Solved! Cambridge Soundworks sound system replacement?

[dsmith43]

I was hoping there'd be a nice PCI sound card alternative to using my Cambridge Soundworks sound system I've had for 20+ years. My sound system is getting so old and bulky now, and collects a lot of dust when it sits behind my computer desk for months on end.

Can anyone recommend a good PCI sound card alternative that I can simply plug two speakers into without too much difficulty?

Don't get me wrong, my Cambridge is fine, it's just that the huge bulky power supply gets really hot and if I move my desk I can never tell which speaker goes into which outlet so am always crossing the plugs to find out which is the left and right channels. I've only replaced the fuse (yes, it has a fuse!) once but I have another one taped inside the unit in case the fuse blows again. One can't even get fuses anymore!

Here is a photo of the system I have.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

 

[helpstar]

which motherboard do you have? Or which pre-built PC brand and model are you using?

 

[dsmith43]

which motherboard do you have? Or which pre-built PC brand and model are you using?

I have a custom-built computer with an ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 motherboard, which works well with the sound system. Although amazing when it first came out, it is way out of date now. It's only about 2 years old, but of course, as we all know, any computer component that is that old is considered a dinosaur in computer years. I'm probably due for a new motherboard, but fearful that I might also have to replace my existing RAM as well, and because the pins are different nowadays, a new CPU.

However, getting back to my sound system issue... any ideas?

 

[hang-the-9]

I was hoping there'd be a nice PCI sound card alternative to using my Cambridge Soundworks sound system I've had for 20+ years. My sound system is getting so old and bulky now, and collects a lot of dust when it sits behind my computer desk for months on end.

Can anyone recommend a good PCI sound card alternative that I can simply plug two speakers into without too much difficulty?

Don't get me wrong, my Cambridge is fine, it's just that the huge bulky power supply gets really hot and if I move my desk I can never tell which speaker goes into which outlet so am always crossing the plugs to find out which is the left and right channels. I've only replaced the fuse (yes, it has a fuse!) once but I have another one taped inside the unit in case the fuse blows again. One can't even get fuses anymore!

Here is a photo of the system I have.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

This is a bit confusing, a sound card won't replace the speakers. Sound cards process audio, they don't actually make the sound audible, you still need a speaker for that. Are you asking what is a good set of speakers? How much did you want to spend on them?

Also the motherboard you have, you said it was 2 years old? That motherboard came out in 2011 which makes it a 9 yr old part, even if you only owned it for 2 years, it's still a 9 year old part. If it's working fine for what you do with the computer there is no need to replace it and audio chips have not improved that much in that time, not enough to replace a motherboard just for the audio.

 

[dsmith43]

This is a bit confusing, a sound card won't replace the speakers. Sound cards process audio, they don't actually make the sound audible, you still need a speaker for that. Are you asking what is a good set of speakers? How much did you want to spend on them?

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. Well, other than the bulkiness of the whole system, the sound is still OK and works for my purposes. So after 20 years even though it's huge and cumbersome to set up and collects a lot of dust behind the table, there is nothing you could recommend other than a good set of, for example, BOSE speakers? Something that is a good brand name with a quality product? I suppose I should do my shopping then.

Also the motherboard you have, you said it was 2 years old? That motherboard came out in 2011 which makes it a 9 yr old part, even if you only owned it for 2 years, it's still a 9 year old part. If it's working fine for what you do with the computer there is no need to replace it and audio chips have not improved that much in that time, not enough to replace a motherboard just for the audio.

Yes, I only got the motherboard about 2 years ago. If it's 9 years old already what are retailers trying to do, prey on the innocent and unknowing individuals like me to sell an inferior outdated product? It's almost as if when we walk into a store they can see a sucker coming.

Keeping up on the latest trends in motherboards is such a hard thing to do, because there are so many choices, so many price ranges, and each offers unique options. I just find THAT very confusing in itself!

 

[americanaudiophile]

I would suggest you concentrate on the speakers first. Then if you want to upgrade with a soundcard orexternal USB DAC that would make sense.
Some powered speakers will have a USB DAC built in so you won't need to upgrade anything else.
Take a look at
https://www.edifier.com/us/en/speakers

 

[hang-the-9]

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. Well, other than the bulkiness of the whole system, the sound is still OK and works for my purposes. So after 20 years even though it's huge and cumbersome to set up and collects a lot of dust behind the table, there is nothing you could recommend other than a good set of, for example, BOSE speakers? Something that is a good brand name with a quality product? I suppose I should do my shopping then.



Yes, I only got the motherboard about 2 years ago. If it's 9 years old already what are retailers trying to do, prey on the innocent and unknowing individuals like me to sell an inferior outdated product? It's almost as if when we walk into a store they can see a sucker coming.

Keeping up on the latest trends in motherboards is such a hard thing to do, because there are so many choices, so many price ranges, and each offers unique options. I just find THAT very confusing in itself!

Abut speaker recommendations, I did not mention any of them since it was not clear what you were after, what your budget is, what music you listen to, how they are going to be setup, how much space you have for them, etc... Once you give some details about what you are after and a price range then you can look at what to buy. That set you have is not huge by any means, I owned two of them, the sub is small and so are the satellite speakers. You are not going to get a good sound with decent low end out of many small speakers without paying a good bit of money, say for this https://www.amazon.com/Vanatoo-Tran...+speakers&qid=1599943131&s=electronics&sr=1-1

Speakers are not normal electronics where newer is usually better when it comes to speeds and reliability, many old speakers sound as good as anything new, age of speakers that are working without issues is not a reason to replace them without other factors.

If your speakers sound fine but you get confused by the plugs when moving them, why not simply label the ends of the wire?

Yes you are correct about the computer parts, if you buy a cheap system without looking at what is inside it, you can get old hardware, especially from eBay sellers. It's very easy to look things up these days though to prevent from making a bad purchase, everyone has a connection to world knowledge via the internet.