[SOLVED] Connecting the PC to an av-receiver

guymargalit1000

Distinguished
Dec 1, 2015
51
0
18,530
Hey! I'm going to have a pair of speakers (Polk Audio LSI9) for my PC, and I wanted to connect them to a receiver with SVS SB2000 subwoofer. Is there a small receiver that also has an HDMI port? I liked the SVS Prime Sondbase Wireless, it's small but a little bit pricey I think, but it also doesn't have HDMI, only optical. Im not sure how much I have to use HDMI, mainly because I sometime listen to high quality music, but maybe the optical will do great as well?

Is there a cheaper solution that you know of?
 
Solution
Any A/V modern receiver should have HDMI inputs on it. HDMI you only need if you are going to be using it to pass video through. Otherwise using the standard headphone or aux out on the audio or optical will be as good. Unless you have some cheap motherboard with a low quality audio output you will be fine, or you can get a nice USB DAC maybe with a headphone amp and kill two birds with one stone so to speak by having a nice setup for headphones as well. I am a fan of the FX Audio DAC-X6 for a cheap setup, has a line out you can run to an amp and a headphone amp. For higher end with a cleaner and better sound the Topping DX3 is good, same line out and headphone amp but also can take bluetooth input directly. For optical out...
Any A/V modern receiver should have HDMI inputs on it. HDMI you only need if you are going to be using it to pass video through. Otherwise using the standard headphone or aux out on the audio or optical will be as good. Unless you have some cheap motherboard with a low quality audio output you will be fine, or you can get a nice USB DAC maybe with a headphone amp and kill two birds with one stone so to speak by having a nice setup for headphones as well. I am a fan of the FX Audio DAC-X6 for a cheap setup, has a line out you can run to an amp and a headphone amp. For higher end with a cleaner and better sound the Topping DX3 is good, same line out and headphone amp but also can take bluetooth input directly. For optical out, the little FiiO K3 is good and fairly cheap for the quality.

If you want something like the SVS Prime Sondbase that is an amp also so you don't need another amp there like a receiver.
 
Solution

guymargalit1000

Distinguished
Dec 1, 2015
51
0
18,530
Any A/V modern receiver should have HDMI inputs on it. HDMI you only need if you are going to be using it to pass video through. Otherwise using the standard headphone or aux out on the audio or optical will be as good. Unless you have some cheap motherboard with a low quality audio output you will be fine, or you can get a nice USB DAC maybe with a headphone amp and kill two birds with one stone so to speak by having a nice setup for headphones as well. I am a fan of the FX Audio DAC-X6 for a cheap setup, has a line out you can run to an amp and a headphone amp. For higher end with a cleaner and better sound the Topping DX3 is good, same line out and headphone amp but also can take bluetooth input directly. For optical out, the little FiiO K3 is good and fairly cheap for the quality.

If you want something like the SVS Prime Sondbase that is an amp also so you don't need another amp there like a receiver.
Thanks for the reply! Well my motherboard is the Asus Z-170 Deluxe, not sure about the quality of the sound, but I think it would be good. Do you know it?

Is the SVS Prome Soundbase can be good quality the headphones as well?

By the way, how do I connect the speakers to the FX Audio DAC-X6 or the Topping DX3?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply! Well my motherboard is the Asus Z-170 Deluxe, not sure about the quality of the sound, but I think it would be good. Do you know it?

Is the SVS Prome Soundbase can be good quality the headphones as well?

By the way, how do I connect the speakers to the FX Audio DAC-X6 or the Topping DX3?

Yes the amp will be good quality with headphones, but like I said, that is a speaker amp and is $500 so using that along with a receiver is not a good idea, but you can just buy that and use it with the speakers. There are plenty of good amps and receivers, especially used, for much less money. Onkyo, Yamaha, nice Sony models, Adcom, etc.. all are on sites like Craigslist for pretty cheap. Just make sure they have a line input you can run from your motherboard or external DAC.

The DACs have line out that would go to your amp or powered speakers.

The Asus motherboard will have good audio out, not as good as an external DAC but if you don't want to spend extra money it will be fine as a source.
 

guymargalit1000

Distinguished
Dec 1, 2015
51
0
18,530
Yes the amp will be good quality with headphones, but like I said, that is a speaker amp and is $500 so using that along with a receiver is not a good idea, but you can just buy that and use it with the speakers. There are plenty of good amps and receivers, especially used, for much less money. Onkyo, Yamaha, nice Sony models, Adcom, etc.. all are on sites like Craigslist for pretty cheap. Just make sure they have a line input you can run from your motherboard or external DAC.

The DACs have line out that would go to your amp or powered speakers.

The Asus motherboard will have good audio out, not as good as an external DAC but if you don't want to spend extra money it will be fine as a source.
Amazing thanks! I will look for used ones also!
 
Last edited:

guymargalit1000

Distinguished
Dec 1, 2015
51
0
18,530
Things like this https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ele/d/peabody-mint-denon-avr-589-hdmi-51/7146656164.html or https://boston.craigslist.org/sob/ele/d/brockton-harmon-kardon-avr-2650-home/7159257559.html

The good home stereo equipment can last for years, my parents have a JVC setup (their higher end models) that has been running with no issues for over 30 years.
They look good! But if possible I prefer something smaller in size, this is why I thought about the SVS but was wondering if there was sometihng else small