Confused on Setting up speakers

iNoa97 · July 19, 2018

So its been a year since i've used the forums but I knew this is the perfect place to ask. Now im not an audiophile and this is the first time i've ever used speakers in my life so i'll try to dumb it down on what im talking about and not use technical terms.

So i ordered a h/k ts 16 5.1 speaker system only to realize It didn't have the ports where you connect all the 4 other speakers into it, so I surfed google on how I could connect the speakers and sub to my computer, and all of them say to use a receiver, which I know what it is, and luckily we have an extra one that we use for our projector when we watch movies on a blow up screen in the backyard, but I thought that its not gonna be very practical because I have NOWHERE to put it. And I've seen all these youtubers have sick audio setups and all connect to their computer and I just don't know how they do it. If I was making a home theatre i would easily just put the receiver on a shelf and connect it to the tv but i'm not. Cables aren't an issue because I can route the cable through my cieling because I have a push up cieling and I already have a hole behind my monitor to route the cables into, I just don't know how to connect all of them in an efficient way. Also I'm planning on controlling the speakers with my google home with my Spotify premium account but I don't know how to get my speakers connected because they don't have bluetooth, I'm assuming chromecast or something but I don't exactly know. But anyways if someone could help me with those 2 issues it would be fantastic.

tikker · July 19, 2018

Sounds to me you need an amplifier or receiver to plug them into, as is normal with more high-end audio systems. You have the speakers, now you'll need the part that sends sound their way and drives them.

iNoa97 · July 19, 2018

9 minutes ago, tikker said:

Sounds to me you need an amplifier or receiver to plug them into, as is normal with more high-end audio systems. You have the speakers, now you'll need the part that sends sound their way and drives them.

Would you mind linking me a quality amp that is compact?

tikker · July 19, 2018

10 minutes ago, iNoa97 said:

Would you mind linking me a quality amp that is compact?

Amplifier and compact don't really go together. I'm facing the same issue picking an amp for my home theatre setup. As I'm still very much new to audio equipment, I can't really recommend anything specific. I've been looking at Denon and Marantz. If your motherboard supports optical out, you might need a DAC as well if you're not using HDMI to get the full surround sound out of your PC.

I'm sure someone more versed in equipment will show up though.

ninbura · July 19, 2018

Easiest way to get that all working would definitely be a Bluetooth enabled audio receiver:
https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V383BL-5-1-Channel-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B06XXR6JK3/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532034903&sr=1-3&keywords=audio+receiver

I think you'll have a hard time finding a "compact" receiver of high quality with the features you want (if at all). I'm 90% certain you couldn't pass a G-Sync or Freesync signal through this so you wouldn't want to utilize audio over HDMI, at least with your PC. You could still get 5.1 audio with the optical input, most PC's have an optical output, and the Google home would just connect via bluetooth. But be aware, as far as I know, only one device can control the receiver at once. Should be a non-issue as you can play music from the PC while you are using it.

Maybe someone else will come along with a more compact solution, but I can't seem to find one. Could get a cheap shelf from Ikea, or just build one yourself and put it up on a wall.

Tz000 · July 20, 2018

4 hours ago, iNoa97 said:

So its been a year since i've used the forums but I knew this is the perfect place to ask. Now im not an audiophile and this is the first time i've ever used speakers in my life so i'll try to dumb it down on what im talking about and not use technical terms.

So i ordered a h/k ts 16 5.1 speaker system only to realize It didn't have the ports where you connect all the 4 other speakers into it, so I surfed google on how I could connect the speakers and sub to my computer, and all of them say to use a receiver, which I know what it is, and luckily we have an extra one that we use for our projector when we watch movies on a blow up screen in the backyard, but I thought that its not gonna be very practical because I have NOWHERE to put it. And I've seen all these youtubers have sick audio setups and all connect to their computer and I just don't know how they do it. If I was making a home theatre i would easily just put the receiver on a shelf and connect it to the tv but i'm not. Cables aren't an issue because I can route the cable through my cieling because I have a push up cieling and I already have a hole behind my monitor to route the cables into, I just don't know how to connect all of them in an efficient way. Also I'm planning on controlling the speakers with my google home with my Spotify premium account but I don't know how to get my speakers connected because they don't have bluetooth, I'm assuming chromecast or something but I don't exactly know. But anyways if someone could help me with those 2 issues it would be fantastic.

4 hours ago, iNoa97 said:

Would you mind linking me a quality amp that is compact?

Usually those youtuber's your watching are only using 2.0 or 2.1 (w/sub) STEREO systems not 5.1 surround sound that is usually best suited for a living room and watching movies/tv not listening to music or content creation...

If your destined to use the whole system at your desk then you will almost have to purchase a decent sized 5.1 channel receiver and find room for it ( Floor, Under your monitor , get a shelf or table besides your desk for it etc ) there's not real way around it, and they also are usually not that small because again that system was designed to be used in a theater or living room setup where room is not an issue and to be able to power 5 speakers (sub has its own amp).

You can find many 5.1 channel amps on craigslist or even brand new that will probably do the trick but that's not really what you want by the sound of it... because most video content on the internet, music, youtube etc is all Stereo audio anyways so having a surround system at your desk is kind of useless. I used to have an ONKYO home theater at my desk but I have a massive desk and room so it worked but wasn't ideal now I just use a simple 2.1 stereo setup with a small 2 channel stereo amp speaker wire running to the subwoofer for signal.

Your only other option is to ditch the idea of the surround sound system and just utilize the subwoofer, and left / right channel speakers in a 2.1 setup on your desk this you can do with a small amplifier.

Here is what you would need:

SMSL AD18 2.1 Channel Speaker amp: $150.00 USD

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-AD18-Amplifier-Bluetooth-Subwoofer/dp/B071JN7GXN/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1532047410&sr=8-3&keywords=smsl

Coax 3.5mm to RCA MALE to connect from the AD18 Amplifier to the subwoofer: $5.00-15.00

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-iXCC-Shielded-Gold-Plated-Stereo/dp/B019D048XC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532049517&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=3.5mm+male+to+male+rca+stereo&psc=1&smid=A2691ZBIKXAV7P

Speaker wire to connect the amplifer to the speakers: $10.00

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-16-Gauge-Speaker-Wire-Feet/dp/B006LW0WDQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532049000&sr=1-3&keywords=speaker+wire

The choice is yours... both options would cost about the same but having the proper 5.1 channel receiver would allow you to utilize the speakers in a different space in the future if needed. Or return the speakers you bought and purchase a 2.1 or 2.0 channel system (Passive speakers + Amp like above ). Last option would be to purchase a set of powered studio monitors or powered bookshelf speakers and call it day, something like the Micca PB42x or Yamaha HS5, these would have the amplifier all built in so all you gotta do is run an 3.5mm aux cord / rcas and power cable and your done.

Yamaha: https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-HS5-Powered-Studio-Monitor/dp/B075Q5T7Q1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532049702&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=yamaha+hs5&psc=1

Micca: https://www.amazon.com/Micca-PB42X-Powered-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00NXAEPDC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1532049739&sr=1-2&keywords=micca+pb42x

Hope this was helpful,

Cheers.