Sound Bar or Sound Base for Computer Speakers

[dnavratil]

Has anyone tried using a soundbar or soundbase with their desktop system.  I've assembled my own W10 DT, 16 GB Ram, SSD, 6 Months old. I was in Wal-Mart the other day and they had a Sumsung soundbar giving a demo of jazz music, it really sounded great!!  Don't laugh too much at me, I've new to computer audio (Don't have any speakers at all including on the monitor)!! Tks for any input - DN

[Wilderness]

For a little less than what a Sonos soundbase or soundbar costs you could get the Audioengine HD6 powered speakers.  These have the amplifiers and DAC built in, and so you would not need a receiver or external amplifier or DAC.  These sound a lot better than the Sonos products and have better stereo separation.  They also have a sub out port so that you could add a subwoofer later, although they already have much better bass than what the Sonos soundbase offers.  I added a small sub, but you can get by without one with the HD6 speakers.  The HD6 speakers have a lot of connection options, including optical, RCA, mini 3.5, etc.

 

The HD6 speakers can also do double duty for a TV and computer audio.  I have my HD6 speakers connected to my computer and my TV, and when I want to listen to music I just hit the mute button on my TV remote.

 

I added a Wyred 4 Sound Remedy reclocker between my computer and an external DAC, but you can still get good audio -- better than a soundbar's audio  -- without this device.  Now that I added this device, though, the sound quality improved to the point that I am blown away with jazz, rock, electronic, folk, and ambient.  The treble really came alive with the reclocker.

 

Get some good audio software for your computer, and the HD6 speakers, and that's all you need to start.  I use JRiver on my iMac, but there are other options for PCs.

 

The Sonos speakers are all limited to 16/44 files, but the Audioengine HD6 speakers can play up to 24/192.  That may not matter to you now, but it could at some point.

 

CNet has two stories advising people to get two speakers instead of a soundbar for TV audio.  I agree, and the fact that I can use one set of speakers for audio from both my TV and computer not only makes sense financially but also to get better sound.

[Masterstroke]

I empathise. I have a decent quality dedicated MacMini based AV system in my living room and also another MacMini in my study. At the moment I have just an old pair of Logitech + base speakers, but am looking for something much better for a quality secondary system. This looks really, really interesting and should be right up your street. Not due till early next year, so lots of time to consider your options. 

Yarra 3DX – The Future of Immersive 3D Audio.webloc