[pikachu0]

Hey everyone!
 
This is my first post as well as my entry into the audiophile scene regarding a surround sound system setup so please
 
bare with me as I try to understand the best way to accomplish what I want to do.
 
Here is what I have
 
1) Kef T205 (arriving in two days)
 
2) Asus Xonar Essence STX
 
 
So essentially like many naive consumers I found out that Bose is in actuality not a premium brand by any means to put it 
 
delicately. I chose the Kef T205 both for its slim profile and for it being available in white to match my walls and setup as well as 
 
it getting great reviews everywhere I can find.
 
 
I am going for an all white setup, which is complete with the exception of the A/V Receiver.

The only one to my knowledge and research that I was able to find was the Harmon Kardon BDS-580.
 
However I do not know of the quality in reality or if the Kef T205 will be delimited by this receiver.
 
So here are my questions, 

I currently have a  Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card in my pc and was wondering if that can be used as an 
 
A/V receiver or if I have to buy a dedicated box. 
 
Does anyone know of any high quality A/V receivers that are pure white? This would be my preferred route.

Lastly, if the above two do not work can anyone make suggestions for what are the best A/V Receivers?
 
Thank you

 

[PurpleAngel]

1) Kef T205 (arriving in two days) 2) Asus Xonar Essence STX
I am going for an all white setup, which is complete with the exception of the A/V Receiver.
The only one to my knowledge and research that I was able to find was the Harmon Kardon BDS-580.
However I do not know of the quality in reality or if the Kef T205 will be delimited by this receiver.
So here are my questions, 
I currently have a  Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card in my pc and was wondering if that can be used as an 
A/V receiver or if I have to buy a dedicated box. 
Does anyone know of any high quality A/V receivers that are pure white? This would be my preferred route.
Lastly, if the above two do not work can anyone make suggestions for what are the best A/V Receivers?

 
If your connecting your win PC to a A/V receiver, you can connect an HDMI cable from the PC graphic card's HDMI output to the HDMI input on a A/V receiver, no need for using the Essence STX
HDMI can pass up to 8-channels (7.1) of PCM (uncompressed) 24-bit/192k of digital audio.
 
Another option is just to run S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) from the Essence STX's S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) output to the S/PDIF input on the A/V receiver.
Optical and coaxial can carry up to 6-channels (5.1) of compressed 24-bit/48K digital audio.
24-bit/48K should be fine for DVD movies or gaming or music, but you might lose a little audio quality from modern Blu-ray movies (if you play Blu-ray movies from the PC).
 
Here is a refurbish Yamaha RX-A710 A/V receiver for $329, it's not white but it costs way less the that HK BDS-580
http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrxa710bl/yamaha-rx-a710-aventage-series-home-theater-receiver/1.html
 
You should be able to find a good stand alone Blu-ray player for $100.

 

[pikachu0]

Thank you for responding, 
 
I apologize in that I believe I was confusing in how I asked my question. 
 
What I meant to ask was if I could use a pc as my A/V receiver and eliminate the need for one altogether.
 
Using the asus Xonar essence STX as the audio processor on the pc. 
 
Is this something that can be done?

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Thank you for responding, 
I apologize in that I believe I was confusing in how I asked my question. 
What I meant to ask was if I could use a PC as my A/V receiver and eliminate the need for one altogether.
Using the Asus Xonar Essence STX as the audio processor on the PC. 
Is this something that can be done?

 
The Essence STX can not power passive speakers.
You can use the Essence STX and output an analog audio signal thru it's RCA jack, to an amplifier/passive speaker combo or self-powered speakers.

 

[cel4145]

I don't know of any white receivers.

How about silver? Cambridge Audio Azur use to be available in silver.