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Gigaworks S750 possible replacement

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 

Hi All,

 

I have a Windows7 Media Centre which runs my movies/TV/music. I recently upgraded the sound card from the onboard Realtek AC'97 to a Asus Xonar D2 in an effort to improve sound quality, in particular with music. This hasn't made much difference to be honest, and I know the Xonar D2 has a good reputation for sound quality, which has lead me to think the Gigaworks S750 are actually the problem (I even setup the sound card and speakers in another PC and got exactly the same quality). Any ideas how I can improve this or more likely, what's a good amp and speakers to purchase to replace the gigaworks ?

 

Thanks

 

Terry

post #2 of 6
Price range please.
post #3 of 6
Thread Starter 

I don't mind spending $1000-$1500 if it's going to last a few years.

post #4 of 6
In that case you should take a look at studio nearfield monitors, in this price range you can usually get 2-way active monitors (ie one amplifier per driver), they are usually very accurate and manufacturers provide ample specifications. If you look at HIFI speakers (new, second hand is another market), you are usually not going to find the same quality at this price. Besides, the bookshelf form factor allows you to easily place them in the room.

At this price point some of the popular models are K+H o120, Adam A5X, A7X or the Focal CMS range. All those speakers also have a dedicated subwoofer in their range if you decide to upgrade later, for example if you have a larger room but I believe the bass level should already be satisfactory.

Also bear in mind that the sound of the speakers is VERY highly dependent on the room/speaker interactions, namely the different bass resonances that may appear, how treble absorbing you room is, how long it takes for the sound reflections to attenuate and plenty of other factors... It's by far the larger impact of what your speakers will sound like, far beyond the amplifier or the source (provided the ones you use are functioning in normal conditions). Take care of the positioning of the speakers, and ask for advice regarding to acoustically improve you room if necessary.
post #5 of 6

Hmm if u want a gentler on the wallet upgrade to hifi perhaps go with entry level floor standers and a nice 12" sub for a 5.1 set up? Typically you'd upgrade if your tastes change and going all passive + receiver makes this easy tongue_smile.gif

 

Speakers off Newegg

Untitled-1390.jpg

 

Maybe hunt a used surround receiver like this one:

 

Yammy RX-V461 5.1

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ele/2546658423.html

 

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/hifi-components/stereo-receivers/rx-v461_black__u/?mode=model

 

send digital out via coax/optical to receiver I suppose with your budget you could gun higher end but i'd leave the suggestion for that end of the market to peeps who are lucky enuff to play with em beerchug.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Edited by trog - 8/20/11 at 7:26am
post #6 of 6
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the input guys. Had a look at the Adam A5x, looked good, but I'm not sure if it would be good for a lounge room. I'll also worried with Mp3 files being played whether it would actually sound bad because of the inferior file format ? One idea was to get a pair of Aktimate Maxi's with a Cambridge Audio DacMagic as I had heard good things about that setup.

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