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Originally Posted by Davesbeard /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Just to clarify.
I want to use my PC as the heart of my sound system.
For now i will just use headphones and PC speakers so i want a noticeable sound improvement for these two immediately.
I want the option in the future to run good quality passive speakers and a home cinema system.
What would be the best bit of gear to meet these requirements? Would a soundcard alone do the job or is it best used as a link from the pc to an external amp/home cinema system?
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A lot of good info. here for you so far. There are a
lot of different ways to integrate your PC into a home audio/theatre system. It depends on your end configuration, and what's important to you.
1.) Where do you spend (or plan to spend) most of your listening/viewing time. If you divided it into percentages, what percent of time would you be listening to music/gaming/watching movies? Of these, how much viewing would be on headphones -vs- on your speaker system?
2.) Where will the PC be in relation to the rest of your system? Are you planning on using the PC for more "office" functions as well?
For me, music and movies are important. I have a 21" widescreen Samsung LCD TV for my monitor, and my viewing/listening chair is kitty-corner close to the computer "desk." (Table, really), that is also used for home-office functions.
My onboard audio card feeds a receiver for speakers/casual listening TV/watching. It's not perfect but it's mostly for the kids' TV shows and background music for the wife.
My E-Mu 1212m "prosumer" audio card feeds my headphone setup for more critical listening and movies when everyone else is asleep. I switch between the two in software now, but am planning on a setup where the E-Mu can feed everything and I can switch with a preamp.
A higher-end sound card feeding a receiver/preamp sounds like a more elegant solution, but depending how far you go you may end up needing to split out the 7.1 solution from the stereo solution. In the meantime, maybe a good sound card with good analog stereo out that can also output 7.1 to s/pdif?