New guy questions...

[jsmetona]

Howdy,
My name is Jeff, and im new to this board. Since ive sold my sq set up car for a jeep, ive been itchin for some quality sounding tunes. I'd like to set up something in my room here to my pc. Im guessing id need a better sound card, a good reciever, and a pair of full range speakers and maybe a sub(?). Most of the more expensive "pc speaker" sets are 5.1 and 6.1 set up, and dont impress me very much. Why do i need 6 speakers if im listening to 2 channel music, right? Anyway im looking for some advice on how to get the purest sound. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[cusky5oh]

First off, im courious about your sq setup for your jeep, how in depth did you go and what brands did you use, secondly it would be good to know your budget and perhaps some of the brands you have looked at already, also if you will be planning to move up to a 5.1 setup in the near future, also a little about your room setup would help too

 

[jsmetona]

The grand cherokee setup was a budget system, 2 way passive, alpine hardware and infinity drivers, but i focused mainly on the tuning with time correction, xovers, etc, to get it sounding pretty good for not too much money(i was still in high school). I'm planning to do another mobile project next year with higher end stuff (3 way active, cdt drivers, zapco amps) Anyway, i havent looked at any home based equipment. Budget is going to be moderate, im not looking to spend more than 2 grand on the whole setup. As far as 5.1, is it thought to be superior to a 2 channel setup?

 

[jcPanny]

2 channel setup

This would make a good entry level 2.1 system:
Onix X-LS speakers $200 (from av123.com)
Onix X-sub $200
Entry level receiver $1-200

Also, AH reviewed a pair of powered computer monitors a couple months back that got a great rating.
http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/loudspeakers/audioengine-A5p1.php

You should consider a sound card with a digital audio output for connection to the receiver or a high quality analog output for connection to power speakers or receiver. M-Audio makes a good 2-channel card for <$100.

 

[The Numenorian]

For $200 I sold a friend of mine an old HTIB for use in a tight PC/gaming corner...came with

-Yamaha HTR-5630
-5 yamaha speakers

He set up a couple of 6ohm speakers that he had from an old stereo system, gave the system decent bass. He uses this setup with a standard Creative audio card with just the stereo output jack (headphone jack to RCA l/r) and it sounds pretty darn good. Granted, he doesn't know much about audio fidelity, but the setup certainly gets the job done in his small corner area (6ft x 6ft x 7 ft). What I'm saying is, you don't have to spend a lot of money if you have a small area. A bigger area, on the other hand...