Basic Speaker System for Listening to Music in a Small Room

kanucks25

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Mar 19, 2014
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4,560
Hello,

Would just like to start off by saying that have absolutely zero knowledge on audio, speakers, etc. Complete noobie, so bear with me.

I'm looking for a basic speaker setup just to play my FLAC music collection in my small room (12 ft x 10 ft). I don't have an audiophile ear by any means, so I'm not looking for anything epic, but of course general quality is important (I care more about sound quality than bass or loudness).

I could spend up to a $700 if I needed to but I doubt that'd be necessary for what I want. The cheaper the better, of course, and I'm willing to sacrifice small increments of quality it means a large drop in price.

This is what I currently have hooked up to my PC:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027VT6V4/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0WBEQ8XWV1KXPZD7JN95&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846


Would 5 speaker surround sound work?

Would it be better to buy speakers with an external receiver instead of hooking them up straight to my computer?



Let me know if I needed to include anymore details.

I would appreciate the help :) Thanks!
 

kanucks25

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Mar 19, 2014
12
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Would I be needing a new sound-card/mother-board for more expensive PC speakers like these? Right now I just have a basic computer.


Would it be better to get an external receiver with the speakers instead?
 

shadowed

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Jul 24, 2006
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Wow... that is such a touchy subject for audiophiles. Enough to start a flame war.
Here is a link on one side of the argument.

blind test with huge price range of hardware:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733.html

and this reviewer claims they sound excellent straight out from the pc:
http://www.audiostream.com/content/audioengine-5-a5-premium-powered-speakers

This is all highly dependent on the sound chip in your pc of course, although it is getting harder to find one with poor quality sound output these days.

Depends what you want. A DAC can be added later for ~$200?
Or an amp if you want to add more speakers in the future... lots of options.

There are if also a myriad of less expensive speaker options as well.
 

kanucks25

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Mar 19, 2014
12
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4,560
Dang, I was afraid there was going to be many options :p Just makes me indecisive :(


I probably won't want to change my setup once I buy it. Like, if y'all think 5 speakers would work well for my situation then I'll go for that right away (surround sound would be cool).


I think I would prefer DAC/Receiver/Amp whatever so I don't have to deal with the sound-card/mother-board stuff.
 

shadowed

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Jul 24, 2006
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If there are any audio video stores with a well stocked sound room nearby, I would suggest going and having a listen.
For the size of room you are wanting to fill with sound, your budget should be more than adequate.
Good luck!

I upgraded my amp twice in my first month. The first time before I paid for it and the second time after I tried it at home for a week or so. The store was happy to accommodate me for no extra charge and even hand delivered a set of tower speakers that wouldn't fit in my car.
Shopping local has some advantages.
 

kanucks25

Estimable
Mar 19, 2014
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4,560


To be honest, I think I'm leaning towards passive speakers with an AVR.