DragonSounds
New Head-Fier
Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well today.
Hopefully this isn't too long of a message, but I want to explain my situation and what I've learned thus far. I hope this is the correct place/forum to post this question as this site seems to be mainly a Headphone forum (I see there is a Computer Audio section here though).
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As the title says I am looking to purchase and build a nice 5.1 setup (I could start smaller if needed).
I am new to high/higher end audio gear, but I have been using 5.1 Audio speakers, with my computer since at least 2006/2007. I initially had an older Logitech Z2200E or something like that, and I most recently had a Logitech Z906, both connected to my old Creative Sound Blaster X-fi Elite Pro Sound Card.
My current issue now is that the Z906 has been having issues with the console powering on once powered off (or power outage) and I recently had a power outage and the console no longer turns on, hence why I decided to get a new unit as I cannot do anything to get it to work now. Upon doing a little research, people were saying that it just doesn't make sense to pay the outrageous prices that companies such as Logitech or Corsair charge for their units, and many claimed these speakers and such were of low quality anyways for the price we are spending.
These same posts were discussing what others do, using higher end speakers with a surround sound receiver to get what they desire, while using their Computer. This lead me to reading about Amplifiers/Receivers and different speakers, but I really am not sure what is good or bad and what is recommended, or what would fit my needs.
----------------------
What I would like.
I am hoping to purchase speakers and create a 5.1 setup.
I was hoping to connect these speakers to my Sound Blaster, but the Sound Card uses the 3 3.5mm aux cables(Green, Orange, Black), which I've read are very outdated technology, and I read it's hard to find a receiver that will use this tech.
The Sound Card DOES have a TOSLINK connector, but when I had tried it in the past(as i heard it was better), it seemed to not work properly, and I believe I had read it only works in 2.1, not 5.1.
I know the sound card made my audio sound better compared to the Motherboard audio on my current computer, but if I'm purchasing an Amp for the speakers (which is what seems to be built into the sound card), does it even make sense to connect the Amp/Receiver to the sound card? Will the Sound Card actually help me with anything more than the Amp/Receiver...?
I did read that I can connect up the audio using HDMI, and that seems to be what is preferred these days, but will that give me the same experience compared to the Sound Card?
The Sound Card has software settings for Surround Sound, so I wonder if I will be able to get that same experience with the amp/receiver and the speakers?
I mainly use my speakers for Music. I do not really watch movies, but I do watch YT videos where many are in nature, so having those nature sounds are nice in a surround sound environment.
Since music, from what I read, seems to be mainly recorded in Stereo, I would assume the Sound Card's software is doing stuff to enhance the experience into Surround Sound?
I am curious what others think about this situation? I really love my sound card, and it's been with me since 2007. If I have to not use it, I do not mind, but I really want that 3D Surround Sound Immersion with my music, so I'm not sure if I can get that with just a regular Receiver, without any additional Software inputs.
----------------------
Budget:
I was hoping to spend maybe around $1,000, but I think my best bet is maybe to start small and work my way up? i.e., purchase 2 speakers, then get more as more funds are available? Yes, my main goal is 5.1 (or even more) surround sound, but I rather invest is higher quality speakers and spend a few months purchasing everything, than to fit my needs in one go and purchase something of lower quality.
I will say, I do have an old Amp/Receiver that was purchased probably in 2005 that was used for my family's home theater system, which isn't used anymore. I believe it's some Sony device(I will try to get more info and post an update). It's a very large receiver with a ton of ports on the back (far more than i see in many of the basic/cheaper models these days). It makes me wonder if I could/should use that with the new speakers? How much better have amps/receivers gotten over the years? Would it make sense to just buy a newer receiver/amp, or maybe use the old receiver for now and then purchase one later when I need it? I'm curious what others think about this situation. I figure it's best to use the old one and then invest in better speakers for now, but I'm not sure if Amp/Receiver tech has advanced a ton in the last 20 years, or if this older one will work great as well. I do know it hooked up a 5.1 system in the past, so I should be able to do what I currently want with it.
EDIT: I took a look and I have a SONY STR-K7000 It seems to be a more basic unit, and I heard that HDMI Audio Out doesn't work apparently, something about earlier HDMI versions not doing audio out or something like that.
It seems like I probably should invest in a more modern Receiver.... But Maybe not? It seems the TOSLINK would work, but I'm not sure if my Mobo has one of those. :ENDEDIT
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What Companies to Purchase from?
I am very clueless about what companies are good or bad, but with my limited research many people were recommending Wharfedale Diamond speakers. This seems like a very nice and very high end company, and I wouldn't mind getting a setup from them. I figured If I would go with them, maybe I would just invest in the bookshelf speaker set of 2, and then add to it from there, hence my comments above about that. I do see they are sold out on the site for many of the options, but maybe there is another REPUTABLE site that is recommended to purchase their items (That isn't Amazon).
I did see a couple of posts asking about computer audio on here, and I saw other recommendations, but didn't see Wharfedale mentioned (maybe cost was the issue), so I'm curious about people's thoughts on them?
As for Receivers, many mentioned SONY and Yamaha as reputable brands, but I also heard about "Denon Receivers?" I'm not sure if people have a recommendation for brands, or certain receivers that might be useful (If the old one shouldn't be used). I also heard people recommend "Schiit" on another forum, which I know is a very highly rated brand that has a lot of connections to this website, but from what i saw of their offerings, they seem to only do Stereo(some seem to do mono only and you have to connect 1 amp to each speaker), or am I missing something? I read that we specifically need to look for "Surround Sound Receivers?"
EDIT: I forgot that with many of these speakers, like with headphones, it seems each has a different sound profile? When I was looking into headphones I was given all sorts of recommendations based on what type I like, and I really had a hard time expressing myself. I think that I listen to a lot of "Bright" upbeat music(I listen to a lot of electronic music such as Video Game Music), but at the same time, I have a very low tolerance for high pitches and they will hurt my ears. I did Percussion in High School and I remember always having issues with the snare drum hurting my ears and the percussion teacher would always comment on it and say "I will get used to it," but I never did. I had purchased a "Bright" pair of Headphones and they would hurt my ears when listening, extremely painful listening experience and I had to return them.... So I'm not really sure what I want... Does it matter as much with speakers compared to Headphones? :ENDEDIT
--------------------------
Overall:
Overall, I really think that getting some high quality speakers is important. I don't have a huge budget, but I really want something that will last and something that is quality, that I will be able to do what I need to, and have an immersive listening experience with music, etc.
I don't mind having to update parts if needed over time, but it seems that High Quality Speakers last for a long time if taken care of. I'm not sure if the Receiver would be the thing to be updated more often then, or what would be updated?
Thank you to everyone who has some advice for me, I really appreciate it. I'm a bit confused and a bit unsure about what I should do, so I thank everyone for any help in clearing up my concerns!
Hopefully this isn't too long of a message, but I want to explain my situation and what I've learned thus far. I hope this is the correct place/forum to post this question as this site seems to be mainly a Headphone forum (I see there is a Computer Audio section here though).
----------------------
As the title says I am looking to purchase and build a nice 5.1 setup (I could start smaller if needed).
I am new to high/higher end audio gear, but I have been using 5.1 Audio speakers, with my computer since at least 2006/2007. I initially had an older Logitech Z2200E or something like that, and I most recently had a Logitech Z906, both connected to my old Creative Sound Blaster X-fi Elite Pro Sound Card.
My current issue now is that the Z906 has been having issues with the console powering on once powered off (or power outage) and I recently had a power outage and the console no longer turns on, hence why I decided to get a new unit as I cannot do anything to get it to work now. Upon doing a little research, people were saying that it just doesn't make sense to pay the outrageous prices that companies such as Logitech or Corsair charge for their units, and many claimed these speakers and such were of low quality anyways for the price we are spending.
These same posts were discussing what others do, using higher end speakers with a surround sound receiver to get what they desire, while using their Computer. This lead me to reading about Amplifiers/Receivers and different speakers, but I really am not sure what is good or bad and what is recommended, or what would fit my needs.
----------------------
What I would like.
I am hoping to purchase speakers and create a 5.1 setup.
I was hoping to connect these speakers to my Sound Blaster, but the Sound Card uses the 3 3.5mm aux cables(Green, Orange, Black), which I've read are very outdated technology, and I read it's hard to find a receiver that will use this tech.
The Sound Card DOES have a TOSLINK connector, but when I had tried it in the past(as i heard it was better), it seemed to not work properly, and I believe I had read it only works in 2.1, not 5.1.
I know the sound card made my audio sound better compared to the Motherboard audio on my current computer, but if I'm purchasing an Amp for the speakers (which is what seems to be built into the sound card), does it even make sense to connect the Amp/Receiver to the sound card? Will the Sound Card actually help me with anything more than the Amp/Receiver...?
I did read that I can connect up the audio using HDMI, and that seems to be what is preferred these days, but will that give me the same experience compared to the Sound Card?
The Sound Card has software settings for Surround Sound, so I wonder if I will be able to get that same experience with the amp/receiver and the speakers?
I mainly use my speakers for Music. I do not really watch movies, but I do watch YT videos where many are in nature, so having those nature sounds are nice in a surround sound environment.
Since music, from what I read, seems to be mainly recorded in Stereo, I would assume the Sound Card's software is doing stuff to enhance the experience into Surround Sound?
I am curious what others think about this situation? I really love my sound card, and it's been with me since 2007. If I have to not use it, I do not mind, but I really want that 3D Surround Sound Immersion with my music, so I'm not sure if I can get that with just a regular Receiver, without any additional Software inputs.
----------------------
Budget:
I was hoping to spend maybe around $1,000, but I think my best bet is maybe to start small and work my way up? i.e., purchase 2 speakers, then get more as more funds are available? Yes, my main goal is 5.1 (or even more) surround sound, but I rather invest is higher quality speakers and spend a few months purchasing everything, than to fit my needs in one go and purchase something of lower quality.
I will say, I do have an old Amp/Receiver that was purchased probably in 2005 that was used for my family's home theater system, which isn't used anymore. I believe it's some Sony device(I will try to get more info and post an update). It's a very large receiver with a ton of ports on the back (far more than i see in many of the basic/cheaper models these days). It makes me wonder if I could/should use that with the new speakers? How much better have amps/receivers gotten over the years? Would it make sense to just buy a newer receiver/amp, or maybe use the old receiver for now and then purchase one later when I need it? I'm curious what others think about this situation. I figure it's best to use the old one and then invest in better speakers for now, but I'm not sure if Amp/Receiver tech has advanced a ton in the last 20 years, or if this older one will work great as well. I do know it hooked up a 5.1 system in the past, so I should be able to do what I currently want with it.
EDIT: I took a look and I have a SONY STR-K7000 It seems to be a more basic unit, and I heard that HDMI Audio Out doesn't work apparently, something about earlier HDMI versions not doing audio out or something like that.
It seems like I probably should invest in a more modern Receiver.... But Maybe not? It seems the TOSLINK would work, but I'm not sure if my Mobo has one of those. :ENDEDIT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What Companies to Purchase from?
I am very clueless about what companies are good or bad, but with my limited research many people were recommending Wharfedale Diamond speakers. This seems like a very nice and very high end company, and I wouldn't mind getting a setup from them. I figured If I would go with them, maybe I would just invest in the bookshelf speaker set of 2, and then add to it from there, hence my comments above about that. I do see they are sold out on the site for many of the options, but maybe there is another REPUTABLE site that is recommended to purchase their items (That isn't Amazon).
I did see a couple of posts asking about computer audio on here, and I saw other recommendations, but didn't see Wharfedale mentioned (maybe cost was the issue), so I'm curious about people's thoughts on them?
As for Receivers, many mentioned SONY and Yamaha as reputable brands, but I also heard about "Denon Receivers?" I'm not sure if people have a recommendation for brands, or certain receivers that might be useful (If the old one shouldn't be used). I also heard people recommend "Schiit" on another forum, which I know is a very highly rated brand that has a lot of connections to this website, but from what i saw of their offerings, they seem to only do Stereo(some seem to do mono only and you have to connect 1 amp to each speaker), or am I missing something? I read that we specifically need to look for "Surround Sound Receivers?"
EDIT: I forgot that with many of these speakers, like with headphones, it seems each has a different sound profile? When I was looking into headphones I was given all sorts of recommendations based on what type I like, and I really had a hard time expressing myself. I think that I listen to a lot of "Bright" upbeat music(I listen to a lot of electronic music such as Video Game Music), but at the same time, I have a very low tolerance for high pitches and they will hurt my ears. I did Percussion in High School and I remember always having issues with the snare drum hurting my ears and the percussion teacher would always comment on it and say "I will get used to it," but I never did. I had purchased a "Bright" pair of Headphones and they would hurt my ears when listening, extremely painful listening experience and I had to return them.... So I'm not really sure what I want... Does it matter as much with speakers compared to Headphones? :ENDEDIT
--------------------------
Overall:
Overall, I really think that getting some high quality speakers is important. I don't have a huge budget, but I really want something that will last and something that is quality, that I will be able to do what I need to, and have an immersive listening experience with music, etc.
I don't mind having to update parts if needed over time, but it seems that High Quality Speakers last for a long time if taken care of. I'm not sure if the Receiver would be the thing to be updated more often then, or what would be updated?
Thank you to everyone who has some advice for me, I really appreciate it. I'm a bit confused and a bit unsure about what I should do, so I thank everyone for any help in clearing up my concerns!
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