Technology Explained What sound setup do you have for your PC?

[WhoIsJOB]

Interesting to see your setups now.
For background music in our small flat, I have an Arcam Alpha 6 driving AR18LS speakers from either a Wiim Mini or my iFi Zen DAC V2, depending on whether I'm using my laptop or phone for music.

For headphones, I use the iFi into Audeze LCD2 or Cayin RU7 into the LCD2.

Got a Sennheiser HD600 for a steal this week off ebay after selling my Oppo PM-3, but just waiting for new pads and headpad to arrive to start using it. Looking to get Dekoni pads for them and the LCD2 at a later stage.

At the office, Sennheiser CX400BT do duties since the Oppo cans are now gone.

 

[goldfritter]

My headphone setup is unchanged (CTH + Fidelio X2 + V-Moda BoomPro) except I now use an Apple USB-C to 3.5mm adapter as the DAC as well as ADC for the mic (to resolve a ground loop). My online friends say my voice suddenly sounds amazingly crisp.

BUT I have finally managed to get my home theatre system connected directly to my main PC. So now I can finally play on the couch in 55" 4K 120Hz HDR glory, with 5.0ch sound from an oldish Yamaha AVR and Bentley FS120s/FC100 and B&W DM303s for sound duty. It's strong "this is the way the game was meant to be experienced" vibes. And I don't even have a sub yet...

 

[RandomSheepZA]

So things on my side have changed over time.

Dac: ifi Zen Dac (When it wants to actually work in windows) so this needs to be replaced
Headphones: BD DT990
Mic: Samson Fastrak
Speakers: Edifier 1280DBs with a Chromecast Audio connected if i want some phone music.

 

[Toxxyc]

Yamaha Pianocraft RX-810 amplifier that I got with issues, but managed to fix a while back. This amp is driving homemade speakers on my desktop (I need to rebuild the boxes and get a proper crossover for the drivers). A Tannoy active subwoofer keeps up the low end when I need it.

 

[WhoIsJOB]

When I return to SA I'm going to try acquire a Naim Nait 2 to drive a pair of Tannoy Autograph Mini speakers in a near-field setup to complement the headphone setup. @goldfritter that surround setup sounds sublime.
@Toxxyc care to elaborate on the homemade speakers? Quite intrigued.
@RandomSheepZA i can wholeheartedly recommend a Cayin RU7. Wonderful sound in a very compact form factor with line out functionality.

 

[Toxxyc]

@Toxxyc care to elaborate on the homemade speakers? Quite intrigued.

Sure. A good 7 or 8 years ago I wanted to build a set of speakers. Always been a fun thing to do. So I spoke to a guy who, at the time I didn't know who he was, but turned out to be Vaugh Bentley (from Bentley Acoustics). He helped me source a set of Italian drivers from Sica, with a crossover, on a tight budget. It works, but it wasn't perfect, because budget.

I then proceeded to somehow calculate the completely wrong enclosure size, and I still don't know how I did that. According to the drivers' T/S parameters, the enclosure for the mids should be between 2.8l and 3.5l in size. For some reason I went and built them at 7.3l in size. So they aren't performing as they should, they sound hollow, and to top it off, the drivers turned out to be entry professional mids, and they cannot reproduce low end at all. They simply don't have the dimensions or travel for it. That's why there's an active subwoofer in the system.

I'm now trying to redesign a much smaller enclosure, but I spoke to a speaker designer and he mentioned the crossovers are also not ideal, and we might need to redo them as well. So now I have to rebuild the enclosures, and then send him a completed speaker so he can design the crossover for them in the specific enclosure.

I'm looking forward to this, as it'll allow me to build a much smaller set of desktop speakers, and I can then lift them up off the desktop as well. That would be nice.

 

[Miz3r]

Just a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 running through a mixamp with external boom condenser mic

 

[RandomSheepZA]

When I return to SA I'm going to try acquire a Naim Nait 2 to drive a pair of Tannoy Autograph Mini speakers in a near-field setup to complement the headphone setup. @goldfritter that surround setup sounds sublime.
@Toxxyc care to elaborate on the homemade speakers? Quite intrigued.
@RandomSheepZA i can wholeheartedly recommend a Cayin RU7. Wonderful sound in a very compact form factor with line out functionality.

Thanks bud but am looking for a desk DAC/Amp over a portable one.

 

[Terumo]

I am using a Nuprime UDSD Dac, NAD C352 Integrated Amp and Boston A25 Speakers.
Headphones are HD650 ( magic on this NAD amp) DT770 Pro 80 ohms and Sony MDR 7506.
This setup has kept the cud and audio rabit hole at bay for a few years

 

[lil_nap]

For headphones it's Sennheiser Hd600 / Beyerdynamics 900 Pro X with FIIO K7 DAC/Amp.
For speakers I have the Fosi Audio V3 and a pair of Bentley Acoustics RB2 connected to my K7 for pre-amp.

 

[goldfritter]

For headphones it's Sennheiser Hd600 / Beyerdynamics 900 Pro X with FIIO K7 DAC/Amp.
For speakers I have the Fosi Audio V3 and a pair of Bentley Acoustics RB2 connected to my K7 for pre-amp.

How is the Fosi? I've been working on setting up a stereo system for the lounge and I was looking at Fosis on Takealot. I've now gone for a vintage Pioneer integrated instead, but those Fosis look like great value, provided they sound the part.

 

[NI∀ƆOƆ‾⊥ᴚ∩ʞ]

Thanks bud but am looking for a desk DAC/Amp over a portable one.

Check this,

[For Sale] - Fiio FT5 magnetic planar headphones [keeping] | Headphones

Item: Fiio FT5 magnetic planar open back headphones Age: 8 months Price: keeping Payment Method Accepted: EFT Warranty: Yes, remainder 1 year Warranty Holder: Wootware Packaging: Yes full including leather case and bag Condition: Excellent, barely used. Leather cushions are untouched Location...

carbonite.co.za

 

[lil_nap]

How is the Fosi? I've been working on setting up a stereo system for the lounge and I was looking at Fosis on Takealot. I've now gone for a vintage Pioneer integrated instead, but those Fosis look like great value, provided they sound the part.

So far I have no complaints with the unit I have. I opted for the 48V and there's plenty of power. The only thing that I saw is that the pre-out is not really a real pre-out if you wanted to connect an active sub to it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetAudiophile/comments/156qaia/psa_fosi_audio_v3_preout_does_not_scale_with_the

 

[RandomSheepZA]

Check this,

[For Sale] - Fiio FT5 magnetic planar headphones [keeping] | Headphones

Item: Fiio FT5 magnetic planar open back headphones Age: 8 months Price: keeping Payment Method Accepted: EFT Warranty: Yes, remainder 1 year Warranty Holder: Wootware Packaging: Yes full including leather case and bag Condition: Excellent, barely used. Leather cushions are untouched Location...

carbonite.co.za

Have been looking, after the wedding will look into it

Thanks dude

 

[Dr Evil]

I've been using Fosi Audio K5 Pro DAC with BD DT 990 Pro 250ohm. Still busy looking into mic solutions but if I'm playing multilplayer games then I switch over to my Sennheiser GSP 300 headset.

 

[goldfritter]

@goldfritter that surround setup sounds sublime.

It sounds great.

The connection to the PC is pretty hilarious though. The cable from the PC to the to the TV needs to be about 6m incl. some slack. I knew this day would come, so I had this post by @Kamikaze stored in the back of my head. I checked UniTerm's site, and I was fixed on an 8k cable, since then I could achieve 4k120Hz. Good news, they have them, bad news, the shortest length in the 8k is 30m. So I have about 24m of premium fibre optic cable coiled up behind my TV stand. Worth it though, the cable works perfectly, as opposed to the supposed fancy cables you get on Takealot, which all suck in my experience.

That's not the end of it though. My receiver is old, so if I connect the PC to the receiver, I only get 4k30Hz, and if I connect it to the TV, I only get stereo sound since the receiver doesn't support eARC. So neither of those would suffice. The mobo has optical out, but getting 5.1 from Windows via optical is apparently a nightmare. Then I remembered that I happened to have a 3m HDMI cable and a 3m HDMI extender lying around... So audio goes via this monstrosity from the GPU to the receiver, and it actually works fine, except when I lose the mouse cursor on the receiver's "screen."

I'm now using all four outputs on my GPU, with the TV, receiver, and two screens on the desk.

 

[Acornbread]

I have an ancient Logitech Z-2300 2.1 satellite and subwoofer set. I can't even remember exactly when I got it but I think it's about 20 years old now. Logitech don't make speakers like this anymore. I am holding on to it for as long as I can, it sounds phenomenal. I will cry if it stops working.

I recently got a pair of B&W Px7 S3s bluetooth headphones. They sound sublime. Unfortunately though, the bluetooth connection results in very subtle but noticeable audio desynchronization. I couldn't manage to sort this out so I just started using them wired, they sound slightly better that way and the audio sync is perfect.

I'm also running a PS4 on my desktop hooked up to a Philips Fidelio HTL9100 soundbar with wireless detachable surrounds and a subwoofer. The surround speakers stopped working years ago and I never got around to getting them repaired, but the unit works fine in stereo mode and sounds great in general.

I'm planning to get a Logitech Z906 set later this year which I can use with both the PC & PS4. Just waiting for a special.

 

[KangarooMike]

For the longest time I was using a 1st gen Corsair Void USB and those things lasted me a long time. Something like 8 years. I decided to retire them due to the earcup wear and got a new set of Corsair Voids. They didn't feel as comfortable (even after 6 months of breaking in) and then in the middle of a CS game they snapped in half (presumably due to my BIG BRAIN plays [I'm 6k elo])

So I had to replace them and at that point in time in my life I was doing a load of circuit marshalling and I wanted a set of in ears so that I could hear the radio with GT3's going past me. I settled on a set of Sennheiser IE 100 Pro's which is their low end wired IEM.

I have only ever had 1 other set of IEM's and they were some KZ's which were not spectacular but good enough.

*DISCLAIMER*
I am not an audio engineer so what I am saying could be inaccurate

For a (at the time) R1000 set of IEM's they sound quite nice. Acceptable low end and good rest of the range. The high end is WAY more clear than my Voids were. I quite enjoy the sound stage that it gives me.

I was worried about the long term comfort. I find Airpods quite uncomfortable along with most other in ear listening experiences. Even my KZ's I couldn't have in my ear for more than 2 hours without feeling significant discomfort. These just fit my ear well. I can go an entire day at the track and only take them out at lunch break.

They give a good seal and it even makes the pops from the R8's not deafening.

If you are looking for a cheapish IEM then I would recommend them.

In future for my desk setup I will probably look at going towards an HD 400 Pro or HD 490 Pro but that is when I have big boy money

 

[loonie00811]

i use my tv for most audio to avoid damage and sit like 1 meter away from it as monitor .So playing games or watching during the week .

no audiophile and no know it all at all .
Just a person with multiple setups

do have a few projects half done or not even started at all ,got some speaker drivers for porjects from swift eleectronics


have a lg cheapie 5.2 floorstanders in the living room ,but i never use it its just if family comes over and they want to watch movies .


1.For movie days i use a pioneer todoroki 5.1 with sub turned off on 30% .With sub on at 60% it caused windows cracks and cieling to come apart that i had to fix after each session repainting and silicone . We redemied it by not using the sub at all ,also 4x thickness curtians helped alot .

Then my music sistems are in the garage ,soundblaster z ,

hybrid,frankenstein mixed system

for normal sound sansui amp connected to digital out on soundblaster z , have repurposed 6 inch bookshelf ported enclosure. Using 8 inch drivers in them ,and made them even smaller inside by lining them with carpet under felt and over that with 15mm dark grey foam ,removed silk dome tweeter connected bullet tweeters ,tweaked a 3 way crossover and threw it in there it works well ,Yes its very more intense then then 6 inch that was in there.No it still has bass believe it or not .


then if that is not enough and i have to drown out even more noise from grinders and bikes being reffed or shebeen parties ,i turn on the next stage .

power mixer connected to soundblaster subwoofer out connected to 2 vintage jbl ininifty 15 inch 2 way cabinets ,removed crossover ,and disconnected tweeters ,so uses soundblaster as crossover on 84hz .

power mixer number two connected to main out on soundblaster z ,connected to 2 x nexus 300b 15inch speakers with a rolled up inductor ,connected to another seperate open baffle with a 3 way crossover to a 8 inch mid for some reason it works ,and a compression driver with a 3d printed multi cell mini horn flare .


Again its loud but not that loud ,its just destructive so keep it on 3th or 40% of power otherwise my roof`s wood seams crack and break .
Tired of maintenance .mostly on saterdays when it gets too much ,do few hours ac/dc black sabbath ,queen,creedence ,some old classic rock ,........no metal then to round it off or such some psychedelic and goa or new age techno not known ,hate to play top hits and such what came out each year.

I can`t do headphones or earphones also can`t do that ear protectors for very long few minutes max ,need to do work and get it over and done with .anything playing directly in my ears or covering my ears its discomfort .I can`t explain it but it feel like a needle in my ears .

I also don`t do car sound at all .

 

[Geriatrix]

Currently have a Logitech Z506 5.1 surround sound system hooked up to my PC. Just need a decent PCI-E sound card that works with Windows 11.

 

[JustJean]

A set of old school Logitech z680's that I've been using for 20 years or so now and they still pump.
Love love love these speakers.

And for cans I have a set of Audio Technica M50X's
Limited blue with Dekoni pads

 

[Geriatrix]

A set of old school Logitech z680's that I've been using for 20 years or so now and they still pump.
Love love love these speakers.

Dibs on the Z680 set when you upgrade!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[JustJean]

Dibs on the Z680 set when you upgrade!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

I'm gonna be a Geriatrix when I upgrade 😂

 

[D-wired]

So as the title states, let us know what sound setup do you have at home?

Are you just a headphone user with no way to annoy your neighbours?

What speaker setup do have and are you looking to upgrade?

I had a gander at the different ways that you can make your PC produce sounds. Did I miss something?

Running a Behringer U-PHORIA UMC202HD audio interface, the MIDAS pre-amps are really good. Have it connected to a Shure SM58 on a boom. Really happy with the setup. Used a XLR splitter for both inputs as the Behringer maps channel 1 to the left ear and channel 2 to the right channel. So now I can hear myself clearly with the signal going into both channels.

Listening on wired over-ear Sennheiser Momentum 2's. Replaced the cable and cushions - really love the quality.

Then for annoying the neighbours, I have 2 12inch subs in the back of my car - running on a PowerBass amp rated at 1800W RMS. Installed 0-gauge wiring and enjoying the clean bass without distortions while driving.

At home I also have a Roland V-Drums PM3 that gets used for the electric drum set and for providing bass when connected with my own amp. Built it with 2 pre-amps and a power amp for casual listening from a kit (although mashed 3 kits + upgraded caps and transformers into one to get the final amp).

 

[Oj0]

I have a large-ish house. I like to be able to hear the music throughout, including outside by the pool/braai area.

This has been reason for a need for change. Hearing the windows and doors vibrating from outside while deafening any poor sod indoors wasn't ideal, so I got a 2nd cheapy setup for outdoors.

Nothing has changed other than the amp, which is now an Onkyo TX-SR508. It's a day and night difference compared to the Pioneer.

The 2nd zone on the Onkyo now feeds a second amp, which feeds a pair of Dixon SDJ1501 15" speakers which are used exclusively outside. Having Bluetooth is also handy for streaming from my phone when outside.

Is their sound quality good? Maybe about half that of what's indoors (it's hard to quantify quality). Is it better than listening to over a dozen windows rattle when outside? Absolutely. 100x over.

 

[Acornbread]

I’ve spent the last few months upgrading the audio in my office. I have the Edifier R1700BTs bookshelf speakers paired with the Edifier T5 subwoofer. PC is connected to it via the Sound Blaster X1 DAC and the PS5 is connected via the Aiyima DAC-02.

The sound out of this system is fantastic and punches well above its weight. I couldn’t be happier. Given the space constraints of the room, this is as good as it needs to be.

I’m also using the B&W Px7 S3 headphones for critical listening and the KZ-ZS10 Pro X IEMs for those hot days when over-ear cans are just too uncomfortable to wear for long. The B&Ws are nothing short of amazing. The KZs are impressive for their price, although I can see myself itching to upgrade them in a year or 2 for something more refined.

I had previously planned to get something like the Logitech Z906 surround package for this setup, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore. It just feels unnecessary when what I currently have sounds so good.

The lounge entertainment system has a Sabaj D3 DAC feeding a Yamaha A-S500 integrated amp which drives a pair of Wharfedale Pacific Evo 30 floor-standers. This system is my pride and joy, it makes anything I throw at it sound sublime. It doesn’t even need a sub, although at some stage I’d like to get a surround receiver and add some surrounds and a centre to turn it into a full home theatre.

The source is an Xbox One X, which handles any media file imaginable (like a PC but without the hassle of the Windows environment) as well as all the disc formats. I also have the SteelSeries Arctis 7X for gaming.