Help with Surround Sound?

oliv897 · 1 May 2015 at 07:13

Ok so I recently a few months back got my PC custom built by Overclockers BUT have recently found out Surround Sound is a lot harder to set up then I thought it would be...

I purchased the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus, tell me what surround settup will I need to buy? (and do Overclockers sell it?) I've looked it over online and think 5.1 wouldbe better for me then 7.1 when it comes to space.. my desk is in the corner of the room.. if I put the bookshelf behind me then I could have 2 speakers behind me no problem... anymore and there's not going to be room..

I'd also like a simple explanation how to plug it in?

Marsman · 1 May 2015 at 11:21

OcUK have very little choice of 5.1 speakers at the moment. They only stock 1 model at this time, and a pseudo 5.1 soundbar from Razer. They used to have a lot more choice. Maybe they found that PC 5.1 speakers weren't selling as well as they used to.

7.1 is rare these days. There haven't been any 7.1 PC speakers in years. 7.1 is seriously overkill though unless the setup is well laid out. The idea that more is better and just plonking 7.1 speakers any old how, is not a good one. It's more in just the domain of full size home cinema speaker setups now.

Anyway: What are you looking to spend on a 5.1 set?

oliv897 · 1 May 2015 at 11:57

if it's possible £100 or under.. not sure what they go for but I like Bass so a high powered Sub Woofer would be ideal..

Marsman · 1 May 2015 at 12:23

Not much chance of a high powered sub at this budget, I'm afraid. You'd probably be looking at spending £200 or more for a 5.1 system with a big meaty subwoofer.

Other than Logitech Z506, or Microlab FC730, I'm sure what else to recommend for under £100.

Uriel · 1 May 2015 at 17:19

2nd Hand Logitech Z5500 or Z680?

lude1962 · 2 May 2015 at 10:24

if your sound card has optical out, here's some lateral thinking, get a sh home theatre system, ie bluray player with 5.1

oliv897 · 3 May 2015 at 11:02

not sure what it has and I might be able to do a max of £250...

Marsman · 4 May 2015 at 14:21

An AV receiver and 5.1 speaker package is an option, if you can stretch to £250. This Yamaha YHT1810 is very good. You'd need to find room to place the AV receiver though.

If you want to spend a lot less, then used z5500 or z680 would be the best best for that budget. If you don't want to buy used, then a BD or DVD based 5.1 system is an option, but personally I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole. They have very limited connectivity and the included speakers are not particularly good and cannot be upgraded. I've lost count the amount of times people have bought a cheaper BD/DVD based 5.1 system, then later down the line decide they want to connect other devices to it but can't. They'd have been better off spending the extra on a better system with an AV receiver, rather than ending up having to buy twice.

Logitech Z906 is another option. They have replaced the Z5500, but are quite a bit more expensive and offer no improvement really for that extra cost. Yamaha YHT1810 is cheaper and much better value. If you could get the Z906 for £200 or less, then they would be a better alternative.