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TV+DAC+A5's??

post #1 of 8
11/5/12 at 6:21pm
Thread Starter 
Hi, I have a 55" plasma TV **In Living Room** w/ both bluray & an htpc hooked in via hdmi... My TV only has optical audio out (no analog). Right now I have no external speakers and no av receiver.

I want to get A5+'s b/c I like the idea of having a high quality 2.1 setup but since my TV only has the optical out I guess I would have to get a DAC so I can go from TV to the A5's...

My question is, I have heard that most DAC's do not have the ability to decode bluray audio... If I have my htpc and bluray deck connected to the TV via hdmi, can I take the optical audio out from the TV into a DAC then to A5+'s without issue?

Also, I'm unsure about getting the D1 b/c I read that it's powered via usb and I don't want to have to turn on my htpc every time I use the TV.

Basically, my goal is to have a good quality 2.1 setup for music, bluray & regular TV viewing, that gets it's source from the optical audio out from the TV (so i don't have to keep switching between audio inputs).

With my limited audio expertise, I think the best way to achieve this is to have;
HTPC & Bluray Deck --HDMI--> TV --Optical Audio Out--> DAC (d1 or other) --> A5+'s?

I am open to suggestions and any advice would be appreciated, Thanks.

PS; Budget is around $600 (US)
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post #2 of 8
11/6/12 at 3:13pm
Seem to complicate things : get a DTS-HD/Dolby True HD HDMI AVR, a nice 10" active sub and floorstanders/bookies and call it a day ^^ My set up in sig is only DD/DTS via optical/coax and with my cable tv stb, htpc, etc everything plays nice and easy in the living room wink.gif

With $600

$200
Denon AVR 1612
Pioneer VSX-522

$200
BIC F12
Energy 10.3
Polk PSW505

$200
floorstanders/bookies of choice
Edited by trog - 11/6/12 at 3:16pm
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post #3 of 8
11/7/12 at 7:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by trog View Post

Seem to complicate things : get a DTS-HD/Dolby True HD HDMI AVR, a nice 10" active sub and floorstanders/bookies and call it a day ^^ My set up in sig is only DD/DTS via optical/coax and with my cable tv stb, htpc, etc everything plays nice and easy in the living room wink.gif
With $600
$200
Denon AVR 1612
Pioneer VSX-522
$200
BIC F12
Energy 10.3
Polk PSW505
$200
floorstanders/bookies of choice

seems reasonable, but will that setup really give be better quality than the A5+'s? I've heard that those speakers are quite good quality for the price...

Also, small update, got an e-mail response from AudioEngine & they say that TV to DAC is totally fine, just gotta put the TV in PCM stereo output mode.

So, anybody got any better suggestions for High Quality 2.1 for around $600?
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post #4 of 8
11/7/12 at 9:26am
If your TV has a headphone jack, you can use that like a line out! That's what I did on my Samsung TV since its line outs aren't volume-controlled.
That way won't won't need the DAC.
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post #5 of 8
11/7/12 at 10:08am
Err A5s for blu ray, htpc and living room duty? Best head down to AVS forums for more recommendations ^^
http://www.avsforum.com/f/88/audio
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post #6 of 8
11/7/12 at 11:26am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevmatic View Post

If your TV has a headphone jack, you can use that like a line out! That's what I did on my Samsung TV since its line outs aren't volume-controlled.
That way won't won't need the DAC.

No headphone jack. Only Digital Optical Out... Panasonic TC-P55ST50
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post #7 of 8
11/7/12 at 11:27am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by trog View Post

Err A5s for blu ray, htpc and living room duty? Best head down to AVS forums for more recommendations ^^
http://www.avsforum.com/f/88/audio

Thanks for the link. BTW, What's wrong w/ using A5's for living room??
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post #8 of 8
11/7/12 at 11:35pm
For peeps who have heard a range of speakers, these seem not suited either for near field or living room duty - ya the peeps at AVS have a wealth of knowledge and experience and u are welcomed wink.gif In any case $600 could really give ya at least decent 10" active sub, AVR with DTS-HD/Dolby True HD (prolly 4 HDMI in for current and future sources) and LFE/bass control
Edited by trog - 11/7/12 at 11:38pm
El Pinguis Cattus
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El Pinguis Cattus
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