Potential Setup Advice

PC --> AV Receiver --> 5.1 speakers = done.

You would connect the X-fi using 3 3.5mm to RCA connector cables.

You'd use your current front speakers connected to the CA amp and you'd have to buy a centre and 2 surrounds. I wouldn't bother with a sub just yet.

You can also feed the AV amp with the DVD player's digital output and plug in any games consoles. You could then either plug all the video sources (except PC) into the AV amp or run them directly into the TV.

You can still use your current amp to power your front speakers, but I'm not going to explain how that's done until you understand the above.
 
tom_nieto said:
PC --> AV Receiver --> 5.1 speakers = done.

You would connect the X-fi using 3 3.5mm to RCA connector cables.

You'd use your current front speakers connected to the CA amp and you'd have to buy a centre and 2 surrounds. I wouldn't bother with a sub just yet.

You can also feed the AV amp with the DVD player's digital output and plug in any games consoles. You could then either plug all the video sources (except PC) into the AV amp or run them directly into the TV.

You can still use your current amp to power your front speakers, but I'm not going to explain how that's done until you understand the above.
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I just don't see the point in converting my current Hi-Fi to 5.1. Music sounds best on 2.1, and at the moment I have 2.0. Surely a separate system would be ideal just to use for playing games/watching DVDs. I've heard home cinema systems and they aren't that bad!
 
You can still play music in stereo. In fact you can still use your stereo amp in conjuntion with the AV amp if you like the sound that much. It seems pointless to have 2 separate systems.
 
So what sort of "cheap" speakers would I be looking at to do the rear and centre jobs?

And would the quality of the Cambridge AV unit be any good?

It is an AMP too, right?
 
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OK - I'm being really stupid!

I can wire ANY speakers of ANY type to the AV unit, can't I?

So If I kept my current Hi-Fi speakers via the normal wires, I could (If I wanted to) have awful quality speakers connecting by the phono outputs?
 
This thread really hit home why so many people are prepared to pay so much money for the total rubbish that passes for speakers at prices the wrong side of £200! People clearly dont understand what is going on, what the differences between an amplifier and a reciever are and a whole lot more besides.

Tommy B - You are *almost* there now :) Yes, you can connect any pair of speakers you want to the outputs of that amp (providing the amp can drive them).

What you have there in the Cambridge Audio unit is an amplifier capable of taking multiple inputs and outputting those inputs to a set of speakers connected to the speaker outputs.

Just like choosing "CD" on your hifi, you can tell it you want to take a 6-channel input from your PC and output that to 6 connected speakers. This means you would have:

Your PC connected to the amplifier.

Your exisiting speakers connected to the amp and a pair of new speakers to the amp (as rears) and a centre.

You could pick up the speakers for less than £50 if you really didnt care about the quality (and they would still beat the PC speaker rubbish you were looking at!) and look to add a sub at a later date (for the ".1").

It has to be the best way of doing it as your initial suggestion was a little confused and certainly the more costly way of doing things :p

On the back of this thread, I might write you Sound City guys a bit of a guidance thread on this sort of thing as a reference to help people out :)
 
One thing I've noticed about that AV receiver is it's 6.1 not 5.1, so it's designed for having a surround centre speaker (3 speakers at the rear instead of 2). I'd be very surprised if it wasn't flexible enough to work in 5.1 mode though without a surround centre connected and just downmix the 3 rear channels to 2. Also I'm presuming here the X-Fi can do 6.1 anologue output, since the receiver takes 6.1 analogue in not 5.1. Might be worth checking those two things before handing over your money though.

There's loads of AV receivers on ebay btw, and again, yes it is also an amp. It's a 6.1 amp with built in DD/DTS decoder.

Btw what make/model are your floorstanders?
 
Having had a full 7.1 system I can state with a large degree of certainty that you can tell it to ignore the rear centre channel(s) by forcing it into 5.1

All of the relevant coding standards are designed to reflect this anyway, should you find yourself with a soundtrack in 7.1 (still not all that common).
 
Yes it can drive your speakers. It can drive up to 6 speakers as it's a surround sound amplifier. It will not mix two sources together, but can have multiple devices attached, such as your PC, games consoles and DVD player. It's simply a case of switching between the inputs.
 
tom_nieto said:
Yes it can drive your speakers. It can drive up to 6 speakers as it's a surround sound amplifier. It will not mix two sources together, but can have multiple devices attached, such as your PC, games consoles and DVD player. It's simply a case of switching between the inputs.
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And will the quality be any good?

Because to be fair, this isn't a dedicated AMP is it?
 
Are you getting it for music or for DVDs/surround gaming? For the same money a stereo amp will give you better sound quality, because it only has 2 speakers to drive and you're not paying for a decoder.

If you want surround sound though for DVDs/surround gaming, the AV receiver is the way to go. It may not be a 'dedicated' amp as such, in that it's also a decoder, but that doesn't mean it sounds bad. It's still an amp, it does drive hi-fi speakers and it's designed for high quality surround sound setups.

You need to decide whether you're going for 2.0 or 5.1/6.1/7.1, then the rest of your choices are easy.
 
The quality of the CA540R is actually very good. I'd still have my Denon 3802 over it, but it's not a bad machine.

It is a dedicated amp in a way, it's just got more components in it. You can combine an amp like this and your current stereo amp, but as I said before you need to make some basic decisions on what you want from your setup and to understand the basics of what we're trying to suggest.

What make and model are your speakers? I can then try to look for a suitable centre for you.
 
tom_nieto said:
Hesky, I was under the impression that the cyrus would be cheaper, but it seems I'm wrong. I've read so many arguments for buying the PSX-R or a separate power amp, but I was left totally stuck on the fence and undecided. I don't have the cash to try them both out really, nor do I know anyone with suitable units to borrow to test. So I just decided that my setup sounds pretty good and that I should stick with what I have until I've got the cash for a more serious upgrade.
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to be honest its totally dependent on your speakers, if they have decent sensitively your cyrus amp alone would drive them with ease, I would see no reason at all to upgrade the amp just for the sake of extra power when it is not needed.
 
tom_nieto said:
The quality of the CA540R is actually very good. I'd still have my Denon 3802 over it, but it's not a bad machine.

It is a dedicated amp in a way, it's just got more components in it. You can combine an amp like this and your current stereo amp, but as I said before you need to make some basic decisions on what you want from your setup and to understand the basics of what we're trying to suggest.

What make and model are your speakers? I can then try to look for a suitable centre for you.
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They are Eltax Symphony 6s - Do you know how they compare in the Hi-Fi world?

Here's the thing: I'm leaving for uni in a year, and I don't want to waste hundreds of pounds on Hi-Fi equipment if I'm going to leave it here. Or if I do, I want stuff that's future proof!

I'm mainly interested in a damn good 2.0 Hi-Fi setup as music is my thing. However, it would be nice to have surround sound in the room that connects to both my PC and my DVD player/TV. In that respesct, the AV thing is incredibly useful as it has so many connections/features.

The surround sound speakers don't really have to be that good. I was considering just buying a Creative/Logitech PC job, and using them just for watching movies/playing games. This is still my prefered option as the X-fi will input a 5.1 signal via Optical (for connection to DVD player) - Is this true? I've then got a cheap and cheerful surround solution for both my DVD player and my computer... (gaming etc) I've heard that the Creative GigaWorks 7.1 S750 THX are extremely good for PC speakers. 70wts RMS is not bad!

I just think that for my age, I shouldn't really be spending so much on top gear. As long as I've got an extremely good 2.0 setup, I'm happy. The surround sound is just a cheap bonus. The only problem with what I suggested above is I've no idea how I'd connect both the Creative GigaWorks AND the Hi-Fi togethor. I'd have to use a jack > 2xjack splitter on the FL/FR output on the X-fi.
 
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Have you ever considered just using your hi-fi setup and connecting that to your PC and DVD player? It would save a lot of money as all you'd have to do is rearrange your room. You seem pretty happy with your current setup, so why change it? Especially as you're going to uni, there probably isn't much point in spending megabucks.

Seriously though, consider your options VERY carefully before shelling out £200 on a PC speaker system. You could turn your setup into a surround sound hi-fi for that much cash which would be much much better.

Surround sound is nice, but actually good stereo is almost just as good. Mr_Sukebe has ditched surround sound altogether in favour of stereo for music and DVD. I'm tempted to do the same as my speakers provide very good stereo imaging in films anyway and my rears are pretty bad. If you just have to buy a stereo amp and 2 speakers, your budget will have to be pread less than if you have to buy a surround amp and 5 speakers.

I would forget about having 2 separate systems totally, it is pointless. Either wait until you've got a lounge in which to put all your kit, or until you rearrange your room into a more multimedia orientated environment.
 
tom_nieto said:
Have you ever considered just using your hi-fi setup and connecting that to your PC and DVD player? It would save a lot of money as all you'd have to do is rearrange your room. You seem pretty happy with your current setup, so why change it? Especially as you're going to uni, there probably isn't much point in spending megabucks.

Seriously though, consider your options VERY carefully before shelling out £200 on a PC speaker system. You could turn your setup into a surround sound hi-fi for that much cash which would be much much better.

Surround sound is nice, but actually good stereo is almost just as good. Mr_Sukebe has ditched surround sound altogether in favour of stereo for music and DVD. I'm tempted to do the same as my speakers provide very good stereo imaging in films anyway and my rears are pretty bad. If you just have to buy a stereo amp and 2 speakers, your budget will have to be pread less than if you have to buy a surround amp and 5 speakers.

I would forget about having 2 separate systems totally, it is pointless. Either wait until you've got a lounge in which to put all your kit, or until you rearrange your room into a more multimedia orientated environment.
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I understand you aren't a fan of PC speakers, but surely Creative's top-dog speakers can't be that bad?

I might look into upgrading my AMP, but you're right - there's no point in spending megabucks if I don't know what I'm doing.

I also have no idea how my speakers compare in the Hi-Fi world. You all talk of how sound is meant to sound best with all settings left and just the origional audio signal. My speakers sound superior with all of the X-fi's enhancing features on, and a slight EQ on.
 
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