Pulling the trigger on the Prelude, receiver question.

[Tribulus]

So i have decided to go all out and get the "King of the hill sound card" - the prelude.

Anywho, with such a nice card i will be hooking it up to a receiver via digital coax.

My question is will any receiver be a good combo with this card? or do i need a "Good receiver" to take full advantage? I don't want to be stuck with a shitty receiver and it actually lessen the audio clarity of my prelude. I just want a receiver that will replicate the sound and somewhat amplify it? I will be using my HD-555's through my receiver and 2 bookshelf Insignia's.

Will i be safe with any receiver? i already have a couple lined up from my previous thread.

If not what receiver will i need to get? I'm pretty tight on cash anything below 300 is alright.

Thanks in advance

-Trib

 

[Mr. Wolf]

Panasonic SA-XR57

I use it for my PC audio and love it. That's saying a lot coming from an "if it ain't Yamaha it ain't gonna be in my home" guy. The XR57 has excellent power, incredibly full sound, dual digital amps, HDMI, 7.1 expandability and much more. It's also got a nice, compact footprint and weighs less than 15 pounds. I picked up mine from Amazon for $245 shipped a few months ago.

 

[Tribulus]

So overall most newer receivers will not degrade the sound quality of my prelude?

 

[umeng2002]

If you use digital connections, the quality of the audio will be totally dependent on the receiver and not he Prelude except for EAX effects in games.

The analog output in the prelude will be superior than the analog performance of the receiver unless you spend a significant amount of money on the receiver. Ultimately, you should do A/B comparisons to see which is better for your setup. Remember, multichannel surround for everything will be a Dolby Digital signal (compressed) if you use a digital connection.

I'd look for a receiver than has 5.1 or 7.1 analog input and a good amplifier section. Make sure the input quality is good.

A dedicated headphone amp usually outperforms the headphone amp in normal receivers.

 

[phide]

All receievers will "degrade" the audio passing through it to some extent. Amplification from line level to speaker level is certainly a destructive process, and the "best" amplifiers will degrade the signal less severely than the "worst", but it's also never that black and white.

I'd probably do what umeng suggests and lean toward a receiver with six channel (or eight channel) analog inputs so you can do your own A/B comparisons between the analog ins and the digital in. There'll be a latency variation between the digital stream and the analog stream, but it probably won't be significant enough to really hinder the comparison. The Prelude has a kickass analog section, and it'd be kind of a shame to let that go to waste. My only recommendation with that would be to invest in well-shielded interconnects if you take the analog route; nothing elaborate, just beefier-than-junk (I like Belkin's PureAV stuff).

 

[Nenu]

I agree with the above, one of the greatest benefits of the Prelude is its awesome Analogue output stage.
Couple that with the fact that Digital sound transmission uses lossy compression and you need an amazing amp for Digital to sound as good as a much cheaper amp using Analogue.

Also, you cannot get more than 5.1 channels down a Digital connection.

 

[Tribulus]

Good read.

Could you give me a example of how to hook up a reciever via analogue plus a reciever that has six channel analogue inputs?



Really appreicate this!

Thanks

 

[umeng2002]

basically you go out and buy 3 or 4 (5.1 or 7.1 setup) audio cables that have two RCA jacks on one end and a small (forget standard size) stereo headphone jack on the other end.

Headphone jacks plug into the back of the card (one jack per two channels because they're stereo jacks) and the RCA jacks plug into the analog inputs of the receiver.

Make sure the receiver has 5.1 or 7.1 analog inputs. Mine doesn't so I must use Dolby Digital Live for surround sound (EAX + Dolby Digital Live + great analog section for music = me buying the Prelude).

 

[Tribulus]

basically you go out and buy 3 or 4 (5.1 or 7.1 setup) audio cables that have two RCA jacks on one end and a small (forget standard size) stereo headphone jack on the other end.

Headphone jacks plug into the back of the card (one jack per two channels because they're stereo jacks) and the RCA jacks plug into the analog inputs of the receiver.

Make sure the receiver has 5.1 or 7.1 analog inputs. Mine doesn't so I must use Dolby Digital Live for surround sound (EAX + Dolby Digital Live + great analog section for music = me buying the Prelude).

So essentially i need about 3-4 of these. http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...y=11&x=8&s=A-StorePrice-RSK&parentPage=family

What if i am only running a 2.1 setup? i only need two of those??

arrgh i'm lost.

Can you also show me a great priced receiver with those inputs? or tell me how i can identify a receiver with one? As you can proabably tell i am really new to this whole thing. Just when i have it figured out there is a whole bunch more you have to learn.

 

[spaceman]

If you want to use 2.1 then the prelude is a waste of time. Well, my opinion is that all sound cards are a waste of time. Just my opinion mind you. I could be wrong.

What I did was just said f-it and sold my gaming pc so maybe I am not the best guy to ask. However, out of my laptop via usb, no creative pos drivers, no bs eax, no anything but the straight 1011100011s, I get what I think is the cleanest sound yet. You can get a Trends audio ud-10 or other usb to digital converter to feed a receiver (the panansonic xr-57 really is very good for the $$) and will probably then want to upgrade your speakers too. However, in the meantime, you will probably get a taste of really dynamic sound.

Again, just my opinion. Some people are tired of hearing this and I understand. Try it or don't. It took me years to get to this point and your final stopping point may be a different one. It is all relative to how you hear.

 

[spaceman]

The simplest thing is to just get a Prelude and a pair of open headphones like the akg 601s and use your subwoofer. Just plug and jam. What I did took a while to figure out. lol it is still fun trying.

 

[Tribulus]

The simplest thing is to just get a Prelude and a pair of open headphones like the akg 601s and use your subwoofer. Just plug and jam. What I did took a while to figure out. lol it is still fun trying.

I wish it were that easy i also have to consider my xbox 360 that is running through my monitor plus maybe a ps3 in the near future.

^ those are analog right?


The Yamaha RX-V461 is on sale right now for a killer deal i might just pick this up.

 

[spaceman]

the 461 is also a good receiver. if you have multiple sources i.e the 360 ps3 and pc I would strongly encourage you to get a receiver. it is the most cost effective solution and the consoles can output digital stereo for excellent 2.1 sound.

the 360 can take one optical port, the ps3 the other optical and the pc can take the coaxial port for best sound results. In the case of the pc, if using the prelude, you should use analogue inputs though. Surround is over rated as most games are not encoded in surround.

 

[Nenu]

Modern consoles are DTS/AC3 compliant for games so can supply 5.1 sound via a digital connection.

I wish it were that easy i also have to consider my xbox 360 that is running through my monitor plus maybe a ps3 in the near future.

^ those are analogue right?

The Yamaha RX-V461 is on sale right now for a killer deal i might just pick this up.

You have correctly identified the analogue inputs.
As you can see, each input is effectively a speaker pair so each pair requires one stereo (dual) audio lead.
There are 3 (or more) x 3.5mm jacks on the back of your soundcard designed to match exactly with those inputs.
The first is for front left/right, the second for rear left/right, third is Centre/Subwoofer, this is for 5.1 sound.
For 7.1 sound there will be another audio jack on the soundcard that matches with a further pair of inputs on the amp. These extra speakers will be located behind the rear speaker pair if you wish to use them.
A 7.1 soundcard can be used for 5.1 sound without any issue.

A picture is worth a million words
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/129023.html

 

[Tribulus]

Thank you so much for your help.

Let the long road of audiophilia leave me with empty pockets and no home...

Thanks again appreciate it.

I've narrowed it down to the yammy or the panny xr57 i guess its up to me to decide, but i see a lot of people here use the panny with there computers and boast about great results.

Thanks

-Trib

 

[Nenu]

For true audiophile reviews, use google to find them, you dont want to suddenly find you could have got a lot more for your cash.
Take a month to get into the swing of Hi-Fi talk before buying is my advice, theres a lot to learn and it is also subjective (ie different in many peoples opinion).
Differences can be attributed to music styles, speaker locations, room size, room composition, types/models of speakers, what your girlfriend/mum likes etc etc and last but not least, what you prefer.
The actual speakers and subwoofer you use can transform the sound so read up on that wisely too.
If you have the space, get good floor standing speakers for an immediately fuller sound.

Beware that some subs are Passive and some are Active.
Passive subs require an external amplifier so if you wish to get one of these, make sure your amp has an amplified sub out.
I use an Active sub (has its own amp) which can be used with any 5.1 amplifier and actually takes its audio feed from the Front stereo amplified speaker outs for timing improvements.
Theres a lot of stuff like this to find out about, some of it is regarded as snake oil and some of it can be appreciated by everyone.
In the end it is up to you to try a few systems out at Hi-Fi shops and get a grip on what you like, then experiment at home.
Come back for advice and ideas

I wish I could help more choosing an amp but I am using a 7 year old Sony that is still amazing + The UK market (where I am) can be quite different.

 

[phide]

However, out of my laptop via usb, no creative pos drivers, no bs eax, no anything but the straight 1011100011s

You're aware of course that the Prelude can do the very same, right? Bit-matched is bit-matched

 

[spaceman]

You're aware of course that the Prelude can do the very same, right? Bit-matched is bit-matched

Yes but....I sold my gaming pc and my laptop is usb only lol. The prelude will not quite fit. I really wanted to get away from the damn drivers. When vista matures and a true next gen card comes out, I will rebuild a rig from hell itself. That, and the usb to digital is an external solution so I get really clean sound. That is important only with my setup which is a step up from most stereos. I avoid all the EM distortion and get a better signal. There is more detail and dynamics this way.

I still give the prelude + headphone setup my highest marks for easy, great sound. No doubt it is a wonderful solution for all but the pickiest of audio nerds like myself.