Computer Speakers

[gregoryvg]

I find myself listening to a lot of music and movies at my computer desk in my Den. I really enjoy it and have a decent set of speakers right now. I bought my current speakers over 10 years ago (Cambridge Soundworks PCWorks) and they have held up and are holding up fine. Recently, one of the satellites stopped working (It is working again now) so I went on somewhat of a search to find a good set to replace them.

During my search I came to the conclusion that most of the PC speaker sets have very small satellites with very teeny speakers with little to no mid-range and usually mediocre high range and decent bass. So, it got me thinking about how to build a better system from scratch. What would be the steps involved in doing this? My idea would be to get a pair of decent bookshelf speakers as the satellites and a decent bass unit.

I guess all I would need is a receiver, the satellites and a bass unit? Would I need a good sound card? I have Vista and have heard they did something weird to where most sound cards don't even use hardware acceleration anymore, is it still worthwhile?

Also, had anyone done this? Any recommendations on decent gear on a budget?

 

[PurdueRy]

You're on the right track. If you don't care about surround sound in games, on board is typically fine. Just use the digital connection to your receiver.

 

[gregoryvg]

Thanks, and yeah, I'm not worried about suround sound, just a kick ass 2.1 stereo sound.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Even 5.1 surround works reasonably well with onboard sound, it just is simplified compared to EAX, kind of like turning soft shadows off in graphics.

It's the front and center ( =voices ) speakers that are most important in 5.1, and you can set your receiver to phantom center speaker mode. So:

- 5.1 receiver (Onkyo is good)
- 2 good left / right front speakers
- good center channel or use phantom mode (sound goes to L/R front)
- subwoofer
- 2 cheap rear speakers

Use analog outs from the motherboard, and connect to the analog 5.1 input of the receiver with 3 x stereo miniplug - to - RCA y-adapters.

 

[Blain]

If you're using omboard audio... it won't matter much. Get whatever you can afford.

 

[modoheo]

A "home theater in a box" type system, while anathema to true audiophiles, is an affordable way to get much better sound from your computer than any speaker designed to be used with a computer will provide. Something like the following would likely make your den sound like a concert-hall compared to Cambridge Soundworks. Example Onkyo 5.1 speaker system with receiver for less than 300 bucks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16882120085

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: modoheo
A "home theater in a box" type system, while anathema to true audiophiles, is an affordable way to get much better sound from your computer than any speaker designed to be used with a computer will provide. Something like the following would likely make your den sound like a concert-hall compared to Cambridge Soundworks. Example Onkyo 5.1 speaker system with receiver for less than 300 bucks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16882120085

I would not recommend the 3100 and and its not much better than most computer speakers systems with the exceptions of input versatility. The 4100 is the bare minimum I would recommend with a strong push to jump up to the 5100.

I would recommend the Logitech Z-5500's over the 3100 if inputs weren't an issue.

 

[modoheo]

Yeah, the 5100 really got strong reviews, didn't it? Not a terrible price either, as audio equipment goes:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16882120081