5.1 Theatre system for a pc

[Jonnyzord]

I'm going to go out and buy this system tomorrow to set up and use on my PC, as I use it for everything, movies, gaming, and music. I feel like it's going to be too easy though as I have been reading up and most people get receivers, which seem really expensive compared to the system I'm getting, never mind the speakers, sub woofer, ect

http/www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Pioneer+Receivers/VSX-530-K

But will I be able to just plug my PC into the theatre system via optical and plug the HDMI cable into my computer and just use the sound? All I want is a 200-300 pound system that lets me listen to some decent 5.1 movies. This is the system I am considering getting.

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Channel-Blu-ray-Content-Speakers/dp/B00UGK36KA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1473726843&sr=8-7&keywords=samsung+surround+sound

If I went the receiver route it looks like it would cost around 200 for the receiver and I don't even know what speakers/woofer I'm going to need... I feel like a child walking out into the big world for the first time. Can anyone give me a hand please?

 

[jsmithepa]

Well I went to the trouble of looking up this Samsung manual, you are welcomed, and went directly to the picture showing me the back of this thing, the "back" tells a lot.

Easy answer, yes, you can hook up PC Toslink to this Samsung and it will play 5.1

But (you knew there is a BUT). IT IS NOT EXPANDABLE. Meaning you can't hookup anything else to it, other than another stereo input, that's it. So in the near future you wanna hookup your cable TV box to this? NOPE. You gotta game console you want to plug in to this, NOPE (well stereo only). Got one of those cut-cord boxes Roku/AppleTV - NOPE.

Problem: Single Digital Audio in (instead of multiple on a Receiver), NO HDMI Input (multiple on a Receiver).


So yes, it does what you want today, but that's it. For your next upgrade, you have to throw it out and buy something else, but you can retain all of the speakers.

 

[Jonnyzord]

Well I went to the trouble of looking up this Samsung manual, you are welcomed, and went directly to the picture showing me the back of this thing, the "back" tells a lot.

Easy answer, yes, you can hook up PC Toslink to this Samsung and it will play 5.1

But (you knew there is a BUT). IT IS NOT EXPANDABLE. Meaning you can't hookup anything else to it, other than another stereo input, that's it. So in the near future you wanna hookup your cable TV box to this? NOPE. You gotta game console you want to plug in to this, NOPE (well stereo only). Got one of those cut-cord boxes Roku/AppleTV - NOPE.

Problem: Single Digital Audio in (instead of multiple on a Receiver), NO HDMI Input (multiple on a Receiver).


So yes, it does what you want today, but that's it. For your next upgrade, you have to throw it out and buy something else, but you can retain all of the speakers.

Hmm... You see I don't and won't want to use anything else but my PC... It's the only thing I use. But I will probably change the set-up I have within the next 5-10 years and that's as long as I can foresee the samsung lasting. I have also found this receiver with a speaker set with it...

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-HTP-073-Channel-Receiver-Speaker/dp/B00DUWSIXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473729798&sr=8-1&keywords=pioneer+5.1

But the model of the receiver looks older than the current ones pioneer do, and the speakers don't look that good especially compared to the Samsung system. I also don't need the blu ray player from the samsung system it's just going to be used as the receiver for the speakers. What do you honestly recommend me to do? I'm thinking the samsung one will do me for now, but the receiver system will help with the future if I want to upgrade I just get new speakers instead of the other way around if I got the samsung system? And thank you ever so much for your time and help, you're essentially helping me make a hard 10-20 year length decision! it is very much appreciated!

P.S will I even need a receiver as I have the audio jacks to plug straight into my rear IO? Can't I just plug each speaker into each input and pow 5.1 surround?

 

[bitwright]

That Samsung set is not the best option for what you want. It was hard to find images of how these speakers were connected, but from the looks of it they all connect up to the bluray player using specialized ports, with the bluray player acting as a sort of make shift receiver. Basically, this whole system was designed with outputting 5.1 sound mainly from the attached bluray player. There is only one optical input (more on that later), which limits what devices you can attach to this system, and since the speakers use a special connector you likely won't be able to move them to a different receiver, at least not without splicing cables. Like jsmithepa said, you are limited on expandability and upgradability with this system. You will likely have to throw the whole system away and start from scratch if you ever want to change any of its parts (especially the BD player which is likely to break first).

Now, lets talk about connecting PCs through optical S/PDIF and why that's a bad idea. S/PDIF, be it coaxial or optical, cannot carry uncompressed 5.1 sound. To get 5.1 sound using S/PDIF the signal must be compressed using Dolby Digital or DTS codecs. Windows (and all other operating systems) outputs sound via uncompressed LPCM, and does not include Dobly or DTS codecs for outputting compressed 5.1 as those codecs need to be licensed, which would raise the cost of Windows. Most media player apps are able to bitstream encoded audio, and some games may be able to output a Dolby stream, but aside from that you'll be limited to 2.1 sound via optical cable.

What you need is a receiver. If money is an issue, go down to your local electronics store and try to find a "Home Theater in a Box" that includes a receiver with HDMI inputs. Mind you, these receiver/speaker bundles usually package a cheap receiver with cheap speakers, but for someone on a budget who has never dabbled in surround sound before they're a good entry point, and will likely sound better than what you have now.

 

[bitwright]

Well I went to the trouble of looking up this Samsung manual, you are welcomed, and went directly to the picture showing me the back of this thing, the "back" tells a lot.

Easy answer, yes, you can hook up PC Toslink to this Samsung and it will play 5.1

But (you knew there is a BUT). IT IS NOT EXPANDABLE. Meaning you can't hookup anything else to it, other than another stereo input, that's it. So in the near future you wanna hookup your cable TV box to this? NOPE. You gotta game console you want to plug in to this, NOPE (well stereo only). Got one of those cut-cord boxes Roku/AppleTV - NOPE.

Problem: Single Digital Audio in (instead of multiple on a Receiver), NO HDMI Input (multiple on a Receiver).


So yes, it does what you want today, but that's it. For your next upgrade, you have to throw it out and buy something else, but you can retain all of the speakers.

Hmm... You see I don't and won't want to use anything else but my PC... It's the only thing I use. But I will probably change the set-up I have within the next 5-10 years and that's as long as I can foresee the samsung lasting. I have also found this receiver with a speaker set with it...

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-HTP-073-Channel-Receiver-Speaker/dp/B00DUWSIXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473729798&sr=8-1&keywords=pioneer+5.1

But the model of the receiver looks older than the current ones pioneer do, and the speakers don't look that good especially compared to the Samsung system. I also don't need the blu ray player from the samsung system it's just going to be used as the receiver for the speakers. What do you honestly recommend me to do? I'm thinking the samsung one will do me for now, but the receiver system will help with the future if I want to upgrade I just get new speakers instead of the other way around if I got the samsung system? And thank you ever so much for your time and help, you're essentially helping me make a hard 10-20 year length decision! it is very much appreciated!

P.S will I even need a receiver as I have the audio jacks to plug straight into my rear IO? Can't I just plug each speaker into each input and pow 5.1 surround?

If I were you I would get the Pioneer bundle over the bundle with the bluray player. Even if it is an older model, it's a better use of your money over getting the Samsung system. Unless the newer models have some feature you really want, buying older model receivers is a good way to save money.

Unfortunately, you can't just connect these speakers directly up to your PC. There are 5.1 speaker sets made specifically for PC that will connect to your rear IO, and they are far cheaper than a home theater system. They don't sound as good though, but if all you want is surround sound coming out of your PC, they might be the better choice.

 

[Jonnyzord]

That Samsung set is not the best option for what you want. It was hard to find images of how these speakers were connected, but from the looks of it they all connect up to the bluray player using specialized ports, with the bluray player acting as a sort of make shift receiver. Basically, this whole system was designed with outputting 5.1 sound mainly from the attached bluray player. There is only one optical input (more on that later), which limits what devices you can attach to this system, and since the speakers use a special connector you likely won't be able to move them to a different receiver, at least not without splicing cables. Like jsmithepa said, you are limited on expandability and upgradability with this system. You will likely have to throw the whole system away and start from scratch if you ever want to change any of its parts (especially the BD player which is likely to break first).

Now, lets talk about connecting PCs through optical S/PDIF and why that's a bad idea. S/PDIF, be it coaxial or optical, cannot carry uncompressed 5.1 sound. To get 5.1 sound using S/PDIF the signal must be compressed using Dolby Digital or DTS codecs. Windows (and all other operating systems) outputs sound via uncompressed LPCM, and does not include Dobly or DTS codecs for outputting compressed 5.1 as those codecs need to be licensed, which would raise the cost of Windows. Most media player apps are able to bitstream encoded audio, and some games may be able to output a Dolby stream, but aside from that you'll be limited to 2.1 sound via optical cable.

What you need is a receiver. If money is an issue, go down to your local electronics store and try to find a "Home Theater in a Box" that includes a receiver with HDMI inputs. Mind you, these receiver/speaker bundles usually package a cheap receiver with cheap speakers, but for someone on a budget who has never dabbled in surround sound before they're a good entry point, and will likely sound better than what you have now.

Right, I'm going to scrap the idea of a surround sound system... What are your thoughts on this one?

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-HTP-073-Channel-Receiver-Speaker/dp/B00DUWSIXQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-theater&ie=UTF8&qid=1473733779&sr=1-2&keywords=pioneer

If I was to go the full way I would get this receiver:

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-VSX-531-B-5-1-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B01EMGU3TA/ref=sr_1_21?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1473734652&sr=1-21&keywords=pioneer

and then I haven't got any idea on what to do about speakers...

I don't have a problem with money I just don't wanna waste a stupid amount of money on something like this, I just want a premium audio experience so I can enjoy music, and movies most importantly and have a better sound experience when playing video games. I currently have a little 2.1 system but it's just not cutting it for me anymore though. It's been working great for me the past 5 years though. I didn't even know it was all this complicated I thought I could just use a surround sound, plug it into my pc via Usb and bobs your uncle. But it seems not.

I'm happy to spend 400-500 if everything works perfectly and it all sounds beautiful, the problem is I just don't know what I need for that, as you can probably see I'm a noob when it comes to audio equipment. I didn't even know about the codec problem with using an optical cable, stuff like that is the reason I don't want to spend loads of money and have it mess up in my face!

 

[jsmithepa]

If PC output is all you are using, I already gave you the answer.

will I even need a receiver as I have the audio jacks to plug straight into my rear IO? Can't I just plug each speaker into each input and pow 5.1 surround?

You can't plug in THESE speakers all by themselves because it needs an amplifier. The box is the amplifier.

However there are 5.1 Self-Powered Speakers, the amplifier is built into the subwoofer enclosure, you can spot those systems by again "look at the back" of the subwoofer, it has AC power, is has Toslink input plug 6 channels discrete RCA jacks, it's got hook up for all of the other speakers.

 

[Jonnyzord]

Well I went to the trouble of looking up this Samsung manual, you are welcomed, and went directly to the picture showing me the back of this thing, the "back" tells a lot.

Easy answer, yes, you can hook up PC Toslink to this Samsung and it will play 5.1

But (you knew there is a BUT). IT IS NOT EXPANDABLE. Meaning you can't hookup anything else to it, other than another stereo input, that's it. So in the near future you wanna hookup your cable TV box to this? NOPE. You gotta game console you want to plug in to this, NOPE (well stereo only). Got one of those cut-cord boxes Roku/AppleTV - NOPE.

Problem: Single Digital Audio in (instead of multiple on a Receiver), NO HDMI Input (multiple on a Receiver).


So yes, it does what you want today, but that's it. For your next upgrade, you have to throw it out and buy something else, but you can retain all of the speakers.

Hmm... You see I don't and won't want to use anything else but my PC... It's the only thing I use. But I will probably change the set-up I have within the next 5-10 years and that's as long as I can foresee the samsung lasting. I have also found this receiver with a speaker set with it...

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-HTP-073-Channel-Receiver-Speaker/dp/B00DUWSIXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473729798&sr=8-1&keywords=pioneer+5.1

But the model of the receiver looks older than the current ones pioneer do, and the speakers don't look that good especially compared to the Samsung system. I also don't need the blu ray player from the samsung system it's just going to be used as the receiver for the speakers. What do you honestly recommend me to do? I'm thinking the samsung one will do me for now, but the receiver system will help with the future if I want to upgrade I just get new speakers instead of the other way around if I got the samsung system? And thank you ever so much for your time and help, you're essentially helping me make a hard 10-20 year length decision! it is very much appreciated!

P.S will I even need a receiver as I have the audio jacks to plug straight into my rear IO? Can't I just plug each speaker into each input and pow 5.1 surround?

If I were you I would get the Pioneer bundle over the bundle with the bluray player. Even if it is an older model, it's a better use of your money over getting the Samsung system. Unless the newer models have some feature you really want, buying older model receivers is a good way to save money.

Unfortunately, you can't just connect these speakers directly up to your PC. There are 5.1 speaker sets made specifically for PC that will connect to your rear IO, and they are far cheaper than a home theater system. They don't sound as good though, but if all you want is surround sound coming out of your PC, they might be the better choice.

If the other guy in this post say's to get the bundle I will if not I will look at something else. I'm going to completely scrap the idea of getting an all in one theatre system. I'm just not that knowledgeable on audio as I am computers to be able to make this process easier. It does seem like a really good deal for 300.00 UK pounds, compared to other things I've looked at. The speakers don't look the best but considering I'm in a tiny room, they should be okay and as you both said there's always room for upgrading with a receiver.

 

[bitwright]

Well I went to the trouble of looking up this Samsung manual, you are welcomed, and went directly to the picture showing me the back of this thing, the "back" tells a lot.

Easy answer, yes, you can hook up PC Toslink to this Samsung and it will play 5.1

But (you knew there is a BUT). IT IS NOT EXPANDABLE. Meaning you can't hookup anything else to it, other than another stereo input, that's it. So in the near future you wanna hookup your cable TV box to this? NOPE. You gotta game console you want to plug in to this, NOPE (well stereo only). Got one of those cut-cord boxes Roku/AppleTV - NOPE.

Problem: Single Digital Audio in (instead of multiple on a Receiver), NO HDMI Input (multiple on a Receiver).


So yes, it does what you want today, but that's it. For your next upgrade, you have to throw it out and buy something else, but you can retain all of the speakers.

Hmm... You see I don't and won't want to use anything else but my PC... It's the only thing I use. But I will probably change the set-up I have within the next 5-10 years and that's as long as I can foresee the samsung lasting. I have also found this receiver with a speaker set with it...

https/www.amazon.co.uk/Pioneer-HTP-073-Channel-Receiver-Speaker/dp/B00DUWSIXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473729798&sr=8-1&keywords=pioneer+5.1

But the model of the receiver looks older than the current ones pioneer do, and the speakers don't look that good especially compared to the Samsung system. I also don't need the blu ray player from the samsung system it's just going to be used as the receiver for the speakers. What do you honestly recommend me to do? I'm thinking the samsung one will do me for now, but the receiver system will help with the future if I want to upgrade I just get new speakers instead of the other way around if I got the samsung system? And thank you ever so much for your time and help, you're essentially helping me make a hard 10-20 year length decision! it is very much appreciated!

P.S will I even need a receiver as I have the audio jacks to plug straight into my rear IO? Can't I just plug each speaker into each input and pow 5.1 surround?

If I were you I would get the Pioneer bundle over the bundle with the bluray player. Even if it is an older model, it's a better use of your money over getting the Samsung system. Unless the newer models have some feature you really want, buying older model receivers is a good way to save money.

Unfortunately, you can't just connect these speakers directly up to your PC. There are 5.1 speaker sets made specifically for PC that will connect to your rear IO, and they are far cheaper than a home theater system. They don't sound as good though, but if all you want is surround sound coming out of your PC, they might be the better choice.

If the other guy in this post say's to get the bundle I will if not I will look at something else. I'm going to completely scrap the idea of getting an all in one theatre system. I'm just not that knowledgeable on audio as I am computers to be able to make this process easier. It does seem like a really good deal for 300.00 UK pounds, compared to other things I've looked at. The speakers don't look the best but considering I'm in a tiny room, they should be okay and as you both said there's always room for upgrading with a receiver.

Home theater systems are really meant for use in the living room. If you are just going to connect this up to your PC and your PC is at a desk, instead of connected to the TV in the living room, then getting a receiver and speakers might be overkill for you. Consider getting a set of 5.1 PC speakers instead. They come at all price ranges:

https/www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_st_relevanceblender?keywords=5.1+pc+speakers&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3A5.1+pc+speakers&qid=1473740127&sort=relevanceblender

If you do have a PC hooked up in the living room, then a home theater system is the best option, but like you said it, looking for a good receiver and speakers can be overwhelming for first time buyers. I would suggest taking a look at The Wirecutter. They are a fairly good consumer oriented review sight for A/V and tech stuff. They have a section dedicated to theater audio as well as best budget speakers and best receiver articles. They also have something of a beginner's guide here.

For comparison's sake, I own Onkyo TX-NR616 and a the Energy Take Classic 5.1 Home Theater System speakers. Which cost me about $800 USD in 2013. Again though, I would only recommend getting a full home theater setup if you plan on connecting this up in the living room.

 

[Jonnyzord]

Say, if I got myself a good receiver like this one:

http/www.superfi.co.uk/p-17416-pioneer-vsx330-4k-home-cinema-receiver.aspx

Could I use these speakers:

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-SS-MSP880-Set-of-6-Surround-Sound-Speakers-AV-6-1-/112126951419?hash=item1a1b497ffb:g:7-4AAOSwvzRX0XB4

and buy a separate sub woofer, to create a 5.1 system? That would work right? The ohms are fine and they seem to be 100 watt speakers?

 

[bitwright]

Say, if I got myself a good receiver like this one:

http/www.superfi.co.uk/p-17416-pioneer-vsx330-4k-home-cinema-receiver.aspx

Could I use these speakers:

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-SS-MSP880-Set-of-6-Surround-Sound-Speakers-AV-6-1-/112126951419?hash=item1a1b497ffb:g:7-4AAOSwvzRX0XB4

and buy a separate sub woofer, to create a 5.1 system? That would work right? The ohms are fine and they seem to be 100 watt speakers?

Yes, those would work together.