[sridhu]

Hi

What are you using for good quality sound on your home pc set up?


I have a decent HP EliteDesk - a business oriented PC. It has a lot of USB port & aux out for stereo & mic. NO HDMI. It needs to use low profile PCIe cards for anything. I have a dedicated AKG Lyra mic

I want a decent sound system for this PC. Major use cases:
- Calls / Web conferences
- Songs - rock & classical
- YouTube /Hotstar movies


I need a good 2.1 system with clean sound and deep bass. No need for huge power - bass is just to delineate the music.

So what are my sound options?

Ideally I want something that would use the USB port so that it can come on & switch off with the PC. Not too many cables/ connections, if possible.

I was looking at soundbars but am leery of bluetooth connections due to lag.

What I was looking at:
Dell Stereo SoundBar- AC511M - sound not full enough. But otherwise fits my needs.

Creative Stage 2.1 Channel 160W Under-Monitor Soundbar - Looks good. Does not seem to be USB driven.
Question: are USB-HDMI converters any good for audio fidelity? No lag? If so, this would be my pick

Creative Stage Air 20W Compact Multimedia Under Monitor USB-Powered Soundbar - Seems good enough. Any opinions? Particularly compared to the 2.1 and the DELL?

G SJ3 2.1Ch 300W Sound Bar - Left field pick. Probably too big for desktop


The alternative is to find a good low-profile PCIe Sound card and decent 2.1 speakers. Any reccos?

This Padarsey PCIe Sound Card, 5.1 Internal Sound Card for PC Windows 10 with Low Profile Bracket seems to be the only alternative. I have not heard of the brand.

My current set up is (was?) a Creative 5.1 analogue setup 10 years old. Was very happy with it. Realized 2.1 is sufficient

[Sebring]

Im using the Bose SoundLink Mini Multimedia speaker in one room. And Bose Solo5 in another. The system is iMac/Laptop. It gives rich room-filling sound

[Ragul]

IMHO a 2.1 system wont cut it for accurate listening on conf-calls - the SQ will distract from intellectual focus. You are better served by a tiny product like "Infinity (JBL) Fuze Pint Deep Bass Dual EQ Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Portable Speaker" dedicated for Telecalls.
it sounds fantastic with the Mono setup facilitating absolute concentration on the spoken word.

Cheers

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by Ragul

IMHO a 2.1 system wont cut it

Originally Posted by Sebring

Im using the Bose SoundLink Mini Multimedia

Am currently using a Sony SRS-X5. Pretty decent for calls but not good enough for the occasional music session (need it when I am concentrating). Wouldn't it be on a similar plane to the Soundlink & the JBL?

I tried the Zebronics Groove & the UE Mobile Boombox - smaller BT speakers (the latter I used for concalls on the phone). Does not cut it.

[deathwalkr]

Me? I have a Topping E30 DAC connected to my PC via USB and a pair of Edifier R2750db speakers connected to the DAC.

Am a happy soul when i listen to music

[Sebring]

The Bose is on a different plane, and cant be compared to JBL and Sony. Its really superior

Originally Posted by sridhu

Am currently using a Sony SRS-X5. Pretty decent for calls but not good enough for the occasional music session (need it when I am concentrating). Wouldn't it be on a similar plane to the Soundlink & the JBL? I tried the Zebronics Groove & the UE Mobile Boombox - smaller BT speakers (the latter I used for concalls on the phone). Does not cut it.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sridhu

What are you using for good quality sound on your home pc set up?

I use this JBL SB400 soundbar. Killer sound, thumping bass. Makes my home office room like a nightclub if I want

Calls / Web conferences

Would suggest separating them out. Separately, get a set of bluetooth headphones for the calls & conferences. Your family members will be happier too.

[deathwalkr]

GTO: My OCD is going haywire looking at those wires/cables Please get a cord organizer

@OP: As GTO said, separate the music/movies from the calls. And a pair of powered bookshelf speakers would be great for music.

Ultimately depends on your budget. There is no upper limit.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Hi

What are you using for good quality sound on your home pc set up?


I want a decent sound system for this PC. Major use cases:
- Calls / Web conferences
- Songs - rock & classical
- YouTube /Hotstar movies


I need a good 2.1 system with clean sound and deep bass. No need for huge power - bass is just to delineate the music.

So what are my sound options?

I was in a similar situation. Soundbar, many models you listed, was also my first choice but thats when I came across JBL Professional 104 point source monitors. I bought a set of these from Flipkart (they have better price and newer 104 bt model) and couldn't be happier. I'm not using BT but aux to connect to laptop. These have the right amount of bass to enjoy music, movies and the vocals are clear. I'm thinking of picking up another pair.

Before JBL 104 I tried using my Harmon Kardon Omni 20+ wireless pair set up in stereo mode but the audio was delayed even with aux cable to master.

HK Omni20+ is kind of bass heavy and goes pretty loud if needed, but JBL104 is just perfect.

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by GTO

I use this JBL SB400 soundbar. Killer sound, thumping bass. Makes my home office room like a nightclub if I want

Would suggest separating them out. Separately, get a set of bluetooth headphones for the calls & conferences. Your family members will be happier too.

Originally Posted by Sankar

I was in a similar situation. Soundbar, many models you listed, was also my first choice but thats when I came across JBL Professional 104 point source monitors. I bought a set of these from Flipkart (they have better price and newer 104 bt model) and couldn't be happier. I'm not using BT but aux to connect to laptop. These have the right amount of bass to enjoy music, movies and the vocals are clear. I'm thinking of picking up another pair.
.

Thanks. I have a Bose headphone that goes into my AKG Lyra if I do not want to disturb the rest. My home office is pretty isolated and I dont tend to go too loud; so this is not a major ask. I tend to switch on the video by default and i dont like headsets, somehow.

Was looking at something in the 10k range. @GTO, the SB400 seems to be out of production.
@Sankar. the JBL104 looks ideal. Was worried about lag.

Also, the Dell/ Creative etc - not recommended?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Was looking at something in the 10k range. @GTO, the SB400 seems to be out of production.
@Sankar. the JBL104 looks ideal. Was worried about lag.

Also, the Dell/ Creative etc - not recommended?

Creative used to be great when they were associated with Cambridge Soundworks. Now most of their models under 10k are either too bass heavy with muddy vocals or too tinny. Their Gigaworks range used to be better.

JBL 104 is ideal trust me. Buy the 104BT model. I don't think I could have bought a better pair of PC or TV speakers for 9k. There is no lag with aux input.

[Ragul]

If you are hellbent on a sound bar the the Anker soundcore motion+ is the one to go for. It is the ONLY sound bar with AptX support and it sounds great with my phone. The only hitch is that your phone should support AptX too. Qualcomm chipsets support it by default but I’ve seen others surprisingly list AptX support as well... only on Flipkart and for less than 4K it’s a steal. All other AptX speakers cost 5x this one and only International markets have them.

[Sebring]

Thanks buddy. My brother was on the look out for something like this, and after searching a bit, found it. Have placed an order. It's out of stock mostly, so must be a great speaker. I use a lot of Anker stuff. Will review the product, once I receive it

Originally Posted by Ragul

If you are hellbent on a sound bar the the Anker soundcore motion+ is the one to go for.

[Ragul]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Thanks buddy. My brother was on the look out for something like this, and after searching a bit, found it. Have placed an order. It's out of stock mostly, so must be a great speaker. I use a lot of Anker stuff. Will review the product, once I receive it

I am not happy with the SQ for phone calls though it sounds great for music.
Tip: Ensure that phone calls is disabled on the Bluetooth connection and only AptX is enabled in the BT menu for the device. The Music SQ deteriorates if Phone call audio is also enabled - possibly fallback to SBC protocol may be the factor...

[Sebring]

Thanks for the honest feedback. I'm seeing a lot of guys using this as a soundbar. For phone calls, a different set up can be arrived at

Originally Posted by Ragul

I am not happy with the SQ for phone calls though it sounds great for music. Tip: Ensure that phone calls is disabled on the Bluetooth connection and only AptX is enabled in the BT menu for the device. The Music SQ deteriorates if Phone call audio is also enabled - possibly fallback to SBC protocol may be the factor...