Audio Setup Advice - Passive/Receiver/Sub or Active/Preamp/Sub

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GeneralJefe

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For quite some time, I've had a simple sound system for my PC. In the beginning, I purchased an Asus Xonar DX sound card, a Logitech z323 speaker system, and an Astro A40 headset. Now, it's the holiday season, and about time I upgraded. My budget currently lies in the ~$100 - $200 range per component, so for speakers, an amp, and a receiver, I'd hope to spend ~$500. Now, I've done some looking prior to making this post, and I've currently got my eye on the following:

Subwoofer:
Dayton Audio SUB-1000 10" 100 Watt Powered Subwoofer

Speakers:
Fluance SX6
OR Micca MB42X

AMP/Receiver?

Given that currently own the Xonar DX sound card and a headset, of which I will likely upgrade, what amp would you recommend for a nice 2.1 system (that may be upgraded to, say, a 5.1 system in the future) given my budget? I would be willing to spend a bit more on the Amp/Receiver as I plan on using it for quite some time, as it will likely be on my desk longer than the speakers or sub will (i'll likely upgrade them eventually).

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Now, upon doing further research, I've seen plenty of recommendations to go for active monitors (e.g. JBL LSR305's) with a preamp and a sub. How would this compare to the previously mentioned setup? Disregarding price difference, as I'm primarily concerned with whether the setup will be able to play audio from my PC, in my headphones, and potentially from another source (e.g. phone, iPod, etc).

As an aside, what is the function of the Xonar DX in either setup?

Thanks in advanced.
 
Unless I'm mistaken, that Xonar DX card doesn't have optical digital output, so you're stuck running analog cables to your receiver. That's not the end of the world, but in my experience, if you end up going 5.1 like I did, you'll get a lot less background noise and better Dolby/DTS decoding if you send the signal over to the receiver as digital. And if you decide to use analog, make sure the receiver has 5.1 analog inputs. Not all of them do.
 
Xonar DX certainly does have optical out.
But for 5.1 it is limited to DDL Live/DTS Connect, so the quality is somewhat average due to compression.
Also in my experience Xonar DX does not handle multiple sound channels all that well. Battlefield3/4 32+ man maps, WoW 20+ man raid did not sound well due to sound cut offs and distortions.

That's why I've switched to HDMI Audio via R9 card to Yamaha RX-V379BL receiver. Using it both for 5.1 gaming/movies and headphones music. Works pretty well, no complaints.
 
I'll likely keep it at 2.1 for quite some time, if not indefinitely. Anything that isn't a movie or music is usually played through a headset.

That given, which of the two systems would you recommend and for what reason? What are the downfalls of each? The positive?
 
ashmelev75 said:
Xonar DX certainly does have optical out.
But for 5.1 it is limited to DDL Live/DTS Connect, so the quality is somewhat average due to compression.
Also in my experience Xonar DX does not handle multiple sound channels all that well. Battlefield3/4 32+ man maps, WoW 20+ man raid did not sound well due to sound cut offs and distortions.

That's why I've switched to HDMI Audio via R9 card to Yamaha RX-V379BL receiver. Using it both for 5.1 gaming/movies and headphones music. Works pretty well, no complaints.
Click to expand...

Where is the audio signal coming from? Still has to be encoded at the source or else you're just getting simulated surround, correct?

I personally prefer Dolby Digital 5.1 for gaming. I turn off any soundcard based surround processing. Optical digital out from my ZxR to my receiver as a DD5.1 stream. Receiver decodes. Just my opinion that it provides the best directional cues on my setup. I've tried it a number of different ways. Many times I'll turn my head to look behind me when i hear a noise coming from somewhere in the house, only to realize it was the game.

Don't need an expensive receiver either. Any decent one will do. I think mine was on sale for around $200 some years ago. Still world's better than most amps built into powered monitors unless you want to spend a fortune.
 
Astral Abyss said:
Where is the audio signal coming from? Still has to be encoded at the source or else you're just getting simulated surround, correct?
Click to expand...

In which case?
My audio path was
DX -> analog cables -> receiver -> 5.1 speakers
DX -> DDL -> receiver -> 5.1 speakers
R9 -> HDMI -> HDMI receiver -> 5.1 speakers/headphones

In all cases, 5.1 audio has to come from the application, but most games handle that nowadays. If the application provides only 2.0 sound, the receiver can simulate 5.1 using Dolby algorithms, or at least provide a central channel, which is must have for movies).

Yeah, I have not been using surround enhancement provided by Creative/etc. - it is pretty much pointless nowadays.

As for an amp vs receiver, even the entry level Yamaha receivers have better DACs than some expensive headphone amps.
 
Also, if you decide on the LSRs from Amazon, pay attention to the pricing. Currently, a pair is $240, but singles are $99. Not hard to save or waste $40!
 
If you want to use the Xonar - and it's probably better than fine - you can skip the DAC. You'll need different cables in this case.

This approach makes the most sense to me. You can always add an external DAC later, so I'd save the extra money for the time being.

I suspect the NoAudiophile guy wanted to recommend "full" systems with analog inputs for any source, volume knob, etc. Using this gear with a single PC makes some of it redundant.
 
HammerSandwich said:
If you want to use the Xonar - and it's probably better than fine - you can skip the DAC. You'll need different cables in this case.

This approach makes the most sense to me. You can always add an external DAC later, so I'd save the extra money for the time being.

I suspect the NoAudiophile guy wanted to recommend "full" systems with analog inputs for any source, volume knob, etc. Using this gear with a single PC makes some of it redundant.
Click to expand...

If I were to use the Xonar DX, would I get 3.5mm Mono Male to RCA Mono Male to output to the subwoofer and then 3.5 mm TRS to Dual 1/4 in TS to output to the speakers?
Or should I have a configuration in which I output to the subwoofer and connect the speakers to the sub?
 
It's been a while since I played with a Xonar, and I've never used one of the Dayton subs. YMMV.

Your approach seems best. (I assume the Xonar has a 2.1 mode...) Run mono 1/8" -> RCA for the sub & stereo 1/8" -> 1/4" TS for the LSRs. Tweak speaker locations, volume knobs & Xonar crossover settings. Dayton's internal crossover should be set to the highest frequency, so that it doesn't interfere with what the Xonar's doing, but you can play with the phase switch.

You can't do your second approach, because the Dayton subs don't have line-level outputs for the mains. (They're designed for AV receivers to manage bass.) You could connect Xonar's front outputs to a Y splitter. Run stereo to sub's RCA input & the LSRs' TS. (Or 1/8" to RCA, splitter, straight RCA to sub & RCA/TS adapter for LSRs.) You'll need to adjust the sub's internal crossover to match the JBLs. This sends all bass to the LSRs, which could limit their dynamic range, increase distortion, etc. Probably not an issue unless you really crank it up.
 
I originally had a similar setup in mind but ended up going with Denon AVR-S710W ($350 on black friday), MB42X left/right, MB42X-C center, Polk OWM3 rear (amazing for nearfield).

I should have gone with cheaper denon receiver (510 model - $200 ). I turned off almost all the features other than the standard 5.1. Having airplay and all the other stuff is cool but its a little buggy. The Polk OWM3 has amazing sound but no bass which makes it perfect for rear channels. I have thin walls so I decided not to get sub and went with the miccas which provide pretty decent low end.

If I could do it over again, I would probably either get 2 more MB42X-C (center channel speakers) and use each as left and right and move the MB42X bookshelf to the rear OR just get polk owm3 for left/right/rear and owm5 for center and a good sub.

I am kinda of torn about changing my setup to go either way only because the polks sound sooooo good but the miccas are not bad either and have a wider range.
 
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