Help with complete audio upgrade please!

TALON1973 · 23 Oct 2014 at 21:34

rids57 said:
...which leaves nothing for speakers

rids ... do some research before posting

this gets him a 2.1 system ( with speakers ) . ALL the decoding is built in ( with a dac ) , the sub is an all-in-one unit . With upgrade for centre + 2 rears

and ...its not a mickey mouse brand

rids57 · 23 Oct 2014 at 21:40

Oh..... it's a home cinema package

D'Oh! I thought it was just the receiver

TALON1973 · 23 Oct 2014 at 21:50

Lol . yeah its not a amp / 2.0 setup which would be missing a dac ( if needed ) , but I seriously thought about this myself when it came out a few years back. If you have space constraints , it's a good option imo. And seeing as he's mostly music / films , it seems a good option

Marine-RX179 · 24 Oct 2014 at 06:03

TALON1973 said:
Lol . yeah its not a amp / 2.0 setup which would be missing a dac ( if needed ) , but I seriously thought about this myself when it came out a few years back. If you have space constraints , it's a good option imo. And seeing as he's mostly music / films , it seems a good option

Yea I recall looking at those Onkyo HT-X22HDX like around 2 years ago. They are definitely worth considering if it fit the specific need of the users. It could potentially be a good option for OP.

The only issue I could see is that the positioning of the front speakers...as OP will be 3 meters away from his TV when watching movies, and 1 meter away from the TV when he games, it would mean for optimal listening position he would need to keep moving the speakers's angle?

This is part of the reason why I suggested he could potentially go two systems with:
Asus Xonar U7 7.1 soundcard
i) Microlab Solo9C (3 meters from the TV) for movie and music with option to add the Microlab FC730 5.1 setup in the future to make it 7.1
ii) Wavemaster MOODY 2.1 for gaming (when he's 1 meter away from his TV)

D3M0N1C · 24 Oct 2014 at 11:59

Thanks for all the help on this guys, I do appreciate it.

I'll be considering all options, as it'll be my primary system and will have to last. I was leaning more towards 2.0/2.1 but I'm not opposed to 5.1 or home cinema packages. Gaming is the least important thing for me as I only play games like Chivalry Medieval Warfare and Company of Heroes 2, which don't really require decent audio to enjoy. (If any of you are PC gamers and haven't played Chivalry, please have a look, its the most addictive and fun game I've ever played, and is well worth playing just for its comical value, which never gets old)

I could just focus on something more suited for movies, and get some good speakers for music in the future if needs be. Although it would be more sensible to get an all rounder. The Onkyo system looks decent, although a bit pricey, I think it comes in a 5.1 package as well.

Home cinema wise, I'd never be connecting a console, blue ray player or anything else to it, just my PC, so don't want to be paying for a receiver that has all the bells and whistles because they'll never get used.

Would it be wise to get an amp and a pair of good sized front speakers for music, but with the option to add a sub, a center and some rear speakers at a later date?

Is there any benefit to having a separate amp as opposed to one built into the sub? Or is it merely for looks and space saving purposes?

Sorry to be such a pain, it seems I'm retarded when it comes to audio, and I'm crap at making decisions at the best of times, all I know is what I've read on the net this past week, mostly from this forum lol.

Nice one chaps

Marine-RX179 · 24 Oct 2014 at 17:07

D3M0N1C said:
I could just focus on something more suited for movies, and get some good speakers for music in the future if needs be. Although it would be more sensible to get an all rounder. The Onkyo system looks decent, although a bit pricey, I think it comes in a 5.1 package as well.

I just saw the Onkyo HTX22HDX & SKS22X 5.1 on Superfi for just £319.90!

One merit of the Onkyo unit is that you won't need to buy a separate soundcard/receiver/DAC/amp, as the set itself is already High Definition Decoder/Amplifier/Speaker System all in one!

There's only 1 left in stock, so if you were to go for that, you'd have to decide quick.

Review here:
http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/onkyo-htx-22hdx/

Edited: Actually you could try your luck looking for 2nd hands of the Onkyo unit on the bay etc. But be careful and make sure you are looking at the Onkyo HTX22HDX not the non-X model.

D3M0N1C · 25 Oct 2014 at 12:27

Yeah, I saw that too dude, but don't want to rush into it like I usually do, I'd rather buy new than second hand. There is actually a hell of a lot going second hand, which puts me off a little. Why is everyone selling them I wonder? I've seen them going for as little as £100 used, and that's with the extra 5.1 speakers too!