Speaker System with HTPC - Advice?

[kingpotnoodle]

I've got my HTPC's onboard sound disabled at the BIOS, a Radeon 5450 outputting sound over HDMI to a Samsung LE32A559P4F. The TV speakers though obviously suck, no bass and quiet. Temporarily I connected my set of AE Aego 2.1 speakers to the headphone output on the TV, sounds OK but this disabled most of the audio customisation options and sounds a bit weird with music coming from the PC.

Been looking at home cinema systems, but I haven't been able to work out if I connect the PC via HDMI will the sound come through the home cinema speakers or is it only the sound from the cinema system's DVD unit or the TV.

A Samsung system would integrate nicely with Anynet+ etc but it's not essential. I'm not bothered about Blu-ray as the HTPC handles that and I need 2.1 because I can't run wires in my living room, and not to expensive. Alternatively I could just get some speakers with an optical input?

What's the best thing to get?

[chris_argyle]

Is there anything else connected to the TV, eg xbox?
When just viewing TV do you use a tuner in the HTPC or the TV?

[jim]

I don't really get you to be honest.

If you get an expensive av receiver, then it can take the audio out of the HDMI stream and play it through the speakers attached to the receiver. Last time I was looking, the cheaper units were unable to do that. Cheap meaning <£400.

The best thing - in my opinion - is to do is get a av-receiver/amp with optical input and use that.

If you want something cheap, why not just buy a computer 2.1 system and attach it to the headphone jack on the HTPC? You'd have to enable the onboard sound, obviously.

But I'm still not quite sure what you want, your post was a bit confusing.

[kingpotnoodle]

Sorry I might be a bit confusing... to be honest audio I'm a bit of a noob with.

Is there anything else connected to the TV, eg xbox?
When just viewing TV do you use a tuner in the HTPC or the TV?

Wii/XBox and I've been thinking about Sky or Virgin. I use the HTPC tuner, my girlfriend refuses to use the HTPC and so sticks to the TV's tuner - apparently the HTPC is too complicated

Thats why I've been using the headphone socket on the TV and the Aegos, so I can have better speakers connected and outputting whatever sound from whatever source is being used. If I connect the speakers to the HTPC then they only function with the HTPC (and the onboard sound isn't so good), consoles and everything else get the crappy TV speakers...

(My gaming PC also wants it Aegos back!)

The home cinema systems look nice etc but I'm now thinking is just over complicating it and I'm better off just connecting decent speakers to the TV's sound output (optical or coax?)...

[chris_argyle]

In this situation I personally would get an amp with several HDMI inputs and one out. Then you use HDMI to connect all devices (HTPC, Xbox, and TV receiver) directly to the amp. I would also run an optical to the amp from the TV so when the TV's tuner is used it also benefits from the better sound.

As an example something like Sony-strdh500

As I understand it the problem with using a home cinema is not just that the sound quality wont be up to the same quality, but some TV sets downmix a 5.1 signal they get in, to a 2.1 they output through their optical, rather than using the superior audio processing of the HTK to downmix.

[kingpotnoodle]

In this situation I personally would get an amp with several HDMI inputs and one out. Then you use HDMI to connect all devices (HTPC, Xbox, and TV receiver) directly to the amp. I would also run an optical to the amp from the TV so when the TV's tuner is used it also benefits from the better sound.

As an example something like Sony-strdh500

As I understand it the problem with using a home cinema is not just that the sound quality wont be up to the same quality, but some TV sets downmix a 5.1 signal they get in, to a 2.1 they output through their optical, rather than using the superior audio processing of the HTK to downmix.

Ahh yes, that looks exactly what I need. Thanks :-)

[Jackchew2008]

Ahh yes, that looks exactly what I need. Thanks :-)

I agree with Chris,as some customers asked the same question to once our 5.1 hometheater was used.Some guys can not make right adjustment....misunderstand the quality...

[j.o.s.h.1408]

Re mortgage your house and get this http://www.denon.co.uk/site/frames_m...etail&Pid=414&

with this http://www.whathifi.com/Review/BandW-685-Theatre/