Most pc speaker makers announce that their products can reach hi-fi level. However, most people around me told me it is wrong.How about your opinion?
Can pc speakers reach Hi-fi level?
- Thread starter speed651
- Start date
Kinda depends on the system you're refering to as there is a pretty wide choice of hi-fi kits.
Judging from the gear I have I'd say that a small satelite kit could reach very high sound levels, if it sound good at that level is another question.
Judging from the gear I have I'd say that a small satelite kit could reach very high sound levels, if it sound good at that level is another question.
It all depends how you define "hi-fi".
In my opinion no pc or multimedia speakers even come close to "hi-fi". Consider that the most expensive pc speakers cost about $400, including amplification. Then consider that it is barely possible to get a "hi-fi" amplifier alone for that money, and you'd have to spend a like sum to get speakers that could be considered "hi-fi".
That's not to say that pc speakers can't sound "good" in their intended application - it's just that the performance expectations are somewhat different.
In my opinion no pc or multimedia speakers even come close to "hi-fi". Consider that the most expensive pc speakers cost about $400, including amplification. Then consider that it is barely possible to get a "hi-fi" amplifier alone for that money, and you'd have to spend a like sum to get speakers that could be considered "hi-fi".
That's not to say that pc speakers can't sound "good" in their intended application - it's just that the performance expectations are somewhat different.
Oy....the problem with this argument is you begin to delve into subjective perception of "hi-fi," audiophile, and low-end stuff.
As a generalization (and this is just me being honest), 99.5% of all computer speakers (IE: Klipsch PM5.1, Logitec z560, Crossfires, Monsoon MM2000, etc.) are pretty much utter trash compared to a true audiophile system. I would call them mid-range systems, and some of the cheaper ones I'd call low-end systems.
Are they loud? Well, sure they are. Are they nice sounding? Sometimes - depending upon what you're listening too. Do they compare to even a low end audiophile set up? No chance in hell.
One problem is the very output of soundcards - the DAC and ADC are usually of fairly shoddy quality even on the supposedly "high end" PC audio cards (IE: TB, Audigy, AE, etc.) - and you have to take in mind that a computer is a very electrostatically noisy environment where signals can be altered by other system components. The problem is compounded when you have high fidelity components externally (IE: amp/pre-amp setup, excellent speakers, quality cable) and things like that start to become very apparent. Until they start offering cards that actually have DAC's that aren't trashy, and remove them from the noisy computer environment, having a hi-fi speaker setup is sort of a moot point.
My father has a Rotel amp/pre-amp set up, a marantz CD player (*very* high quality DAC), and Vanderstein speakers, and about three hundred dollars of high end cable. This system absolutly blows away anything else I've heard outside of the shop that we bought them in - and when we hooked a computer up to it (with a decent card - a turtle beach), it was blaringly obvious that it was a computer. There was slight amounts of backround noise, and the overall signal felt a bit flat compared to the marantz CD player. I'm sorry to say that a computer doesn't even remotely begin to compare to a high end system, although there are components that have high quality audio, but they cost so much that you have to ask if it's not just cheaper to buy a nice stereo.
I'm not saying it'll never happen - but computers are still a *long* way off from audiophile sound.
As a generalization (and this is just me being honest), 99.5% of all computer speakers (IE: Klipsch PM5.1, Logitec z560, Crossfires, Monsoon MM2000, etc.) are pretty much utter trash compared to a true audiophile system. I would call them mid-range systems, and some of the cheaper ones I'd call low-end systems.
Are they loud? Well, sure they are. Are they nice sounding? Sometimes - depending upon what you're listening too. Do they compare to even a low end audiophile set up? No chance in hell.
One problem is the very output of soundcards - the DAC and ADC are usually of fairly shoddy quality even on the supposedly "high end" PC audio cards (IE: TB, Audigy, AE, etc.) - and you have to take in mind that a computer is a very electrostatically noisy environment where signals can be altered by other system components. The problem is compounded when you have high fidelity components externally (IE: amp/pre-amp setup, excellent speakers, quality cable) and things like that start to become very apparent. Until they start offering cards that actually have DAC's that aren't trashy, and remove them from the noisy computer environment, having a hi-fi speaker setup is sort of a moot point.
My father has a Rotel amp/pre-amp set up, a marantz CD player (*very* high quality DAC), and Vanderstein speakers, and about three hundred dollars of high end cable. This system absolutly blows away anything else I've heard outside of the shop that we bought them in - and when we hooked a computer up to it (with a decent card - a turtle beach), it was blaringly obvious that it was a computer. There was slight amounts of backround noise, and the overall signal felt a bit flat compared to the marantz CD player. I'm sorry to say that a computer doesn't even remotely begin to compare to a high end system, although there are components that have high quality audio, but they cost so much that you have to ask if it's not just cheaper to buy a nice stereo.
I'm not saying it'll never happen - but computers are still a *long* way off from audiophile sound.
get something like http://www.stereo-link.com/stereolink.filereader?3c64ef7d039249e2271fd143c8fe0704+EN/userpages/7 to get rid of computer noise
<< In my opinion no pc or multimedia speakers even come close to "hi-fi". Consider that the most expensive pc speakers cost about $400, including amplification. Then consider that it is barely possible to get a "hi-fi" amplifier alone for that money, and you'd have to spend a like sum to get speakers that could be considered "hi-fi".
>>
The original question is wrong. It's not the matter of speakers, but of PCs. The current situation is such that the PCs cannot be hooked up to, say, hi-fi systems. But it may change in the future. In fact, it's starting to change already. nForce-based PCs, for example, *can* be hooked up to hi-fi sound systems, pumping up Dolby Digital.
Leo
Take a look at the Argo 2 system from Acoustic Energy ( http//:www.aegoproject.org/products.htm ). At $599 for 2.1 setup it is a Hi-fi product. My A/V dealer let me demo a set for a weekend. Very nice sounding system.
No, it's still "PC" Speakers, not "Hi-Fi" speakers.
If you use Hi-Fi speakers and components for your PC, that's a different story.
If you use Hi-Fi speakers and components for your PC, that's a different story.
<< nForce-based PCs, for example, *can* be hooked up to hi-fi sound systems, pumping up Dolby Digital. >>
Ummm, ANY PC that has a digital sound output *can* be hooked up to Dolby digital system. nforce is nothing special there.
<<
<< nForce-based PCs, for example, *can* be hooked up to hi-fi sound systems, pumping up Dolby Digital. >>
Ummm, ANY PC that has a digital sound output *can* be hooked up to Dolby digital system. nforce is nothing special there. >>
Oh, but the output won't be actually a Dolby Digital stream. Only nForce currently is capable of realtime Dolby Digital encoding.
Leo
<<
<<
<< nForce-based PCs, for example, *can* be hooked up to hi-fi sound systems, pumping up Dolby Digital. >>
Ummm, ANY PC that has a digital sound output *can* be hooked up to Dolby digital system. nforce is nothing special there. >>
Oh, but the output won't be actually a Dolby Digital stream. Only nForce currently is capable of realtime Dolby Digital encoding. >>
You should do some research, you couldn't be more mistaken. And I think you mean "decoding", not "encoding". ANY sound card currently on the market that has a digital output passes (or can be set to pass) a Dolby Digital data stream that can be decoded by a home theater decoder or digital speakers like Creative's Inspire Digital multimedia speaker system. The Creative Labs' SB Live! 5.1 series all output decoded Dolby Digital analog (5.1 channel) signals when used with appropriate sources, as do several other current soundcards. The nforce will do that, too, but is by no means the "only" thing that will do that!
no way. but for now, i'm going to enjoy my Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 and my Hercules Game Theater XP.
<<
<< Oh, but the output won't be actually a Dolby Digital stream. Only nForce currently is capable of realtime Dolby Digital encoding. >>
You should do some research, you couldn't be more mistaken. And I think you mean "decoding", not "encoding". ANY sound card currently on the market that has a digital output passes (or can be set to pass) a Dolby Digital data stream that can be decoded by a home theater decoder or digital speakers like Creative's Inspire Digital multimedia speaker system. The Creative Labs' SB Live! 5.1 series all output decoded Dolby Digital analog (5.1 channel) signals when used with appropriate sources, as do several other current soundcards. The nforce will do that, too, but is by no means the "only" thing that will do that! >>
No, no, no. I meant to say "ENcoding," and I said "encoding" (decoding is easy and trivial). You're probably not aware of that because it is so new to the sound card market. Previously, no sound card possessed enough of processing power to achieve that in real time. nForce has a multi-DSP monster dedicated to that task. Please read the specs, or get an idea from the following article:
http://www.anandtech.com/chipsets/showdoc.html?i=1484&p=6
From what I understand, it means that any sound source supported by nForce (EAX, for example) can be encoded into Dolby Digital on the fly, and passed on to a home theater in a digital format.
Leo
<< From what I understand, it means that any sound source supported by nForce (EAX, for example) can be encoded into Dolby Digital on the fly, and passed on to a home theater in a digital format. >>
Interesting - makes sense now that we are talking the same language. I misunderstood what you were saying, I'm sorry. I'm just so used to people mistakenly making statements like those I (mistakenly) thought you were saying that I was answering a different question.
It'll be interesting to see how it sounds. I couldn't find anywhere that said the resulting bitstream would actually *be* a Dolby Digital stream or just DD-compatible. In other words, I didn't see any mention of a license from Dolby Labs (which is typically prominently stated), but since they are using the name in their description who knows?
<< Interesting - makes sense now that we are talking the same language. I misunderstood what you were saying, I'm sorry. I'm just so used to people mistakenly making statements like those I (mistakenly) thought you were saying that I was answering a different question. >>
'Dat is fine.
<< It'll be interesting to see how it sounds. I couldn't find anywhere that said the resulting bitstream would actually *be* a Dolby Digital stream or just DD-compatible. In other words, I didn't see any mention of a license from Dolby Labs (which is typically prominently stated), but since they are using the name in their description who knows? >>
nForce did get an official Dolby Digital certification, so I would assume they offer real Dolby.
Leo
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