How do you listen to your computer??

[Norman]

I switch to a receiver and bookshelf speakers 2 years ago and wouldn't go back.

I have a Yamaha R-S201 stereo receiver and Paradigm Mini monitor bookshelf speakers

The receiver I payed 20 bucks off Facebook and speakers where part of 150 dollar surround sound I bought off Kijiji. 

I run my headphones off the receiver and when I want to turn off speakers I just click off A speaker button on front of receiver.

The only thing that sucks is having to have Voicemeeter always running to have sound going to my home theater when I want to watch something on the couch.

It would be horrible going back now that it's setup.

What does everyone else run and what did it cost?

 

[GuiltySpark_]

Onboard audio > JBL 104 monitors

Schiit Modi/Magni over USB > Sennheiser HD650's

 

Ctrl-Alt-F11 to swap between them using SoundSwitch. The software is free.

[BiotechBen]

Wireless:

Bluetooth to my JBL UA headphones. Sounds pretty good, reliable connection, comfy; mic has good pickup, never gotten a complaint that I sounded weird or they couldn't hear me.

 

Wired:

Altec Lansing ACS 295

 

 

[IPD]

Insignia 2.1 speakers

HD 439's

[superwolfkin]

Usually i have my Sennheiser HD 598 plugged into a random audio switch I got on Amazon. I have the other side attached to some random deskspeakers my sister had for when I don't want to have headphones on.

 

It's fine for the most part but I have issues with things like when I want to hear my switch lagfree or listen to my firestick. Both of which plug into my monitors and both of which have 3.5mm plugs sticking out the bottom to insert into my switch when I want to hear audio from them because my switch does a decent job of switching outputs but it doesn't really switch inputs so I have to unplug and replug. I also think my headphones are too quiet I might have introduced too much resistance in my setup or something.

 

Every time I start looking at solutions I keep starting at an audio interface but three different in puts I want to manage and two outputs and maybe my mic (right now it's a USB Snowball but maybe I want to get a TRS or XLR mic) and I keep ended up looking at mixers.

 

EarTrumpet is my software of choice for audio control. That and VB-Virtual Cable are kinda awesome.

[rice guru]

Headphone gear 

DACs : liquid spark dac (used as my sigma Delta dac)$70 used

Bifrost 2 ( multibit dac/r2r) $450 used

Topping D10 (speaker dac) $70 new

 

Amps 

Asgard 3 $150 used 

Liquid spark $100 new

Liquid platinum running seimens e88cc ogetter gold pins combo totalling to roughly $400 used but almost new. 

Topping pa3 (speaker amp) new $100

 

Speaker 

Micca rb 42 $118 new

 

Headphones

Hd 58x $140 new

Hd 650 $130 used

Dt 770 600 ohm $120 used

Dt 990 250 ohm $140 new

Dt 880 600 ohm $110 used

He 4xx $140 new

Fostex purple hearts $290  used with upgraded zmf pads

Audio quest nighthawk carbons $180 used 

 

I also have a PC panel mini I got for $50 I use it to control programs and switch from dac to dac

 That should be all my desktop audio gear I also have a good collection of iems and koss headphones 

 

[OfficialTechSpace]

Two identical SMSL Sanskrit 10th MKII DACs feeding into two RDL AV-HK1 audio isolation modules, one into an SMSL SP200 THX-888 AAA amplifier, the other to a Mackie MRS10 subwoofer, that then provides a balanced line-out to my Mackie MR524's.

 

I have individual EQ-correction profiles for each of the headphones and IEMs in my arsenal, running off of Equalizer APO and the Peace UI. Nothing crazy, just correcting to comply with my own personal neutral target and fixing any eargain issues (if apparent).

 

I have HiFiMan Ananda's, Sennheiser HD6XX's (since sold, thank goodness. I'm an avid hater of those), Sennheiser HD58X's (sold after becoming obsolete with the purchase of my Ananda's), 7Hz Timeless', Blon BL-03's, and Tin Audio T2's (before they rebranded to Tin HiFi).

 

The Tin Audio T2's are the only set with an upgraded cable. Everything else either didn't need it, or didn't hold a place as close to my heart. I will say though, my HiFiMan Ananda's cable sucks... and 7Hz Timeless' cable is amazing. Especially for a stock cable.

 

All-in, I'm probably approaching $3K just for my desktop audio solutions. Starting the same process for my car. Being an audiophile is expensive!

[circeseye]

denon avr-x3700h and a pioneer 2 channel amp running 7.1.4
fronts - Yamaha NS-6490 3-Way Bookshelf Speakers
center - Yamaha  NS-C210BL
sides and rears - Fluance Elite High Definition 2-Way Bipolar Speakers
ceiling -  Yamaha NS-IW280CWH 6.5" 3-Way directional inceiling
sub - alpine 12" 400 watt
$1000 in speakers $2000 for denon and pioneer

[An0maly_76]

I have HDMI audio to my Sceptre 55" TV with preamp 3.5 out to a Knox adjustable 4-output headphone amplifier ($40). Those outputs go to an Onkyo HTR-320 home theater system (purchased from a friend's moving sale for $200), Sony wired headphones ($15), Harman Kardon wireless headphones (gifted), and a loopback to my DigiTech RP250 guitar processor and line-in to my motherboard for recording.

Edited June 22, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[H713]

Lynx L22 into a discrete op-amp preamplifier for level condtrols. That either drives a pair of Quested Q108s, or a power amplifier driving a pair of Elac 510s. That power amplifier is usually either a Crest 3301, a Quested AP700, or a push-pull 1625 tube amplifier. I periodically swap equipment around to keep things fun.

 

Total cost to build the preamplifier was about $200, most of which went into the chassis. Total cost for the 1625 tube amp was around $550, about $300 of which went into the output transformers. This is still the most money I've spent on any one playback device. 

 

Everything else came to me in non-working (or at least unknown with no warranty) condition. All of it was either given to me, traded for or bought on eBay. I can't remember paying more than a couple hundred bucks for anything, and most of it was well under $100. 

 

 

[NinJake]

Mackie ProFX 12v3 mixer - For routing audio from multiple systems such as my primary PC, secondary PC  and macbook. This also allows me to control the volume going to my headphones and speakers independently. (Both can be active at the same time)

 

Schiit Magni Heresy amp (modi 2 uber as well but is not needed since the introduction of the mixer)

 

Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro as daily drivers. (Other headphones/earbuds in profile)

 

Vanatoo Transparent One speakers

 

Polk Audio 12" sub -- cheap boom (Will upgrade in future)

 

Voicemeeter software is used as well, but goes beyond the scope of this post. But a worthy mention and a powerful software solution for audio routing.

[Edins]

I use a 5.2.1 setup - very different from anyone else I have ever found. It is actually a phantom center because computer screen, 2 sides and 1 centered rear speaker and 1 height speaker. It actually works better for my room than standard 7.1 setup because I live in a tiny house.

 

Audio interface: Motu 828es

Dirac and room correction: MiniDSP DDRC-88A

Amplifiers: 3 Crown XLS1002, 1 Crown XLS 2502(subwoofers)

DIY Speakers: 6x 10" Eminence Beta10cx with ASD1002 Tweeter, 2 Dayton audio 39HO-4 15" subwoofers

 

With this setup it keeps a balanced analog out through the whole line which sounds a lot cleaner than RCA and I can change my amps out for anything I would want which also sound a lot cleaner than integrated home theater amps. I make music so I had a lot of the hardware already

 

I also use Voicemeter like poster above to get 7.1.1 out from computer and route it through the audio interface then use the MiniDSP to mix down the phantom center and the rear surround speaker into the 5.2.1

 

[cmndr]

PC -> TV -> AVR -> 7.2.4 audio.

Specific gear is in sig (QN90a, Marantz SR6011, Emotiva B1+, ELAC OW4.2, 2x SVS subs, 4x budget Klipsch satelites for atmos, Sennheiser HD800)

If I feel like using headphones, I plug them into the AVR (I have a better amp but I'm lazy and this "just works"). If I feel like watching a movie, I turn off the computer and use the TV as is. I have a controller for the TV that allows me to adjust the volume. If I want to switch to stereo I can do that with an app. I also have different EQ/sound profiles for listening when using the system as a desktop and vs using it for entertainment use.

I HAVE a center channel (but in storage) but am not using it because it's hard to integrate well on my desk and blocks the screen.

Works fairly well overall.

[Derkoli]

I've refined my system down to;

 

Chord DAVE -> McIntosh C53 -> McIntosh MEN220 -> McIntosh MC1.25kW -> MBL 101 x-treme

 

Each of the speakers has a powered sub to go along with it, hence the MEN220 for a crossover. The mid/high towers are passive.

 

Just to add on;

 

If I'm only just sat at my computer watching youtube, I feed a pair of JBL LSR308 MkII's with a Behringer Xenyx1204 USB, which is in turn fed with an SSL 2+ interface.

[Brian McKee]

MOTU M2 connected to an Onkyo R-805x powering a pair of NHT superzeros.

[saintlouisbagels]

For the longest time I was using bookshelf speakers because I was an audiophile. But I realized I'm pretty tolerable of minimum SQ and decided to move to more minimal setups, and now I'm not even using dedicated speakers.

 

(Passive) Bookshelf Speakers - KEF R100

(USB) DAC/amp - NuPrime DAC-9 + NuPrime STA-9

 

Then I moved to

Soundbar - Sonos Beam (Gen2)

because I switched to an LG C1 48" for my main monitor

 

Finally I've settled on

Laptop speakers - MacBook Pro 16" (2021)

for my single 32" monitor + laptop desk setup

[da na]

Sound Blaster Z soundcard through cheap Edifier desktop speakers (they sound decent for the price, were like $20 and fit in my limited space) or equally cheap headphones. I care less about the actual listening quality than the recording quality. Bought the soundcard because the onboard sound sounded quite muffled and flat (and had an awful hum), no such issues now. 
I do have my tape deck running into the Sound Blaster's Line In, so I can listen to cassettes plus whatever's on my PC at the same time with the same audio device. Even Bluetooth if I wanted to, it's rather convenient. 

[Psittac]

Oh man, loaded question.  I have all the audio options.

 

The chain I'm currently on....

SMSL SU-9 $460 (think I got an apos certified referb for less)

Emotiva A-100 $200 (discontinued BasX A2m supersedes)

Periapt cable $60

Sennheiser HD6xx $240

 

That's about an $960 solution right now ($1200 with tube amp) but I have a lot more than just this.  I regularly change headphones, amps, dac's and speakers.  If I add everything up I'm about $4-5k in PC audio alone including cables and racks and such.

 

If I had it to do on a "budget" I would choose schiit modi, emotiva a-100, little dot mkII, micca RB-42, antlion mod mic uni, and sennheiser 6xx, hart cable.  That add's up to $900 still but it would be no compromise by my standards.

 

My lower budget would be schiit fulla, fidelio X2HR, Xduoo mt602, antlion mod mic, micca pb42x.  That's $470 for everything you could ask for.

 

I'm 40 and spend ALL of my time off work on my computer, so that's where my money goes.  No wife no kids no child support not alimony no girlfriend.

 

Here is one iteration from a year and a half ago.

 

[Fluph]

Topping dx3pro and HD599 £89 (preferred my old sadly now broken k702s £90 open box). Some old speakers as only play YouTube through them.  
 

Evo 8 £89, XM8500 £19 (ridiculously good for the money), t.bone SC 450 £30 second hand (ok for the money) and SE v7 £57 open box   
 

Surprised so many on here have been suckered down the audiophile hole

[GamerDude]

Main rig - RX 6900 XT via HDMI to my LG DTS:X and ATMOS soundbar, USB out from mobo to iFi Micro iDSD Black Label DAC combo (for headphones)

 

2nd rig - Mobo optical out to Philips Fidelio HTL9100, USB out from mobo to Oppo HA1 DAC combo (headphones)

 

HTPC - GTX 1080 via HDMI to TV, HDMI ARC to Philips Fidelio B97/98, USB from mobo to Fostex HPA4 (headphones)

 

Using a variety of headphones on rotation - HFM HE1000/HE4/HE560/HE4xx, Sennheiser HD800/600/6xx, ENIGMAcoustics Dharma D1000, Denon Ah-D7000 + Lawton Angled Pads, Grado Gs1000i, AKG K812, Audio Technica ATH-A900 Limited Edition, Fostex T50RP + Alpha Pads (modded with Mayflower kit), Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium 600Ohm

[sub68]

Main PC- audio interface Berhinger Xenyx 302 USB - mixer Presonus studiolive 24.4.2 - Tascam 112B cassette deck (using as headphone amplifier) -  headphones Sony MDR 7506.

Laptop (used for music playback)- audio interface digidesign Mbox2- then that goes into the presonus mixer setup.

[LloydLynx]

I have a cheap DAC that connects through USB and outputs through stereo RCA. That goes into my Onkyo TX8220 receiver, which powers some old passive Sony bookshelf speakers, and sends mono to an old active Sony subwoofer through an RCA cable.

[BuzzingBee]

All prices are in AUD. Not 100% accurate as memory gone bad. 

 

Headphones:

Massdrop HD 6XX: $289

Topping L30 headphone amp: $219

Topping E30 DAC: $219

 

Speaker system:

Marantz SR-7013 AV receiver = $2000

Yamaha AS-501 Stereo Amp = $425

Dali Zensor 5 front speaker for TV = $300

Dali Zensor Vokal centre speaker for TV = $185

Dali Zensor 1 for PC desk = $200

Jamo satellite speakers as surround = $150(?)

2 SVS SB-2000 subwoofers = $2350

3rd cheap subwoofer to help 70Hz null = $100 

MiniDSP for subwoofer equaliser = $185(?)

 

Microphone:

Audio-technina AT9934 -  $60

Total = $6682

 

Recently ordered speaker A/B switch via remote control for $145 AUD arriving next month as I got sick of standing up and move to switch speaker on my stereo amplifier.

 

Update: A/B speaker switch has arrived and works flawlessly.

To clarify I have two sets of stereo speaker, one for PC desk and one for TV. Surround speakers in my room is orientated for my TV, and with help of EqualizerAPO software I can rearrange surround sound output to suit for PC desk orientation too (E.g. Centre speaker became surround right, surround left became centre etc). It's quite an annoyance but overall worth it to utilise both my subwoofers and surround speakers. 

[The Hope]

Speaker system: F&D F550X

 

Headphones: ATH-M20x

 

Operating system: FreeBSD + bit-perfect mode + vchans disabled

 

Audio apps: Audacious, Ardour, Ableton Live 9, Audacity

 

Here is my sound demo of the F&D F550X: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jRYGgpwM24xgAZFJhyaqw_NgRFBYMMo5/view

[ToboRobot]

Foobar app on windows.  Integrated soundcard.  Bryston amp, energy C3 speakers.