[AllahLover69]

Hi guys,
I'm not very knowledgeable on speakers in general, and am looking to install an entry-level surround sound system on my PC. The motherboard sound isn't very nice, so I was planning on getting a Modi 2 DAC to clear up sound through my headphones. Given this, I need some advice regarding a few things:
  1. Is it possible/effective to use my Schiit Asgard Amp along with a Modi 2 DAC to power a 5.1 or 6.1 setup? If so, how? and if not, what should I get to produce clear sound at a cheap price?
  2. I currently have two good options I've found on craigslist. For PC speakers in my situation, which would you recommend Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System (https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-X-530-5-1-Speaker-System/dp/B0002WPSCG?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) for $75 or the JBL SCS180.6 6.1 setup (https://www.amazon.com/JBL-SCS180-6-6-1-Channel-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B0006N14ME?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) for $50?
 
This will mostly be used for music (Hip-Hop, Rap, Rock, Punk, Alt, Electro), but also for streaming videos and TV shows (so bit-rates for that will be relatively low). I have no idea if it is possible to set up what I want using my headphone amp/DAC setup (I want to switch them off to power both my HD 598's and my speakers), or if it will power it sufficiently. My current thoughts on the speakers is that the Logitechs might be better for entry-level especially without a dedicated speaker amp/DAC, and the JBLs seem nicer, but might take more to power. I really don't have any experience with buying or setting up speakers, so any answers or advice to my questions will be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks so much!

 

[MindsMirror]

The Modi is only stereo, you can't use it for surround sound. If your motherboard has 5.1 channel output you can use it, otherwise you need a sound card.
 
Does any of your music/videos/shows contain surround sound audio?

 

[AllahLover69]

Most, if not all my music files are FLAC or 320k and are stereo. From what I can gather, my motherboard supports up to 5.1. Would my Asgard be able to power a surround sound system? And if so, what's a DAC I could use for both my speakers and my headphones?

 

[MindsMirror]

Asgard is a stereo headphone amp, so no. The speakers you are considering already have an amp built in, you just need a sound card which supports 5.1 channel output, which your motherboard has already.
 
Why are you considering a 5.1 speaker system if almost all of your music is stereo? Wouldn't a 2.1, or pair of bookshelf or powered studio monitor speakers make more sense?

 

[AllahLover69]

I can't really find any 5.1 music files for a lot of the artists I like—but I'll be searching more. The 5.1 would mostly be for Netflix, which apparently does have a 5.1 mode on windows 8. However, the main reason I began considering getting surround sound is because of the speakers I posted about being the best available options on craigslist economically and quality-wise. In terms of why I'm looking for a DAC, my motherboard has a decent amount of background noise which effectively kills the use of my headphone amp and any sort of amp used with the speakers.

 

[MindsMirror]

If you motherboard is too noisy you need a 5.1 or 7.1 sound card to use instead, like the Xonar U5 or DG.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

    1. Is it possible/effective to use my Schiit Asgard Amp along with a Modi 2 DAC to power a 5.1 or 6.1 setup? If so, how? and if not, what should I get to produce clear sound at a cheap price?

 

  Would my Asgard be able to power a surround sound system?

 
No. As mentioned by MindsMirror above, both of those are stereo only - that's why the analogue ports in the rear are only Left and Right. You will notice how "Left and Right" - aka 2.0, which stands for 1 Left + 1 Right - are not exactly the same as "Front Left, Rear Left, Center, Rear Right, Front Right and Subwoofer" - ie 5.1, the first five are the 5 and the Subwoofer is the 0.1.
 

    2. I currently have two good options I've found on craigslist. For PC speakers in my situation, which would you recommend Logitech X-530 5.1 Speaker System (https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-X-530-5-1-Speaker-System/dp/B0002WPSCG?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) for $75 or the JBL SCS180.6 6.1 setup (https://www.amazon.com/JBL-SCS180-6-6-1-Channel-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B0006N14ME?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) for $50?

  Most, if not all my music files are FLAC or 320k and are stereo. From what I can gather, my motherboard supports up to 5.1. 

 
However, the main reason I began considering getting surround sound is because of the speakers I posted about being the best available options on craigslist economically and quality-wise. In terms of why I'm looking for a DAC, my motherboard has a decent amount of background noise which effectively kills the use of my headphone amp and any sort of amp used with the speakers.

 
If you just want to have surround on your computer, sure, it's good value. But if you're at a point where you're nitpicking about the sound quality of your motherboard, definitely not.
 

 
What's a DAC I could use for both my speakers and my headphones?

 
None, in the basic idea of what a standalone DAC is. What you need is something that has a DAC and analogue circuit that can handle surround sound, like a soundcard or an HT receiver.
 
If you go the HT receiver route, you'll have to get passive speakers since the amplifier is built into the receiver.
 
The easier thing to do is get a decent soundcard with surround sound analogue output and SPDIF digital output. This way you can use its analogue output to feed powered surround speakers, be it a Logitech set for $50 or a Swans set for $200, and then hook up something like a Modi2 Uber - which has SPDIF inputs - to the soundcard's SPDIF output. This means you still get to use the DSP on the soundcard and will allow for surround sound simulation on the headphone. Even if you don't need the latter feature on your 2.0 playback system, this still cheaper and easier to set up than an HT receiver with passive speakers.
 
Alternately you can just get something like a SoundBlaster X7, which has speaker outputs and a more powerful headphone amp that 
 
 

  I can't really find any 5.1 music files for a lot of the artists I like—but I'll be searching more. 

 
There's good reason why pure music isn't available on surround. In technical terms, why would you want some of the sound coming out of Rear Left and Rear Right? Center isn't that useful either when a 2.0 mix has sounds across both channels like vocals that are effectively in the center of the soundstage anyway. Most people will listen on a headphone or car stereo, or speakers in a dedicated audio set-up, or in a room-filling omnidirectinal/ambiance speaker set-up, and none of these can use surround audio without downmixing to stereo anyway. Those who have surround systems don't usually want some of the music coming out behind them since if you've ever been to a concert, you'd notice the band is in front of you, and you're not sitting in the middle of the stage surrounded by the band (with the exception of pop music stages, like MTV VMA and American Idol, but even then, not really even dead center). At best, you have monitors spitting out the sound to the farthest areas to the rear in an open-air concert.
 

 
The 5.1 would mostly be for Netflix, which apparently does have a 5.1 mode on windows 8.

 
If it's just for Netflix and you'll be sitting close to the screen anyway, those Logitechs are good enough.

 

[AllahLover69]

Thank you guys very much! You cleared up a lot. I'm thinking this would be a good start, and I can pick up a Modi 2 when I have the money. Unless you guys don't think this is a good choice (please suggest a sound card within $50 or so if not), then I think I have all my questions answered

 

[MindsMirror]

For external USB options, the Asus Xonar U5 that I mentioned previously has 5.1 plus a S/PDIF coax output. The U7 is similar, it probably has a better DAC. On the Creative side there's the SoundBlaster Omni or the X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro, which both have 5.1 and S/PDIF Toslink.
 
The SoundBlaster Z has Toslink and is a good option as an internal expansion sound card. It has a CS4398 DAC for the stereo line out which is on a similar level to the Modi's chip. I'd say it would be quite reasonable to forgo the Modi and just use a Z as the DAC for your speakers and headphones. If you did that, you wouldn't need the S/PDIF output, so the Xonar DX which I think has the same DAC chip would be another option. The Z does leave the option open to use the S/PDIF output for a DAC upgrade later, so you might still want it instead of the DX.

 

[AllahLover69]

is the Startech 7.1 audio adapter external sound card a viable cheaper option (trying to keep it low-cost if I can)? It would allow me to use a 6.1 setup so I can use every piece of the JBL SCS180.6's and it seems to have good reviews on amazon and other sites.

 

[MindsMirror]

I don't know anything about it but it looks like it would do the job.

 

[cel4145]

I can't really find any 5.1 music files for a lot of the artists I like—but I'll be searching more. The 5.1 would mostly be for Netflix, which apparently does have a 5.1 mode on windows 8. However, the main reason I began considering getting surround sound is because of the speakers I posted about being the best available options on craigslist economically and quality-wise.

You will have headphones to create that sort of wrap around immersion environment and, IMO, the HD598 will definitely be better sound quality than the PC speakers you have picked out. I would recommend holding off on 5.1 PC speakers and saving your money toward a really good pair of speakers for 2 channel usage instead. Otherwise, I think you might be disappointed in comparison to your headphones.

I'll second the Soundblaster Z recommendation. Best budget friendly entry level choice here, IMO.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Thank you guys very much! You cleared up a lot. I'm thinking this would be a good start, and I can pick up a Modi 2 when I have the money. Unless you guys don't think this is a good choice (please suggest a sound card within $50 or so if not), then I think I have all my questions answered

 
Might as well just save up for a SoundBlaster X7 or a similar Xonar product.

 

[AllahLover69]

I think I'm gonna go with the cheaper Startech external sound card I mentioned before, for now. It would be a good start, and no sense in spending double or triple the price of the speakers on the sound card. I'm not aiming for these speakers to sound better than my HD 598's—I simply need a good starter speaker system for when friends are over, etc, as I currently have no speakers for my PC (which I plan to get a larger monitor for to double as a TV). Thank you guys very much for furthering my understanding of speaker setups. I'm going to get the JBL SCS180.6's for $50 on craigslist, along with the aforementioned soundcard. Depending on the sound quality of that setup, I may be adding DAC or an upgraded external sound card into the equation.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I think I'm gonna go with the cheaper Startech external sound card I mentioned before, for now. It would be a good start, and no sense in spending double or triple the price of the speakers on the sound card. I'm not aiming for these speakers to sound better than my HD 598's—I simply need a good starter speaker system for when friends are over, etc, as I currently have no speakers for my PC (which I plan to get a larger monitor for to double as a TV). Thank you guys very much for furthering my understanding of speaker setups. I'm going to get the JBL SCS180.6's for $50 on craigslist, along with the aforementioned soundcard. Depending on the sound quality of that setup, I may be adding DAC or an upgraded external sound card into the equation.

 
Those JBLs are passive speakers, save for the subwoofer - that means it is not like computer speakers. The amplifier built into the subwoofer only powers the subwoofer, not the satellites, as it would normally be with PC speakers. Those JBLs are intended for use with HT receivers, not soundcards.