Looking for a good 7.1 surround speaker system for gaming and movies!

tnt1901

Estimable
Oct 10, 2014
5
0
4,510
It will be hooked up to my Asus desktop computer with built in 7.1 surround sound in my 16' x 32' game room with a 65" monitor.
 
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tnt1901

Estimable
Oct 10, 2014
5
0
4,510
Under $500 as I'm on disability and have to save for months to get what I want and I forgot to mention my computer has 3D and a Bluray RW drive and Digital Surround.
 

ien2222

Distinguished
Hey,

Under $500 is tough for 5.1 much less 7.1. My next question would be are you willing to just do 5.1? For reference nearly all games and TV shows are at most 5.1 and with movies 5.1 is probably still used quite a bit more than 7.1. I suppose I should also ask where you live, right now I'm assuming it's USA since you left it at $500. Also, I'm assuming HDMI or digital coax/optical connection.

Are you willing to add over time? This can make a big difference, $500 now and say another $4-500 throughout the next year can make a big difference in what you can get. A lot of people start with something like 2.0(1) or 3.0(1) and add later (which includes me, started with 3.1 because I was on a tight budget).

Right now, with just a budget of $500, you're mostly looking at home theaters in a box or something close to it, or going used.

HTiB's aren't necessarily a bad way to go, I don't want to you get that wrong impression here as it really depends on your expectations and what you'd like to go for. I'd say that a good percentage of people going for external audio are content with something that's better than TV speakers and/or having the surround experience. That's fine if that's all you are looking for. If you are looking for something that's a bit more theater like, then we need to do better.

Used can be a great way to stretch a limited budget, though it depends are where you live because if you need to ship it in, it needs to be a very good deal. However, this route requires time to look for deals and the knowledge to know what to look for, if that's something you'd like to consider, I'd suggest visiting http://www.avsforum.com and do a lot of reading :). If you plan on asking for help, keep in mind that they can be rather persistent in (and unfortunately sometimes rude about) trying to increase your budget (which I guess I'm trying to do alittle here too), building over time is reasonable, but stick with what budget you want to do and keep them to it. ;)

Just to get the ball rolling, $500, 5.1 and new:
For HTiB's I'd take a look at these;
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/yamaha-500w-5-1-ch-3d-home-theater-system/4372018.p?id=1219098067770&skuId=4372018&st=categoryid$pcmcat186600050005&cp=1&lp=2

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S3700-5-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B00LU0GPAI/ref=sr_1_3?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1413109317&sr=1-3&keywords=energy+take+classic+5.1

For something that's a little bit better:
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Premium-5-1-Channel-Subwoofer-110565/dp/B00EOZFUYI/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1413109462&sr=1-3&keywords=energy+take+classic+5.1

With this AVR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1J70S50306

Prices will vary alittle from place to place, and whether something is on sale. If possible you'd want to get them from a place that's easily returnable/replaceable.

Out of those, my choice would be the Monoprice speaker set with the Denon AVR. However, I'd still strongly suggest considering the buying over time (or doing a great job on used) if you're even remotely looking for more of a theater type sound. If it's something you'd consider, give me a couple of budget's you'd like me to look at.
 

tnt1901

Estimable
Oct 10, 2014
5
0
4,510
Well, I live in the U.S. and for now I'm using this http://www.bestbuy.com/site/theater-solutions-5-1-computer-laptosystem-ts5-11-2/1308784630.p?id=mp1308784630&skuId=1308784630 which has Theater Solutions 5.1 Computer Laptop Speaker System TS511-2. Experience the incredible sound, as your music or television comes to life. Easy to set up and magnetically shielded, with top features like Pro Logic and Stand by. Total system power of 500 watts, see reviews, our customers love these systems. This package comes with two additional 25' RCA cables for longer distances. But with my room being 32' long and me being on a couch in the middle of the room want to try a 7.1 system to add the side channels. It sounds fairly good now but seems to need more for the middle area if you know what I mean. And as I already pointed out my computer has the outputs for the extra 2 channels but would like a matched system and not just add 2 more speakers.
 

Michael Louie

Estimable
Nov 18, 2014
1
0
4,520




Hello Ien2222,
Ive found your post to be extremely informative and i want to get in on this action, i'm look at these for speakers as youve suggested,
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Premium-5-1-Channel-Subwoofer-110565/dp/B00EOZFUYI/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1413109462&sr=1-3&keywords=energy%20take%20classic%205.1&tag=viglink20850-20

I was also looking at the newer version of the Denon receiver you suggested,
http://www.2001audiovideo.com/en/catalog/product/149852-Denon-AVR-E300

I live in Canada so shipping can sometimes be irritating but i do have physical addresses in washington to minimize shipping costs.
What do you think of this setup? I think it should be extremely sufficient. My biggest question is the compatability with not just my desktop but also my LG TV Smart TV and consoles.
These are the specs of my PC
Case: Coolermaster Haf X
CPU: Intel I5-4690k
M/B: AsRock Z97 Extreme9
Ram: 16gb (2x8gb) GSkill Trident 2133mhz
GPU: 1x Radeon R9 280

Thank you very much!
 
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