Omon_Ra

You forgot to add the /s at the end. People will take you seriously here.

the back up copy of the music collection is also on a HDD ?
 
if so, you'll be surprised that the sound quality will be quite different when you switch to listening from a SSD..........

What does the type of media have to do with the sound quality? 

No. It was (admittedly not ideal for spinning disk drives) hanging out of the side of the case. The side panel was off.
It's on the correct port on the PSU, but it is possible it's a bad cable as I had never used this cable and had taken it out of the RM1000 box when I was prepping it for NAS duties. It's a 4-way SATA connector, and the other SATA cables for the 4 existing drives in the PC are the same that had always been in there. I'm trashing that cable regardless, there's others in the box. But most likely I'm going to get a new PSU to cover my bases for the NAS build-out; the RM1000 is near 10 years old now and I only need ~600 watts realistically.
I had my hand on the case as I was powering it on (side panel was off), I was not shocked, and it's definitely grounded. The dust could be possible, I had cleaned the case a few weeks back.
Yep. Quite clearly; along with the drive. Thanks for the input yall. I'm honestly glad it blew up the drive and not the motherboard more than anything. Logically I knew somehow power got routed to the data side, but wasn't sure if there were known causes to something like this. Not planning on hooking up any more drives to this machine until I get a new PSU, but for now it keeps on working and I restored my last backup to the new SSD. I am missing some newer files I recently downloaded, but I still have them on my other computer. Got a little bit of rebuilding to do, but aside from a slightly smelly room for a bit and mild panik, but as far as catastrophic data loss is concerned, I fared pretty well.
 
 

That cabble is done 

Most logic i could tell you is that there was temporary connection between electricity and data line and somehow was connected at that moment and fried disk.
 
It could be that case and hardware is overloaded with electricity and there was no ground.
 
Or it could be that dust or other material specifically on spot on the motherboard where sata line and power line was connected. 
 
I don't think it was cable issue it's simply went over power capacity that cable can handle.
At least that's what i could believe.

you should somehow verify that power cable is wired correctly, try to follow the wires back to the psu and see if they match with a known good one, It could be the wire was made wrong and youve just never used it before?
or perhaps somehow its been plugged into the wrong port on the psu?

I would think something shorted out on the hard drive and sent power down the data cable, also killing the drive.
Was the bare PCB back of the drive set on any metal surface? 

As @BlueChinchillaEatingDorito mentioned, you're going to need to check the terminations. Remove the wall plate, make sure that the wires are punched down the whole way in the keystone jack (the 'wall socket). Also take note of the wiring pattern if it's 'A' or 'B' (90% of wiring is on 'B' pattern from what I've seen). Go to the attic side, and inspect the connector/RJ45 end there. Make sure all the copper/gold contacts are compressed and contacting the wires. Look at the wire colors and make sure they match this image (again, assuming this is a B pattern; also, your wires will not be sticking out the end like this image either). It's kind of hard to tell from this, but from right to left, it's: orange/white - orange - green/white - blue - blue/white - green - white/brown - brown. If you are unsure, take some pics and post them here.
 

 
But assuming the RJ45 end and wallplate are terminated correctly, you'll need to pick up a wire tester/toner. Easily found at any big-box hardware store. There are some cheap ones you can find on Amazon and the like, but if this is the only time you plan on doing this; go buy one, test the run, and return it. You're going to want to do a continuity test and pair identification to make sure there isn't a miswire. It's fairly straight forward and included in the instructions. If it turns out there's a short or cut in the wire, it might not be as awful as you think to repair/replace. But I've seen plenty of runs ruined by any number of reasons and you just don't know until you plug something in and it doesn't work unfortunately.

Unless whoever installed the network drop messed up when crimping the twisted strands to the plate, it's pretty rare for a failure in the plate.
 

 
You can get cable testers which will help you verify both continuity and that the stands were crimped in the right order. If even one of the twisted pairs is in the wrong order, it will cause a situation where there's no network connection.
 
https://www.amazon.com/KELUSHI-NSHL468-Universal-Multifunctional-Equipment/dp/B08318BM98/

it's actually really bad value.  8gb nowadays doesn't really cut it. try getting a gpu with at least 12gb...
 
4070, 4070 super, 6800xt, 7800xt etc. 

Definitely seems like the Audiobox is the issue. For the time being you could run 3.5mm to RCA from your PC's line out to the RCA inputs on the subwoofer. You don't need to change the cables from the subwoofer to the monitors.

Again I'd look at my sample rate and bit depth settings in the Audio control panel. 
 
Search windows for "mmsys.cpl". Should open the old Sound control panel. In the Playback tab, find that Presonus device and go to Properties, then the Advanced tab. 

The answer here is FLAC. There's no getting around it, FLAC is what anyone should be using for locally stored audio files (ignoring streaming behemoths like Spotify, Apple Music, etc). I have a 512GB microSD card in my smartphone that I put all my music on. I DJ, and I record my mixes in AIFF (only because that's what the software records in) which I then convert to FLAC. The large majority of my source files for DJ'ing are FLAC, while some are still 320kpbs mp3 (depends on what the producer publishes; I get FLAC when I can, some I can only get mp3 but as long as it's 192kbps or better, it's fine). I'm using 227GB for all the music on my phone (my DJ library is about 1.5TB..it's everything I've collected digitally since pretty much high school, re-ripping/replacing lower quality files when I could). There's no need to transcode to a compressed file type when mp3 works just fine if it needs to be compressed. Not to mention compatibility with DJ software/hardware. And if I have FLAC source files why bother converting to a compressed format when storage space is so cheap now? Let's say I did transcode everything to OGG, I'd free up ~50GB? My 512GB microSD is only ~50% full as it is..and that's including all of the photos/videos and other junk on there besides my music. It just doesn't make sense why I'd take the time to do that.

Eliminate just the audio interface first. So normal PC 3.5mm to RCA out to the Unbalanced RCA intput on the sub, then RCA unbalanced out to the RCA unbalanced in on the speakers. What sample rate and bit depth do you have the output set to for that audio interface in Windows? 

hahaha I tried buying the 15-inch model and it just wouldn't fit in my Camry no matter what I did.. trunk, back seat, front seat, back with the front seat moved up all the way. I had to return it right away and settled for the R12SW because it would fit!
 
I've since realized UPS delivers things on a pallet 🙂

Look for a used or refurbished model from SVS

@johnt is right that this is a weird proprietary system. It has the standard terminals, but a 3 ohm dual input subwoofer is a bit weird. This is pure speculation, but I know some of those 'all-in-one' surround solutions would use oddball ohm rated speakers, like 5 or 6ohm's. It's just a very strange implementation, as subwoofers should be a mono signal; so having two inputs (not counting what I had posted earlier about high-level input subwoofers) is a weird choice. Not sure if the impedance rating refers to 3ohm per input on sub, or for both?
 
You could use the center channel terminals for this sub going to one of the inputs. But the impedance will not match up and could cause damage to your receiver or sub. I'd just ditch that subwoofer and find a sub with a normal RCA subwoofer input or at least high level inputs/outputs. Typically the subs from those all-in-one systems were not that great anyways.

I mis-read OP's post and I was picturing the typical high-level input. But yeah, you're right, that wouldn't be enough terminals. Once we get a pic it'll be easier to distinguish

The answer here is FLAC. There's no getting around it, FLAC is what anyone should be using for locally stored audio files (ignoring streaming behemoths like Spotify, Apple Music, etc). I have a 512GB microSD card in my smartphone that I put all my music on. I DJ, and I record my mixes in AIFF (only because that's what the software records in) which I then convert to FLAC. The large majority of my source files for DJ'ing are FLAC, while some are still 320kpbs mp3 (depends on what the producer publishes; I get FLAC when I can, some I can only get mp3 but as long as it's 192kbps or better, it's fine). I'm using 227GB for all the music on my phone (my DJ library is about 1.5TB..it's everything I've collected digitally since pretty much high school, re-ripping/replacing lower quality files when I could). There's no need to transcode to a compressed file type when mp3 works just fine if it needs to be compressed. Not to mention compatibility with DJ software/hardware. And if I have FLAC source files why bother converting to a compressed format when storage space is so cheap now? Let's say I did transcode everything to OGG, I'd free up ~50GB? My 512GB microSD is only ~50% full as it is..and that's including all of the photos/videos and other junk on there besides my music. It just doesn't make sense why I'd take the time to do that.

The 'problem' with using a production/studio mixer is you'll need to use adapters to get the audio from each device. Typical mixers will have 1/4" jacks, so you'll need 1/8" to 1/4" adapters and cables (cheap and easy to get). So you'll have a mess of cords. And most of the smaller 4/6 channel mixers will only have two or three stereo inputs, and then split L/R stereo inputs, so you'd need another adapter to split the TRS stereo...or you have to step up to a larger 8/10 channel mixer. If you get a mixer with USB, you can decide if you want the PC or Mac to be the 'main' system, and send audio over USB rather than analog, so that would be one less analog input you'd have to deal with. If you do any streaming, this would be the way to go.
 
An AV receiver is an option as well. You don't mention how you have all these devices hooked up to the monitor, do you have an HDMI switch or are you just using all of the inputs on the monitor? There's definitely some drawbacks to an AV receiver, they can get rather pricey if you're looking for new ones, and if want the receiver to pass through all the 4K HDR/HFR goodness. They are also pretty large, so if desk space is a concern, you may want to pass. But, the problem you're having is what an AV receiver was built to solve. One thing that the mixer will be better for (regardless if streaming or not) is if you want to listen to multiple device audio at the same time. AV receiver will only do one input at a time; a mixer you could have all 4 devices playing audio at the same time if you really wanted.
 
The last option...which is kind of the easiest, but also could be problematic, is if your monitor has a headphone/line out. I will say most of the time the audio cards in monitors are pretty junk and noisy, so YMMV, but you could have all of your devices going into your monitor, use the headphone/line out, and either hook up your headphones or a set of speakers to that. But again, this may sound like doodoo...try it out and see.
 

Yeah, it'll be fine. Way better than the shitty TV speakers. You're kind of the 'ideal' customer for a soundbar. Just gotta find one you like and in your budget with the features you want and you're good to go.

It's a complete replacement of TV/Audio - and I want it to last for 4+ years - so I'd say those on rtings with highest scores would be fine for the budget.
Oh I definitely, 100%, do not want to run wires from the front to any rear speakers (if I go that route).  Power cord for them is fine.
 
Room shape I actually don't know 100% yet - I'm relocating (hence starting fresh), likely a condo/apartment, so box-ish shape is common.
 
That looks pretty nice - definitely something I'd think of buying, and it scores pretty good on rtings.  Understood about the driver sizes - but not being a big room, hopefully it won't matter too much?  That's why it feels like a soundbar is a good compromise for a smaller room - no wires to run, easy setup, and good enough to make it feel like a cinema (i.e. that middle ground between decent TV speakers and a full blown amp/separates system).

Thanks for the info.
 
Projector is nothing to extreme. It's an Epson EH-TW7100. I think it's also sold under the name 'Epson Home Cinema 3800' in some countries.
It's one of those psudo 4k ones with two 1080p panels placed back to back but offset by 1/2 a pixel so it can add more detail than 1080P. Not as good as true 4k but looks noticeably better than 1080p.
 
No ARC or eARC on the projector sadly.
So the solution has to be a full PC based solution with the projector being a dumb 4k 50/60fps HDR display device.
 

There's not really any simulated software that does that very well. Part of it is the physics of the speakers being in the ceiling...it's hard to fight that. Most of the installs I've done with 5.1 in-ceiling are in lofted/cathedral-type great rooms. The ceilings were typically angled and that helps direct the sound at the seating position rather than straight down and with the added height it gives the sound more space to appear less directional. I have done a few media rooms with standard ceiling height (like your living room) and 5.1/7.1 in-ceiling speakers and it's not that bad. Especially for the rears/surrounds. Typically those channels in a movie/TV show are for atmospheric sound, so having it come from the ceiling isn't quite as noticeable as the fronts/center.
 
BUT, if you have access to the ceiling/attic space above that room, can you get to the top plate of this wall?
 

 
If so, you can drill down through the top plate in the correct stud bays and use in-wall speakers for your rears.
 
That's honestly a little bit of an awkward shaped room to get 'proper' speaker locations. Because there's the visual balance, and then the audio balance. You could go with something like these: https://us.kef.com/products/t301-satellite-speakers and wall mount them to the left/right of your TV (this is the matching center channel). But they ain't exactly cheap...they do sound and look really nice though. And it kind of throws off the positioning of the main channels (L/R/C) as far as your seating position goes.
 
If you were to go all in-ceiling, I'd probably go with roughly this layout (janky mspaint-work, but you get the idea). Since this is a living room, and not a dedicated media room, you have to kind of split between 'optimal soundstaging' and aesthetics/practicality. If you want everything positioned for 'ideal' surround sound, you'd need to move your couch, change the TV position, etc.
 

 
If it were me, this is what I would do:
 
1) Front left/right in-ceiling as shown above in poopy mspaint drawing
2) In-wall rears (assuming you can access that top plate and get into the wall)
3) Chonky center speaker for under the TV
 
If you don't like how the front left/right sound being in ceiling, get those Kef's or other similar speakers to fill the space to the left/right of the TV, then turn the in-ceiling front/left into Atmos channels.