Spaceman's alternative to "pc speakers"

See, the whole point of this is that for $100 a part, you can build a system with up to 7 speakers and two subwoofers. I feel, for most folks, that this is the easiest way to build a really decent system for a pc in a small space.
 
If some are still having trouble understanding.....

PC-speakers = 1/8-1/8 stereo cable
PC-sub = 1/8-RCA cable
speaker-speaker = single RCA

Hope that helps.
 
OK, thanks, but also is there a way I could connect this setup to my PC and Xbox 360 so that I can hear audio out of both of them at the same time.

I could connect my Xbox's RCA connectors to the speakers but the sub only has one input. Is there any way to do this without a jumble of Y cables?

Is this what I would use a receiver for? And if so what would you recommend?
Thanks.
 
Is there any way to play both at the same time? So I can play music on my PC and game on the Xbox? And thanks for all of your help.
 
Well, not both at the same time but if you make A the pc sound and B the 360, then you select A for the music and you can see and play the 360 but not hear it.
 
Somewhat of an audio n00b here. I was looking at spending anything up to $300(I'm from the UK, so that equates to around £170) on an audio set-up. I'm not greatly fussed about surround sound as I live in a small room and don't need the capacity for large volume output as, like i say, my room is small and I have neighbours to consider.
I would like the ability to plug my headphones in and was thinking a 2.1 intial set-up would be ample. I listen to music while on the internet and doin work and play games and watch films so looking for an all rounder really. Open to purchasing any soundcard within budget if it'll make a noticeable difference.
Got any suggestions or questions so I can clarify my requirements? (sorry if this seems like a bit of a thread hijack...perhaps having a section at the start of the thread like a range of suggestions for different budgets?)

Thanks :)
 
So these would be better than the logitech z-5500's(baring in mind they include a sub)? I can get them for £180/$350.
What about a sub for £80-£100/$150-$200 on top of the £90 for the speakers you recommend? (I found them for £90 including postage here)
As it stands those speakers are £90 so if I can spend between £90-110/$180-$200 on a sub, which would make the set-up better....then that sounds like a good plan to me...no?
Would I not need a receiver/amplifier with those speakers? Would having a sub make a difference to the amp/receiver requirement?
 
no receiver needed. it will sound better than the z-5500 yes. simpler too. just run an optical cable from your pc into the m-audio and a 1/8th to rca from the pc into the sub. I really need to make a how to. Just can't atm. moving to a new home soon and everything is packed up.
 
OK, so my next task is to find out the best sub in the £90-110/$180-$200 range. Perhaps that question is worthy of a new thread? Thanks :)
Would I be able to run those speakers off my laptop? It's a Dell Inspiron 9400 so only runs onboard sound. Doesn't appear to have any jacks for it though...just microphone and headphone jacks.
If not then I'll hold off buying them till I actually pounce on the desktop.
 
Was just looking at the Dayton Audio SUB-80, however it doesn't appear to be sold in the UK...any alternatives? Do you think most music stores (even small local one's) would have the Dayton Audio SUB-80 and/or M-Audio AV40?
 
Actually, there is a diy forum where I am posting atm. I am learning more about building subs and the different types.

Anyway, there are UK member there. One UK member (sreten) replied in my post here. I will ask him for you.
 
Awesome thread, spaceman. I totally agree with you sharing your positive experience with using audio equipment that is superior to mundane pc speakers. I've been using the Insignias and a sub for several months now and this is first time I haven't had buyers remorse with speakers.
 
Joe Average said:
As already mentioned, you'll need to define how you want the signal path to work: do you want to keep things in the digital domain as long as possible, or does using simple analog cables and interconnects work for you as well? Personally, after having dealt with this kind of hardware for close to 30 years now, I don't give a flying crap about what people say when it comes to analog vs digital. If you build a solid system, there isn't going to be much difference between using the digital output from the source or the analog.

Our human ears simply cannot be that precise, period. The biggest benefit to pure digital is there's roughly no chance of crossover or serious signal degradation which can happen with extreme connects/cable runs (meaning length). And no, paying $100 for a 6 foot piece of RCA-type cabling won't make a difference compared to the same cable that costs $5 from Radio Shack or even Walmart. This stuff is myth, all of it. Technically, on paper, and to the 15th decimal point there can be a measurable difference but not to our actual analog ears, sorry.

If you want to get everything set up, you decide on what you want first: how many speakers total, what you plan to use as the source (simple stereo output from the PC, multiple outs from a 5.1/7.1 sound card, etc), then work on handling the source material based on how many outputs you're going to require.

If you grabbed the M-Audios or the Behringers they're powered, just like the Promedias, so they just need an input, and from what I can tell the M-Audios are analog input only; the Behringers offer analog or digital inputs. Some would argue the more inputs the better, so whatever. Analog is fine for me, probably always will be.

Let's face it: regardless of what hardware you've got, until the day when we can jack out brains into a real digital output and keep it purely in the digital domain from start to finish, we're still in an analog world. Speakers are analog, our ears are analog.

I think that's a good enough match.
Click to expand...

Interesting way of looking at it, I always had this thought in the back of my head that there was little difference between analog and digital, it all comes down to the quality of the equipment. A seriously crappy DAC can sound worse than even a marginal analog system.

I'd like to jack out my brain though :).

I like this setup, but I want it to be bigger, basically. My two JBL CF-100s are capable of pushing about 75-100w/ch before high-volume distortion makes the best of them. What I really need is a better amplifier, and a DAC.

Any suggestions on integrated DAC/Amps that aren't cut-your-arm-off expensive?
 
Ruiner, I got them with spaceman's help. They sound great .And they have a subwoofer output so you just can connect a subwoofer to the speaker (like I did).
 
RIIISE FROM THE DEAD, OH YE OF AWESOME RECOMMENDATIONS!!!

I just got the Ber MS40... and even without the subs, they rock any Logicrap speakers I have ever owned. I don't like it when the bass shakes the house, anyhow.

They sound great for $100-$150 speakers. Only complaint I have is the size (expected for studio monitors, of course) and the lack of cables. There is no RCA cable for the left to right speaker connection. And there is no connection to the computer at all. I had to go out and buy a $25 optical and $5 RCA cable.

But besides that, WORTH IT!!!

I can't wait to listen to $200 (1080) or even $500 speakers (Rockets).

I also can't wait to have enough money for subs or receivers.

EDIT: I just listened to another song with lots of highs and lows... Yeah, actually, the bass is quite lacking. Lol. But the mids and highs are just fine. With a sub, I can see these monitors raise the roof in many parties (lan?).
 
Which are better, the Behringers or the slightly more expensive Edirol's I linked a few posts ago?
 
I found some M audio dx4 on craigslist for 40$ and hooked it to my logitech z5300. Sounds really really good but not amazing. Very clear though. I havent tried watching movies but music sounds great if I'm right in front of the speakers. I also have a creative sb xtreme music so the crystalizer works. Needs some some tweeking as sometimes things are too clear and sounds fake. It also definitely needs a sub- without one sounds empty. Definitely worth the upgrade and time to find some used if you're on a budget.
 
spaceman,

I just wanted to express a huge thank you for advice within this and a few other related threads. This thread lead me down a somewhat odd path but that odd path ultimately lead me to an incredible conclusion. I want to say thank you for the journey.

I started researching after buying some logicrap and being completely dissatisfied/let down after install. I just bought them and I hated them the moment I hit play (Z2300 speakers that I thankfully still have time to return).

After reading through the various threads on this forum, I checked out the Behringer website and found this local shop where I can buy their stuff. Now this local shop specializes in mostly repair, but the guy who runs the place has a ton of experience (25+ years). Also, his shop does sell some speakers/headphones and such. Mostly used stuff, or stuff he has "tweaked/optimized" based on his experience. I went in there thinking I was going to buy/order some Behringers and be done with it.

Well, i ended up with a different solution. Now I realize it is a bit more coin than the Behringer solution and I never actually listened to the Behringers to comment on them, but he happened to have some Paradigm Titan v.4 Mini Monitors that he stocked up on a while back before they were discontinued. I had heard good things about Paradigm, and figured what the heck.

Tonight I picked up the brand new Paradigm's and since these speakers do not have build in amps like the Behringers I also bought one of his fully refurbished/reworked used receivers (JVC 6008V) which I needed anyway. I am now running my computer into the receiver (2 x RCA Male / 1 x 3.5mm Stereo Male, Y-Cable) and then the receiver to these two incredible speakers. The difference between these and the logicrap is incredible. I am still setting things up, but I plan to compare the computer output against various other sources to see if I can notice a difference.

Now I understand that this solution is likely 3 times the price, but it is easily 100x better. It is so worth it. I am still breaking them in, but WOW! I realize ears are subjective, but I find it hard to believe that anyone could fault these speakers for the price. (under $250 for the pair)

This has made my day. Thank you for the info you provided and "push" in the right direction. I realize it was not exactly your solution, but it lead me down the path toward a quality solution.


p.s.
I was eyeballing the shop owners "custom" modded $600 paradigms, but that will be for another day...
 
Has anyone here heard the Samson StudioDock 3i or any of similarly priced studio monitors from Samson? I'm wondering what I should expect from them. The StudioDocks are available locally for like $160 and I'm intrigued by them, they're very similarly spec'd to the A2's but I know that's rarely the whole story...

Still tho, very similar specs (same power, slightly larger woofers, etc), lower price, and extra features... Such as a front volume-knob and audio jacks, USB port for sync'ing, an iPod dock, and even a DAC for using them off the USB port if you want, which I wouldn't as I'm sure the DAC isn't terrribly good.... But it's also got RCA inputs, I'm just not sure if those go thru the DAC too.

Anyway, I was set to purchase a set of A2's but they'd run me $238 with shipping to Puerto Rico, so I'm gonna be picking up those SD 3i at Best Buy for like $140 and I'll try 'em out over the weekend and at a party next week... If I'm not completely satisfied I'll take 'em back and opt for the A2s. I'm thinking they should at 'least be on par with something like the M-Audio AV40's if not the A2's...

I read What Hi-Fi? is publishing a review of that Samson set this week too, looking forward to it as there seems to be very little info on it online right now.
 
Puffs said:
Well, i ended up with a different solution. Now I realize it is a bit more coin than the Behringer solution and I never actually listened to the Behringers to comment on them, but he happened to have some Paradigm Titan v.4 Mini Monitors that he stocked up on a while back before they were discontinued. I had heard good things about Paradigm, and figured what the heck.

Tonight I picked up the brand new Paradigm's and since these speakers do not have build in amps like the Behringers I also bought one of his fully refurbished/reworked used receivers (JVC 6008V) which I needed anyway. I am now running my computer into the receiver (2 x RCA Male / 1 x 3.5mm Stereo Male, Y-Cable) and then the receiver to these two incredible speakers. The difference between these and the logicrap is incredible. I am still setting things up, but I plan to compare the computer output against various other sources to see if I can notice a difference.

Now I understand that this solution is likely 3 times the price, but it is easily 100x better. It is so worth it. I am still breaking them in, but WOW! I realize ears are subjective, but I find it hard to believe that anyone could fault these speakers for the price. (under $250 for the pair)

This has made my day. Thank you for the info you provided and "push" in the right direction. I realize it was not exactly your solution, but it lead me down the path toward a quality solution.


p.s.
I was eyeballing the shop owners "custom" modded $600 paradigms, but that will be for another day...
Click to expand...

Oh yeah. If you got the coin, Paradigm speakers are probably some of the world's best speakers. They actually have a good range of speakers in different price points, but it can get steep fairly quickly. I haven't heard of anyone say anything negative about Paradigm speakers.
 
I gotta admit, this thread got me looking at a pair of active monitors, and I ended up buying the Swan M200 MKII's (although that particular par wasnt mentioned in this thread). I chose those over the M10's as I had a bit more money to spend, and I already have a nice Yamaha subwoofer I am going to use.

Anyone have any real experience with these monitors? Apparently the MKI's where pretty popular.
 
criccio said:
I gotta admit, this thread got me looking at a pair of active monitors, and I ended up buying the Swan M200 MKII's (although that particular par wasnt mentioned in this thread). I chose those over the M10's as I had a bit more money to spend, and I already have a nice Yamaha subwoofer I am going to use.

Anyone have any real experience with these monitors? Apparently the MKI's where pretty popular.
Click to expand...

They are plenty nice for a desktop jam. Keep that yamaha sub tuned to only play 60hz and lower though. Do not pump up the bass much. The object is to not be able to hear where the bass is coming from. This is known as a speaker disappearing and leaving only the sound. If you "see" the music coming from the speaker, that is not a good thing. Good speakers put the sound into the air b/w the speakers and sometimes even outside them. Just hanging at different levels. Sweet effect.
 
While a great idea, Behringer's break down fairly easy. Their powered stuff is decent and an alright solution for budgeteers.

I prefer the BX5a's from M-Audio for Computing and gaming, due to their "beefed up EQ". I get a richer (but less honest) sound out of them. I have a set of KRK 8's as well that I use for music mastering. The BX5a's are a horrible reference monitor for musicians and mastering, but they're cheap as heck and great for gaming speakers.
 
ZDPhoenix said:
While a great idea, Behringer's break down fairly easy. Their powered stuff is decent and an alright solution for budgeteers.

I prefer the BX5a's from M-Audio for Computing and gaming, due to their "beefed up EQ". I get a richer (but less honest) sound out of them. I have a set of KRK 8's as well that I use for music mastering. The BX5a's are a horrible reference monitor for musicians and mastering, but they're cheap as heck and great for gaming speakers.
Click to expand...

Sure they are. The original idea was to keep the cost at a certain point. All other ideas are welcome though. Thanks for the input.
 
OK, everyone. I haven't read all the posts, but I just upgraded to an Asus Xonar D2X soundcard.

I have Promedia 2.1's and some Fluance HT-AV speakers hooked up to a Yamaha RX-1400 receiver. All in all it is a decent 5.1 setup. I am looking to replace my Promedia 2.1's though with a better sub and front speaker setup.

I will be running the audio through the Xonar D2X optical out to the Yamaha RX-1400, then to the speakers and the sub. I am interested in the Dayton sub b/c my office is kind of small, but what speakers will work best for me?

Since I will have the Xonar soundcard and a good receiver, I just need some decent front speakers. Not really looking to spend more than $150 on a pair of speakers. Any suggestions?
 
runnin17 said:
OK, everyone. I haven't read all the posts, but I just upgraded to an Asus Xonar D2X soundcard.

I have Promedia 2.1's and some Fluance HT-AV speakers hooked up to a Yamaha RX-1400 receiver. All in all it is a decent 5.1 setup. I am looking to replace my Promedia 2.1's though with a better sub and front speaker setup.

I will be running the audio through the Xonar D2X optical out to the Yamaha RX-1400, then to the speakers and the sub. I am interested in the Dayton sub b/c my office is kind of small, but what speakers will work best for me?

Since I will have the Xonar soundcard and a good receiver, I just need some decent front speakers. Not really looking to spend more than $150 on a pair of speakers. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Does your mobo's onboard audio have an optical out port? If so, you completely wasted your money on that D2X sound card. By using its optical out, you completely bypass all the analog circuitry in it that makes it so expensive. The optical output from a mobo and from a really nice soundcard like that is bit for bit exactly the same.

The only reason one would get a nice soundcard, is to USE the great DAC circutry in them.

Sorry to break that to ya... :D
 
criccio said:
Does your mobo's onboard audio have an optical out port? If so, you completely wasted your money on that D2X sound card. By using its optical out, you completely bypass all the analog circuitry in it that makes it so expensive. The optical output from a mobo and from a really nice soundcard like that is bit for bit exactly the same.

The only reason one would get a nice soundcard, is to USE the great DAC circutry in them.

Sorry to break that to ya... :D
Click to expand...

If that is the case, then I will just have to use the analog outs in the soundcard. I was unaware of the difference to be honest. I have no problem running analog from my soundcard to my receiver, so yes my mobo does have optical out, but the on board sound on my mobo sucks.

I guess to get the most out of my soundcard I will use the analog outs. The good thing about the Xonar D2X is that it comes with all the cables you would ever need to hook it up to a receiver.

Plus, I only spent $100 on the soundcard, so I really couldn't pass it up (Newegg had one of the D2X open boxes on sale for $100, they sent me the wrong card and I convinced them to send me a brand new D2X for all my trouble). So a D2X for $100 is pretty good.

Still need a recommendation on some good speakers though.

P.S. Thanks for the info on the optical vs analog outs, I really hadn't thought about it that way.
 
Do you need 2.1? For 2.0, the D1080 are pretty awesome bang for the buck.
 
Just 2.0. I will most likely get the Dayton 8" sub. My office isn't all that big, so I don't want a large sub.

EDIT: Took a look at the D1080's. I will keep them in mind, but the review I read didn't really impress me.
 
I just picked up the Swan M200 MKII's and am blown away. Check them out if you want a nice 2.0 set. I use them with a powered 10" Yamaha sub and the are amazing. http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php/p/swan-m200mkii/products_id/80

FWIW, If you want to continue using Optical out, just use the onboard one, like I said above, its identical to the Optical out on the D2X. You can sell that D2X and get some money. Honestly, the DAC in the receiver you are using is probably better then the D2X.
 
runnin17 said:
Just 2.0. I will most likely get the Dayton 8" sub. My office isn't all that big, so I don't want a large sub.

EDIT: Took a look at the D1080's. I will keep them in mind, but the review I read didn't really impress me.
Click to expand...

I say they are great for the $$ if you have a sound card already. However, if you want a stellar, small setup with a small sub, the audioengine line-up is good.
 
Thanks to this thread I just sold my Z-5500s and ordered a pair of M-Audio BX-5As. Not a bad deal for $150 shipped. :)

Now I just need a good subwoofer and I'm good to go. I've never heard of Dayton, but from what I understand it is the Parts-Express store brand. How does Dayton stack up to brands like Polk and Velodyne?
 
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