Purchased vintage speakers and need help setting up with pc

[Stillmat1k]

I recently purchased a pair of Ohm Walsh 4 speakers and I'm looking for some advise and guidance on how to best set them up. I have very little experience with audio but I do appreciate quality audio so any and all help is appreciated.

I do not have any other kind of hardware aside from my PC which has an inexpensive sound card (Creative Sound Blaster Z). I use my PC to play my movie files on my TV which has a sound bar as well. My pc is also my main source of music. I have a large collection of high quality .flac music files. I have some small active speakers that I use if I'm not using my headphones. I occasionally game as well and will use my headphones for that.

So my main concern is these speakers are passive and so need something to power them. However I'm a little confused on what I need exactly... Pre amp, amp, DAC, receiver, etc.

I do have some old receivers laying around and I was planning on testing those out to see how they work. One is a Yamaha HTR-5440 and another is a newer but I believe lower quality Samsung receiver (model unknown but will update). One concern with the Yamaha is that there's no HDMI. Another is that assuming I'm mostly going to be playing digital audio files and movies that this receiver is outdated and won't be able to output the quality of my files? In this case would I need a better receiver? Or maybe just a DAC? Can I even hook up a DAC to my pc and then directly to the speakers or do I have to have a receiver? Does a receiver replace an amp since it has one built in? Maybe I should be looking at a used newer model?

I don't want to spend a ton of money as I just spent $700 on these speakers but I understand that I might need to in order to achieve the audio they're meant to put out.

What are your recommendations all things considered? Sorry for rambling... Just thought some context would help.

 

[pbui44]

That Yamaha SW 201 is apparently a subwoofer, but if your Yamaha receiver is still working, then you just need a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable to go from sound card to receiver and then speaker wires (preferably with banana plugs) to go from receiver to speakers.

 

[Stillmat1k]

Yah that was my mistake. I've updated my post but the receiver is a HTR-5440. Don't I lose audio quality using a 3.5mm to RCA?

 

[pbui44]

Yah that was my mistake. I've updated my post but the receiver is a HTR-5440. Don't I lose audio quality using a 3.5mm to RCA?

Not with the sound card. You need to check the Ohm Walsh 4’s for blown drivers and such. If they work, then you can get these:

https://www.amazon.com/Crown-XLS1002-Two-channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B011TI97VE?th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matter...CT8H5P&psc=1&refRID=VV8DCB0132ZJGQCT8H5P&th=1

https://www.schiit.com/products/modius

 

[pbui44]

Since your HTR-5440 and sound card, along with the Schiit Modius, all have toslink, then you can skip buying the 3.5mm-to-RCA cable and get this toslink cable:

https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Top-Notch-Installation-Braided-Digital/dp/B071VYKBPM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Toslink+Optical+Cable&qid=1619986371&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1

 

[Monsterzero]

I recently purchased a pair of Ohm Walsh 4 speakers

Nice speakers. Congrats! You're going to need an amp and a DAC to get the full experience.

In my den system I have an Onkyo receiver from the late 1970s that puts out 100 real watts of power into a vintage pair of Rectilinear HiBoys. The source is a laptop running Roon into a Schiit Modi 2 MB DAC via USB, which then goes out to the receiver and finally to the speakers. Its pretty straight forward. The SQ is decent enough for what I use it for, which is background music while im by the pool or cooking.

The one thing you might have an issue with is your speakers are rated at 6 ohms, as opposed to the more common 8 ohms that many speakers are. Your current receivers might work, but im guessing those Walsh will want more power than what you currently have.

For some fun light reading to help you understand the differences between 4,6, and 8 ohm speakers and how it affects an amp, check out this article.

https://www.aperionaudio.com/blogs/aperion-audio-blog/the-truth-about-speaker-impedance

 

[Stillmat1k]

Not with the sound card. You need to check the Ohm Walsh 4’s for blown drivers and such. If they work, then you can get these:

https://www.amazon.com/Crown-XLS1002-Two-channel-Power-Amplifier/dp/B011TI97VE?th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matter...CT8H5P&psc=1&refRID=VV8DCB0132ZJGQCT8H5P&th=1

https://www.schiit.com/products/modius

I actually listened to the speakers at the previous owners house so I know the drivers are fine.

I was told my soundcard (Sound Blaster Z) is essentially a DAC. Just an internal one. Here's a link to it https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-z

That being said, wouldn't I just be doubling up getting the Modius which correct me if I'm wrong, is also a DAC but an external one?

& I would also be able to replace the Crown amp you linked with my Yamaha HTR-5440 receiver correct?

I'm thinking I can basically plug the speakers into the receiver, and the receiver to my soundcard via the digital optic cable that you linked which I already have.

 

[Stillmat1k]

Nice speakers. Congrats! You're going to need an amp and a DAC to get the full experience.

In my den system I have an Onkyo receiver from the late 1970s that puts out 100 real watts of power into a vintage pair of Rectilinear HiBoys. The source is a laptop running Roon into a Schiit Modi 2 MB DAC via USB, which then goes out to the receiver and finally to the speakers. Its pretty straight forward. The SQ is decent enough for what I use it for, which is background music while im by the pool or cooking.

The one thing you might have an issue with is your speakers are rated at 6 ohms, as opposed to the more common 8 ohms that many speakers are. Your current receivers might work, but im guessing those Walsh will want more power than what you currently have.

For some fun light reading to help you understand the differences between 4,6, and 8 ohm speakers and how it affects an amp, check out this article.

https://www.aperionaudio.com/blogs/aperion-audio-blog/the-truth-about-speaker-impedance

Thanks man. I'm excited to get it all setup although I may have jumped the gun getting them considering I'm new to all of this (obviously lol) and may or may not have the necessary hardware to get it setup let alone get it setup to enjoy it at it's full capabilities. It just seemed like a great deal and I didn't want to pass it up since they were down the street for local pick up as well. Got the pair for $700. They're currently sitting in my closet taunting me and begging to be played... lol

As I mentioned above to another post, isn't the Soundblaster Z soundcard I have essentially a DAC? Here's a link to it https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-z

Never heard of Roon but looking into it just briefly, it sounds cool. I'll have to check it out. All of my music is stored locally on my PC. I used to stream it using Google Play Music which I believe worked similar to Roon with less features but unfortunately it's been replaced with Youtube Music now which is trash... so now I can't really stream my new music when on-the-go traveling in the car, etc. and looking for a good replacement.

Your setup sounds good though and similar to what I'm trying to accomplish except I'd also be using it to play movies from my PC as well. So I'm hoping if my Soundblaster Z soundcard can be used as a DAC then I can simply plug that into my receiver via digital opical cable and then user speaker wire to connect the speakers to the receiver and be ready to go?

It's probably worth noting I did speak with Ohm Walsh directly and let them know I have an old receiver ~200 watts and trying to power these bad boys and they said that it would work fine. I did not give them the specific model number but they said based on the wattage it's fine.

Thanks for all the info

 

[pbui44]

I actually listened to the speakers at the previous owners house so I know the drivers are fine.

I was told my soundcard (Sound Blaster Z) is essentially a DAC. Just an internal one. Here's a link to it https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-z

That being said, wouldn't I just be doubling up getting the Modius which correct me if I'm wrong, is also a DAC but an external one?

& I would also be able to replace the Crown amp you linked with my Yamaha HTR-5440 receiver correct?

I'm thinking I can basically plug the speakers into the receiver, and the receiver to my soundcard via the digital optic cable that you linked which I already have.

You can use just your sound card and HTR-5440 with your speakers...but those speakers will not sound to their performing capability. Using the Modius and Crown XLS1002 with XLR Cables is the cheapest way to have your speakers at their peak performance.

 

[Stillmat1k]

You can use just your sound card and HTR-5440 with your speakers...but those speakers will not sound to their performing capability. Using the Modius and Crown XLS1002 with XLR Cables is the cheapest way to have your speakers at their peak performance.

Got it. Time to start saving some money... lol. So assuming I get all of that, I would no longer have any use for the receiver? Or would all of that be plugged into the receiver?

What are your thoughts on this one compared to the one you linked? https://www.amazon.com/TDA7498E-Aud...ass+d+stereo+amplifier&qid=1619969395&sr=8-17

 

[pbui44]

That Fosi amp is for bookshelf speakers, as the capacitors will not hold enough power for anything larger than bookshelf speakers. You decided to buy larger tower speakers, so you will have to buy the necessary equipment to power them.

 

[Stillmat1k]

That Fosi amp is for bookshelf speakers, as the capacitors will not hold enough power for anything larger than bookshelf speakers. You decided to buy larger tower speakers, so you will have to buy the necessary equipment to power them.

The listing says that it can power standing floor speakers as well, but I suppose that's subjective as different speakers will require more/less power. I just want to save as much money as possible but not sacrifice audio quality loss at the same time. Especially considering these are high end speakers.

The equipment you sent will run ~$600 or so which really doesn't break the bank, this was all just an unexpected purchase so it's going to take some planning.

 

[Monsterzero]

As I mentioned above to another post, isn't the Soundblaster Z soundcard I have essentially a DAC? Here's a link to it https://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-z

From what I understand, yes it is, but I have no experience with it.

Never heard of Roon but looking into it just briefly, it sounds cool. I'll have to check it out.

Roon is very cool but not necessary for you to accomplish what you're wanting to do. You have a computer as storage and source. That will suffice.

So I'm hoping if my Soundblaster Z soundcard can be used as a DAC then I can simply plug that into my receiver via digital opical cable and then user speaker wire to connect the speakers to the receiver and be ready to go?

Well, here's the bad news. If you're wanting to get an excellent result from your speakers you're going to want a pretty serious amp/receiver. Modern receivers or two channel amps that can deliver the type of power your speakers want will cost you $$$. Your standard issue 45wpc modern AVR will get you sound for sure, but I doubt you will be thrilled with the sound.
Your best and cheapest option is to pick up an amp or receiver from the 1970s that can deliver the goods. The problem with those however is they have no HDMI or optical connections. It's all analog. Does your Soundblaster have RCA out L/R? If yes thats all you need.

I have two modern AVRs, a Yamaha and a NAD, both of which cost over a grand each, so not entry level stuff. All of my vintage pieces blow the doors off of them in straight up sound quality and power. What I cant so with vintage receivers is use my Playstation in surround or watch BluRays, hence the modern AVRs. All of my music goes thru modern tube amps or vintage solid state. I wouldnt defile my music with modern AVRs. They sound like crap.

 

[pbui44]

The listing says that it can power standing floor speakers as well, but I suppose that's subjective as different speakers will require more/less power. I just want to save as much money as possible but not sacrifice audio quality loss at the same time. Especially considering these are high end speakers.

The equipment you sent will run ~$600 or so which really doesn't break the bank, this was all just an unexpected purchase so it's going to take some planning.

Well, this used Crown amp has more power and for much less:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353469044803?_trkparms=aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=231963&meid=15b15fa0eb6945288bc053f1080179f3&pid=100935&rk=3&rkt=12&mehot=co&sd=333945649286&itm=353469044803&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2332490&algv=SimplAMLv9PairwiseUnbiasedWeb&brand=Crown&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460

You can use SE-to-XLR, but not the other way around for power reasons. As a result, you use this DAC for music and sound card for other stuff by using separate 3.5mm-to-XLR cables and these 3.5mm-to-RCA Cables for the crown amp:

https://www.amazon.com/FX-AUDIO-Hea...ild=1&keywords=dsd+dac&qid=1620004203&sr=8-17

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-3-5mm-Inch-Breakout/dp/B07PJXKKX6/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=3.5mm+to+xlr+cable&qid=1620004847&sr=8-6&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/CableCreatio...ords=3.5mm+to+rca+cable&qid=1620004942&sr=8-5

Total is now about $300 for DSD256-unbalanced-to-XLR capability for your Ohm Walsh 4 speakers. Just toggle between this DSD DAC and Sound Blaster Z using your operating system sound settings and the Crown amp’s input switch.

 

[Monsterzero]

FWIW, what @pbui44 is telling you is essentially what im telling you. He is just giving you a cheaper solution than mine. Where we both agree is that you're going to need a ballsy amp for those speakers.

I personally dont like cheap audio gear because it typically fails quickly, but if $ is an issue he is giving you a very inexpensive solution.