Suggestions for 5.1 or 7.1 setup

[Mischievous]

TLDR; I want to enter the world of 5:1 or 7:1 PC gaming. My budget is up to ~$1000.

 

So after being stuck home for all last year, I've started to notice all the things that bother me about my home setup. One of them is my abysmal speakers. I personally prefer speakers, ((I have the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones , I love them but I personally prefer real speakers for my near 18 hours a day I spent on my PC these days.)) so I've decided to take the plunge.

 

Problem is I can't go anywhere to test speakers at the stores and find the ones I like, and all reviews either mention things that are too bassy, or things that aren't in stores anymore. So I am hoping that a kind audiophile will just tell me what to buy and I'll go and buy it and be happy with whatever I get.

 

I want something that sounds neutral and immersive and large, I mostly play games, and my music preference is all over the place but I generally dislike sharp high pitch sound music and love stuff like the Wallance theme from Blade Runner 2049.

 

By the way, my motherboard has these specs.;

 

1. Realtek^® ALC1220-VB codec
   * The back panel line out jack supports DSD audio.
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for S/PDIF Out

I don't know what to do with them but I imagine some are better? I know what good sound sounds like but I don't know what to get to make good sound.

 

Anyhow thanks in advance and I hope you are all well.

 

[Entropy.]

17 minutes ago, Mischievous said:

TLDR; I want to enter the world of 5:1 or 7:1 PC gaming. My budget is up to ~$1000.

 

So after being stuck home for all last year, I've started to notice all the things that bother me about my home setup. One of them is my abysmal speakers. I personally prefer speakers, ((I have the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones , I love them but I personally prefer real speakers for my near 18 hours a day I spent on my PC these days.)) so I've decided to take the plunge.

 

Problem is I can't go anywhere to test speakers at the stores and find the ones I like, and all reviews either mention things that are too bassy, or things that aren't in stores anymore. So I am hoping that a kind audiophile will just tell me what to buy and I'll go and buy it and be happy with whatever I get.

 

I want something that sounds neutral and immersive and large, I mostly play games, and my music preference is all over the place but I generally dislike sharp high pitch sound music and love stuff like the Wallance theme from Blade Runner 2049.

 

By the way, my motherboard has these specs.;

 

1. Realtek^® ALC1220-VB codec
   * The back panel line out jack supports DSD audio.
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for S/PDIF Out

I don't know what to do with them but I imagine some are better? I know what good sound sounds like but I don't know what to get to make good sound.

 

Anyhow thanks in advance and I hope you are all well.

 

Okay, How technical do you want to go? You could go for a more of a diy system where you'd be selecting your own speakers, amps/receivers, and subwoofers, or you could go for a more preconfigured-style system like the logitech z906 system. You could do a true-diy audiophile system where you assemble the components for the speakers yourself, But I can't help you there.  I'll be assuming you want to go with a more of a diy system. Do you have any wants/needs in terms of features, aesthetics, or others? 

[Exidor]

Forget everything not HDMI......

 

Just take the plunge and go HDMI.

I personally use a premium soundbar Samsung q950t it has problem because Samsung is completely shit at firmware updates.

But the sound is really good.

 

If you are at a table buy a premium soundbar things to look for:

LPCM support that is my main issue with the Samsung q950t it lacks LPCM support they sort of promise to fix it but it is a crap shoot.

Physical surround speakers and a physical subwoofer.

 

The technically best soundbar is the LG sn11rg

The Samsung sounds better but it has issues the lack of LPCM is a huge pain in the ass to deal with. Generally Samsung SUCKS at software updates.

 

If you have the space get a AV receiver.

 

 

 

But do yourself a favor skip anything not HDMI..... Optical out is dated only supports compressed audio and is generally a bad idea.

 

 

 

Benefit of using a PC is that you get to set your own equaliser.

I use the soundbar on a table probably a bit bigger than your average table but you can really tune it to work well in that setting and it is the most space efficient solution that gives you good sound.

 

 

The Samsung q950t  is right now discounted to around 1k and it started out at 2k it is a very nice sounding system. It is a bit of a gamble if Samsung will fix LPCM.....

If not you will be stuck using the Atmos access app in Windows 10 that itself is a mess. It mostly works but sometimes the updates break it.....

[Entropy.]

18 minutes ago, Mischievous said:

TLDR; I want to enter the world of 5:1 or 7:1 PC gaming. My budget is up to ~$1000.

 

So after being stuck home for all last year, I've started to notice all the things that bother me about my home setup. One of them is my abysmal speakers. I personally prefer speakers, ((I have the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones , I love them but I personally prefer real speakers for my near 18 hours a day I spent on my PC these days.)) so I've decided to take the plunge.

 

Problem is I can't go anywhere to test speakers at the stores and find the ones I like, and all reviews either mention things that are too bassy, or things that aren't in stores anymore. So I am hoping that a kind audiophile will just tell me what to buy and I'll go and buy it and be happy with whatever I get.

 

I want something that sounds neutral and immersive and large, I mostly play games, and my music preference is all over the place but I generally dislike sharp high pitch sound music and love stuff like the Wallance theme from Blade Runner 2049.

 

By the way, my motherboard has these specs.;

 

1. Realtek^® ALC1220-VB codec
   * The back panel line out jack supports DSD audio.
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for S/PDIF Out

I don't know what to do with them but I imagine some are better? I know what good sound sounds like but I don't know what to get to make good sound.

 

Anyhow thanks in advance and I hope you are all well.

 

Klipsch Bookshelf Speakers, 2-pack (costco.com)
These are the Klipsch r41 m's. There's pretty great speakers that go decently well with a desk setup. You could buy 2 pairs for these for your front/rear surrounds.  However, You'll need a Costco membership to get access to these. They're available elsewhere, but at costco it's like ~$60 USD iirc, and from other places when it's not on promos It's around $110 a pair. 
Amazon.com: Klipsch R-52C Powerful Detailed Center Channel Home Speaker - Black: Home Audio & Theater
Here's a center channel, nothing much to say here it's just a pairing with the speakers

Amazon.com: Klipsch R-100SW 10" Subwoofer | Incredibly Deep Bass and an All-digital Amplifier: Home Audio & Theater
Subwoofer
 

Receiver like this should do decent: 
Amazon.com: Sony STR-DH790 7.2-ch Surround Sound Home Theater AV Receiver: 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos & Bluetooth Black: Electronics

Should be in the neighborhood of your budget, You'd need speaker cables though. Not sure about compatibility I'm checking right now, but what I previously looked at these should all play nice with eachother

Note: The tweeters on these speakers are aluminum dome iirc, so they might sound a little bright, and can be harsh if you drive it wrong, or play the wrong music at the wrong volume on them. Both this and the other system seem to have somewhat of "smile" sound curves, where the low frequencies and high frequencies are a little boosted. Shouldn't really be an issue most consumers enjoy it, It's not enough to be annoying Iirc.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another option: Amazon.com: Jamo Studio Series S 803 HCS-BLK Black Home Cinema System: Home Audio & Theater

Amazon.com: S 810 SUB White NA: Home Audio & Theater
Sub. I'm just picking the cheapest options atm, black is quite a bit more expensive, You'd be pairing with the same receiver iirc. 

Something like this should be a little more cost effective, with a different look. These are what? Silk dome tweeters (even if not they're some type of soft-dome) so the high-end should be a little more lax when compared to the klipsch system. Like I mentioned earlier,  Both this and the other system seem to have somewhat of "smile" sound curves, where the low frequencies and high frequencies are a little boosted. Shouldn't really be an issue most consumers enjoy it, It's not enough to be annoying Iirc.  
 

[Entropy.]

12 minutes ago, Exidor said:

Forget everything not HDMI......

 

Just take the plunge and go HDMI.

I personally use a premium soundbar Samsung q950t it has problem because Samsung is completely shit at firmware updates.

But the sound is really good.

 

If you are at a table buy a premium soundbar things to look for:

LPCM support that is my main issue with the Samsung q950t it lacks LPCM support they sort of promise to fix it but it is a crap shoot.

Physical surround speakers and a physical subwoofer.

 

The technically best soundbar is the LG sn11rg

The Samsung sounds better but it has issues the lack of LPCM is a huge pain in the ass to deal with. Generally Samsung SUCKS at software updates.

 

If you have the space get a AV receiver.

 

 

 

But do yourself a favor skip anything not HDMI..... Optical out is dated only supports compressed audio and is generally a bad idea.

Eugh... Soundbar systems aren't my favorite (Cheap componentry, everything tends to suck and sound is pretty bad since the system is so compact, jamming like 3 2/3 inch woofers and a tweeter or two into a single package), especially when they're made by companies like lg, samsung, yahmaha, ect. Klipsch, B&O, and some other companies do good jobs though (generally), but obviously Model>Brand. Dunno why you'd want a soundbar system for a desk setup, however. 

 

[Exidor]

7 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Eugh... Soundbar systems aren't my favorite, especially when they're made by companies like lg, samsung, yahmaha, ect. Klipsch, B&O, and some other companies do good jobs though, but obviously Model>Brand. Dunno why you'd want a soundbar system for a desk setup, however. 

 

Technically the Samsung is mostly a Harman Kardon system.

For the price it is at currently it will blow most things out of the water. It would be perfect if it had LPCM sorted.

It is a lot smaller than a bunch of speakers and delivers superior sound to small powered speakers. And you do not have a mess of wires on your table.

High end soundbars have come a long way they can not rival a good AV system based around a receiver but that is way more expensive.

 

And yes I have a proper AV system in my living room not high end but based around Klipsch speakers and a Yamaha receiver. But a good receiver alone to power decent speakers will run you more than 1k probably closer to 1.5k......

 

 

Truth is high end soundbars have come a really long way. And for the footprint they are pretty much unbeatable.

 

 

At the full price the system launched at 2.5k yes yes it was absolutely stupid.

I got it for 1.3k at that price point it is great value.

Right now I could get it for around 1k.

 

Samsung always aggressively discounts their soundbars before they release the new model and the new one got announced at CES.

[Entropy.]

21 minutes ago, Exidor said:

Technically the Samsung is mostly a Harman Kardon system.

For the price it is at currently it will blow most things out of the water. It would be perfect if it had LPCM sorted.

It is a lot smaller than a bunch of speakers and delivers superior sound to small powered speakers. And you do not have a mess of wires on your table.

High end soundbars have come a long way they can not rival a good AV system based around a receiver but that is way more expensive.

 

And yes I have a proper AV system in my living room not high end but based around Klipsch speakers and a Yamaha receiver. But a good receiver alone to power decent speakers will run you more than 1k probably closer to 1.5k......

 

 

Truth is high end soundbars have come a really long way. And for the footprint they are pretty much unbeatable.

Don't really agree with what you're saying, I have a 5.1 yahmaha soundbar system, and a pair of klipsch r-41pm's. Off-sale same price, On-sale the klipschs are $150 cheaper. Needless to say, I prefer them over the soundbar system. If you just have the soundbar standalone, the comparison is laughable. As for "mess of wires," Not really, not unless you want to go the full 5 miles with a passive system. A powered system is a speaker wire and a power cable. Have soundbars come a long way? Yeah, they have. Can they be more convenient than a speaker system? Sure. But currently that's about it. From what I've seen in basically every price category, soundbars are outstripped by a similarly-priced speakers/speaker system, going up from $100 to over $1000. I mean, there's a reason why most of these products have ridiculous sound curves, and it's not just because the average consumer likes huge amounts of base, and over-the-top highs. 

 

 

[Exidor]

12 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Don't really agree with what you're saying, I have a 5.1 yahmaha soundbar system, and a pair of klipsch r-41pm's. Off-sale same price, On-sale the klipschs are $150 cheaper. Needless to say, I prefer them over the soundbar system. If you just have the soundbar standalone, the comparison is laughable. As for "mess of wires," Not really, not unless you want to go the full 5 miles with a passive system. A powered system is a speaker wire and a power cable. Have soundbars come a long way? Yeah, they have. Can they be more convenient than a speaker system? Sure. But currently that's about it. From what I've seen in basically every price category, soundbars are outstripped by a similarly-priced speakers/speaker system, going up from $100 to over $1000. I mean, there's a reason why most of these products have ridiculous sound curves, and it's not just because the average consumer likes huge amounts of base, and over-the-top highs. 

 

 

Have you ever actually tried one of those highly rated soundbars? The ones in the premium category?

 

You can snob them all you want but a flagship soundbar is a good buy at this price.

And they have an equaliser sure the subwoofer is probably the weakest link but it is also better than the one you linked.

 

 

Read a couple of reviews of the Samsung q950t or its predecessor.

For surround sound at the current price of 1k I am pretty sure you wont be able to beat it unless you go used.

Stereo absolutely for that price you could get flour standing speakers.

 

 

I am running a pair of Klipsch 620f plus center plus surrounds plus subwoofers as my main setup and sure that sounds a lot better.

But for the size and price the Samsung is great.

https://www.avforums.com/reviews/samsung-hw-q950t-soundbar-review.17903

 

 

 

And as someone who used to run a mess of small speakers on a table next to my monitors it absolutely is a mess compared to the soundbar.

 

 

 

 

 

NB! BUT I will repeat myself again the lack of LPCM support is a huge pain in the ass for PC use.... You will be forced to use the shit Dolby Atmos app that keeps on breaking with updates.

If Samsung finally gets its shit together and fixes that this will be probably the best sounding system you can get new for a small room for 1k.

[Entropy.]

4 minutes ago, Exidor said:

Have you ever actually tried one of those highly rated soundbars? The ones in the premium category?

 

You can snob them all you want but a flagship soundbar is a good buy at this price.

And they have an equaliser sure the subwoofer is probably the weakest link but it is also better than the one you linked.

 

 

Read a couple of reviews of the Samsung q950t or its predecessor.

For surround sound at the current price of 1k I am price I am sure you wont be able to beat it unless you go used.

Stereo absolutely for that price you could get flour standing speakers.

 

 

I am running a pair of Klipsch 620f plus surrounds plus subwoofers as my main setup and sure that sounds a lot better.

But for the size and price the Samsung is great.

https://www.avforums.com/reviews/samsung-hw-q950t-soundbar-review.17903

The klipsch cinema 800/1200 are nice systems, The Sennheiser Ambeo was pretty great, ect. Biggest thing I've noticed is that for the price I've always managed to find better sounding options that don't compromise on aesthetics or convenience

[circeseye]

if you decide to go receiver i highly recommend fluance's bi-pol speakers for the sides and rears
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067OLOS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

they have bigger if needed

 

receiver id go denon or mantz

[Exidor]

1 minute ago, circeseye said:

if you decide to go receiver i highly recommend fluance's bi-pol speakers for the sides and rears
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067OLOS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

they have bigger if needed

 

receiver id go denon or mantz

I agree bi poles are definitely the way to go for rear speakers if you are going the extra mile and putting together a whole system around a receiver.

[Exidor]

But I stand by what I say unless you go full blown receiver plus passive speakers and all the wiring..... and probably get something either used or refurbished you wont get better surround than the Samsung q950t at that price.

Most powered speakers at this price point are meh at best and matching many different brands will be a mess.

There is a reason why you want a dedicated central channel and bi poles as surrounds. Just putting together a bunch of powered bookshelves and assigning different channels to them will give you mediocre results. 

[Exidor]

https://www.avforums.com/threads/samsung-hw-q950t-and-hw-q900t-soundbar-review-comments.2307940/page-127

 

As I said the firmware has issues so give this a read first.

 

 

Also if you do decide to get one I highly recommend getting a bunch of these

https://www.amazon.com/Wundermax-Stopper-Rubber-Security-Stoppers/dp/B0788CFZL8/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?_encoding=UTF8&c=ts&dchild=1&keywords=Door%2BStops&qid=1611616508&s=office-products&sr=1-2-spons&ts_id=1069196&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMExPNk9DM1VFTjgzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjA5NzA0M0tLNkNLNDNRN0NXQyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDY4NzI4MTNJQk5ENEY0V0RWNiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

or similar to angle the soundbar upwards to get a better Atmos bubble. If you are using it sitting at a table that is.

[Psittac]

There are so many ways to hammer this nail

 

Why 5.1?  If it's mostly going to be used for music or social media you won't benefit.  If you're trying to make it a home theater for movies and TV shows that makes sense.

 

How much space do you have?  An AVR (audio video reciever) is going to be the best bet but they're large.

 

Will you have more money to throw at this down the road?  If so I suggest starting with a 2.0 2.1 3.0 or 3.1 setup and get better front left and right with your budget, maybe throw in a center or subwoofer.  That's how I built my HT setup over a span of 10 years, started with just front left and right, then got an AVR then ran across a sub, got a center then added rears.  The quality left and right channel will be used for everything that isn't a movie or TV show.

 

If you're stuck on surround ignore everything audio related about your computer and let the AVR do it all (I really like Denon, have 5 denons between my house and friends and family and only one of them pooped out after 8 or so years)

 

If you aren't stuck on surround focus on a dac amp and a good pair of bookshelves or towers and later maybe a subwoofer.

[Derkoli]

1 hour ago, Mischievous said:

TLDR; I want to enter the world of 5:1 or 7:1 PC gaming. My budget is up to ~$1000.

 

So after being stuck home for all last year, I've started to notice all the things that bother me about my home setup. One of them is my abysmal speakers. I personally prefer speakers, ((I have the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones , I love them but I personally prefer real speakers for my near 18 hours a day I spent on my PC these days.)) so I've decided to take the plunge.

 

Problem is I can't go anywhere to test speakers at the stores and find the ones I like, and all reviews either mention things that are too bassy, or things that aren't in stores anymore. So I am hoping that a kind audiophile will just tell me what to buy and I'll go and buy it and be happy with whatever I get.

 

I want something that sounds neutral and immersive and large, I mostly play games, and my music preference is all over the place but I generally dislike sharp high pitch sound music and love stuff like the Wallance theme from Blade Runner 2049.

 

By the way, my motherboard has these specs.;

 

1. Realtek^® ALC1220-VB codec
   * The back panel line out jack supports DSD audio.
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for S/PDIF Out

I don't know what to do with them but I imagine some are better? I know what good sound sounds like but I don't know what to get to make good sound.

 

Anyhow thanks in advance and I hope you are all well.

 

For 1000 dollars, I'd stay with 5.1, 7.1 for a 1k is a bit of stretch if you want decent kit.

 

I'd have good experiences with my old Denon AVR-X8500H, and this mdoel comes with room correction, 4k support, simple HDMI in, HDMI out. Also does streaming if you're into that sort of jazz.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/denon-avr-s650h-audio-video-receiver-5-2-channel-150w-x-5-4k-uhd-home-theater-surround-sound-2019--streaming-black/6333563.p?skuId=6333563

 

Klipsch makes good stuff, and their subwoofers lean to being "Musical" rather than "in your face"

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/klipsch-reference-series-10-150w-powered-subwoofer-black/6241801.p?skuId=6241801

 

The SSC stuff from Sony is pretty amazing for the price, so I would recommend going with 2 pairs of SSC5 bookshelves, then a matching center.

 

2 of these: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-5-3-way-bookshelf-speakers-pair-black/5721014.p?skuId=5721014

 

1 of these: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-4-2-way-center-channel-speaker-black/5720006.p?skuId=5720006

 

This leaves a bit of money over for cables. Amazonbasics 16 gauge stuff is pretty good, but BestBuy sells some pretty decent alternatives.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rocketfish-50-speaker-wire-16awg-gold/8315469.p?skuId=8315469

 

 

 

Really, for this price I would suggest going stereo, but if you're set on either 5.1 or 7.1, this would be a pretty good system.

 

[Derkoli]

Just now, Psittac said:

There are so many ways to hammer this nail

 

Why 5.1?  If it's mostly going to be used for music or social media you won't benefit.  If you're trying to make it a home theater for movies and TV shows that makes sense.

 

How much space do you have?  An AVR (audio video reciever) is going to be the best bet but they're large.

 

Will you have more money to throw at this down the road?  If so I suggest starting with a 2.0 2.1 3.0 or 3.1 setup and get better front left and right with your budget, maybe throw in a center or subwoofer.  That's how I built my HT setup over a span of 10 years, started with just front left and right, then got an AVR then ran across a sub, got a center then added rears.  The quality left and right channel will be used for everything that isn't a movie or TV show.

 

If you're stuck on surround ignore everything audio related about your computer and let the AVR do it all (I really like Denon, have 5 denons between my house and friends and family and only one of them pooped out after 8 or so years)

 

If you aren't stuck on surround focus on a dac amp and a good pair of bookshelves or towers and later maybe a subwoofer.

I agree with all of this. A Stereophonic setup would be better to do for this price point. I've also had good experiences with Denon.

[Mischievous]

Wow these are more replies than I am used to getting.

I don't like the soundbars either to be fair.

 

And I'd be down for a DIY but not the extreme one where I buy electrical components, something like Brok3n But who cares?, suggestion.

 

I need to read through this thread carefully and reply again tomorrow.

[Derkoli]

46 minutes ago, Mischievous said:

Wow these are more replies than I am used to getting.

I don't like the soundbars either to be fair.

 

And I'd be down for a DIY but not the extreme one where I buy electrical components, something like Brok3n But who cares?, suggestion.

 

I need to read through this thread carefully and reply again tomorrow.

Take your time to take everything in, Audio can be confusing

 

Be sure to quote people you want to respond to, using this arrow:

 

[circeseye]

one note if going full on speakers

one thing ive noticed with surround speakers

damn near all are 2 way. which is fine for center, surrounds and atmos.

but 2 ways for front? took me forever to find a good 3 way for my fronts that didnt cost a fortune. to me especially for music 3 ways are the way to go.

i found Yamaha NS-6490 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers 130.00 and was amazed with how good they sound and look for the price. (they are good sized not to small not to big)

 

but all in all starting at a 1000 is a good start

like others said start with a decent receiver thats going to support the amount of speakers you want. a denon 7.2 starts at 599 up to 850 all depends on what wattage you want.

and grab some fronts to start maybe a center if budget permits. then down the road grab you some sides and rears. and a powered sub when ready.

 

you dont need high watt speakers unless your going to have a separate amp for them 80 to 200 watt are fine for just a receiver running them

example my fronts are ran on a 120 watt per channel amp and the rest the receiver runs. 7.1.4 system. supports 11.1 but only supplies power to 9 and fronts are the most important to power since they are the mostly used

[Mischievous]

10 hours ago, Psittac said:

There are so many ways to hammer this nail

 

Why 5.1?  If it's mostly going to be used for music or social media you won't benefit.  If you're trying to make it a home theater for movies and TV shows that makes sense.

 

How much space do you have?  An AVR (audio video reciever) is going to be the best bet but they're large.

 

Will you have more money to throw at this down the road?  If so I suggest starting with a 2.0 2.1 3.0 or 3.1 setup and get better front left and right with your budget, maybe throw in a center or subwoofer.  That's how I built my HT setup over a span of 10 years, started with just front left and right, then got an AVR then ran across a sub, got a center then added rears.  The quality left and right channel will be used for everything that isn't a movie or TV show.

 

If you're stuck on surround ignore everything audio related about your computer and let the AVR do it all (I really like Denon, have 5 denons between my house and friends and family and only one of them pooped out after 8 or so years)

 

If you aren't stuck on surround focus on a dac amp and a good pair of bookshelves or towers and later maybe a subwoofer.

I suppose that's the first thing I have to start with. Yeah it sounds like a great idea... I suppose it's what I should do. I was, perhaps, naively, hoping to do it all in one go. But I now see no reason to get something half descent now and then try to sell it second hand and get something better, might as well start piecing it together one by one.

 

Okay it's what I'll do. I'll start small but with quality and add to it down the road. What do I start with? I kind of want left right and center?

 

As for space, This is what I have now.

 

I sit at a 45 degree angle and I face away from the wall. ((I don't feel comfortable sitting facing the wall with my back to the room))

I've included both metric and imperial units.

 

I didn't bring this up earlier, but I am wondering if it's possible to reuse what I have now, at least temporarily. I have a pair of speakers Sony Model SS-H991 (8 ohms impedance) driven by a Sony G88. They are... I believe at least 20 years old now. I got it from my brother. The reason I started to want to upgrade is because I think after 20 years the Sony G88 just gave up, it straight out refuses to play certain frequencies, it hisses at me, and coaxing it into turning on after a power failure is a ritual. ...I feel so nostalgic about it.

 

Anyhow can the Sony Model SS-H991 be reused alongside with modern stuff?

10 hours ago, Exidor said:

Have you ever actually tried one of those highly rated soundbars? The ones in the premium category?

 

You can snob them all you want but a flagship soundbar is a good buy at this price.

And they have an equaliser sure the subwoofer is probably the weakest link but it is also better than the one you linked.

 

 

Read a couple of reviews of the Samsung q950t or its predecessor.

For surround sound at the current price of 1k I am pretty sure you wont be able to beat it unless you go used.

Stereo absolutely for that price you could get flour standing speakers.

 

 

I am running a pair of Klipsch 620f plus center plus surrounds plus subwoofers as my main setup and sure that sounds a lot better.

But for the size and price the Samsung is great.

https://www.avforums.com/reviews/samsung-hw-q950t-soundbar-review.17903

 

 

 

And as someone who used to run a mess of small speakers on a table next to my monitors it absolutely is a mess compared to the soundbar.

 

 

 

 

 

NB! BUT I will repeat myself again the lack of LPCM support is a huge pain in the ass for PC use.... You will be forced to use the shit Dolby Atmos app that keeps on breaking with updates.

If Samsung finally gets its shit together and fixes that this will be probably the best sounding system you can get new for a small room for 1k.

One of the reasons I don't want to use a soundbar is because every soundbar I looked at was meant for a space way larger than mine, and also not sitting this close to your monitor as I sit. Also soundbars seem to assume what type of room I have and my arrangement isn't exactly conventional, I'd like to have separate speakers to just aim at myself.

 

Anyhow one thing's clear, I do want to start small and build as I go along, I won't do it all in one go. So I'd like to start with left right and center ((And if possible reuse my current speakers as rears?))

 

 

[Exidor]

That is the benefit of using the soundbar with a PC you can really tune it to fit your positioning. It is a digital signal so you can just use an equaliser and some other stuff on it before outputting it from your PC.

 

But as you seem to want to start with a speaker build.....

As others recommended get Bi Poles as surround speakers. 

I do not think you want to reuse your old speakers.

Spend bulk of your money on the receiver any big brand works Danon or Yamaha just do not go cheaper..... 

 

Start with a 3 speaker setup all from the same brand the center speakers really adds a lot to dialogues and lets you control the dialogue volume separately so if the audio mix is on the boomy side you can still get clear dialogues.

Such a small room sitting so close cheap subwoofer will not add much. Get bigger left right with good drivers. What you want later then is a good subwoofer that is fast and can go really low as you will not be playing it loud. Be prepared to pay quite a lot for it.

 

I would also rather go 5.1.4 or 5.1.2 for Atmos rather than 7.1 or 9.1 in such a small room the side speakers wont add much.

 

 

That picture is it an enclosed space or is your table just in a corner of a bigger room?

Also can you wall mount all your speakers besides the center?

For center I would get a VESA mount to lift the monitor put the central speaker underneath it and angle it towards you with some rubber pads you can get the fancy audio shop stuff that costs a ton or hack something together or get rubber door stops as I suggested.

 

 

Also I would not worry about HDMI 2.1 on the receiver.....

Just get what ever is cheaper, runs Atmos and has enough power to drive what you want.

Codecs are crucial here most receiver that has LPCM support most do but check for that......

 

Have you ever used HDMI with a pc? It is a clusterfuck you will have issues trust me.

To avoid the whole ghost monitor thing I would get a HDFury

https://hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/

They promised to update this to HDMI 2.1 so you can use a Nvidia 3000 GPU and get the 4k 120Hz 4 4 4 goodness.

I strongly suggest not running a ghost monitor but worst case using a HDMI to DP converter.

[Mischievous]

It is a corner of a larger room and yes I can wall mount.

 

I am not sure I understand what "HDMI" means. Audio receivers can use an HDMI cable too? And where do I plug that into my PC? The only HDMI ports are on my GPU? How does the cable chain look like? What is ghost monitor? My current audio connectivity experience is using a 3.5mm cable from line-out on my PC that turns into a R and L channel cable that goes into the G88. Possibly the most caveman thing ever

 

I'll start looking at what Danon or Yamaha receivers I can get my hands on here, and I'll go for 5.1.4 or 5.1.2, I wasn't sure I need anything more either.

[Exidor]

1 minute ago, Mischievous said:

It is a corner of a larger room and yes I can wall mount.

 

I am not sure I understand what "HDMI" means. Audio receivers can use an HDMI cable too? And where do I plug that into my PC? The only HDMI ports are on my GPU? How does the cable chain look like?

Edited my last post......

 

 

 

Also yes HDMI. HDMI is the only way to get uncompressed audio. Digital out caps out at 5.1 compressed. So it is dead.

You use your GPU to output HDMI you set GPU as your sound adapter in Windows.

 

HDMI is a clusterfuck.

Read up on it it is a long explanation.

 

But basics are.

GPU to receiver to monitor or you get a ghost monitor meaning you set up a virtual monitor and cap it with a HDMI dummy plug. That is called a ghost monitor.... It is a pain in the ass.....

So as you are forced to use your receiver to forward you video. If you want later to move to Nvidia 3000 with all the HDMI 2.1 4k 120hz 4 4 4 goodness you need a 2.1 receiver that is expensive and also currently broken as there are issues with HDMI chips.

So that is where the HDFury Arcana comes in. It splits the Video and Audio signal later they promised to build a HDMI 2.1 version. So you can use a cheaper receiver and not worry about it for now.

[Exidor]

Read up on HDMI it is a painful clusterfuck and forces you to tie video and audio together and all of the codex need to be supported on all the devices in the chain up to the outputting device EG:

You have a TV with EARC that supports HDMI 2.1 but does not support audio DTS dolby true digital and a receiver that supports DTS but has only HDMI 2.0b.

You either connect it to the TV first then EARC to the receiver get the 4k 120 Hz 4 4 4 video but no DTS audio or you connect to the receiver first then through HDMI out on the receiver to the TV you get DTS but no HDMI 2.1 so only 4k 60 Hz video.

This is why a device like the HDFury Arcana is handy as it can split audio and video and supports all the codecs. Basically it has a correctly implemented EARC solution. But the Arcana is currently HDMI 2.0b only so until they update it to HDMI 2.1 still no 4k 120 Hz 4 4 4 video........

 

 

 

Also how high is your ceiling and what material is it made of?

If it is smooth solid and heavy then reflecting Atmos works well I have concrete 5.6m high and it works well.

[Mischievous]

Interesting... I might go for it later then, I will see if I can find a receiver that supports both HDMI and simpler digital inputs. Future proof my receiver, even if I use the worse form of connectivity now.

 

If I am not going to start with HDMI out of the box, what is the second best connector I should use? Digital? Or do I still go HDMI and just deal with the phantom monitor when starting

 

"For center I would get a VESA mount to lift the monitor put the central speaker underneath it and angle it towards you with some rubber pads you can get the fancy audio shop stuff that costs a ton or hack something together or get rubber door stops as I suggested. "

That's what I was thinking, put the center under my monitor too. I already have a VESA mount.

 

13 hours ago, Derkoli said:

For 1000 dollars, I'd stay with 5.1, 7.1 for a 1k is a bit of stretch if you want decent kit.

 

I'd have good experiences with my old Denon AVR-X8500H, and this mdoel comes with room correction, 4k support, simple HDMI in, HDMI out. Also does streaming if you're into that sort of jazz.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/denon-avr-s650h-audio-video-receiver-5-2-channel-150w-x-5-4k-uhd-home-theater-surround-sound-2019--streaming-black/6333563.p?skuId=6333563

 

Klipsch makes good stuff, and their subwoofers lean to being "Musical" rather than "in your face"

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/klipsch-reference-series-10-150w-powered-subwoofer-black/6241801.p?skuId=6241801

 

The SSC stuff from Sony is pretty amazing for the price, so I would recommend going with 2 pairs of SSC5 bookshelves, then a matching center.

 

2 of these: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-5-3-way-bookshelf-speakers-pair-black/5721014.p?skuId=5721014

 

1 of these: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-4-2-way-center-channel-speaker-black/5720006.p?skuId=5720006

 

This leaves a bit of money over for cables. Amazonbasics 16 gauge stuff is pretty good, but BestBuy sells some pretty decent alternatives.

 

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rocketfish-50-speaker-wire-16awg-gold/8315469.p?skuId=8315469

 

 

 

Really, for this price I would suggest going stereo, but if you're set on either 5.1 or 7.1, this would be a pretty good system.

 

I think I'll start with the Denon AVR-S650H I was able to find it in the country. ((We have big issues with amazon so I have to luck out with whatever I find already imported into the country))

 

Also my ceiling is made from large cement blocks placed over brick work walls, they're all painted and very reflective, I've had to add fussy stuff in some rooms just to get rid of the prevailing echo.

 

Also is there a technical reason why I wouldn't want to use my old speakers? It feels like a waste to just leave them, at least when starting. I'd like to replace them later on but I still want to at least try using them as the surround speakers.