PC Speakers vs. Stereo System

[Markfw]

Just use line out on the sound card to line in on the receiver. 3.5mm mini plug stereo adapter to dual RCA jacks for input.

 

[hclarkjr]

that is an option markfw900 but the usb way sounds much better, i have run my sound both ways and noticed big improvement via the usb cable over the rca cable

 

[sandorski]

A decent HiFi certainly gives better sound, I used mine for 5 years. It's hard to find 5.1 setups as good as the Klipsch PM 5.1s(which I got in May/June)for the price though.

 

[Woodchuck2000]

Does the receiver install as a device and if so, what does it use for drivers? If I were to connect it to my laptop, in what way would it use my soundcard?

the soundcard treats this connection as usb speakers

I did a quick look at USB speakers and all the ones that don't use a 3.5mm jack as well replace the soundcard. These, and these both bypass the soundcard entirely. I simply can't understand how the sound gets from the soundcard's DSP to the USB port - I can't find a mention in any newsgroup or product detail

Now I'm thoroughly confused...

 

[hagbard]

Back to the original question, you can buy a really nice receiver and speakers for less (much less) than $400 which would beat any computer speakers out there at the pricepoint.

Go to SA or some other second hand store, garage sales, etc and look for a used 1970s stereo receiver. They have TRUE RMS power ratings, whereas the stuff produced today only has to reach it advertized RMS rating for one second, in the old days it had to be continuous over a period of hours. You could easily pickup a 1970s 50watt/rms receiver for under $50US. Then shop around for some bookshelf speakers in the hundred buck range

My current setup is a 30watt/rms Marantz model 1530 with two RS Optimus Pro-511 speakers, well under $100cdn (about $65US). Eventually I'll hook up another 70s amp I have kicking around and two Axiom speakers to drive the rears. I'm sure there is a way to get 4.1 or even 5.1 with the right setup.

 

[Pariah]

If you are connecting any USB audio device to your computer, your internal soundcard is not used. The USB spec contains support for stereo output which means no drivers are required beyond the standard USB drivers. When you plug the device in, it will automatically be detected as USB speakers. The receiver has no need for a soundcard as the USB connection is treated like a SPDIF. Your soundcard does not interface with USB as it has no idea what it is. Pull out your soundcard you will still get audio from your receiver.

 

[Woodchuck2000]

Thanks Pariah, that's exactly what I thought would be happening hence me asking about applying EAX effects (Which I assume won't work as the soundcard is redundant.)

That also means that the quality of the sound is entirely dependant on a) the source medium, and b) the quality of the DACs in the receiver. And also that my laptop will sound great through the receiver regardless of the poor integrated sound

Does that also mean that if you set the output of a program such as powerdvd to 'Spdif Passthrough' you can send Dolby Digital down the USB lead?

 

[X14]

True stereo is only 2.1, not 4.1 or 5.1 or 6.1, but 2.1. If you go to a concert or to listen to a band or vocalist, the sound only comes from in front of you, not the front an sides or front and back or surround, but only from the front.

And when it comes to 2.1 sound, there is absolutely NO computer speaker system that can compare with stereo equipment. I've got a pair of bookshelf speakers that will blow the doors off of any computer system and for that matter blow the doors off of speakers that costs much more.

A true stereophiler will never settle for listening to music on computer speakers, never.

 

[Woodchuck2000]

In a concert hall, the accoustic is created because the sound comes from all directions. It's impossible to recreate an authentic accoustic with 2 channel music because you can't get the reflections that would hit you from the rear. The net effect of having a decent 2 channel setup is to get an orchestra in your front room. With a well mastered 5.1 audio disc and a high quality surround speaker set your front room can become a concert hall. (BTW, true stereo is by definition 2 Channel, not 2.1)

I don't think anyone here could disagree with the fact that real Hi-Fi sounds much better than computer audio. I do the majority of my listening on a pair of KEF standmounters which are excellent. That said, for playing Unreal Tournament I'd rather have my DTT3500 as it's more compact and therefore easier to postion around my PC, and its surround sound so I can hear people sneaking up behind me...

 

[Pariah]

I don't think so. The USB spec only has 2 channel support. In order to get more through USB you would need additional driver support from a product like the CL Extigy or M-Audio Sonica.

 

[Woodchuck2000]

There's no theoretical reason why, if USB audio is treated as a SPDIF, it can't pass DD? 2 Channel SPDIF audio is a Stereo PCM Bitstream, DD is just an encoded bitstream which should be able to use the same connection as 2 Channel audio. The SPDIF out on my live can send either a PCM bitstream of DD bitstream. We'll have to ask Hclarkjr if he can get DD through a USB connection as he has the hardware there to try it out...

 

[Pariah]

It's not a technical issue, it's a driver issue. The original SB Live! could pass a DD signal in Win98, but couldn't in NT without driver hacks. The CL DXR2 DVD card could pass a DD signal, but could not pass a DTS signal. Just having a SPDIF connector doesn't mean you can pass a multichannel signal, though it could be possible technically.

 

[Woodchuck2000]

That's a good point. I'm half tempted just to go and buy a cheapo pair of USB speakers just to play with now...

 

[jteef]

Originally posted by: Woodchuck2000
In a concert hall, the accoustic is created because the sound comes from all directions. It's impossible to recreate an authentic accoustic with 2 channel music because you can't get the reflections that would hit you from the rear. The net effect of having a decent 2 channel setup is to get an orchestra in your front room. With a well mastered 5.1 audio disc and a high quality surround speaker set your front room can become a concert hall. (BTW, true stereo is by definition 2 Channel, not 2.1)

I don't think anyone here could disagree with the fact that real Hi-Fi sounds much better than computer audio. I do the majority of my listening on a pair of KEF standmounters which are excellent. That said, for playing Unreal Tournament I'd rather have my DTT3500 as it's more compact and therefore easier to postion around my PC, and its surround sound so I can hear people sneaking up behind me...

with 2 ears, 2 mic's and 2 speakers are all you need to recreate the concert hall setting. But achieving this is what separates mid-fi from hi-fi, and there is quite a jump in price. This is also why headphones are the best choice for playing games. You have unbeatable channel separation, and that improves the "image" quite a bit.

jt

 

[BFG10K]

It's much cheaper and convenient to have small computer desk speakers. Besides, I don't have top of the line computer speakers by any means but they sound great to me, paired with my Audigy. I'm listening to some AC/DC at the moment and it sounds great.