Asus XONAR STX and Edifier S550 Encore

Iamcid

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hello, i own an Asus XONAR STX and i was wondering if its a smart choice to pick Edifier S550 Encore as 5.1 audio sistem. Im kinda new to this and i dont know whats best to pick. STX is a stereo card and i can plug a 5.1 system through a digital port so far i know.. question is.. will it kill the quality or something if i connect this Edifier S550 encore through that port or i should pick Edifiert S730 that is a 2.1 sistem ?
 

iam2thecrowe

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The price i see that system at is comparable to a proper home theatre system and receiver package which would be better and upgradeable.
The specs of the edifer system show it getting down to 42hz, the THX certified Logitech speakers get down to 35hz, for about the same price:
http://www.edifier-international.com/products/edifier-multimedia/s550-encore
http://logitech-en-ap.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22927/section/troubleshoot/crid/409/lt_product_id/7929/tabs/1,3,2,4/cl/au,en
Although the edifers 2 way satellites are attractive compared to the full range driver in the logitech system, i would still go for more low end bass. The signal to noise ratio of the ediver 85db compared to logitech 95db is also a downfall for the edifer.
But like i said, its approaching the cost of a proper home theatre package you can get from pioneer, yamaha or onkyo, which will give you much more flexibility and upgradeablility in the future.
Your not killing quality by going through a digital connection, your doing the opposite, the sound is untouched by the soundcard's circuitry more or less, but you then rely on the quality of the amp and speakers your connecting it to. by the way the xonar card does support 5.1 audio not just stereo.
 
@crowe
the stx has a pretty good onboard dac and good connections so going digital might actually be worse (is the dac inside the subwoofer any better than the stx or worse?). also to keep in mind is that to get 5.1 over optical (not sure if its the same for coax) you need compressed audio and so arent getting full use out of audio from bluerays and other such sources.

@op
for the price of that edifier set (i only saw it used for $380 so i'm guessing its over $400) you can get into fair home theater equipment. i would like to point out the energy classic take 5.1 speaker system which you can pair up with a cheap 5.1 receiver. its an extremely popular choice and gets excellent marks for sound quality.
 

Iamcid

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so.. guys.. can you.. help me to pick the right home theaters or.. system 5.1 ? ill use them mainly for gaming and music on my pc. id appreciate if you`d be concrete on examples, so far i can buy my audio system from this site www.pcgarage.ro but i guess ill try to find somehwhere else in case your examples are not listed on that store. And i dont want to sacrifice sound , ill go for a 2.1 system in case its better just point me the the right choices. Whatever sound system it is, 5.1 or 2.1 or a hoome theater , just point me what would u pick for 400 eur around. Thanks in advance
 

iam2thecrowe

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http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/848852-REG/Onkyo_HT_S3500_HT_S3500_Home_Theater_Package.html
something like this would probably be better than the logitech or the edifer but i dont know if it comes in your price range or if its available near you. But you really need to link us to stores in your area so we can give you a proper recommendation.
 
.ro is Romania. Depending on your PC, HDMI is your best bet over optical. Your sound card has analog output. Since the Edifier model has analog inputs, not quite as good as HDMI but better then optical I would go that route if you intend to buy those speakers. And if I'm looking at the wrong thing, I don't see an optical input anyways.

Now ssddx suggested more of a home stereo option and I always agree on this because the quality is better plus later on it will easier to integrate into a proper setup. If you have a video card with HDMI out, an inexpensive receiver with some decent stereo speakers would be a good choice. If you watch movies, I would recommend 3.0(front mains and center) and if your budget allows, then add a sub to make it 3.1 and then to 5.1. But a good 2.1 system is a great way to start.

I checked out PCGarage and it looked more like PC Garbage in terms of speakers! haha. Any other sites you can link us to?

be seeing you, the Prisoner...
 

Iamcid

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maybe , www.emag.ro or www.altex.ro ? i dont know. the budged is 400 eur 450 eur. I want to buy something around this price, and to fit best with my xonar STX . and yeah i play games and listen to music and watch movies aswell. so far , i have some pioneer headsets around 100 eur that gives me stunning sound from this STX ASUS card but i want to buy also the perfect speakers for this card
 
Can you post your PC specs? I understand you want to use your Sonar(maybe you can sell it for 100.00) and spent around 200.00 euros for it. but you could have put that 200.00 into a decent receiver and speakers, which would offer better sound quality. Speakers are really the key, they have the hard job of taking an electronic signal and turning it into analog sound that your ears can hear.

Now if you are determined to use the Sonar and want to use optical(worst choice), you will have to go with more of the computer speaker type setups. look and see what you can find that is available in your area and within your budget.

Here is a link with various audio dealers in Romania. http://audiotools.com/en_dist_ro.html Give them a visit and hear the speakers or give them a call.

Be seeing you and good luck! the Prisoner

 

Iamcid

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I7 2600k , 16 GB , 760 GTX gigabyte OCD, Samsung Pro 840 240 GB. Asus xonar STX. MSI P67A-C45.

And no, i dont want to use the optical output. So far i heard only bad things about this output on xonar STX. I want to use the analog ones. i dont want 5.1 system , it can be also a 2.1 but a very good one. I cant reach those stores that u listed, im far away from that location. :( And yeah i want to use xonar stx , i really really love the sound that i have on my headphones with it, and i guess she ll do great with her analogs too, but i dont know what analog systems to choose or.. home theaters ? ..
 
Looks like a nice computer! And with the 760 you can always use the HDMI out for true discrete digital sound later on if you decide to get a receiver or surround pre amp, if you want to go 5.1.

Since you just want 2.1, that does make things easier. The easiest thing would be to get active speakers. Active speakers(powered) are speakers that have built in amps. I'm not referring to a computer speaker system where one amp powers it all. For example, you get 2.0 active front speakers and an active(powered) sub. Then you run the analog out to them. As long as you have decent cables(don't spend a lot) and no electronic interference, the quality of sound will be good. I've checked through those sites and didn't find any active speakers.

What I want from you( I've spent a few hours) to search for either active speakers or a amp/receiver for those speakers. I use separate amps(better quality) to power my speakers but a receiver is more convenient even though you may not use all it's features. Most subs are active anyways so no problem.

Search around and post some links on these ideas I gave you.
 

Iamcid

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http://www.emag.ro/sistem-audio-hi-fi-receiver-vsx-324-sistem-boxe-5-1-pioneer-negru-htp-073/pd/DBJ3JBBBM/ is this.. any good ? and if so, do i have any chance to connect it to the analogs on STX ?



http://www.emag.ro/sistem-home-cinema-5-1-cu-blu-ray-3d-sony-bdve6100-bdve6100-cel/pd/E25QNBBBM/ or this ? and if so, can i connect it through xonar or.. ?



http://www.pcgarage.ro/sisteme-home-cinema/samsung/ht-fs5200/ this ?


Thanks a lot prisoner for help, i understood what u said about active speakers, but i dont find any of those ( at least not quality ones ) in my country for some reason. I really dont know what to pick :( sight and! i want to use that analog output from xonar stx :( not the optical thingie

I really really am newbie when it comes to sound . Sorry for my ignorance
 
No need to apologize on being new to audio. I was fortunate that my grandfather was an audio nut and inherited all of his old audio equipment plus tons on model train stuff!

The problem with receivers that come with speakers( home theater in a box) is that the speakers are usually of low quality. I thought you only wanted 2.1? All the links you posted, I guess the VSX 324 would be best but for some reason manufacturers dump old stuff on countries. That model has been discontinued. None of these models has 5.1 analog inputs. So the best you can do is use stereo inputs(2.0) and then simulate surround.

If you want to use all the Xonar's analog outputs you will need something like this.( which I have) http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/975.html Also a review and back view showing the proper analog inputs for 5.1/7.1 just so you can see the difference. http://www.audioholics.com/av-preamp-processor-reviews/outlaw-audio-model-975-pre. It's out of your price range. hehe.

Ok, lets go back saying you just wanted 2.1. the Pioneer VSX( maybe ssddx will chime in, I don't use receivers) looks ok for an entry level receiver but then we need to research some speakers too.

Sorry this is taking so long but You are making an investment for now and the future. Where are you in Romania?
 

Iamcid

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I live in Constanta, Romania . Near the Black Sea . UH i know its taking a long time, and im not rushing, i will pick the exact perfect choice for 450 eur for this xonar stx. I d invest more but atm i cant, or , i can buy them later, if what you are suggesting me to buy is more than 450 eur. Im not rushing, i really am not rushing, i will wait and pick the right audio system. And i`d like something that has 500w total power with nice nice nice quality sound. So far i know.. i know that Pioneer and Sonys are super brands when it comes to sound, my headsets are Pioneer and they are .. reallly really NICE and they costed just 100 eur. Im still searching the net meanwhile for more 2.1 systems or 2.0 active speakers
 
Sony and Pioneer are decent brands, you have to be careful what model you buy. The best thing is get the best speakers you can afford for 2.0 and go from there. Here is a link for a place in Constanta, it looks like it sells mostly PA equipment but they might be able to help you out with some advice.
http://www.kv2audio.com/en/products

Keep us updated on what you decide to buy.

Constanta looks beautiful. I might have to take the GF their for a vacation! haha.

be seeing you, the Prisoner
 
I had to edit my post wrong link. KV2 audio might be able to help and they are located in Constanta. IF you pick passive speakers, you will an amp/receiver to power them. Also look around used, you might find something really nice. I buy used all the time.

Pros and cons of active power speakers. They cost more but at least in the good quality ones the amps are matched for the speakers. Cons would be if later on you wanted to use a better amp, you can't. That shouldn't be a big concern if they are good quality.

Passive speakers you can mix and match amps to hear what sounds best. Always listen before you buy and make sure they have a good return policy.

Ok my next vacation is to Constanta as long it is too touristy! haha

la revedere, the Prisoner...
 

Iamcid

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:( sight and i was so happy lol . I dont know.. i guess i can buy from everywhere around the world, but the transport cost will kill me, and the taxes to be delivered in my country i guess..