Good cpu sound system for around $500

[BoredSysAdmin]

However, I didn't realize that providing more than one option to someone wasn't welcomed on this forum... my bad.

Don't be smartass, No one here is set vs proving additional opinion. I'm not sure how much audio background you have and some of your suggestions to OP seems sub-optimal and OP seemed to really

I do have to laugh at that last line however... USB DACs are as easy to setup as a thumbdrive as nearly all of them require no driver install as they handshake as a 'External Media Device' in both Windows and OSX and in the case of the less expensive ones only have RCA jacks on one side and a USB connection on the other. If connecting a USB DAC is too complicated - running an optical or coax connection to an AVR (especially when he has not indicated that his PC even has a digital out) is rocket science in comparison.

I never said or hinted in any way that connecting DAC is complicated it's just not needed in most cases.
btw: getting SPD/IF from a pc is not a rocket science - it's just that certain audio manufacturers (Creative) wants to confuse us into buying their equipment over standard one.

Case in point:
Even thou the OP 2.0 music as primary target, he also want's sometimes to
watch to movies. Suggesting him system which is NOT easily upgradeable to 5.1 is a bad idea imho.

This is my suggestion:
$30 for usb to spdif dongle (if his pc doesn't have it),
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829118013

$200 for decent avr:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR508/Onkyo/TX-SR508-7.1-Channel-3-D-Ready-Home-Theater-Receiver/1.html
$140 for sub:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-635
and rest for speakers:
http://www.pro-audio-warehouse.com/b2030p.html

All these components have been extensively tested and tried (and improved) by community experts and have been multiple times declared as one of the best value for your buck. Note: Behringer 2030p speakers do not have grills.

@raytyej - In answer to your last question - there is nothing you can do to 'fix' mp3's or any compressed audio file... once the information is gone you can't get it back. It must be lossless from the beginning.

For once I fully agree with you. Lossy compression, like mp3, strips out extra information from audio files and there no way to ever get it back.

 

[digicidal]

Don't be smartass, No one here is set vs proving additional opinion. I'm not sure how much audio background you have and some of your suggestions to OP seems sub-optimal and OP seemed to really

As far as audio background professionally - none. As far as PC based sound and video systems - a decent amount both professionally (20years) and personally.

I apologize for the quick retort... my response was more from the perception that you were quick to dismiss - but without anything (at that time) to add. I was thinking/hoping from my admittedly short time here that this was a different place from a certain other well-known audio forum which I have frequented for years - and I admit to jumping to a conclusion based on your response. Add to that the fact that I am also a 'Bored SysAdmin' who is in the middle of a weekend-long rollout of a new AR system... and I tend to get a little edgy (on my 4th pot of coffee).

As for sub-optimal the OP seems to be severely space limited - hence hesitant to have an AVR + passives as his solution. I assume that also means that having a 5.1 system would also be much too large given space constraints. Do you feel that movies can only be enjoyed (even sitting at a computer) with a full 5.1 or 7.1 surround setup? Also, perhaps I'm reading into it more than I should but I get the feeling that this is a dual-purpose room (bedroom,den,etc.) and that Dayton sub, although great bang for the buck is like 18in cube which is pretty big and which would easily overpower a small room wouldn't it?

NOTE: I'm not trying to be argumentative... I really am just curious as I also have never had a big enough desk/office to have a full 5.1 surround system with AVR+passives - although I do run an AVR.. but just to 2 monitors... and don't even run a sub because the bass on the nearfields is good enough IMO for games/movies at my desk, not to mention I would lose all of my legroom since I have file cabinets and PCs everywhere else in the room. How large a subwoofer do you run in your office and do you have 5 passives there or?? In any case I'm sure I would be very jealous.
I wholeheartedly agree on the Behringer's being great monitors at the price. I'm looking at a pair as I write this in my 2nd office. However, I personally will be looking for something much smaller than the AVR I currently use when I move and have a smaller office once again.

I guess I should have been more reserved in my suggestions considering all of the conflicting information - i.e. first truly good sound, then gaming/movies, then ipod connectivity, finally for listening to mp3s of unknown bitrates... which would probably sound just as good on a $10 pair of headphones.

@raytyej - yes, and no. A higher bitrate lossy encode (.mp3/.aac/.wma) will sound better than a lower one. But just as with the lossy-to-lossless question, once a song has been encoded at a particular bitrate - that's as good as it can get. You would need to re-rip the original lossless/CD file at the higher rate to get better sound. However, if you are doing that - just rip it as a lossless file or keep it as one.

If you need to use AAC or MP3 on your iPod because you can't fit everything in a lossless format you can easily use a utility like dbPowerAmp batch converter to make them from the lossless rips - and then listen to the lossless files while sitting at your computer. Or you can do like I do and just copy 30-40 albums worth of lossless files to your iPod and when you get tired of listening to those - wipe it and refill it with a different 30-40.

 

[raytyej]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829118013[/url]

$200 for decent avr:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR508/Onkyo/TX-SR508-7.1-Channel-3-D-Ready-Home-Theater-Receiver/1.html
$140 for sub:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-635
and rest for speakers:
http://www.pro-audio-warehouse.com/b2030p.html

All these components have been extensively tested and tried (and improved) by community experts and have been multiple times declared as one of the best value for your buck. Note: Behringer 2030p speakers do not have grills.

thanks a lot! =D

as for the usb to spdif dongle. what is that? haha i've heard it for the 1st time! haha

anyway is the receiver very impt? it looks complicated to operate it. Is there like auto setting or anything? HAHA!

as for the subs and speakers i've heard good comments on it before.so..thanks! i will take it into consideration! =D

also,if i get different parts from different manufacturer will there be any complications?

Thanks! =D

 

[raytyej]

As far as audio background professionally - none. As far as PC based sound and video systems - a decent amount both professionally (20years) and personally.

and I tend to get a little edgy (on my 4th pot of coffee).

Also, perhaps I'm reading into it more than I should but I get the feeling that this is a dual-purpose room (bedroom,den,etc.) and that Dayton sub, although great bang for the buck is like 18in cube which is pretty big and which would easily overpower a small room wouldn't it?

I wholeheartedly agree on the Behringer's being great monitors at the price. I'm looking at a pair as I write this in my 2nd office. However, I personally will be looking for something much smaller than the AVR I currently use when I move and have a smaller office once again.

ok first why the hell are you drinking 4 pots of coffee a day? thats crazy..haha..

back to the topic..So you are saying that if i get the dayton and the Behringer i will overkill? As for the room size i do not know exactly how big. but its safe to assume it will be about 16ft X 16ft? so will it still be overkill?

 

[digicidal]

thanks a lot! =D

as for the usb to spdif dongle. what is that? haha i've heard it for the 1st time! haha

anyway is the receiver very impt? it looks complicated to operate it. Is there like auto setting or anything? HAHA!

as for the subs and speakers i've heard good comments on it before.so..thanks! i will take it into consideration! =D

also,if i get different parts from different manufacturer will there be any complications?
...
ok first why the hell are you drinking 4 pots of coffee a day? thats crazy..haha..

back to the topic..So you are saying that if i get the dayton and the Behringer i will overkill? As for the room size i do not know exactly how big. but its safe to assume it will be about 16ft X 16ft? so will it still be overkill?

If you are going with an AVR, then the USB to SPDIF dongle will be great for output from your PC to the AVR. That way your AVR acts as both your outboard DAC and your power amplifier for the speakers (as well as allowing a little more sophisticated integration of the sub with the speakers for a better overall sound).

The dayton sub wouldn't be too big for that room size - you have much more space to work with than I estimated originally. Although it will still need about 2 square feet of floorspace. And you don't need to worry about mixing different brands as far as the electronics and the sub are concerned. If you are thinking of potentially wanting a surround-sound system later on, then it is pretty important to make sure that you use speakers from the same manufacturer - and preferrably the same line of speakers too since different speakers are 'voiced' differently and will not have the same sonic characteristics - which can cause sound be much more localizable (essentially allowing your brain to see the sound as coming from the speakers as opposed to just hearing the sounds as you do in nature). As far as the Behringer monitors - much like the A5's you're considering they will be just fine... everything above about 100Hz can't really "overpower" anything since not only are the waves much smaller, but for the most part they don't transmit as well though walls, floors, etc... and at the point they do you should already be doing some pretty bad damage to your hearing - since you'll be sitting right in front of them.

The coffee was to help me stay awake as I managed the conversion and new system rollout here at the office... had already been awake for 30 hours... much of it just waiting around for things to get done while sitting in my office reading different forums.

Some things that might help in your decision process:

1) Is space a concern? I know you said you'll have at least 256 sq. ft. in the room... but how much of that can be allocated to audio equipment?

2) Is this going to be your main/only place to watch movies, listen to music, etc. or do you have another area that you do that and this is a secondary one?

3) Are you the only one involved in the process? (i.e. do you have a roommate/spouse/parent/etc... that might get upset if you took up the whole room with speakers and electronics. Or a downstairs neighbor that might not like a down-firing subwoofer pointed at his ceiling?)

4) How long do you plan to commit to this setup? Is your budget all you want to spend right now - or all you want to spend ever (at least for a PC sound setup)?

I ask because you seem to want to achieve some rather significantly different goals with this one setup - and although I wouldn't say that it's impossible to fulfill all of them... it might not be the best solution.

 

[digicidal]

anyway is the receiver very impt? it looks complicated to operate it. Is there like auto setting or anything? HAHA!

At most with SPDIF you would just have to change the input type on whatever you placed it on to 'Digital' - since each selection should be assignable to either the analog inputs or a digital one. Many AVRs will simply auto-detect the input and as long as you don't have something connected to the analog inputs on the back - they will set themselves to digital. You might have to tell it which digital input (i.e. Optical 1, Optical 2, Coax 1, etc..)

Setup is pretty much automatic for 2-ch and for surround sound the receiver should walk you through setting levels and crossover point for the sub (although I don't have familiarity with that particular AVR - they all come with a manual which will walk you through it).

 

[Nemo128]

Hey guys! i'm new to these audio stuff. So i was wondering if anyone would help me out? i'm looking for good computer sound system for the price of $500. I am not an avid gamer but i do play games. However, i do listen to A LOT of music,mostly metal, rock and blues. Basically,more emphasis is on music than gaming. Thx a lot guys. Really appreciate all your inputs. And Merry Christmas to all! =D

I'd like to go back to your original outline so everyone can provide some full solutions rather than the partially-considered options I'm seeing.

1. Is the $500 fixed or is there some flex percentage? (up 10-20% for example)

2. I see gaming, I see music. First, does your PC gaming include a need for surround sound? Second, do you listen to music files that are MP3s, CDs, Super Audio CDs, live concert DVDs, lossless encoded files?

3. What is your listening environment like?!?! If you're in a 6ftx10ft space, some people are way over-specing your needs. If you're in a 25ftx40ft large room, some are way under-specing your needs. We really need to know where this is being used.

4. Distance to your main speakers. Are you doing PC gaming at a desk where your speakers will be about 2-3ft from your ears? Are you hooking up your PC to a large monitor or TV with your speakers positioned more than 3ft away?

I'll give you an example from my own history to make it clear. I used to play only MP3 files on a PC through a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 card to a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 system. Except for the volume, my full Definitive Technology home theater setup does not sound like it's a 30x better system (at 30x the cost) than the Klipsch system... when playing MP3s. Once lossless audio or SACD or live DVDs come into play, that 30x cost shows itself handily.

Let's first get to some real functional requirements before we build a solution. Otherwise we're coming up with needs to justify the solution, rather than a solution to meet the needs.

 

[raytyej]

hey guys! really thanks a lot for spending time to answer my qns..really appreciate it..=D since nemo128 and digicidal has about the same replies i shall just post your questions in one thread =D

I'd like to go back to your original outline so everyone can provide some full solutions rather than the partially-considered options I'm seeing.

1. Is the $500 fixed or is there some flex percentage? (up 10-20% for example)

2. I see gaming, I see music. First, does your PC gaming include a need for surround sound? Second, do you listen to music files that are MP3s, CDs, Super Audio CDs, live concert DVDs, lossless encoded files?

3. What is your listening environment like?!?! If you're in a 6ftx10ft space, some people are way over-specing your needs. If you're in a 25ftx40ft large room, some are way under-specing your needs. We really need to know where this is being used.

4. Distance to your main speakers. Are you doing PC gaming at a desk where your speakers will be about 2-3ft from your ears? Are you hooking up your PC to a large monitor or TV with your speakers positioned more than 3ft away?

I'll give you an example from my own history to make it clear. I used to play only MP3 files on a PC through a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 card to a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 system. Except for the volume, my full Definitive Technology home theater setup does not sound like it's a 30x better system (at 30x the cost) than the Klipsch system... when playing MP3s. Once lossless audio or SACD or live DVDs come into play, that 30x cost shows itself handily.

Let's first get to some real functional requirements before we build a solution. Otherwise we're coming up with needs to justify the solution, rather than a solution to meet the needs.

thanks! =D ok sry let me start from the beginning

1.there is some flex percentage of 20%

2. My game do not necessarily need to sound very good. But my music needs to! and use mp3 files only =(

3.im listening in my bedroom, my room size will be about 19ft X 19ft. i'm considering getting a TV as my monitor so i'll probably not do too much gaming but more of listening music and watching video.

4.i'll probably be lazing on my bed using the com so it'll be quite a distance. about 2-2.5meters?

5.as for future spending? i will definitely spend but not in the near future. tts why i'm scratching my head thinking of the best possible sound system! haha

thanks a lot =D

 

[digicidal]

I'm listening in my bedroom, my room size will be about 19ft X 19ft. i'm considering getting a TV as my monitor so i'll probably not do too much gaming but more of listening music and watching video.

With the way these questions are going and the way the room keeps changing size so often... I'm skeptical.

Also... your bedroom is now going to be 19X19??? That is one nice bedroom for someone with only a $500 budget!

First it seemed really small, then 16X16, now 19X19, next 30X60... and all on a $500 budget - sorry if I'm wrong but that just seems trollish.

Since this is going to be your bedroom and you're doing pretty much everything in it without having a livingroom or theater anywhere else to do your movie watching - coupled with the fact that you will (as you say) only be listening to MP3s exclusively - I go back to my suggestion that you just get a Logitech system with speakers and sub, plug them into your computer's sound card and enjoy... your MP3s will sound fine as will your games and movies and still have a bit of money left to go buy some actual CDs to listen to at higher fidelity. Or better yet, just buy a pair of headphones (try several - just like with speakers... listening at the store is free) and some of them even have discreet drivers for a surround-like experience. Will it sound as good as an AVR + Passives? No... but if you're happy with MP3s - trust me, you won't really notice the difference.

Then tell whoever is funding the cost of this growing bedroom's construction to just work in a $2-3K sound system and pay for 1 hours setup and configuration by the local shop that provided said sound system. They'll be happy to walk you through the features of the AVR. Since the bedroom reno/build should be close to 20X that figure... you'll be in great shape. Stay away from Bose and just get whatever sounds good to you at the store.

Good luck and enjoy. I'm out!