Audio system suggestions/help needed

General Chat
#1

Hi, all,

Right now I’m DMing with Syrinscape on an iPad and a sound bar, connected via bluetooth. The sound bar has pretty good quality, but, coming all from one direction, isn’t particularly immersive for the players.

I’ll really like to get some kind of (affordable) surround sound set-up for my gaming group, but am lost and confused in the wide magical world of audio. Does anyone have any suggestions on what system to buy (or where a non-audiophile might learn more) that won’t put me in debt for the rest of my days?

thanks!

#2

It sort of depends on your setup. Can you run wires or does it all have to be wireless?

For instance, in a basement, it may be easy to run speaker wire, living room,not as much (depending on skill level). For me, I was able to put 7.1 surround in purchasing in-ceiling mounted Polk audio speakers/sub woofer. You will need a receiver to run all the speakers to. They can be pretty reasonable (~200$) or way up there. My requirements are usually the # of HDMI ports I needed.

Also, what breaks your bank may be vastly different than others. But for what it’s worth, I have never been disappointed in Polk Audio speakers. You should be able to do a 7.1 for less than $1000 if needed, less for 5.1 of course. I usually go to Crutchfield.com to start but compare with Amazon and other places as well…

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#3

Thank you! I I can run wires everywhere I’d need to, but am not positive.

How much worse are the wireless options, sound-quality-wise?

I’m also curious as to how much difference there is in Syrinscape 7.1 vs. 5.1. From what I’ve been reading online (regarding home theatre), most people can’t tell the difference between them.

I’m aware that my soundbar I’m using now is subpar mostly due to the directionality of the sound, but I’ve been wondering if 7.1 is really worth the extra cost.

#4

I would DEFINITELY NOT go 7.1 over 5.1

The sound difference is small, even for movies specially mixed for it, and the 2 extra speakers are hard to place in a room.

5.1 is easy = 2 at the fron, 2 at the back, centre and subwoofer

That’s my 2 cents. :slight_smile:

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#5

I agree with Ben, you won’t notice much difference.

I mainly went with 7.1 because wanted to fill my basement area with sound, which is a 24x12 or so area so it really stretches the sound down the room (in which case we can tell). I also have a 110" screen/projector in the room so it was setup for Movies/Games as well.

As far as wireless, if you can run wires, go that route. With wireless, you have to power the speakers which can be just as much trouble. Plain, wired, in-ceiling (or in-wall) speakers are going to be your cheaper option.

Installing in drywall is usually pretty easy to, the speakers come with templates and have the tabs that grab and hold to the dryway, then screw on the cover and done! I only wish I insulated my basement ceiling before I installed the drywall, the sound travels right through the floor! :smile:

#6

I have a 5.2.2 Dolby Atmos setup (meaning a 5.1 setup, with an extra subwoofer, and ceiling speakers with their own channels) I bought my Onkyo receiver refurbished for around 200$, and then all my speakers were purchased used over the course of a few years. My fronts are some advent tower speakers that were gifted but needed some work, and my center was a gifted infinity. My rears are bose that I bought for something like 100$ for the set. And my ceiling speakers are some cheap yamaha’s I got for like 30 bucks (which need to be upgraded). For subs I have a 120 watt RMS boston acoustics 10 inch I got for 40$ on craigslist (which was a steal), and a BIC America 250 watt 12 inch I got for 150$ also on craigslist

A real audiophile would question some of my setup, but as my brother refers to himself and me “We’re not really audiophile, just some dirty bass-heads”. I’ve had syrinscape running and clicked on some thunder and one of my players opened a curtain to see if it was raining because he thought it was real because it came out of a back speaker and I had the subwoofers turned up. This is a long winded way of saying you can build up over a while to what your goal is if you aren’t super picky, and if nothing else it will still be an improvement.

Specifically in regards to 5.1 v 7.1 (or an Atmos setup), most people won’t really notice a difference most of the time. It’s neat when there is a scene in a movie or something once in a while, but mostly it is overkill.

#7

I reckon the two most important things are.

  1. surrounding the players, rather tahn having everything come from one side
  2. good clarity from your main stereo pair
  3. BASS

Oo… that’s three things…

…umm…

ok…

  1. BASS!
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#8

It’s about the base…

Oh, BASS, sorry. :smile:

1 Like
#9

You win! :smile:

…he he…

#10

Thank you for all the help, everyone!

1 Like