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I'm moving out and getting a proper office, so my receiver will be going out in the living room with everything else. I still really want surround though. I'm looking at a used surround system, proper amp and 5.1 speakers, but it only has RCA and optical. Will I really notice that much difference coming from HDMI going to optical connection? Should I just go pick up one of those Logitech systems? Or will that be even worse again?
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Dec 16, 2014 19:20
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codo27 posted:I'm moving out and getting a proper office, so my receiver will be going out in the living room with everything else. I still really want surround though. I'm looking at a used surround system, proper amp and 5.1 speakers, but it only has RCA and optical. Will I really notice that much difference coming from HDMI going to optical connection? Should I just go pick up one of those Logitech systems? Or will that be even worse again?
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Dec 16, 2014 19:50
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Josh Lyman posted:HDMI and optical are both digital connections so no, there won't be a difference. The only major audio difference is that SPDIF doesn't support Dolby formats, only PCM. HDMI supports both. The real reason you would want HDMI is for easy switching between components. If it's only your PC on this, it doesn't matter.
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Dec 16, 2014 20:07
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KillHour posted:The only major audio difference is that SPDIF doesn't support Dolby formats, only PCM. HDMI supports both. SPDIF TOSLINK absolutely supports Dolby Digital (and DTS). It's the lossless versions (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA) that it doesn't have enough bandwidth for, and that's really irrelevant for most people, especially on PC speakers.
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Dec 16, 2014 22:51
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codo27 posted:I'm moving out and getting a proper office, so my receiver will be going out in the living room with everything else. I still really want surround though. I'm looking at a used surround system, proper amp and 5.1 speakers, but it only has RCA and optical. Will I really notice that much difference coming from HDMI going to optical connection? Should I just go pick up one of those Logitech systems? Or will that be even worse again? I know that I'm being the sort of stick-in-the-mud rear end in a top hat who chucks in his own opinion instead of properly answering the question, but is surround sound really going to make your gaming immersion that much better? Surround sound is great in a home theater, crap in a dedicated music setup, and- in my opinion- kind of overkill in a home office. Given that you're choosing between a used setup and one of those garbage Logitech dealies, I'm guessing that your budget- and the quality of the gear in question- isn't super high. That'll be passable for movies and games but it's not gonna be great at all for music (to say nothing of having to properly position the speakers around the room, though I know that most goons aren't nearly as anal about aesthetics as I am). If I were you, I'd invest that money in a nice pair of stereo speakers- either self-powered or receiver/amp driven. You'll get waaaay better sound quality, reproduction, and even volume out of them than you'd ever get out of a bunch of tiny cheap satellites and a 6" subwoofer, HDMI or not. The only thing you'll lose out on is the directional sound that rear surrounds bring, but that's honestly pretty meaningless in a room as small as a home office. But regardless of what you do, a 5.1 Logitech box that you buy at Target is always going to be the worse option. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Dec 16, 2014 |
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Dec 16, 2014 23:46
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I want whatever info can be provided. Would I like to go buy two full sets of Klipsch speakers, one for the living room and one for the computer? Yes. Someday I will have one of those fancy sets for the home theatre, right now I'm living in apartments while the girlfriend is still in college. The Pioneer setup I have now is my first 5.1 system, and the first time I loaded up battlefield and heard a jet fly overhead, I knew I couldn't go back to 2 channel. The set I'm looking at is like $100 asking price, I might do even better yet. So its not a big investment, and at least its a real amp and not one of those built in DVD player things. I even went out and bought one of those fake surround headsets, the Logitech g430 but it sounded like a pair of $10 Koss headphones. There has to be a more practical and better suited way to do high end audio for PC than a home AV receiver doesn't there?
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Dec 17, 2014 00:54
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codo27 posted:There has to be a more practical and better suited way to do high end audio for PC than a home AV receiver doesn't there? 
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Dec 17, 2014 08:16
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For a HTPC setup its perfect. Like I said, I will have my office and my receiver is going to be out in the living room. I am going to try out that optical receiver though, for $80 its not a big risk. But there has to be a high quality made-for-PC setup with a smaller footprint
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Dec 17, 2014 16:54
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codo27 posted:For a HTPC setup its perfect. Like I said, I will have my office and my receiver is going to be out in the living room. I am going to try out that optical receiver though, for $80 its not a big risk. But there has to be a high quality made-for-PC setup with a smaller footprint A surround setup needs more parts than stereo so at a given price point the more pieces the thing is made out of the lower quality those pieces are.
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Dec 17, 2014 22:52
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Flipperwaldt posted:I can't think of a way in which a home AV receiver is impractical or ill-suited to the job Their size, for starters. I used an AVR and stereo speakers for PC audio for a while, and I would never do it again. If I had that space, I'd rather use it for another monitor.
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Dec 18, 2014 00:22
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GokieKS posted:Their size, for starters. I used an AVR and stereo speakers for PC audio for a while, and I would never do it again. If I had that space, I'd rather use it for another monitor. High end 5.1, which he asked about, is going to end up with a receiver as the most suitable and most practical solution for all but one criterion that is mutually exclusive with the two others for more reasons than just availability. Didn't see him mention mention limited space specifically, just a lack of money to duplicate his living room setup, so I guess that's why I was pretty much asking what he meant.
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Dec 18, 2014 01:31
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I heard the B&W 685 S2 speakers today and fell in love. I have a stereo receiver I could use. Would they make good computer speakers or are they made more for far-away listening?
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Dec 18, 2014 21:53
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Duke Farmington posted:I heard the B&W 685 S2 speakers today and fell in love. I have a stereo receiver I could use. Would they make good computer speakers or are they made more for far-away listening? They're front ported which removes some of the complexity of positioning them but I'm not sure how much toe-in you'd want sitting close to them. Did you listen to the 686 too, a little less bass but maybe a bit more practical? Also they do dip to 3.2 ohms at high load, is your receiver fairly beefy? They're really nice speakers if not potentially a bit overkill for your uses. At that price range I'd look at the KEF X300 also.
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Dec 18, 2014 22:09
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I just moved to the UK from the US and as a result, I had to give up the Logitech Z-2300s I had been using for the last 10 years. I need a new set of 2.1s for my computer. My budget is <100 quid used. Z2300s occasionally fall into this category, are there any other systems of similar quality I should keep my eye out for?
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Dec 18, 2014 22:52
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qirex posted:They're front ported which removes some of the complexity of positioning them but I'm not sure how much toe-in you'd want sitting close to them. Did you listen to the 686 too, a little less bass but maybe a bit more practical? Also they do dip to 3.2 ohms at high load, is your receiver fairly beefy? They're really nice speakers if not potentially a bit overkill for your uses. I had a feeling they'd be a bit too much power. I heard the 686 and wasn't too impressed with them. This is my receiver: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M3NZDT0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 As for the KEF x300, would they be an upgrade over LSR305s? I have those currently and am not very impressed with them. Perhaps I would need to spend more to get better sound? Thank you so much for your help 
Duke Farmington fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Dec 18, 2014 |
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Dec 18, 2014 23:11
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Duke Farmington posted:would they be an upgrade over LSR305s? I have those currently and am not very impressed with them. For real? What's your source? If you're coming direct from your PC's sound card try getting an external DAC instead. Made all the difference in the world for me. Those LSR's should be blowing you away.
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Dec 18, 2014 23:17
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the nicker posted:For real? What's your source? If you're coming direct from your PC's sound card try getting an external DAC instead. Made all the difference in the world for me. Those LSR's should be blowing you away. I'm running them off of a schiit modi at the moment. Perhaps I'm just expecting too much out of them. It's hard to discern individual sounds with them, though--voices in games get lost in the mix when I can hear them clearly on my headphones, for instance.
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Dec 18, 2014 23:21
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Duke Farmington posted:I'm running them off of a schiit modi at the moment. Perhaps I'm just expecting too much out of them. It's hard to discern individual sounds with them, though--voices in games get lost in the mix when I can hear them clearly on my headphones, for instance. Note: less likely to be the problem if what feeds your headphones also comes through the Modi. You'd notice poo poo going missing on your headphones too then.
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Dec 19, 2014 00:50
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Flipperwaldt posted:Do the games output in 5.1 and somehow you're losing all but the left and right channel along the way? They're coming through the same amplifier :/ I think it might just be a matter of adjusting to it. Do you think the KEFs would be an upgrade over the LSR305s?
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Dec 19, 2014 02:38
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I want to replace my 12 year old Creative speakers. I'm quite impressed they've lasted so long but they were cheap and they hiss and hell, I listen to music and watch videos or play games every day and suddenly wondered why I haven't invested in something more substantial in all these years for something I do every day. I'd like to spend £200 at the most. I've heard lots of good things about Audioengine A2, they'd be at the top of my budget (£195). But what is the bass like, they don't have a sub woofer do they? My current cheap ones do and I wonder what difference that will make? I wouldn't mind not having a sub thumping and booming through the floor, as I live in a flat now, but I still want a good bass for music and TV/games, and I put decent sound proofing under the floor so I can still have a good amount, I just don't need home theatre levels of bass explosions. Also I understand these are just good to go out of the box, but I've seen people talking about speaker set ups with preamps and DACs and stuff. At my budget in guessing I don't need to worry about that kind of thing, is that a fair assumption?
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Dec 19, 2014 11:29
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Duke Farmington posted:I'm running them off of a schiit modi at the moment. Perhaps I'm just expecting too much out of them. It's hard to discern individual sounds with them, though--voices in games get lost in the mix when I can hear them clearly on my headphones, for instance. Weird. I've got the previous model (LSR2325p) and have the opposite experience - voices are crystal clear in game, even when i'm playing music and in game at the same time. I do have to be in the speakers "sweet spot" (i have them aimed right at my ears) but my understanding was that the 305's were supposed to be better in that regard. Duke Farmington posted:They're coming through the same amplifier :/ I think it might just be a matter of adjusting to it. Do you think the KEFs would be an upgrade over the LSR305s? Wait.. the modi has no headphone jack right? What's your full setup? It's just pc usb -> modi -> LSR, right?
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Dec 19, 2014 18:27
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Konsek posted:I want to replace my 12 year old Creative speakers. I'm quite impressed they've lasted so long but they were cheap and they hiss and hell, I listen to music and watch videos or play games every day and suddenly wondered why I haven't invested in something more substantial in all these years for something I do every day. Well if you have the Audioengine A2+ they do not require a external DAC (basically a soundcard). If you are looking to get a major step up in audio for a fair price that would be your best option. With most studio monitors you do not need to worry about having a big subwoofer. I have some Mackie MR6 MK3's and they push more than enough bass, far more than my old 5.1 setup did. So basically, go buy the Audioengines and be happy. Get some isolation pads with them, it helps out a ton.
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Dec 19, 2014 18:46
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I also got recommended a pair of Philharmonitors. Can anyone speak as to how these compare to the KEF x300a for nearfield use, which are currently my top choice?
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Dec 20, 2014 17:16
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I dunno about either of those, but having spent a bit of time with the LSR305's I wonder if you have some kind of placement or other issue going on with yours that you could investigate before upgrading. The JBL's sound good enough to my ears in regards to detail that I wouldn't think you'd be getting some night and day difference at any price.
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Dec 20, 2014 21:04
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powderific posted:I dunno about either of those, but having spent a bit of time with the LSR305's I wonder if you have some kind of placement or other issue going on with yours that you could investigate before upgrading. The JBL's sound good enough to my ears in regards to detail that I wouldn't think you'd be getting some night and day difference at any price. That's certainly a possibility that I hadn't considered extensively, actually. I'll try some different configurations and see what I can do.
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Dec 21, 2014 00:22
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This is probably a weird request, but does anyone know of a good set of speakers I can use when hooking a laptop to a TV to watch movies and stuff? I'm not looking for a great speaker set here, just something that isn't a 5 dollar piece of crap. Ideally one that isn't wireless that plugs into an audio jack since gently caress that jambox that never connects. $100 price range or so.
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Dec 21, 2014 04:28
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Cat Army
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Good news, I repositioned my LSR305s and I absolutely love them now. I had no idea what I was missing by simply having them too close to me. Thanks powderific.
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Dec 21, 2014 21:58
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Sweet! Glad it worked out. It always sucks to do an upgrade like that only to discover you still don't have the right sound because it was something else.
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Dec 22, 2014 18:02
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powderific posted:Sweet! Glad it worked out. It always sucks to do an upgrade like that only to discover you still don't have the right sound because it was something else. Thank you, I appreciate the help. If I were to eventually upgrade to other powered monitors, do you have any suggestions?
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Dec 23, 2014 05:13
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The Iron Rose posted:This is probably a weird request, but does anyone know of a good set of speakers I can use when hooking a laptop to a TV to watch movies and stuff? I'm not looking for a great speaker set here, just something that isn't a 5 dollar piece of crap. Ideally one that isn't wireless that plugs into an audio jack since gently caress that jambox that never connects. Do you want something portable like that to carry around with the laptop or will this just be a permanent/stationary setup for that TV?
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Dec 23, 2014 16:42
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japtor posted:The Jambox has a standard mini jack Basically just a permanent/stationary setup for the TV though.
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Dec 24, 2014 01:15
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Duke Farmington posted:Thank you, I appreciate the help. If I were to eventually upgrade to other powered monitors, do you have any suggestions? Ahh, you're getting out of my personal experience past that. I'd probably look at some of the stuff you already mentioned, the KEF's especially since I've always thought that coaxial speakers would be ideal for nearfield, plus maybe the Adam F5. But that's just me dreaming and I can't say whether any of it would be a worthwhile improvement.
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Dec 24, 2014 07:06
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I'd like to move to optical-out, since I pick up a lot of electronic noise from my cheap on-board DAC. Looking for 5.1, with a way to plug in my headphones (1/4 jack preferred) that mutes the speakers - front panel audio is poo poo. What's not awful in that space? I'm looking at around $100 - I've got a good 5.1 system in my livingroom for movies. I don't want to push a whole lot of watts, as again, loud movies in the livingroom, so this is just for me to FPS/watch movies the family wouldn't enjoy. Edit: I've got passive speakers already (nothing great, lowend KLHs) so an amp that takes optical in would also work - and then I can upgrade the speakers separately. Harik fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Dec 27, 2014 |
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Dec 27, 2014 01:58
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Harik posted:I'd like to move to optical-out, since I pick up a lot of electronic noise from my cheap on-board DAC. Looking for 5.1, with a way to plug in my headphones (1/4 jack preferred) that mutes the speakers - front panel audio is poo poo. I think some older Logitechs entry level 5.1 took coax, but the current Z506 only takes analog. Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Dec 27, 2014 |
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Dec 27, 2014 04:07
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Josh Lyman posted:5.1 with optical input and 1/4" headphone jack? Doesn't exist unless you've got a dedicated receiver. Even with a 1/8" jack, it absolutely doesn't exist around $100. Digital coax would work as well, the only reason I was thinking optical is so I can completely isolate the audio from the electronic noise. (No ground-hum, etc) I actually grabbed a cheap-o spdif to rca from amazon, so when that gets here next week I'll see how that changes the noise. I'll keep an eye out on ebay/craigslist for people dumping good receivers in favor of HDMI-input gear, that's how I got my Denon for dirt. If I dropped down to 2.1, what all would I need? I couldn't find any stereo amps that took digital-input (not surprising) so I'd be looking at separate DAC and amp, then a powered sub that can do the crossover filtering itself, right? BTW, did logitech reuse the Z-5500 name? It's now a $1500 surround system, and two pages ago someone was talking about it like low-end computer speakers.
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Dec 27, 2014 05:06
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Harik posted:Digital coax would work as well, the only reason I was thinking optical is so I can completely isolate the audio from the electronic noise. (No ground-hum, etc) quote:BTW, did logitech reuse the Z-5500 name? It's now a $1500 surround system, and two pages ago someone was talking about it like low-end computer speakers. Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 06:12 on Dec 27, 2014 |
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Dec 27, 2014 06:09
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Josh Lyman posted:I'm not sure optical would prevent ground noise since it would be converted from an analog electrical signal that contains noise. I mean using the SPDIF out on my computer into an external DAC, instead of an analog connection to the 1/8th jacks. There shouldn't be any computer-based electrical noise - at that point it's up to the quality of the DAC for isolation. I'll see how it goes when the parts arrive.
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Dec 27, 2014 08:47
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Hey everyone, are the Audioengine A2+ still the main recommendation for entry level "nice computer speakers"? I'm currently using 10 year old Harmon Kardon soundsticks, which are starting to die. At £195 the A2+ is at the limit of my price range, and I'm in the UK If they are, is there anything particular to worry about setting them up? I've currently got the speakers at the back corners of my desk.
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Dec 27, 2014 22:56
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They're still good, but if you have space and can get the right connections JBL's LSR305 are a bit more expensive and I think they're a nice upgrade. The AudioEngines are easy and good thought. For placement, ideally you'd get them up off the surface a bit to keep them from getting too boomy. I use thick books. Others use desktop stands.
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Dec 28, 2014 03:49
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Harik posted:I actually grabbed a cheap-o spdif to rca from amazon, so when that gets here next week I'll see how that changes the noise. Double post, but this optical to RCA works great for anyone else looking for one: http://www.amazon.com/D3-Digital-Converter-Optical-Toslink/dp/B005K2TXMO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419735826&sr=8-1&keywords=optical+fiio If that sounds good enough to you, then you can just do the stereo receiver plus sub with crossover thing as you described. Some stereo receivers do have crossover settings even if they don't have digital inputs though, so that may be an option too.
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Dec 28, 2014 04:06
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