soundcard or home theater for high end gaming rig

[rrs2205]

I am building a high end pc with asus sabertooth z87, I am in conflict over getting the asus xonar phoebus and something like logitech z906 or just saving on the soundcard and getting a home theater to hook up to the pc
ive read into this a lot but other posts have slightly different situations, and the posts are also a few years old
I know with a high end soundcard I will have options that will allow me to do stuff like always be using all 5 speakers even if the source is not formatted for 5.1, what are the disadvantages with the home theater setup over soundcard setup
also... would it be better t6 output to the receiver via optical or I hear a lot of ppl saying just to run the hdmi from gpu to receiver, I will have a 3-4 monitor setup, will that cause a problem since I will have 3-4 hdmi/dvi outputs, will pc know to route the sound only to the one going to receiver
thank you, please help im ready to order when I decide

 

[batuchka]

Firstly : do u have room to correctly position a surround set up? A high end sound card and PC speakers is unwise as you'd have to go analog 5.1 to leverage on the sound card and to have it play thru PC speakers does not seem a great idea at all @@ I suspect $$ is not a stumbling block so get better speakers and a nice active sub with a HDMI AVR?

 

[rrs2205]

Firstly : do u have room to correctly position a surround set up? A high end sound card and PC speakers is unwise as you'd have to go analog 5.1 to leverage on the sound card and to have it play thru PC speakers does not seem a great idea at all @@ I suspect $$ is not a stumbling block so get better speakers and a nice active sub with a HDMI AVR?

So basically ur saying since budget is not a big issue, there is no point in going pc speaker route since there really isn't a good pc speaker set? Oh and yes I have space to setup a nice 5/7.1 surround system
and y do u make it sound so bad that I have to go analog? eventually the signal will go analog to speakers anyway u go about it(is what ive gathered from reading up on this)

 

[thee_prisoner]

For computers speakers the Logitech z906s are nice. It has a built in amp/processor that does the surround processing so the sound card will just be a passthrough to the speaker system.

In terms of source not formated for 5.1(2.0 music source), it is called speaker fill and the software on the mobo with it's sound chip can do that and so can the Logitech system. A receiver or integrated/pre-amp processor will do that too.

For a home theater setup, as long as you don't buy some el cheapo HT package, it will offer better quality than a computer speaker system. It will cost more but if you go used and can find a good stereo used/new place in your town, then that would be the best. This way you can build up a really nice setup and add on as needed. People tend to spend less on speakers compared to other components. My rule of thumb is to spend at least 1/3 but I prefer 1/2 of your budget on speakers. Why? Because good quality speakers will last long, you don't need to exchange them out much compared to the electronics.

HDMI is the best for sound at the moment. I would take analog over optical for 5.1. With HDMI, it sends both sound and video, it will send video information to the receiver also, but since you won't be using the receiver for video it won't matter but you could if you want add a TV into the mix.

Options are take the 200.00 for the soundcard and 400.00 for the Logitech and instead get some good stereo speakers or just buy the Logitech's and save 200.00 not getting the sound card.

Speakers like these will be much better than computer speakers:http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MLMO10 just to give an example. If you need something smaller there are many options.

Like I said a local stereo store is great option, listen before you buy and full value trade ins for upgrading stuff in the future.

PS: In terms of the HDMI for sound, the mobo sound might be a better choice than using the GPU HDMI but you can experiment.
Also, I'm not anti sound card, even though I sound(pun intended) like it at times. It's just for the money you spend to get slightly cleaner sound, it isn't worth it unless you are listening to music and have mid to high end components and the source is the best lossless format. And sound cards need to offer HDMI as a standard(as long with computer speaker systems) with still great analog, optical except for 2.0 isn't a very good standard anymore compared to HDMI.

Happy listening, the Prisoner...

 

[rrs2205]

Prisoner tyvm, I just ordered a badass mix of polk and klipsch which will serve as my 5.1. I just need to pick a receiver, anyone have any good suggestions? I was planning to spend 200'ish on it, should that be good enough to power my speakers, because I ordered some pretty decent stuff, I will link below.

My main question is: The onboard hdmi which I assumed was only for the onboard video. You are saying I can hook that up to the receiver and the onboard sound card will know to output sound via that hdmi? I had no idea that was connected to onboard soundcard at all!

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780027 (x2)
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780033
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290274
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290130

 

[batuchka]

1. Yes for a HT set up HDMI out would be best and easiest for DTS-HD/Dolby True HD
2. You would want your fronts and center channel to be of the same brand/line for timbre matching
3. HDMI transmit both audio and video : check if either your onboard mobo/IGP HDMI or off your discrete GPU can to do DTS-HD/Dolby True HD though?
4. $200 ish you are looking at entry level HDMI AVRs - look for the offerings from Denon, Pioneer and Yamaha

 

[thee_prisoner]

Not a fan of Polk or Klipsch lower end stuff but with those promo codes added on, pretty decent for the price. I would still buy buy better quality for the front mains like I linked above but after the discount it is a "kick ass" sound system for computer gaming. My computer gaming system sound is way over the top the due to buying stuff over the years. It combines JBL 4311s, 4312s, HSU sub, pre-amp and separate amps.

Receiver wise, not a fan of receivers for numerous reasons. One concern is the rear surrounds(the ones you picked), you have to have a good size room to utilize them, since they are made for larger areas. But with a decent surround processor, you should be able to tame them.

Receiver wise, I hate to recommend one but newegg has some discounted and on clearance. Find one with a sub pre-out(LFE) so the receiver(amps in receiver, low quality) doesn't have to strain to power a sub. Link:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117420

Also, this is a gaming rig sound system you are asking for; this will be great for that and good for music and movies. With all the discounts, this will blow away PC computer speaker systems, so YOOHOO!

PS: With that motherboard, I would just HDMI out for sound instead of the video card. Or the analog out(on mobo) if you can find a receiver/separates, now only mid to high end receiver/separates have analog input/outputs 5.1/7.1