what is doing the decoding, The pc or the reciever?

[FwdMoparJunkie]

I just bought a denon 5700 receiver for my jbl cf-150 speakers. It's old skool and doesn't have any hdmi outputs. I only bought this for listening to 2 channel music.

I will be using an rca cable from the receiver to the mb integrated audio (alc898) who is doing the decoding?

 

[ien2222]

Your MB since it is functioning as a DAC, though depending on the program and format perhaps the CPU will chip in a little.

 

[ssddx]

if you are connecting pc->receiver via rca red/white then you're sending an analog signal to the receiver hence the motherboard is doing the processing.

if you were connecting via hdmi or optical then your receiver would be decoding the signal

 

[FwdMoparJunkie]

So, the receiver only takes care of the amplification and other sound settings? I listen to 100gb of mp3s some of them are flac. Would I need a $100-250 sound card for extreme clarity? Also, is there a way I can bypass the mb dac to see which is better?

 

[ssddx]

generally onboard audio is good enough for most people... unless you're experiencing an issue or are an audiophile onboard might suit you. your onboard is only fair quality its certainly worth at least looking at other options even if they arent strictly required. there is no need to spend $250 on a soundcard for the situation you describe... something like the xonar DX which is less than your proposed budget would work fine as it has the same DAC chip as the $200+ stx (it doesnt have the amplifier, but you dont need that).

if you ran a digital signal direct to the receiver (spdif optical, spdif coaxial, hdmi) it would decode the signal using its own DAC instead of your pc. there is still the possibility of distortion when encoding the signal, but generally this is more an isolated problem instead of the majority so you should be fine.

 

[FwdMoparJunkie]

Ahhh okay, that makes sense. I should get this receiver by next Friday so, I'll report back on how it goes.

 

[FwdMoparJunkie]

generally onboard audio is good enough for most people... unless you're experiencing an issue or are an audiophile onboard might suit you. your onboard is only fair quality its certainly worth at least looking at other options even if they arent strictly required. there is no need to spend $250 on a soundcard for the situation you describe... something like the xonar DX which is less than your proposed budget would work fine as it has the same DAC chip as the $200+ stx (it doesnt have the amplifier, but you dont need that).

if you ran a digital signal direct to the receiver (spdif optical, spdif coaxial, hdmi) it would decode the signal using its own DAC instead of your pc. there is still the possibility of distortion when encoding the signal, but generally this is more an isolated problem instead of the majority so you should be fine.

Well, I got it today. I picked it right up at the post office at 8:30am I was so excited to play with it that I took the day off of work lol This receiver gives me goose bumps. I have never heard a home receiver that sounded this good. I had my jbl speakers since the year 2000 and it feels like i'm hearing them for the first time.

I hooked it up just like you said, spdif cable. The processing on the receiver sounded a little better than the onboard. I have to admit, realteks alc898 is very good but, for an enthusiast like me, I like better. The receiver is on the brighter side and makes my jbls come alive with an insane amount of clarity. However, my jbl cf-150's are quite warm with a type of a crazy punch you in the face bass that will crumple a building to pieces, if they're powered in the right away.

So, for now, I have to find a subwoofer that will give me some more punch. My goal is to use this receiver specifically for my pc with a 5.1 setup (it will be one helluva sound system for a pc) I guess I need some sort of hdmi switcher to get the benefits from that type of processing. Help?

Then I'll really put my jbls to the test with a 300-500wpc power amp and I think a pre amp? Not sure, I have to research that some more.

Oh yeah, you're right, sound card not needed.

 

[ssddx]

unfortunately given that you do not have hdmi input and only have optical for digital your dream of 5.1 might be rough. the receiver was certainly well suited for the "2.0" system you mentioned in the OP but a bit less so for a 5.1.

the best quality audio output from pc to receiver is currently hdmi. unfortunately you dont have this.

optical output is not bad (uncompressed for 2.0 stereo) but i'm not sure whether or not your receiver supports 5.1 over optical. not all devices do, especially any older ones. if your receiver doesn't have 5.1 compressed over optical capability you lose out on having the receiver process the sound with its own internal dac.

if no hdmi and no optical all that is left is analog input and for that you would want a better soundcard or you would have a similar sound as before (although the better amp on the receiver will still make things sound decent).

a hdmi switcher wouldnt help (it only swaps between hdmi inputs). what you need is native hdmi support, or at bare minimum 5.1 over optical support. on pc this is often called dolby digital live, dts-connect and.. i think i'm missing one of the names.

 

[FwdMoparJunkie]

I believe that you're right. I just read a bunch of mixed answers for if 5.1 will work in optical for this receiver. Some say yes and some say no. However, everyone agrees that even if 5.1 actually worked, you still wouldn't benefit from it because its missing the necessary formats and I'm guessing that it probably wouldn't sound that great for it to be worth it.

Poop! I guess I didn't really understand the major sound benefits from hdmi. Plus, I didn't really have a plan at that time with the future pc 5.1 upgrade and the 2ch speaker setup. I just wanted to dive in and learn. Oh that I did.

Maybe I can pick up another good clear sounding receiver for my pc. I want a receiver that's somewhat powerful for watching movies and gaming. I plan on using the 2 channel speakers for music at the same time along with the 5.1 setup.

How exactly does that work with hdmi for a surround pc? Do you just plug the hdmi into the gpu? I have 4 monitors, don't know why but i do. lol all spots are taken. unless i can just daisy chain a monitor of the display port.

 

[ssddx]

5.1 via optical sounds absolutely fine - just not as good as hdmi. if you can get 5.1 sound at all from your receiver via your pc's optical i would say you should be fine - otherwise you're in a pickle.

you could always sell off the receiver you bought for what you paid for it and upgrade to something else. that would be what i would do - though remember not all receivers will sound the same. if you liked the sound of yours you might want to go with the same brand and a similar wpc.

did you want a separate 5.1 set AND two 2.0 speakers at the same time or did you mean you wanted 2.0 to be the fronts of the 5.1? you could do either. as for the first you'd set it up as a zone2, as for the second you'd just use the stereo button on your receiver.

generally yes you just connect hdmi up to your gpu. as long as its a supported resolution you can run pc->receiver->monitor and just pass through the video content while pulling out the audio content. given that all spots are taken perhaps this is the best option. i passthrough video myself (i use a tv and multiple sources so it works best for me this way too).