Audio System for my Computer

[Ramor]

I'm looking to build a half decent 5.1 surround-sound speaker setup for my computer. I would like to be able to purchase things in parts rather than all at once so I can make this a little easier to do over time instead of having to save up for a long while and getting everything at once (which is probably cheaper overall, I understand that).

I don't really know where to start though, all I've ever really had are some 80$ Altec-Lansing speakers which were perfect for my apartment/dorm room due to their size and I didn't have to worry too much if I broke them. But next year I'm moving into a rather large house with a bunch of friends who all have 360s/Wiis/PS3s/computers etc etc... and I'd like to be able to have a nice sound system for wherever we decide to hook all of the aforementioned up.

Things I'm looking for:
<500~600$ total (preferably, if there are a bunch of parts I'd be willing to stretch this up to 800~900$ though)
Ability to hook up multiple devices: at least one PC/1 PS3/1 360/1 Wii would be nice, or some combination thereof.
5.1 surround, meaning multiple spot-speakers I can wall-mount or place around my room.
Half-decent sub, I'd imagine I'd purchase this separately from the rest of the speaker system
Hopefully some sort of central control unit, I get the feeling it'd be hard to hook multiple things up to a single system without this.

Anyway, if someone can just give me some starting points or some of the names of the parts that I clearly don't know the names of that'd be good. Any help appreciated, any suggestions welcome on any of the parts. Thanks in advance as always bgtech.

[Isiolia]

You're basically wanting a good A/V receiver and speakers.

The receiver will be your control center/switcher, and will also have an integrated amplifier. This is the center of your setup, so you do want a good one. This is one I'm considering for myself, though you can go cheaper and still get a solid product.

They're made to take a/v inputs from your devices, process/output the audio, and send the video on to the TV. Some can process the video, others just pass it through.

A consideration with those is what sort of hookups/processing they do, along with amplifier power/clarity. At this point in time, I'd really suggest looking at something with good HDMI capabilities, as that's where things are/are going - 360, PS3, PC with the right hardware, DVD/Blu-Ray, etc, all can use that, and it's a simple connection.

If your PC lacks HDMI with audio, you can use optical or coaxial digital (it'll usually be a single RCA looking connector on the receiver, a mono 1/8" plug on the soundcard), or if necessary, just use stereo RCA. A reciever with 6-channel input, normally for external encoding, could also take EAX input and whatnot using the full soundcard outs.

I'd say to poke around http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/ for some model suggestion, as they do vary. If you're looking for value, Pioneer is generally good. Harmon International products are also good (Harmon-Kardon, Denon), as well as Onkyo. Yamaha can be, though I heard bad things about last year's models.

If, for example, you have a load of older consoles or something, just look at using an AV switchbox on one of the inputs of the reciever.

Speakers, you have subwoofer, mains, surrounds, and center. Ideally, you want the speakers to be voiced the same, and with 5.1 usually you go for things that are relatively similar, since the rear speakers can be just as active as the fronts.
The center is the most important, in home theater, as that's the main speaker for dialogue.

Easiest thing with speakers is to just buy the same manufacturer/series. You can get decent enough bookshelf speakers for $50-100 a pair, and often a matched center. They only go up from there though.

At minimum you can get a single pair of speakers and build from there. Seriously though, there's a world of stuff to look at.

Subwoofer isn't as important to match, and is really just a matter of how much you want to spend. If you get larger speakers, a sub isn't -necessary- per se. You can at least do without it initially.

Honestly, it's a very broad topic. Again, I'd go to AVSforum too and ask there - probably more folks that have been looking, and may have a better idea where the values are right now.

[Ramor]

Awesome, that's mostly the kind of response I was looking for. Although 549$ seems a little much on just the A/V receiver, though if the price of the speakers doesn't amount to too much I may look into that one further.

Thanks a bunch.

[Isiolia]

Yeah, I've got an existing setup, but my receiver is a bit older and doesn't have HDMI stuff in it and the like. Offhand I think you can get a decent HDMI switching one starting at around $300, but it's below the tier stuff I've been looking at so I'm not sure.
You can go cheaper still, and still get decent stuff, you'll just probably not get HDMI and all that.

Speakers have a few avenues to look at 'em. There's the retail stuff, of course, then internet direct, and also home-built. For your price range, probably look for a good deal on retail - Infinity makes some good stuff that should fit into your budget.

The nice thing with any of this is that it'll tend to last. My family still has functional gear that my dad bought in college. We're not using it anymore, but it's there and it works. I've had most of my speakers for 12-14 years, and they still work just fine. I'm looking to upgrade 'em, granted, but I'll just use them in another room or whatnot XD

[Mabubeezareel]

This is one I'm considering for myself, though you can go cheaper and still get a solid product.

I picked up this receiver just a couple of months ago, and can speak to its wonders. Was a little bit complicated to get setup at first (the user's manual might as well be written in sanscrit), but has been working like a charm once I got it all configured. I paired it with a Kenwood 5.1 speaker setup from an older HTIB I got about 6 years ago, and I'm very pleased at how it sounds even with less-than-ideal speakers+sub.

I use it with my Cable, PC, PS3, 360, and PS2. It has a really good video upscaler, far better than the one in my Samsung LCD, as analog cable broadcasts and PS2 both look very nice when upscaled. Much moreso than ever running those devices directly into the TV, that's for sure.

Cheapest price out there right now for the 1910 is 412.55 at HDTVDreams. This is where I got mine, and while these guys are TERRIBLY slow to ship, I just couldn't beat the price anywhere else. Mine took 3 weeks for them to ship it, presumably because they understocked/oversold their latest batch, and had to wait for more stock to come in.

[Ramor]

The nice thing with any of this is that it'll tend to last. My family still has functional gear that my dad bought in college.

That's my plan, although I'm well aware that by the time I get an actual job and am out of college for about 5 years they'll probably have way more amazing audio and visual technology for me to buy. But I'm definitely hoping to build a setup that would make me happy regardless of the new stuff that comes out for a few years.

[Ramor]

Since you all seem to know things fairly well in terms of the audiophile realm, any suggestions on a sound card? All I've got right now is whatever one came with my PC, but I bought the PC like 3~5ish years ago (can't even remember, old to say the least). I don't do any hardcore audio work or anything, but I mean just about all of my music is either 320kbps/VBR/FLAC, of course all I use right now is a nice set of headphones.

I'm just wondering if it'll make a huge difference with speakers or not, and what kind of price range I'd be looking at for a mid-tier card.

[Isiolia]

Depends. If you want something that "sounds good", then an X-Fi card is a good consideration, and isn't too expensive. Personally I've never had much of a problem with Creative's drivers, though some have.

A USB DAC is a better way to go for quality, and isn't necessarily very expensive either (though you can pay thousands). http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/al...pt-2-a-325941/ is a comprehensive list. This is more something I've been looking into for myself, so I couldn't give personal experience (yet).