I'm trying to get a decent setup for a surround sound system to be used for my computer. I use my computer for some gaming but also a lot of tv/movie viewing and a lot of music (mp3) listening.
Things I want:
* 5.1 channel
* Digital optical input
* Universal mount compatible front and rear speakers (going to put them on stands)
* Long speaker wire runs (20 ft+) generally not available in computer speaker packages.
* Decent sound quality -- and my definition of decent is probably a lot lower than a lot of people's here.
How Much to spend: Up to around $250. I'm not looking for an awesome system, just something decent for low end use. I have my full home theater when I want the best quality experience. Most of what I do on my computer isn't even particularly great quality (netflix, hulu, etc.) so please don't harangue me about a $10,000 system
I've been looking at computer specific speakers and they all look like they completely suck or are decent but only 2.1 ch. So, I started looking at home theater in a box solutions that include DVD players + 5.1 speakers similar to this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+...&skuId=2052149
The DVD players are useless to me, but the discrete amp is nice (though laughable in their claimed power on most that I've seen, ha!) and the ability to easily connect any kind of speaker I want is a huge plus. Previously I've used a setup that included a "real" receiver + 5.1 speakers but I'm not interested in spending that much money for this setup.
So, anyone have experience using these home theaters in a box for similar purposes, and if so, any advice? Do similar items exist that are in the same price range but made purely for audio not audio and video?
Things I want:
* 5.1 channel
* Digital optical input
* Universal mount compatible front and rear speakers (going to put them on stands)
* Long speaker wire runs (20 ft+) generally not available in computer speaker packages.
* Decent sound quality -- and my definition of decent is probably a lot lower than a lot of people's here.
How Much to spend: Up to around $250. I'm not looking for an awesome system, just something decent for low end use. I have my full home theater when I want the best quality experience. Most of what I do on my computer isn't even particularly great quality (netflix, hulu, etc.) so please don't harangue me about a $10,000 system
I've been looking at computer specific speakers and they all look like they completely suck or are decent but only 2.1 ch. So, I started looking at home theater in a box solutions that include DVD players + 5.1 speakers similar to this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+...&skuId=2052149
The DVD players are useless to me, but the discrete amp is nice (though laughable in their claimed power on most that I've seen, ha!) and the ability to easily connect any kind of speaker I want is a huge plus. Previously I've used a setup that included a "real" receiver + 5.1 speakers but I'm not interested in spending that much money for this setup.
So, anyone have experience using these home theaters in a box for similar purposes, and if so, any advice? Do similar items exist that are in the same price range but made purely for audio not audio and video?
