Seeking audio system for gaming computer

[aodknifer]

As the title says im looking for a good audio setup for my gaming computer. currently i only use headphones and im looking for some quality speakers that can take advantage of my sound card (asus dx). I currently play battlefield 3 and would like to take advantage of the amazing sound effects including the dolby stuff (not sure what it is) I was looking at the klipsch HDT 500 or possibly just getting a pair of the klipsch Kb-15 and the center Kc-25 would these be overkill? and I havent done research on receivers but I had my eye on the Yamaha RX-V371BL. (would the receiver be enough to power the klipsch speakers?) Im actually really bad when it comes to audio so I appreciate any input you guys could give me.

 

[ssddx]

i'm currently running a full klipsch set myself.

i'm running a pioneer vsx-30 receiver which has been a blast to deal with. you don't need anything this expensive but i wanted the OSD instead of just faceplate controls.

for speakers i'm running the klipsch quintet IV (5.0) set. they are satelite style speakers but are very well built. great if you want to set them on a desk or shelf. personally i have the L,R and C on my desk with the two rears on my bookshelf behind with cable ran under the floor.

for a sub i'm running the klipsch 450w sub SW-450. its a ported downward firing design. build quality is typical of pretty much all subwoofers out there. its not as fancy as the speakers but its by no means subpar at all.

as for how i feel about my system? its an absolute beast. definitely a huge step up from standard computer speakers. as for other speakers klipsch makes... i've heard some of the bookshelf models and floorstanders but i do not have the space for them and the price was higher than what i wanted to pay. the nice thing about the set i picked is its all matched in a box but its in a whole different league from HTIB sets.

as far as the hdt500 set is built... i believe i saw that one in a store and passed on it because it didnt impress me as much as their normal products. after having the klipsch set now i would look favorably towards it but as i've never owned or heard that set i would still be just a little wary.

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now as for the big question....is this all overkill?

for JUST bf3? yeah it a pretty big way. personally for most people i just suggest getting a $50-200 logitech set as that is more than good enough for the typical enthusiast.

in order to recommend a more expensive system normally people will be using it for other games, movies, music, etcetera. however, if sound is really that important to you its definitely not a bad call. after all you can keep the system around for many years to come and hook it up to an entertainment center in the future.

i'm a little bit the same i suppose... in total my pc may have cost me $2500. i already had my 40" lcdtv and 20.1" monitor from a different build so the costs for them aren't much of a factor. however, i did go out and spend at least $1300 on sound equipment not because its necessary but because i wanted to (and i dont regret it at all).

so i say...if you want to splurge...then do so

if you want to go budget....then do so

it all comes down to what you want from your system, how much you want to spend, and if its all worthwhile to you.

in regards to the yamaha receiver you mentioned...i've heard yamaha is good choice but i have no idea about particular models. one thing you will want to do is make sure what the maximum w output is per channel and compare it to the speakers you want to buy.

in regards to dolby... this refers to dolby surround which is just surround sound decoding.

 

[aodknifer]

WOW! I wish i had your setup haha! And yeah I dont do much other than play BF3 and some movies. I was planning on getting a blu-ray player soon so this might be something to take into account. A reason why I mentioned the HDT-500 is because it includes a sub woofer for a similar price of the quintet. Do you know if there is any difference in quality (and sound reproduction) between the satellites on the HDT-500 and the quintet? I found a forum post and someone said the quintet are better but for what im doing you think I would notice any difference? And the Yamaha RX-V371BL does have 100 watt per channel for a total of 5. so it would be sufficient. plus if i go with the quintet i would still need to by a sub-woofer seeing how i dont have one already

 

[ssddx]

if you're getting a blueray player then getting a dedicated receiver and home theatre speakers is definitely a good choice of action unless you plan on getting a blueray drive and playing bluerays on your pc. swapping between sources is super easy.

as far as a direct comparison between the HDT-500 and Quintet+Sub i cannot give one as i never actually heard the HDT-500. the only klipsch speakers i've heard were the quintet, bookshelf and floorstanding models. my guess is that yes there is a gap between performance if you consider the pricing. as i said the reason i didnt buy the HDT set was because after looking at the set in person (visually, it wasnt hooked up to any source) it was not near as nice in build quality as the quintet. i'm not saying it was bad at all (better than most HTIB sets by far) but not up to the standard i wanted in a set for myself.

would you notice any difference? hard to say. go into a best buy and into the sound room and listen to the quintets. ask them to hook the HDT-500 they have on display up to a tv to hear it. if you're nice about it i'm sure you could get some help. compare what you've heard.

yeah, sounds like the yamaha would work for a 5.1 system.

keep in mind that the quintet is only a matched set of speakers. the subwoofer is extra. there is little doubt that its a superior set but that doesnt mean that its the one for you. personally i thought it worthwhile but you might be perfectly happy with the HDT-500 its your call.

i will note that i pricematched bestbuy to a hhgregg ad where i got the 450w subwoofer for the 350w subwoofer price (if you buy quintet+sub at once) so i saved $100 which was nice. i hate hhgregg though so i bought it at bestbuy (if you've ever been in one you'd understand why!) plus i got about $80 back in best buy rewards from the purchases which was nice.

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short version:

go into best buy and listen to the quintet and have them hook up the hdt to a tv and compare. remember that the quintet is going to raise your budget so you have to think whether you think its worth it to you.

 

[aodknifer]

Best answer selected by aodknifer.