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Computer to Receiver?
- Thread starter paulc87
- Start date
Depends on what your standpoint of quality is.
If your the type of person who just casually plays games and listens to music while doing spring cleaning, probably won't make much of a difference to you.
But if your a bit more into quality, or even have the potential to be an audiophile, it would surely benefit you to run optical. The way you have it set up is only stereo, so only the front 2 speakers of your reciever are being used. Even if your reciever can upmix the signal to the other speakers, it will sound like crap done at the reciever level (I should know I had this problem with my Kenwood reciever and Creative Audigy card).
If you plan on going optical or PCM Coax 5.1, you will definitely want to invest in the proper sound card. Right now even Creative's top cards are crap for digital 5.1 signals over PCm or optical, as they cannot carry more than a stereo signal if It's not passthrough. Creative sells an external 5.1 DTS encoder, but It's another $100 and IMHO, a cheap marketing ploy which is the main reason I disowned them.
If your more into HTPC, I'd tell you to go with something like the Auzentech X-Meridian or the Razer AC-1 (But beware the AC-1 still has no sign of Vista drivers). If your a more hardcore gamer, but would still like to enjoy the benefits of true 5.1, wait about another month for Auzentech to launch the Prelude. It's built around the X-Fi chip, but Auzentech is upping the Ante by giving it the ability to encode Dolby 5.1 in realtime. Who knows, maybe Auzentech will even release their own set of drivers to go with it thus doing away with Creative's bloatware. Creative really does make good chips, but they;ve always been software limited.
If your the type of person who just casually plays games and listens to music while doing spring cleaning, probably won't make much of a difference to you.
But if your a bit more into quality, or even have the potential to be an audiophile, it would surely benefit you to run optical. The way you have it set up is only stereo, so only the front 2 speakers of your reciever are being used. Even if your reciever can upmix the signal to the other speakers, it will sound like crap done at the reciever level (I should know I had this problem with my Kenwood reciever and Creative Audigy card).
If you plan on going optical or PCM Coax 5.1, you will definitely want to invest in the proper sound card. Right now even Creative's top cards are crap for digital 5.1 signals over PCm or optical, as they cannot carry more than a stereo signal if It's not passthrough. Creative sells an external 5.1 DTS encoder, but It's another $100 and IMHO, a cheap marketing ploy which is the main reason I disowned them.
If your more into HTPC, I'd tell you to go with something like the Auzentech X-Meridian or the Razer AC-1 (But beware the AC-1 still has no sign of Vista drivers). If your a more hardcore gamer, but would still like to enjoy the benefits of true 5.1, wait about another month for Auzentech to launch the Prelude. It's built around the X-Fi chip, but Auzentech is upping the Ante by giving it the ability to encode Dolby 5.1 in realtime. Who knows, maybe Auzentech will even release their own set of drivers to go with it thus doing away with Creative's bloatware. Creative really does make good chips, but they;ve always been software limited.
Just with stereo @_@. Thats like a cake with no icing. You gotta go 5.1 man.
I grabbed this 1000 watt kenwood home theater for $188 plus tax at radioshack (Price had been cut in half on clearance plus employee discount) and when I discovered the problem with my Audigy, I tossed it for a DTS card. The difference was like night and day. Especially when I'm watching DVD's. Every now and then a sound will come out of either the front or rear speaker that I mistakenly think is something lurking in my room.
I grabbed this 1000 watt kenwood home theater for $188 plus tax at radioshack (Price had been cut in half on clearance plus employee discount) and when I discovered the problem with my Audigy, I tossed it for a DTS card. The difference was like night and day. Especially when I'm watching DVD's. Every now and then a sound will come out of either the front or rear speaker that I mistakenly think is something lurking in my room.
Pixel Eater
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2006
- Messages
- 241
Even with stereo, consider the value of having a good signal source. Though I don't personally care about digital vs. analog, if the analog source is good. The front audio jack... is that a case accessory or is it interfaced with some card?
Yes pixel, completely true. The thing I'm trying to explain though is stereo vs surround. Stereo coming from the PC then being upmixed by the reciever doesn't sound all too good. Coming from the PC as a pre existing 5.1 source will sound much better.
I run DTS output to my receiver and I would never run analog again, Auzentech seriously owns.
Denon AVR-2807 receiver
Klipsch RWD-12 sub
Klipsch RF-62 floor standing speakers front's
Klipsch RB-61 bookshelf rears
No center channel. After the bookshelf speakers I am broke Haha. I can only afford this because I am 21 still attending community college, living with my parents. I plan to try and purchase a nice 2007 model or 2008 model (I am willing to wait it out) really nice Samsung 1080p LCD HDTV or maybe Plasma (depending how the war turns out hehe), and then I will have room for center channel speakers. Just buy in to home audio, my Klipsch RB-61's are louder then any computer stereo system I have heard. About as bassy as the ProMedia's from Klipsch if I want them to be. DTS sounded better for me, and when I say better I mean night / day difference almost. Properly setup though....and this is someone who has a 1/3rd octave dual 31 band graphics equalizer / line driver in his car audio stereo. I am picky about this.
I am really happy with everything thus far and I am running out of places to put speakers with my home studio taking off. The room would lose its "elegance", and we're trying to maintain that even with a million patch cables. So no center channel maybe, movies sound superb never the less, and the fact I am adding studio monitors next to my floor standing speakers,e etc...the room is getting small.
But yeah I would always run computer to receiver via TOSlink digital out
Denon AVR-2807 receiver
Klipsch RWD-12 sub
Klipsch RF-62 floor standing speakers front's
Klipsch RB-61 bookshelf rears
No center channel. After the bookshelf speakers I am broke Haha. I can only afford this because I am 21 still attending community college, living with my parents. I plan to try and purchase a nice 2007 model or 2008 model (I am willing to wait it out) really nice Samsung 1080p LCD HDTV or maybe Plasma (depending how the war turns out hehe), and then I will have room for center channel speakers. Just buy in to home audio, my Klipsch RB-61's are louder then any computer stereo system I have heard. About as bassy as the ProMedia's from Klipsch if I want them to be. DTS sounded better for me, and when I say better I mean night / day difference almost. Properly setup though....and this is someone who has a 1/3rd octave dual 31 band graphics equalizer / line driver in his car audio stereo. I am picky about this.
I am really happy with everything thus far and I am running out of places to put speakers with my home studio taking off. The room would lose its "elegance", and we're trying to maintain that even with a million patch cables. So no center channel maybe, movies sound superb never the less, and the fact I am adding studio monitors next to my floor standing speakers,e etc...the room is getting small.
But yeah I would always run computer to receiver via TOSlink digital out