
> These are similar price to the Bose ones but I would say much better sound overall. I have both T20 and T40 and for what you pay they deliver quite a lot.


 I have the T20 speakers, excellent value for money.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

urzamoon said:


> What about the Creative GigaWorks T40 Series II ?
> 
> These are similar price to the Bose ones but I would say much better sound overall. I have both T20 and T40 and for what you pay they deliver quite a lot.


 Probably a good choice, yes. And a bit cheaper than the Roar from their webshop.

Had to google the model though. The layout of their webpage is pretty bad. I can hardly find any speakers there. That and the fact that no one sells Creative speakers around here is a big part of reason why I even thought they didn't made them anymore.

Thanks for the heads up but the Roar is on its way already... can't be bad (I'm hoping). And I can always justify getting it instead of all the others as it can act as an external sound card too. Not that I need one though... :laugh:


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Well, the Roar arrived today and it's as big as a book. Punches a surprisingly high amount of sound after you first look at it. It seems the louder you push it, the better it sounds.

It's a bit tricky to set it though... not on the connection part but where you place it and the functions you use. Has something called Terabass which brings up the mids and highs and takes the bass down a bit, which improves things when you're listening at low volume. The Roar thing is like a Loudness bottom and the bass can be a bit overpowering. Doesn't take much to start shaking the shelf loaded with books where I've set it :wacko:


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## jsud2002 (Nov 7, 2015)

Does it tick all the boxes then ? Glad its loud enough for you :band:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

My Polk bookshelf speakers arrived Wednesday afternoon.










The expected degree of improvement was achieved.

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> My Polk bookshelf speakers arrived Wednesday afternoon.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Can you see anything on such a small screen??... artytime: Huge speakers, too! (or the chair is tinny).

Here's my tinny one by comparison... rubbish mobile picture but you can see it would fit along the other books:





jsud2002 said:


> Does it tick all the boxes then ? Glad its loud enough for you :band:


 It's pretty loud and now that I've played with it some more, it has some amazing sound once placed right. The only box it doesn't tick is the "set and forget it" one. The Terabass - which I think is the good ol' Tremble - is really something that has to be turned on with low volume/middle of the night music. But hey, there's no miracles... something this compact and with such a huge range of volume had to had some unbalances. It's a good thing Creative though so too and placed those two functions there to compensate and they work very well. Very pleased with it! :thumbsup:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Can you see anything on such a small screen??... artytime: Huge speakers, too! (or the chair is tinny).
> 
> Here's my tinny one by comparison... rubbish mobile picture but you can see it would fit along the other books:
> 
> ...


 I wonder how Don Quixote would respond to it?

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> I wonder how Don Quixote would respond to it?
> 
> Later,
> William


 No idea but now you made me recall the Spanish cartoons I used to watch as a kid. And thought they were boring as hell. The books are amazing though :thumbsup:






Books still need some organization, I have a lot of stuff mixed up.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> No idea but now you made me recall the Spanish cartoons I used to watch as a kid. And thought they were boring as hell. The books are amazing though :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 There's another book on that shelf that has a tale about my doppelganger!

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

William_Wilson said:


> There's another book on that shelf that has a tale about my doppelganger!
> 
> Later,
> William


 Poe :laugh: Must re-read it again, don't remember a thing about most of it.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Poe :laugh: Must re-read it again, don't remember a thing about most of it.


 Have a look at the titles of the stories, it will come to you pretty quickly. :wink:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

No, I meant I had already seen that it was one of Poe's stories, I just don't recall what's it about... or 99% of the others for that matter.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

The story is about William Wilson and his doppelganger.






:biggrin:

Later,
William


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Yep, doesn't sound familiar at all... :sadwalk: The doppelganger subject only makes me think of Dostoievsky's "The Double" or Gogol's "The nose". But that's to be expected from me, classic Russian literature will always be my favourite I'm afraid :laugh:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Kutusov said:


> Yep, doesn't sound familiar at all... :sadwalk: The doppelganger subject only makes me think of Dostoievsky's "The Double" or Gogol's "The nose". But that's to be expected from me, classic Russian literature will always be my favourite I'm afraid :laugh:


 It happens all of the time! :laugh:






Later,
William


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