Help with 5.1 surround.

[Ibechief]

So I recently built a new gaming pc for myself and just realized that my monitor does not have any speakers. I play mostly Blizzard titles but do frequently watch movies on my pc. I would like to find something with 5.1 surround. From what I can tell my motherboard has optical SPDIF which I think is only compressed 5.1 (a no go really), and the colored audio jacks (center/sub,rear,side,line in,line out, mic in). I also have two crossfired r9 270x cards that have 2 mini displayport, 2 dvi, and 1 HDMI port each.

How should I be connecting my rig to the sound system,I imagine HDMI is the right answer here because it carries uncompressed audio right?

Depending on how I should be connecting to the system I need advice on a system to purchase that will accept the proper input. I'm not looking for high quality speakers, mid quality is fine. I just need something that will give me surround sound without sounding bad.

The budget here is really low. I've seen systems for 80 bucks and I've seen some for 600. I'm trying to keep cost low and still have mid quality sound.

Thanks!

 

[Cristi72]

Hello,

If you don't want to compromise the sound quality:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120200 , or

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1AZ-0003-00005 (it has 3 HDMI inputs and also a BlueRay player)

 

[Ibechief]

Hello,

If you don't want to compromise the sound quality:

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120200 , or

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=1AZ-0003-00005 (it has 3 HDMI inputs and also a BlueRay player)

Thanks for the fast response! I really don't have need of anything so powerful. It really is a shame that they don't make quality systems that are more down to earth as far as power is concerned. I am thinking maybe 200 is my max price range. I just have no use for any built in players or special features. I have a home theater system already that I'm not using that unfortunately has only a digital coaxial input and no input that would work with my pc. Maybe a better way to tackle this would be to try and discover a way to convert something that my computer can output at 5.1 to digital coaxial that my present setup can input?

I've seen a few nicely priced units but none feature connections that I can use.

Here is my rig btw. http/pcpartpicker.com/p/3vV6NG
Thanks again for taking the time to respond!

Edit: so after taking the time to look it over, it seems like it would be more expensive and troublesome to try and convert hdmi to coaxial than to just get a new receiver for my current unused system. My old system is a Philips HTS3544/37 180W. It is very old but worked decent enough for surround sound from the pc. Maybe I can just get a decent but cheap new receiver for the speakers that came with the old one? Something that supports HDMI input.

 

[Cristi72]

You have indeed quite an old system. However, you have an optical output on your motherboard; you can use this:

http/www.amazon.com/C2G-40019-Optical-Coaxial-Converter/dp/B0002GV876 (S/PDIF is the same standard, it doesn't matter if coaxial or optical; also, the signal come directly from the sound card and is not passed through the video card, being converted into HDMI).

If you love tinkering around, you can make your own coaxial adapter by using a RCA female plug (your motherbard have an S/PDIF header in the lower left area, page -7- and page -27- ; just make sure the RCA plug is electrically insulated from the case). If not, there is an optional PC bracket:

http/www.amazon.com/SPDIF-Optical-Plate-Cable-Bracket/dp/B003AV944Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407629621&sr=8-1&keywords=spdif+bracket

I recommend the optical-to-coaxial adapter though because you will have the PC and the amplifier electrically insulated (your HTS is an old one and you don't know if its PSU still has good insulation from the mains).

If you really want to use the HDMI, go for this:

http/www.ambery.com/2hddodtsdihd.html

I would not recommend to go for a receiver for use with your speakers, as they will be much powerful than your speakers rating... Also, most of them don't have an amplified subwoofer output, so you must use an active subwoofer (which you don't have).

 

[Ibechief]

You have indeed quite an old system. However, you have an optical output on your motherboard; you can use this:

http/www.amazon.com/C2G-40019-Optical-Coaxial-Converter/dp/B0002GV876 (S/PDIF is the same standard, it doesn't matter if coaxial or optical; also, the signal come directly from the sound card and is not passed through the video card, being converted into HDMI).

That converter will still support games being in 5.1? I was under the impression that S/PDIF was not good for 5.1? IF that converter will still work with 5.1 then that is the ticket for me. Though it is about time to ditch this dinosaur Theater system and get something without a hamster.

 

[Cristi72]

Right now, the weakest link in your audio system is the HTS itself, so it wouldn't matter what adapter you'll use. I checked the specs and they are really low: it can reproduce frequencies between 180Hz and 14kHz, while the audio output range from any PC goes from 20Hz to 20 kHz; that translates in weak bass (on disco tracks especially) and lack of sound definition in the high area (trumpet, piano, violin).

Just for test: take an audio tune of choice and play that tune after changing the audio output specs: Control Panel --> Audio (or Sound, depending on your OS) --> Speakers --> Advanced tab --> select between 16-bit - 44 kHz and 24-bit - 192 kHz, apply, play, change again the settings, apply, play, etc. If you will hear notable differences in audio quality, it is time to go for a new HTS / receiver. The best way of testing is to put someone else to change the settings (something like a blind test), because in the audio area the placebo effect is very strong . If not, don't worry about it and have fun!

PS. The discussion about quality of the S/PDIF interface is mostly above 5.1 (6.1, 7.1, etc.), as it has no suffficient bandwith to assure the best bitrate (my receiver is an 6.1 one, and when going for 6.1 over 5.1 I must downgrade the bitrate from 192 kHz to 96 kHz, but even so the sound is flawless).

 

[Ibechief]

Right now, the weakest link in your audio system is the HTS itself, so it wouldn't matter what adapter you'll use. I checked the specs and they are really low: it can reproduce frequencies between 180Hz and 14kHz, while the audio output range from any PC goes from 20Hz to 20 kHz; that translates in weak bass (on disco tracks especially) and lack of sound definition in the high area (trumpet, piano, violin).

PS. The discussion about quality of the S/PDIF interface is mostly above 5.1 (6.1, 7.1, etc.), as it has no suffficient bandwith to assure the best bitrate (my receiver is an 6.1 one, and when going for 6.1 over 5.1 I must downgrade the bitrate from 192 kHz to 96 kHz, but even so the sound is flawless).

Thanks so much for sharing all the knowledge! I think I will scale down my pc speaker search to a 2.1 set up. I'll save some money and just upgrade my home theater system for the main tv. Now I need to find out how to connect my pc to a 2.1 set up and find a decent setup! lol4