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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b2IOOhJmxw
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Jan 16, 2023 12:55
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Probably dumb question, any downsides to buying an open box/refurbished AV receiver if it's coming from what looks like a legit outlet?
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Jan 17, 2023 06:03
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Shimrra Jamaane posted:Probably dumb question, any downsides to buying an open box/refurbished AV receiver if it's coming from what looks like a legit outlet? The usual consideration is if the refurb has any kind of warranty or support. Most of the reputable refurb dealers are able to keep the warranty active with the manufacturer. Accessories4Less, etc. Otherwise, it's a great way to get a deal on a receiver.
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Jan 17, 2023 18:04
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Hey gang, my sister’s looking for a good-sounding small soundbar (18” max to fit in the space she wants to put it in) that either comes with a wireless subwoofer or can connect to one bought separately. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Trying to search online for these things with these parameters has been a misery.
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Jan 25, 2023 00:56
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Would a pair of Homepod Minis work?
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Jan 25, 2023 03:00
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The Polk Magnifi Mini fits the description. I can’t comment on its quality, but it’s small and has a wireless subwoofer.
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Jan 25, 2023 03:04
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TheMadMilkman posted:The Polk Magnifi Mini fits the description. I can’t comment on its quality, but it’s small and has a wireless subwoofer. This looks pretty much perfect, thanks a million!
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Jan 25, 2023 05:09
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Well, I'm finally tired of badly made blackbox e-waste products that can't be repaired, so I'm nope-ing the gently caress out of soundbar land. I don't think I'll be able to afford a sub right away, but my current thought was to get a used Marantz NR1508 for $399 from a reputable shop and start building from there. This model seems small enough to work around and I'm mostly looking to just go 2.1 or 3.1 due to limited space. I mainly play contemporary games and watch blu rays, no streaming/television, not much need for wireless features, I also have a pc and a turntable that I could use with the setup. I guess I'm just wondering... is there any glaring reason I shouldn't go for it? I don't think this model supports HDMI ARC, which would be nice to have, but I suppose it's not a dealbreaker. But maybe if I kept my eye out a newer model would have that. Are there any decent bookshelf speakers on recommend that I could pair with this thing for $200 or less in the meantime? What other pitfalls or extra expenses should I keep in mind? Thanks in advance. edit; sorry if this is vague, I am extremely dumb at this BeanpolePeckerwood fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Jan 25, 2023 |
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Jan 25, 2023 13:27
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:Well, I'm finally tired of badly made blackbox e-waste products that can't be repaired, so I'm nope-ing the gently caress out of soundbar land. I don't think I'll be able to afford a sub right away, but my current thought was to get a used Marantz NR1508 for $399 from a reputable shop and start building from there. This model seems small enough to work around and I'm mostly looking to just go 2.1 or 3.1 due to limited space. I mainly play contemporary games and watch blu rays, no streaming/television, not much need for wireless features, I also have a pc and a turntable that I could use with the setup. I guess I'm just wondering... is there any glaring reason I shouldn't go for it? I don't think this model supports HDMI ARC, which would be nice to have, but I suppose it's not a dealbreaker. But maybe if I kept my eye out a newer model would have that. Are there any decent bookshelf speakers on recommend that I could pair with this thing for $200 or less in the meantime? What other pitfalls or extra expenses should I keep in mind? Thanks in advance. It does have ARC but not Enhanced ARC. I think regular ARC is all you'd need. IIRC, it won't support high-def formats like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio. But your TV is unlikely to output anything like that, anyway. If you have a proper AVR like that Marantz, you'd be wanting to connect all your "hifi" sources to the AVR, not to the TV's inputs. Then, the only thing carried on the ARC connection would be content from your TV tuner. Edit: Cribbed table from https://www.whathifi.com/advice/hdmi-arc-and-hdmi-earc-everything-you-need-to-know 
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Jan 25, 2023 13:56
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That Marantz doesnt have any room correction, but if you get one of the subs from eg. SVS with built in correction, you've got the most important part covered.
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Jan 25, 2023 14:20
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:my current thought was to get a used Marantz NR1508 for $399 from a reputable shop and start building from there. For $50 more you can get a refurbished NR1510 with a 3-year warranty: https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marnr1510/marantz-nr1510-slim-5.2-ch-x-50-watts-a/v-receiver/1.html As for speakers,how much space do you have for the speakers themselves, and what type of room are you in? You can do pretty well for $200/pair by being patient and watching sales, but if I’m being perfectly honest, even jumping to $300/pair gets you a lot more.
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Jan 25, 2023 15:04
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TheMadMilkman posted:You can do pretty well for $200/pair by being patient and watching sales, but if I’m being perfectly honest, even jumping to $300/pair gets you a lot more.
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Jan 25, 2023 16:43
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Alright so you guys were right and I do just want an AV receiver now. The SMSL I'm running occasionally has tiny little drops in audio and now that I have nice front speakers I also want a nice Center and maybe even some rears. What's the receiver to get? Ideally no more than like $500-600 CAD since the dang Center speaker is gonna be $700. Also do I want to run my devices into the receiver and receiver out to TV, or devices to TV and then TV out to receiver?
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Jan 25, 2023 17:31
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Receiver then TV
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Jan 25, 2023 18:19
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prom candy posted:Alright so you guys were right and I do just want an AV receiver now. The SMSL I'm running occasionally has tiny little drops in audio and now that I have nice front speakers I also want a nice Center and maybe even some rears. What's the receiver to get? Ideally no more than like $500-600 CAD since the dang Center speaker is gonna be $700. Buy a gently used Yamaha or Denon AVR that's around 1-3 years old, and save the money compared to buying new. Put those savings into good speakers and you'll be pretty pleased. Definitely get a sub as well. Even at low, neighbour-friendly volumes, a sub can do a /lot/ to fill out the sound.
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Jan 25, 2023 18:26
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Okay, thanks y'all. That's some good stuff to think about. Will return when I have an update.
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Jan 25, 2023 21:48
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Mederlock posted:Buy a gently used Yamaha or Denon AVR that's around 1-3 years old, and save the money compared to buying new. Put those savings into good speakers and you'll be pretty pleased. Definitely get a sub as well. Even at low, neighbour-friendly volumes, a sub can do a /lot/ to fill out the sound. If the correct way is to go into the receiver first then I'm concerned about being able to find something that won't degrade my PS5 experience, since I'll want very low input lag and full HDMI 2.1 support. Luckily I already have a sub, Q150s, and even a mismatched Center channel that I could use until I pull the trigger on a Q250c.
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Jan 25, 2023 23:07
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It's been years since I looked into it but my 2011 Denon receiver has a "game mode" that promises to add nearly 0 video lag. I'm sure there is something similar on most current models.
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Jan 25, 2023 23:17
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But it doesn’t have hdmi 2.1 support (although, is the tv VRR?)
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Jan 25, 2023 23:42
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Dogen posted:But it doesn’t have hdmi 2.1 support (although, is the tv VRR?) My TV is an LG C1 so I believe it does all the good stuff. But I think hippie hedgehog was just saying like any decent AVR going back years should have a no latency mode, which is good to know.
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Jan 25, 2023 23:45
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TheMadMilkman posted:For $50 more you can get a refurbished NR1510 with a 3-year warranty: Okay, hmmm, good to know. What is the main difference between the 1508 and the 1510?
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Jan 25, 2023 23:54
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I don't know if there's a better thread in SH/SC for this so I'm sorry for asking here first, but I wanted some speaker recommendation for my setup. This is mostly just planning things out for later. For my PC, I have it hooked up through hdmi to a Yamaha RX-V381. Are there any speakers this thread recommends that would fit on a computer desk and still sound good? My current speaker setup is all stuff I just haphazardly purchased over the years without really paying any attention or caring and only recently did I realize that it's not optimal for anything. I'm hoping my AVR isn't too out of date as well.
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Jan 26, 2023 00:15
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prom candy posted:If the correct way is to go into the receiver first then I'm concerned about being able to find something that won't degrade my PS5 experience, since I'll want very low input lag and full HDMI 2.1 support. Luckily I already have a sub, Q150s, and even a mismatched Center channel that I could use until I pull the trigger on a Q250c. I do both, my PS5 is connected to my TV directly and audio goes via ARC back to my receiver and my Apple TV and blu ray player are connected to the receiver. I mainly did it because I wanted different picture settings for games so I just used another input on my TV so I never have to switch.
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Jan 26, 2023 00:31
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BeanpolePeckerwood posted:Okay, hmmm, good to know. What is the main difference between the 1508 and the 1510? 2 more HDMI ports, eARC, and compatibility with more audio streaming services and surround formats. For me, personally, $50 is a small enough amount that I’d go for the one with a warranty on it. And Accessories4Less is pretty good on warranty coverage. My brother had a receiver go out while under their own extended warranty and they replaced it quickly.
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Jan 26, 2023 01:59
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Ryuga Death posted:I don't know if there's a better thread in SH/SC for this so I'm sorry for asking here first, but I wanted some speaker recommendation for my setup. This is mostly just planning things out for later. That AVR is fine. idk what your budget or size constraints are but I would look at the Micca RB42s to start with. They are quite small and inexpensive(and go on sale frequently). Sound is good too.
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Jan 26, 2023 02:52
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:That AVR is fine. Oh those looks nice! I'll keep them in my amazon cart. My budget is whatever. I just want to have a better set up than before. My current speaker set up is two bose 301s, pioneer sp c-22 center speaker and a Polk PSW10 sub. Problem is I have the speakers on the floor beneath the desk and it's not the best sounding for anything really. No, I don't know why it took me this long to figure that out. Should I bother with a center speaker anymore or just go with 2.1 once I build a new pc? I know the subwoofer I have is probably considered crap but I bought it years ago when it was on sale and didn't know any better. Does it matter that I plan to use these speakers for PC gaming as well? Ryuga Death fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Jan 26, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 03:22
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Ryuga Death posted:Oh those looks nice! I'll keep them in my amazon cart. My budget is whatever. I just want to have a better set up than before. My current speaker set up is two bose 301s, pioneer sp c-22 center speaker and a Polk PSW10 sub. Problem is I have the speakers on the floor beneath the desk and it's not the best sounding for anything really. No, I don't know why it took me this long to figure that out. Yea just replacing those bose speakers with the micca ones should be an improvement(as long as you put them on your desk  ). That center channel is good and that sub is fine, so overall you will have a solid system.Since you mentioned gaming, I'd keep the center. Just make sure to set your sound options in game for surround. But if you are short on space, feel free to put it away. CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Jan 26, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 03:44
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:Yea just replacing those bose speakers with the micca ones should be an improvement. That center channel is good and that sub is fine, so overall you will have a solid system. Looking at my desktop space, I'm not sure if I'll have enough space to put the center speaker. My primary monitor eats up a lot of space, depth wise. Should the center speaker be in front of the monitor? Is it okay to have the subwoofer on the floor underneath the desk? Also, are foam isolation pads or speaker stands that angle the speakers needed? Are there any other pc speakers you or anyone else would recommend? Just so I have options in case one isn't available later on or something. Sorry for asking a lot and thank you for answering. edit: yes, I am a total moron for having put speakers on the floor for so many years. I really do not know what I was thinking. edit2: Googling the speakers and seeing some reddit posts talking about pairing these up with an amp. I don't need to worry about an amp if I already have an AVR, right? Some posts mentioning these take a lot to power them or some such. Ryuga Death fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Jan 26, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 03:52
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Ryuga Death posted:Looking at my desktop space, I'm not sure if I'll have enough space to put the center speaker. My primary monitor eats up a lot of space, depth wise. Should the center speaker be in front of the monitor? Is it okay to have the subwoofer on the floor underneath the desk? Just slightly under your monitor, angled up towards you. If this makes your monitor height too tall, then placing it in front is fine. The sub should be on the floor and is okay under your desk. Your AVR has everything you need, so you don't need to get an amp. idk if I would say that foam pads are needed, but they are inexpensive and certainly don't hurt. I use some. You don't need to get some expensive iso acoustic feet or stands. Maybe someone else can chime in here with their own experience. For other speaker recommendations, it would come down to how much space you have. Just to throw a few out there: Micca RB42, Neumi BS5, Sony SSCS5 - your budget options, with the Micca being the smallest. iirc these are all tuned with a slight V curve(boosted bass and treble) If you step up to the 3-400 dollar range you have a lot more options including: Emotiva B1+, Triangle Borea BR03, Monoprice Encore B5 or B6 - a bit bright / more treble. Kef Q150, ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2(Elac has a few speakers around this price point) - tuned to be more neutral. I'm sure that I absolutely forgot some other good speakers.
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Jan 26, 2023 04:47
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There's really no reason to have a center speaker for a desktop. I have one and stopped using it just because the less than ideal placement means its more likely to make your audio worse than better.
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Jan 26, 2023 04:59
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:Lots of good advice Center speaker placement sounds like it's going to be difficult. May have to just put it away, as you suggested earlier. The depth of my tabletop is 25 5/8th inches according to ikea but I have 3 monitors on it (Going to knock it down to only 2 if and when I build a new pc). As far as speaker recs you put, I actually have those KEF q150s. Using them for my tv and they sound good but they might be a bit large for the desktop. Once again, just want to thank you and anyone else for responding to my posts. I usually over analyze these things until my mind fizzles out. bird with big dick posted:There's really no reason to have a center speaker for a desktop. I have one and stopped using it just because the less than ideal placement means its more likely to make your audio worse than better. That's really interesting to hear! Is it okay if you share more about this? What was the less than ideal placement? Is 2.1 enough for pc stuff?
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Jan 26, 2023 05:07
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For a nearfield setup like that at a computer desk, I would not bother for a center channel either. The money would be better spent in getting better bookshelves. You can also get speaker stands that will sit on your desk, and elevate the speakers to around ear height, which will give you some of your desk space back. And personally, I found my particular speakers sounded better above the plane of my ears, rather than below. But I did both for years and they're both good choices. The main thing is having the tweeters roughly aimed at your ears, with the speakers just somewhat canted inwards to form a triangle, with the tip of triangle being behind your head, so to speak. I had a PC 5.1 setup, and eventually switched to a 2.1 setup with decent bookshelf speakers through an amp and a sub on the floor and never looked back. If the speakers are good quality and spaced properly, you'll get great stereo separation and proper sense of spatial placement for voices and whatnot.
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Jan 26, 2023 05:17
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Ryuga Death posted:Center speaker placement sounds like it's going to be difficult. May have to just put it away, as you suggested earlier. I have five identical speakers I used for PC surround and I tested it and I literally could not tell the difference between 5.1 and 4.1. The first time i used it in 4.1 I still had the center speaker sitting there and I thought i had mistakenly reconnected it, I was 100% convinced there was still sound coming out of it when there wasn’t. You just don’t need it nearfield and sitting in the center of stereo speakers, it’s more important in a home theater where you frequently have people sitting off axis and the center anchors the sound to the screen.
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Jan 26, 2023 05:54
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Mederlock posted:For a nearfield setup like that at a computer desk, I would not bother for a center channel either. The money would be better spent in getting better bookshelves. You can also get speaker stands that will sit on your desk, and elevate the speakers to around ear height, which will give you some of your desk space back. And personally, I found my particular speakers sounded better above the plane of my ears, rather than below. But I did both for years and they're both good choices. The main thing is having the tweeters roughly aimed at your ears, with the speakers just somewhat canted inwards to form a triangle, with the tip of triangle being behind your head, so to speak. Good to hear. Thank you. What sort of speaker stands would you recommend that would sit on a PC desk? bird with big dick posted:I have five identical speakers I used for PC surround and I tested it and I literally could not tell the difference between 5.1 and 4.1. The first time i used it in 4.1 I still had the center speaker sitting there and I thought i had mistakenly reconnected it, I was 100% convinced there was still sound coming out of it when there wasn’t. Both of your posts have convinced me to ditch my center speaker when it comes time for a new set up. Dumb question but I assume nearfield just means being close to the speakers? Do you generally agree with CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK's speaker recommendations? Seeing as I already have an AVR and a subwoofer, I can spend/save more money on just getting the L/R speakers. Definitely not the right place, but if I do settle with a 2.1 speaker set up, how would I set it up through windows? I think windows settings only has basic stereo but ignores the sub or is all of that handled through the GPU and AVR? The HDMI connection delivering audio is going through my gtx 1070. Ryuga Death fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Jan 26, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 06:12
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This is correct, windows bafflingly only supports 2.0 and 5.1/7.1 setups, so doing 4.0, 2.1 or 4.1 without either a better soundcard than I've ever had or splitting the signal elsewhere in the chain is impossible. If you use 5.1 with no centre you'll lose all the dialogue. Fortunately, windows will let you use a HDMI port (or newer displayport formats with an adaptor) for audio output only, so you can send 10 channels of lossless PCM audio to the AVR of your choice, which can in turn mix that down to whatever combination of speakers you tell it to. HDMI is the only real choice now for multichannel audio, and any video card suitable for gaming should have enough ports to cover a multi monitor setup with at least one left over for audio. If not, you can run one that's not used for gaming through the AVR, as long as it supports the resolution. You won't need high/variable refresh rates or low latency for your spreadsheets.
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Jan 26, 2023 09:46
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Don Dongington posted:You won't need high/variable refresh rates or low latency for your spreadsheets. Well maybe you don't <  >
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Jan 26, 2023 09:53
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Ryuga Death posted:Definitely not the right place, but if I do settle with a 2.1 speaker set up, how would I set it up through windows? I think windows settings only has basic stereo but ignores the sub or is all of that handled through the GPU and AVR? The HDMI connection delivering audio is going through my gtx 1070. I don't think Windows will make trouble here. The AVR should hopefully solve all that for you with some negotiations about the format over HDMI.Then it's the AVR's responsibility to decode or muliplex the signal so the C gets split 50/50 in L&R, etc.
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Jan 26, 2023 10:57
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Ryuga Death posted:Dumb question but I assume nearfield just means being close to the speakers? Basically, yes. It means that you are close enough that you are getting more of the sound energy directly from the speakers rather than from room reflections. Select your AVR as your default sound device on your PC, configure it for Stereo and set the speakers to "full range". The AVR will take that signal and process it properly sending the needed low frequencies to the sub at whatever your crossover point is set at. CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Jan 26, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 14:03
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Or send the full 5.1/7.1 signal and the AVR will downmix as needed. That way you get the full .1 LFE signal (if it's there) to your sub. I have my HTPC configured to send the full 7.1 signal over HDMI to my AVR, which is set up for 2.1, letting that handle any downmixing and crossovers. If I only send full-range stereo, there's no LFE. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Jan 26, 2023 |
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Jan 26, 2023 14:21
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 22:25 |
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KozmoNaut posted:Or send the full 5.1/7.1 signal and the AVR will downmix as needed. That way you get the full .1 LFE signal (if it's there) to your sub. Setting the speakers to full range sends the LFE signal to them anyways. Either method will work.
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Jan 26, 2023 14:25
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