Purchasing help

[Siba]

I'm looking for advice on what speakers to buy

Currently I'm situated in my small (12-15'x10-12' is my estimate) room. I'm looking for basically a 2.1 system that can fill my room with sound, maybe shake the roof a bit, and would be a good way to start myself off through the path of an audiophile. I purchased **** Triport headphones after listening to a pair in an apple store, and the difference to me compared to regular headphones/earbuds was like night and day. After reading through these forums a bit, I'm looking for the same sort of revelation. I plan on using the new speakers to watch movies from my computer, also listen to music through the computer, and maybe play a few games using the speakers. Some questions I have are:

1) After doing a bit of research on my own, it seems like my best option is to go with a pair of CBM-170s and an SVS PB10 sub. I think those are the exact models, though you're welcome to correct me if I'm wrong.

2) What kind of equipment other than the speakers and sub would I have to purchase to get everything to run nicely through a standard 3.5mm jack? Would I need a reciever, or do the speakers and sub take the output from my computer's sound card?

3) If a reciever is required, would it add any noticeable latency to the sound? IE would it affect FPS gaming, as I use sound in games like Counterstrike to determine positions :x

4) What kind of damage to my wallet am I looking at for the full setup?

I believe that the CBM-170 pair + PB10 combo might be overkill in my current situation, but I don't want to stand for not having enough. If there is a cheaper alternative I can go with and still have it be overkill, I'd like to know ^^

[KojiroTakenashi]

You can't really run seperates from a minijack, sorry.

Recievers add no latency whatsoever...no clue where you got that idea.

If you're doing 2.1, then your best bet is really to get a reciever and hook it up to the digital out from your sound card...provided you have a digital out (this'll give you the best quality).

This way you can upgrade later and maybe add rears (and PLII Game does a pretty good job of adding accurately-positioned surround stuff)

[einsteinjb]

I'm looking for advice on what speakers to buy

Currently I'm situated in my small (12-15'x10-12' is my estimate) room. I'm looking for basically a 2.1 system that can fill my room with sound, maybe shake the roof a bit, and would be a good way to start myself off through the path of an audiophile. I purchased **** Triport headphones after listening to a pair in an apple store, and the difference to me compared to regular headphones/earbuds was like night and day. After reading through these forums a bit, I'm looking for the same sort of revelation. I plan on using the new speakers to watch movies from my computer, also listen to music through the computer, and maybe play a few games using the speakers. Some questions I have are:

1) After doing a bit of research on my own, it seems like my best option is to go with a pair of CBM-170s and an SVS PB10 sub. I think those are the exact models, though you're welcome to correct me if I'm wrong.

2) What kind of equipment other than the speakers and sub would I have to purchase to get everything to run nicely through a standard 3.5mm jack? Would I need a reciever, or do the speakers and sub take the output from my computer's sound card?

3) If a reciever is required, would it add any noticeable latency to the sound? IE would it affect FPS gaming, as I use sound in games like Counterstrike to determine positions :x

4) What kind of damage to my wallet am I looking at for the full setup?

I believe that the CBM-170 pair + PB10 combo might be overkill in my current situation, but I don't want to stand for not having enough. If there is a cheaper alternative I can go with and still have it be overkill, I'd like to know ^^

Hello!

1. 170 SEs (or classic B stock to save a few $) with a PB10-ISD sub would be AMAZING. I haven't received my 170 SEs yet so I can't comment specifically about the sound yet, but for 2.1 in a small room, computer gaming, etc. from everything I've read about these speakers, it would be outstanding. Overkill? Probably, but if it's in the budget, so what? To save a few $$ and still get a great system, you might consider HTM-200s with something like a Hsu STF-2 or even STF-1. If you were looking to rock the house watching DVDs in a somewhat larger room, yeah everyone will recommend 170s or 340s, but for your purposes you might be quite pleased with the smaller setup.

2. I'm sorry, my metric sucks. Would that be 1/4" or 1/8"? 1/8" is standard for a consumer computer sound card output. Your card will NOT drive real speakers like these (except for the sub, which will be self-powered); these are passive speakers, not powered like many of your typical computer speakers. You will need a receiver. If you're sure you're never going to expand this system to surround, you could save money by choosing a stereo receiver rather than the more common 5.1-7.1 models. However, be aware that the PB10-ISD will only work with a receiver that has a dedicated LFE (RCA) output jack and bass management features. If you get the PB10 you might look at the Panasonic SA-XR55 digital receiver. It's like $230 at Amazon, extremely popular and highly reviewed, and features 100 watts/channel 7.1 surround.

If you get a Hsu, all or most of them include speaker-level ins and outs and a built-in crossover, so you can simply run your speaker wires from your receiver right into the sub, then 2 more speaker wires from the sub to the speakers. The sub will then take its signal from the speaker wires and send the appropriate higher frequencies to the speakers for you, and you don't need a receiver with an LFE output. This is a simple rig for 2.1 stereo systems and works nicely.

Oh, and if your sound card has a digital output, definitely use it to connect to your receiver for best sound quality. If not, you'll need adapters and/or the appropriate cable with 1/8" stereo plug on the computer end and standard RCA L/R male plugs on the other end to plug into your receiver's inputs. (Or spend a few $ to upgrade your computer's sound card to one with digital outs, they're pretty cheap these days.)

3. Absolutely not. Latency is generally more of a recording issue than a playback issue.

4. Well, add it up. Speakers, sub, receiver, speaker wires (use 12 or at least 14 gauge oxygen free copper wire for best quality), interconnects and possibly adapters, maybe stands? Definitely consider buying your miscellaneous wires, adapters, cables etc. at Parts Express .com. Awesome web site.

I'd recommend calling Dave F. at Ascend and getting his thoughts specifically. I'm sure he'll be very helpful.