Audio system wanted for ~$800 through computer

[Kyuuketsuki]

Hey guys, I've been looking around the web for a good place to find quality hardware for the last few days and found Audioholics which is awesome, the amount of information here is astounding.

Okay so here's the basics:

I have around $800 to spend on good audio equipment, I used to play games a lot but lately haven't touched anything in the last month and would like it for mostly for Music(70%), Games(15%) and Movies(15%) of the time.

I by far prefer clarity over booming sounds and have always thought that people who play music with the bass and treble all the way up had something wrong with them(never let them know of course)

I'm a pretty good Techie when it comes to setting up electronics and computers, have a few power tools to make things fit well etc.

So my current setup is my computer with built-in Realtek audio that can output 7.1 and has Optical SPDIF out, there's also a 6970 in there that's blocking my second PCIe slot unless I switch them around, in which case It will kill the airflow on my custom heatsink and the card would sit ontop of the GFX.

General breakdown:
Antec TP-750
i5-750
AMD HD 6970
2 free PCI
1 free PCIe, but using it will kill some of the airflow on the 6970
9 HDDs and 1 DVD player, using 1 PCI slot for 2 of them

My 6970 has a custom heatsink, modded from a 5870 compatible Accelero 2 or something like that, whisper quiet when not in use which is great.

Currently been using X-540's for the last 5 years which were good when I got them but compared to the sound from a good home theatre system they are nothing even after all the filtering I can do through FFDShow to improve clarity a bit.

So I currently have $800 to spend, I'd prefer to stick within $500 and can go up to $1000 so a few options would be great.

From what I read yesterday after a few pages of browsing It'd be something along the lines of Asus Xonar Essence($200) + Denon xxxx($200) + shelf speakers? Not that this is what I want, it's just what I've gathered from reading around.

I won't need anything more than 5.1 and would like to add more speakers eventually when i get the money for it.

As for space in my room, there isn't much but I can move things around for them currently 2 monitors take up my desk but I can move them to my other desk which is wider.

I'll probably be removing some of my older 250-640gb HDDs soon as well since they just create unecessary humming from my computer.

Also this stuff will need to be able to be delivered to Australia and if it can't be just post it and let me know it can't and I'll have a look around to see if I can get them around here for myself.

I could go for a $200 headset in with it, but I dislike them generally because my ears get bleeding hot after about 1 hour of use. Also of note, my ears get pretty hot sometimes just sitting around, does this happen to anyone else?

Sorry if it was a bit of a long read, but I think I got most of the questions answered.

Thanks, Kyuu

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Kyuu, It will be very hard for us, mostly US based forum to recommend specific systems in AU. As you know very well, AU prices are drastically higher than here in US and most of good deals here ether wont ship to AU or shipping/taxes will kill most of the benefits...

I would recommend you to shop locally.
Getting full 5.1 with good speakers for $800 is possible in US, but I doubt is same would be possible in downunder.

Here are few finds I found which are local to us. Pay close annotation to Pioneer system. They listen the full blown MSRP price, which you should be able to find much cheaper if you shop around:
STUDIO527 5.1 Home Theatre System with music streaming - Pioneer Home Cinema - Surround Sound system

I don't much about system below, but Wharfardale is brand I trust for good quality and excellent value
Wharfedale Crystal 3HTSB 825W 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Speaker Pack | Home Audio & Theatre, Speakers : JB HI-FI

You'd need to add a receiver to make it complete system

I also can't skip to mention one of better speakers out there for the money:
CBM-170 SE High Performance Bookshelf Loudspeaker

Contact them for shipping quote. The make cmb170 as a center as well

 

[shadyJ]

Also of note, my ears get pretty hot sometimes just sitting around, does this happen to anyone else?

You might think about seeing a doctor is my advice, lol.

But seriously, you ought to look into studio monitors, like these things from this aussie pro audio store. Your budget will only allow for a pair, but since you are mostly listening to music, 5.1 won't do you much good for the most part, and spreading your budget out to five speakers and a subwoofer will be detrimental towards that end. Two active speakers with decent bass extension is what I would be going for in a computer setup, that will make your music sound its best. You won't need a receiver with self-amplified speakers, so more of your money will be going to finer sound quality instead of a lot of features you'll never use. Hopefully you have deskspace available, because the studio monitors with decent bass are larger; I would be looking at the monitors with 8" woofers: the Behringers, the KRK Rokit 8, the JBL LSR2328. This might eliminate the need for a subwoofer if you are satisfied with their bass extension, and then you won't need to worry about boominess. You can add a sub later, and cross it over lower than if you had smaller speakers, and this can give you clean deep bass instead of bloated mid and bass where the sub will always draw attention to itself.

If you decide to go the studio monitor route, you will want an an higher quality analogue interface like the Xonar Essence you mentioned, but you can get something cheaper if you don't intend to expand out to a 5.1 system, like this thing which will do just fine. You do not want to use your motherboard's analogue jacks for a hi-fi music system. Also, if you do think you want some studio monitors, check other aussie pro audio stores for better prices, the one I linked to is just the first google hit that came up with "pro audio australia" search terms. Also, in my experience, you can bargain with pro audio people pretty easily, so if you see something you like somewhere, ask them if they do price matching, or ask them if they can toss in the cables free or something. These people often have a little bit of room to move on the price or the terms of the deal.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

Founds these while looking around at different websites, this place has free shipping and the prices are a little lower than a few of the others and similar to a few other sites I've come by. Shipping elsewhere would probably start at $50 for something this size


storedj.com.au

KRK-RP10 $979
JBL LSR2328P $799
Mackie MR8 MK2 $769
^ These are slightly above my price range after getting the Lexicon Alpha but let me know if they're worth it

KRK-RP8G2 $639
Behringer B2031A $555
M-Audio BX8 D2 $509
M-Audio BX8A $399

I would link to each individual one but I can't post links yet

had a look through about 7 pages of google searches or 30 odd sites to compare prices in general and this place seems to be the cheapest I could find.

If there's anything else on that site worth mentioning please do

Also is RCA or TRS preferred for a computer setup where the cables are likely to go behind the lcd monitors/tower? I read that on some speakers with RCA you get a humm coming through because it isn't balanced

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

https://www.storedj.com.au/products/PIO-SDJ05
review here:
Pioneer S-DJ05 Review | Digital Trends

RCA is unbalanced and yes, connecting unbalanced to pro monitors can create buzz/humm.. This is possible to fix (mostly) with shielded rca cables or go with balanced interface like lex alpha, btw: is on sale in US for $60


p.s: I'm partial to LSR2325p - See my sig - I thing they are amazing music speakers, with only their limit is bass (can't fight physics) - they do run of juice running high volumes with bass heavy material. 8" lsr2328p should do better in this department.

 

[shadyJ]

The KRK RP10 will stay clean at the loudest levels, no doubt, but that is probably way more than you need sitting at the desktop in front of the speaker. The JBLs would be very good. I think the new Mackie monitors would be great as well. These are all highly regarded speakers. Make sure those prices are for a pair rather than individually. I would go with balanced TRS cables. As for the Lexicon sound interface, that is just an example I threw up there. There may be better deals on other sound interfaces that will work just as well. Look for a break out box with the kind of jacks you need, either XLR or balanced TRS. The Xonar would be good too because if you ever wanted to expand out to surround sound, it can do that. You can also get a cheap basic amp and go for the passive version of the Behringer 2031 monitors, that might give you more flexibility in the future, something to think about. I like Behringer but they do not have the best reliability regarding electronics, so its a lot easier for me to recommend the passive version of their speakers over the active ones, and the passive versions are on sale now at that storedj place for $239 a pair, that is even better than anywhere you can get in the US, that is a terrific deal for some great speakers. You can pair that with an amp like this one, and you would be set.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

Yeh, I can't really do 'loud' where I am at the moment but might have to move soon so we'll see.

I don't need so loud that the neighbours will complain but would prefer something that would be akin to studio mixing as my personal preference is that sound doesn't get muddled and comes out clear and distinct

for clarity in studio monitors how do these compare?
I looked around for reviews but they all seem extremely subjective like 'oh I just bought this and its great' which bears no real comparison to other speakers or they end up comparing models which are dated.

So far the Behringer B2031P's look good and I can spend the extra money on a Asus Xonar Essence and Amp incase I ever want to upgrade, would an AVR work the same way as an Amp in this setup, like the low end denons for example?

On a side note, in Australia its practically summer but the weather is unstable in melbourne so we get days like 34C(94F) then a day of 17C(62F), it rains then there's a cold snap on a hot day or it'll be freezing in the morning and 36C(98F) later. It will reach 40C(104F) a few times later in summer but early summer the weather is rather unstable eg. heater on in the morning air con mid day

I'll probably wait for a little more input before I dive at anything, just hope the specials are still running at that time

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

Ended up a double post coz the spammer got deleted

Behringer UCA222 $45
Behringer Q502USB $79
Behringer Q802USB $105

all of these would also work as USB outputs for RCA with the more expensive two coming with XLR and TRS as well. Not sure what I'd do with the extra features but I may eventually get a Electric violin so maybe it'll come in handy, the Q802USB is about the same price as the lexicon and the Q502USB is cheaper and probably has everything i need

M-Audio DSM-2 $679
could probably be added to the list too of possibilities.

Aleisis RA150 $215
Behringer iNUKE NU1000 $199
How would these two compare as amps?

 

[zieglj01]

haha a spammer, posted 7 times saying the same thing.

You have to watch out for them spammers - I like Event and Tannoy.
However not listed, and Event is expensive. The Behringer may work
out for you. I like the looks of the Pioneer - also JBL can be a good
option.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

So if I were to get the Behringer B2031P's for $239, the iNuke Amp for $199 and the Behringer Q502USB for $79 it'd come to $517 which is a nice price for me.

On the other hand would getting an Asus Xonar Essence $168 + Behringer B2031P $239 + AVR($250) coming to $657 and using the optical SPDIF be any better/worse other than losing some power to the speakers?

I'm pretty sure it'd be better for the long run if I decide to go for 5.1/7.1 eventually

 

[shadyJ]

You'll note the Behringer 2031p monitors are rated at 4 ohm, which means you would want to take it easy with them on a cheap AVR; I would go for a simple amplifier in the meantime. Also consider there is no center channel for those speakers, and you would want to just use another as a center to make that into a surround sound set. I also think the 2030p monitor could also server as a decent center for the 2031p. As for the Behringer vs the Alesis, I think either one would do well, although I trust Alesis a tad more in the quality control dept. The behringer amp will get louder, but you would never need that extra power over the Alesis amp as 75 watt per channel will likely take you to 114 db at listening position (that is quite loud) as indicated by this SPL calculator when you plug in the 2031 sensitivity spec.

A card with decent analogue output jacks is going to sound as good as a digital out, so I wouldn't worry about SPDIF too much, at least until you move to surround sound. I certainly wouldn't spend a lot more just to use a digital audio output on the computer for two channel listening. Anyway, in the long run you would probably want something better than a $250 AVR anyway, I would be looking for one with good room correction like Audyssey MultiEQ XT and a decent amplifier, and I'm not sure but I don't think you can get either at $250.

 

[Kyuuketsuki]

So for the Behringer B3021P+ Behringer Q502USB + RA150 I'd need to use TRS cables to connect between the USB Interface and the Amp and then run a 14AWG cable to the speakers(I don't need more than 5 meters)?

I can't seem to find much information on how the Q502USB, how would it compare to the Lexicon Alpha?

Since both signals are digital anyways should it make any difference just using it as a pass through?

 

[shadyJ]

So for the Behringer B3021P+ Behringer Q502USB + RA150 I'd need to use TRS cables to connect between the USB Interface and the Amp and then run a 14AWG cable to the speakers(I don't need more than 5 meters)?

Yes, that is correct.

I can't seem to find much information on how the Q502USB, how would it compare to the Lexicon Alpha?

Since both signals are digital anyways should it make any difference just using it as a pass through?

I don't know how they compare, but my guess is it shouldn't make a difference for regular two channel music listening. However, I would check on the reliability of the Behringer and Lexicon drivers. Gearslutz.com would be a good place to ask about them.