Hooking a Dolby Digital Receiver to my Computer

[mnestroy]

Hi,

I have a general question, If I purchase a Dolby Digital receiver and hook it up via Coax Digital cable....

Will the sound give me the same results as if i were to invest 400bux on a 5.1 Creative Labs speaker system?

I've heard some people say I wont get the distinct sound out of each speaker, but I was under the impression that the computer can output Dolby Digital and the receiver knows exactly how to decode it.

I am primarly going to use it for games and music. I have an Asus MB

My theory is that it should give me the same results and give me better sound quality due to the overall quality fo the speakers/amp that I have/will purchase..

Thanks

 

[rvnguy]

mnestroy,

Short answer: You will get the identical signal with either the Sound Card doing the de-coding or the receiver doing the de-coding.

Long answer: If you have $ invested in equipment for 5.1 or 7.1 home system (receiver etc) and a complement of quality speakers to go with it, this will provide the better sound output of the two.

If you have low end speakers it could be a toss up or the Creative Labs system might be superior.

I have Definitive tower speakers w/sub in each and @ a street cost of about $800 ea add to that Bi-polar mids and rears and a center. Really, is a $400 set going to reproduce the same level of quality.

Don't get me wrong, there are several reasonable quality PC speaker sets w/amplifier available but there are also excellent home theater speakers available.

It really depends on what you have or intend on buying.

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[mnestroy]

Well,

I want to keep it cheap as possible...

I was looking at some low end dolby digital receivers for under 150bux...

I have some JBL speakers for my fronts and rears...

I donno, I was just never to fond of computer speaker setups... the speakers usaly didnt have long enough wires, or the speakers themself were not interchangable...

I mean I have my main system downstairs, I dont think putting my $600 center channel on my computer makes much sense either

Other than that I just never like computer speakers

 

[rvnguy]

mnestroy,

Don't know what you are doing,,, but I have been playing with MCE as a replacement for my DVD Player, & multi Sony CD juke boxes. This would be only for my Old music that is Mono or early Stereo. Not for the Classical or ant thing that I have that is encoded D-D-D. Also DVD movies that are Dolby Dig & or ACS. This has been a real challenge as to Noise & compatibility.

Are the JBL's for "Home" systems or are they PC types?

For the most part, I think that any quality speakers for a "Home Sys" are better than PC types. There are exceptions though. The Digital Receivers have, just like PC's, come down in price and are superior to most any sound card. While they perform the same decoding, in a PC you are limited to mini-jacks for connection.

This is a decision that you have to make, & if you want to stay cheap/low cost, then a good set of PC speakers might be your best bet. Still this would not be my choice, money aside.

As you state that you have speakers, run the costs out for each and then make your decision.

Hope this helps more than confuses.

rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[mnestroy]

I am 99% interested in games... I have a bunch of good quality floor standing speakers which I know will give me much better sound ranges than most cube computer speaker could...

So I figured I'd just buy a dolby digital receiver for 200bux instead of wasting 400bux on a creative labs system.

I have enough speakers around the house to do a 5.1 setup so why spend the money on a set of computer speakers?

 

[cdogg]

mnestroy,

Also, make sure your current sound card has a digital out. Otherwise, you'll have to factor that into the cost of upgrading as well.

As for PC speakers, pretty much every set under $100 isn't going to sound anywhere near what should be considered "home-theatre" quality. If you already have a 5.1 or better sound card, then consider spending the $200-300 on a decent PC Speaker set instead of wasting $150 or more on a standalone receiver. For a small room or bedroom, getting some high-quality non-PC speakers will easily run you over $500 and might be overkill for a small space.

The Klipsch ProMedia series is to PC's like Bose is to home theatre. A decent set will run you right around $300. Over the past few years, many magazines and online articles have rated the ProMedia series better than or comparable to many home theatre systems (in the sub $1000 market) when it comes to lows and highs. They're apparently that good! It's not until you get into a larger room where they start to lose a little luster.

Perhaps the JBL's are good enough to go with a cheap standalone receiver, but that's your call.

My 2¢

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[cdogg]

Just saw your last post. That's a good point about what you want to spend.

Another option too if you even consider going with a high-end PC speaker set is to sell the JBL's on eBay or something. The amount of money you get for them in addition to not having to buy a receiver should place you pretty close to the same cost either way.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[mnestroy]

Ok, heres what I got...

2 Front Floor standing speakers
2 Bookshelf Rears
1 Crapy center chanenl (which i plan on spendnig under 100bux to get a better one)
No sub at the moment, but my floor speakers are super high on bass so I can use them for nwo

My sound card supports 5.1 analog and has a Digital out jack...

I figured i'd spend 133bux on this receiver

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/det...de=12-1370609-2&adcampaign=email,ECOSTBIZRATE

So basicly my initial cost to get up and running would be 140... so please somebody tell me why I'd still be better off spending 300+ bux on a computer speaker setup?

 

[cdogg]

Well, that's a matter of opinion at this point. Personally, if it were me, I'd spend the extra $160 for two reasons:

1) I'll get some money back for what I already have.

2) I don't have to buy a sub and a center channel speaker later, which will even out the extra expense now.


It's up to you. I totally understand the convenience of just getting the receiver now (and even the one you're looking at seems fine). But if it were me, I'd go for what is only a small bit more to pay in the long run - excellent speaker/sub set that is top-notch and what you know will work well together. When you start mixing components and receivers, there's no telling if it's going to sound as intended...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[carpetbelly]

you don't always need a sub with floorstanders... I used to run my pc through my amp with my floorstanders, centre and rear set up I use for my projector and home cinema set up.

Since moving house I wanted my PC in my bedroom rather than the front room.

At the end of the day, if you have digital out and a half decent speaker set up there's no reason why you shouldn't go down that route.

The great thing about sound is it is totally subjective. Your opinion is all that counts. Buy an amp online, try out the sound. You can always return it if you don't like it. If you like the sound, where's the problem.

Price isn't always everything. It's how you hear it.

I put my speakers up against a mates whos cost a good £300 more than mine. His were sony and mine are Eltax. He listens to a totally different style of music and for his style his sound better, for my style, I prefer mine. And we both agree that each sounds better for the preferred style they were bought for.

Oh, and big bassy floorstanders sound great for HL2!!! hehe

 

[mnestroy]

Okay, the more i read the more confused I get.. Read the below post, the interesting part starts at about post #6 where they tellt his one guy he will not get dolby digital sounds, by hooking up his receiver to his computer.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1026389644

Lemmie know your thoughts

 

[cdogg]

A word about S/PDIF:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDIF

There are two basic types of digital inputs/outputs. One is fibre optic, which is most commonly found on DVD players and audio receivers. A picture of what is looks like is at that link.

Most sound cards do not have this type of digital connector. Most use a coaxial version which looks like a standard RCA jack (you know, the kind you use to connect to the Video and Left/Right audio on your TV). This is most commonly also referred to as just plain old S/PDIF. This is probably what you have on your sound card.

If so, then you should be fine. Both types of digital connections transfer the same information. The fibre optic interface is smoother, with less noise and is usually rated higher in overall performance. That's why it is found on higher-end sound cards such as Creative's Soundblaster Audigy 2. But it is not absolutely necessary. The coaxial version that you have should work fine.

I went to that link you posted. I can see why your head is spinning! Just know that there is a lot of misinformation in that thread.

I have my Dish Network DVR receiver connected to my Pioneer 5.1 receiver using the coax connection (S/PDIF). [blue]It transfers 5.1 just fine[/blue]. The only issues you might have is whether or not your sound card transfers 5.1 or if it just transfers stereo (left and right). The only way to know for sure is to read the specs on the card. I'm 99% sure that it will since it supports 5.1 internally.

Just make sure that the Dolby Digital audio receiver you buy has a digital coax input. Some only have fibre optic. Radio shack has an adapter that will convert coax to fibre-optic if you accidently make a mistake here...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884