Music-PC... few questions

[Tokugawa-Nariaki]

I just got a desktop at school, and would like to use it to listen to music, at at least decent quality.

My soundcard is an M-Audio 2496 (what function does a soundcard play in PC audio, and what advantages does a card have over, say, onboard audio?)

I was considering the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1's, until realizing that i) they seem to all kick out after a few years (many reported problems), and that I don't really want surround sound so much as simple stereo.

I was then planning to get the Audioengine A5's, as I had heard nothing but glowing reports of them, and I am looking for a 2.1 system.

But then I read that a separate Amp-Passive speaker system would deliver considerably better results for the roughly 300 USD I would drop on A5s. I can believe this.

So:
1) Have you ever heard of this ? A 2x10W amp mounted in a 5.25 bay seemed really cool to me. I would appreciate not having an extra piece of hardware cluttering up the room. Anyone ever listened to one of these? Would their be noise problems? It is only 50 USD, which would allow me to spend 250 on speakers, and perhaps later get a better amp.

I am also unsure exactly how to pair speakers with such an amp: but from what I've read, I'd be looking for some with relatively high efficiency?

2) Should I go with a better amp instead? If so, what specs should I take into consideration and look for? I listen to primarily classical music, and not particularly loud. Unfortunately, headphones are not an option (My fiance has a different set of ears than I do).

Thanks,
TN

 

[DragonMaster]

I was considering the Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1's, until realizing that i) they seem to all kick out after a few years (many reported problems), and that I don't really want surround sound so much as simple stereo.

Fix: DeoxIT in the volume pot + replacing a failing opamp.

1) Have you ever heard of this ? A 2x10W amp mounted in a 5.25 bay seemed really cool to me. I would appreciate not having an extra piece of hardware cluttering up the room. Anyone ever listened to one of these? Would their be noise problems? It is only 50 USD, which would allow me to spend 250 on speakers, and perhaps later get a better amp.

Amps in the 5.25" bay use Class D (pulsing) amplifiers. The headphones amplifier in my Cowon D2 is also a Class D amp. I wondered why it sounded so strange until I found the specs.

If you use a small amplifier like that, yes you'll have to look for high efficiency speakers, but it will let you hear background noise made by the amplifier more easily as well. (Any amp you hook on the computer's power supply will be noisy.)

I'd say, look on Kijiji or Craigslist for an integrated amplifier or receiver from the late 70s-early 80s. Kenwood, Pioneer, Sansui, Yamaha, Mitsubishi were all good brands. This will get you a 2x60W continuous amplifier easily. The problem is that some of them are as huge as a 486 full tower case, there are much smaller units as well though.

Those speakers, while cheap, are said to be excellent for their price on audio forums:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ignia&lp=5&type=product&cp=1&id=1138085354138
EDIT: They were at $35 a few years ago. Now, maybe other options could be considered.

But then, the room dimensions are very important. Large speakers sound bad in a small room, and vice versa.

Oh, and you're not looking to add a subwoofer to this I suppose?

EDIT:

My soundcard is an M-Audio 2496 (what function does a soundcard play in PC audio, and what advantages does a card have over, say, onboard audio?)

You have a really nice card there, keep it. A separate card basically gives much more headroom without distortion, better quality processing, has true hardware acceleration, less digital background noise, lower latency, less CPU usage, etc.

 

[The_Engineer]

I agree with dragonmaster. The only thing better than your audio card would be something that is totally independent of the PC's internals and connects with USB and has its own clean power source but Really, that M-Audio is sublime. keep using it.

A seperate amp is almost necessary if you really want to go hifi. You can spend through the nose for computer speakers but why do that when all you need to sacrifice is a little space? I'm currently running my dad's old Sony Reciever (supports 5.1) as a stereo amp sourced from *ahem* my internal soundcard with 2x bose rear corner speakers (not sure the series) It sounds waaaay better than any pc speakers i've ever used and thats with my crappy soundcard and midrange (depending on your POV) speakers. Go with an outside amp (something more powerful than 10w/channel). your ears will thank you.