Questions on setting up hi-fidelity audio / digital speakers, and sound cards

[ev1l_n0_0b13]

Hello, everybody!

I'm currently located in Hyderabad, India.

My config is:

Core i5 2500k
Corsair Vengeance 1600 MHz RAM - 2 x 4GB
Asus Maximus IV GENE-Z Motherboard
Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 PSU
Seagate Momentus XT 250 GB HDD
Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus Mid Tower

I don't have a graphics card at the moment; I'm using the onboard HD 3000 Intel graphics - which is surprisingly good - for the time being. I will get an Nvidia GTX 680 in a few months. I'm using Altec Lansing BXR1121 speakers and a friend's old 19 inch Samsung monitor, both of which I will replace, maybe before getting the graphics card. I'm thinking of getting anywhere between a 23-27 inch, 120 Hz gaming monitor, but that's for later; right now, I need your help with my audio setup.

I did some googling of my own, I tried reading up on analog and digital audio, the benefits (or rather non-benefits) of using lossless compression, lots of theory about digital audio, read audiophile fanboy flame war threads where people argued about how Beats and Bose are shit and some company I've never heard of is actually THE shit - and now my head is starting to hurt. I'll just write down my usage, and what I need / the kind of setup I would like to have, along with any questions I have; please recommend the best course of action.

1. I alternate between using speakers and headphones/earphones, depending on the time and mood - for FPS gaming, which needs good sound hardware and speaker positioning to spot enemies, etc., music (metal and trance at the moment, but I want to expand my horizons and try listening to other genres I've been curious about for a while now, like European classical music, and other kinds of music from around the world - who knows what I may come across later), and all kinds of movies. I have also been trying to learn to play the guitar at my own slow, pondering pace for a long while now; I have an acoustic (with generic pickup) at the moment, and may move on to electric guitars at some point down the line; IF I really get into it - and would like to hook it up to the whole setup so I can record stuff for my own amusement/improvement. So the range of sounds that the speakers I eventually get would have to reproduce is quite wide, I imagine. Sound quality has become quite important to me after I recently got a small taste of what a really great setup can sound like. I found out that flac rips of songs sound worse on my current speakers than their lower-bitrate mp3 counterparts! It also sounds pretty distorted and 'noisy' at high volume - which is why I decided to replace them in the first place.

2. I'd like to figure out how to get different audio outs to play different streams from different programs. For example, if you want to play something from Youtube via Chrome on your speakers, and want to output a second stream from Winamp to a wireless headset, and have independent volume controls for each stream, how do you go about it? What do you need? I tried but it doesn't work on the current config. Will I need one sound card, or a discrete DAC, or more than one of either?

3. What's the actual difference between 5.1 and 7.1 speakers, or home theaters? I know the latter have 2 extra speakers, but what else am I missing? Is 7.1 actually worth the increased price? It'd be great if someone who has owned both could tell us about the differences they noticed...

4. I am only looking for a setup that will a) be trouble-free for a number of years b) preferably has physical controls for bass and treble/tone control, just because I've gotten used to having them around (it's ok if there is some other alternative for making quick changes, like a remote) c) fulfill points 1 and 2 above about sound quality & discrete I/O's.

I have an optical S/PDIF out on my motherboard. Will the onboard audio and digital speakers suffice to achieve quality sound, or should I get a sound card? Will it fit on my motherboard? Again, is that worth the extra money for my needs? And I read about DAC's but didn't understand where it fits in; speakers have them inbuilt, so are discrete ones better? What if you get a discrete one and the speakers' DAC interferes or reduces quality? The point is, the picture I have in my head of how it all fits together (onboard sound/sound card/different outs/DAC's, standalone digital speakers or home theaters) is incomplete. It'd be nice if someone could add the missing lines for me, I'll color it in.

NOW. Since my pockets aren't bottomless, I realize I may have to save up for a while and then get it; that's perfectly all right. My main concerns are quality and durability.

The budget is 20k INR; which according to xe.com comes up to 361.795 USD / 294.374 EUR / 230.626 GBP today, but I may be able to wait, save, and stretch it to 40k INR.

Thanks for reading that wall of text, now would you guys kindly help me out? =)

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

To achieve point 2 I think you will have to have two different sound cards(which is a DAC).

If you want to record your guitar, then I suggest you get something an Echo AudioFire2 or a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. I have 2 of the Echo AF2's although they can be a little difficult to get up and running due to them being firewire, they sound excellent and look great.

5.1 and 7.1 are what they look like, 5 speakers and a subwoofer, or 7 speakers and a sub woofer. About the only time that the 7.1 is worth the price over a 5.1 system is when you are dealing with a very large room. Most 'home theaters' will sound perfectly fine with a 5.1 setup.

About the physical bass and treble controls, they are very common in Integrated Amplifiers but not as common in a 5.1/7.1 receiver.

And about the price, well lets figure out what you want first then go from there. My Marantz NR1402, Wharfedale Evo2-10's and subwoofer came out to around 1100 USD. Thats just a 2.1 system(but can easily be upgraded to 5.1)

 

[ev1l_n0_0b13]

Hello again! I've been busy the past week and didn't want to reply without having done any further reading - but I've finally done some today.

Thanks, SyndromeOCZ. Your reply has given me a lot of material to google for and read up on!

I've realized that I don't really want a 7.1 or 5.1; I don't much care to record myself playing the guitar, at least not yet; and I'm now convinced that it's better to get a quality pair of speakers and add a good subwoofer down the line, instead of getting a cheap HTiB receiver and 5.1 or 7.1 speakers. And its not a deal-breaker if there aren't any physical controls on the amp / DAC; having bass / treble controls is a bonus, but a simple volume control knob will do just fine.

I'm not sure what kind of speakers to get; but I prefer bookshelf speakers for their size. I said I want to try different genres of music but for the most part, I'll be listening to either metal, rock, or trance. I read up on one of the integrated amps I saw on that link of yours, the Audioengine N22, and also came across the combination of that amp, the Audioengine P4 speakers, and the A8 subwoofer. Seemed pretty good until I read a review saying it isn't good for the kind of music I listen to. And that setup is a bit too expensive for me right now.

My priorities are:
1. Getting SOMETHING that will let me listen to hi-fi audio from my PC TODAY, for 20k INR. I can always save up and keep adding on to the setup later. (Okay maybe 30k next month but I'M IMPATIENT!!)
2. Making sure everything I get will last 2 years AT LEAST.

Which option is the best?

Option 1.
a) Get a DAC, connect it to the PC directly, either via USB or S/PDIF optical out, without a sound card
b) Get a pair of hi-fi headphones (Stereo / Surround / Stereo with simulated surround? I'm confused...) & use it directly with the DAC / amp.
c) Use the Altec Lansing bxr1121 that I have now, until I can get a pair of good active/passive speakers/studio monitors and subwoofer.

Option 2.
a) Get a sound card and hi-fi headphones now, without an amp / discrete DAC. (A sound card IS an onboard DAC, right? Or is it better to get a discrete amp / DAC? But then what's the purpose of getting a sound card? Lost again...)
b) Keep using the Altec Lansing bxr1121 till I can afford great 2.1 audio (Could be an amp + passive speakers like that Audioengine setup above, or powered 2.1 speakers connected directly to the sound card - that's possible too, right?).

Whichever option it is, please suggest at least a few brand names per component - headphones, DAC, sound card, speakers, sub-woofer - so I can read up on them!

 

[sdifox]

we need examples of what you can get for your budget in India...

 

[Anarchist420]

Get an HK3490... it's within your budget, although wait for it to go on sale (279.99 USD or less). Hook it up to your computer's SPDIF optical output and you can use headphones with it, but use headphones rated in the range of [24, 200] ohms. You can use your computer speakers with it also, but have the HK3490's back switch turned off for when you hook up your computer speakers. Using your computer speakers will require an inexpensive adaptor however... it will sound much better than using your onboard audio's DAC, although not as good as using regular loudspeakers. You can always buy loudspeakers later.