One for audiophiles.

[barracuda816]

Evening Gents (and ladies),

I have a question and after some time with google, i am non the wiser. I have a room in the basement that i have turned into an office and i would like to also use it as a film night room. I have my desk set up facing left and the Tv would be set up facing forward. Now i would like to wire in some speakers and would like to use the same ones for the computer and the TV. But obviously the speakers that are behind when watching a film would be to my side when im at the computer.

Does any one know any ways of swapping the speaker location virtually?

I really have no idea about sound systems or speakers ect. So any education on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

kind regards, Luke

 

[zx9]

Easiest with DSP and a multi channel amp / amps but expensive.
Would use this sort of thing for work Extron DMP 128 but no idea what to use for budget home set up.

 

[mtt.tr]

When you say switch do you mean left to right?

Easiest would be a physical audio switch

 

[gaz1]

as my pc system is the same for a multi media station then i use it rather well

i have this set and a better set

Pardon our interruption...

both kick out the sound and also kick out some good bass as well

i use both 5.1 and 6.1 speakers but you need 3 wires to them or a splitter if you want all 4 trebel and middle range in use for tv reference the bass wire is different though with tv audio out

now as i dont watch much tv i use the surround sound of the system the switch above and its within the computer settings you can switch it so all 4 speakers are in use there is another setting within the pc to swap and allow the bass speaker to be used

however on my offline system i found a program that is to pay for and ive got it for free that can be switched on and give further speaker control more so turning off hdmi and swapping to your main speakers tvs really do sound tiny withioout that base speaker on

note i do like to kick out that bass when im in the mood for it

 

[hotponyshoes]

I would think any old sound processor would do the job.
Put the speakers in front of the TV and then, when using the computer, switch to one of the sound field modes like 'Church or Stadium' and it should mess up the sound enough not to notice where the speakers are!
Actually, you could probably just get some sort of software to do this via the pc and save getting the processor.

Either way, I would set up the speakers to suit the tv as dialogue will sound wrong if it's not matching to the screen whereas background music sounds OK off-axis.

If you want audiophile proformance in both locations then you need a second set of speakers and a switch or 2 amps.
If you are after decent sound then a 2nd set of speakers would probably give a better sound-per-£ than a decent processor.

I did notice that you said the tv speakers are behind you when watching TV though so maybe you are talking about a full surround sound set-up?
In which case, have a look at the atmos systems as some of them have 2 side speakers and some amps might let you direct stereo music to a pair on one side?
Or, you might be able to find some computer software to re-route the audio?

Another option would be a surround sound processor that has a digital input for the tv but also a set of analogue inputs and then just connect the L&R outputs from the pc into the side inputs on the amp.

If you don't have any speakers yet then 4x small speakers and a sub might work well due to being cheaper and easier to position 2 stereo pairs placed well for each location then you can be less fussy with the sub placement as the bass is not so directional.

Ps, if you've not had a film room before see if you can get a few demos. I went all-out a few years ago with surround sound and, for films, it's great but not particularly enjoyable for regular tv or music. I switched back to 2ch stereo and find it much more pleasant 95% of the time.
My system was/is by no means expensive by audiophile standards but you can get a lot more sound quality for your budget via 2 channels than you can for 7+ channels.

 

[Parm]

Personally I would have two sound systems for each application

If you pc is for office work you won’t really want a subwoofer

However on the home cinema you won’t want the tinny sound of PC and will definitely need a sub

 

[zx9]

Personally I would have two sound systems for each application

If you pc is for office work you won’t really want a subwoofer

However on the home cinema you won’t want the tinny sound of PC and will definitely need a sub

And a DAC.

 

[tom2207]

move the desk with the computer on , I would be going with two systems too , a pair of control 1's or the likes and an old hifi amp will do most folk as pc audio , then fill your boots with what ever you fancy as a tv system .

 

[gaz1]

try this homemade set of speakers i know alot of you have headphones i dont but do have phone headphones

jump to 12.00 and play from there

ive used a bass box under tv and to be honest that really sounds much nicer and in end better for those tvs that just use there own speakers

 

[Kayos]

I'd agree with the 2 setups
I have used a pc as a source, optical into my DSP, but not when using it as a pc.

Mostly its headphones these days but I have a modest setup when needed, Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 bookshelf speakers and a sub connected to the TV through a minidsp.
Got rid of the Kef surround setup as too complex and not enough use. If I want surround I go to the Cinema.

If you are determined to keep it as one setup you will need 2 sets of inputs on an amp with selectable sources

 

[barracuda816]

Thanks for the great info guys. Does seem some what complicated. Think sticking with two systems might be the way forward