HTiB as computer speakers?

Was curious how many people have done this, if any.

Was looking for a good computer speaker system for my father, primarily for music. He prefers surround sound for his music, and most computer speakers now have drifted away from 5.1 to 2.1 (except logitech). Was wondering if anyone has used a HTiB as a dedicated computer speaker system.

I'm assuming I could just run an HDMI pass through from the PC video card to the HTiB and out to the monitor? Would there be issues from the computer sound card/drivers if I try to do this?

Also, being that they're going to be used on a computer, the speakers will be left on most of the time (whenever the computer is on), will I have overheating issues that I might not have with standard PC speakers?

Not all graphics cards output sound over the GPU. You would have to change windows to output all sound out via this method. I would run sound via a different source out via the sound card. Most of these Home Theater in a box speakers have more than HDMI input.

If he is really into music, than the sound signature/quality of the HTiB are probably not up to par. You will also have a simi large receiver that powers the speakers to put someplace, which will have the volume controls on it, so you won't want to put it in an area you can't get to. I dont think overheating will be an issue unless you drive them for a long time very loud.

I just bought some audioengine A5 that I am quite a fan of. They are not surround sound but very impressive bookshelf speakers, especially since I picked up a sub too.

Even if it does sound over hdmi it might limit it to 2 channel. Laptop HDMI sucks.

You can get a decent sound card with an optical out and connect that to your speaker system.

I figured home theatre speakers would actually be a step up from computer speakers (he's currently using some 5 year old 5.1 Altec lansing pc speakers, they're tinny sounding). I assumed the DAC would take place within the receiver and essentially serve as the sound card, the HDMI from the computer just transporting the file to the computer. But if he has to invest in a sound card anyway (currently just has onboard MB Realtek audio) then i'm guessing he'd be better off with just some powered studio monitors. Audio quality is key in the purchase decision. I have the A5's on my desktop and am happy with them as well, but I was hoping to find a surround sound option as he seems to enjoy that, and the only ones I could find are Logitech, and I've heard them and am not a fan, the satellites are muddy and the bass is too boomy. Space is not much of an issue, he has a huge desk, and this is for a desktop, not a laptop. He runs music through his speakers about 10 hours a day while he's working.

What kind of video card does he have?

Any 5xxx or above ATI card can bitstream all current audio formats over HDMI, so the DAC would happen in the receiver. Many older ATI cards can bitstream most formats except DTS-HD and TrueHD but can output those two as 5.1 LPCM analog over HDMI.

My HTPC setup is an old Dell desktop with an ATI 4550 running HDMI to a Sony SS2300 HTiB then HDMI to my TV. Works like a champ.

Music isnt played in surround sound anyways. You could always get 4 studio speakers and split them off the stereo output. 2 front 2 back.

I've used HTIB as my computer speakers when I was renting out a room during my college days. I liked it because it was compact, it certainly was not for the sound quality (it's a $120 5.1 system, I didn't expect anything from it).

A quirky thing though was my HTIB receiver auto senses for surround signals (DTS). When there is no sound, there is no input, so my HTIB idled waiting for a signal to analyze. I was only connecting the via RCA input, so the receiver would switch to Dolby ProLogic II when it did finally receive audio. However, the delay in the auto sensing mechanism caused my HTIB to miss sounds such as windows chimes and error sounds. It works fine with music and movies though since there's a constant stream of audio.

You should think about where you plan to place the HTIB receiver, and how easy it is to operate. It's great when it's on the HDMI input from the computer and all is well, but does it switch to DVD/Blu-Ray input if you accidentally open the tray? Is it easy to accidentally change input sources? Because your father would have to change the source back or he would have no sound or computer video. There's no need to complicate things for your father if he's enjoys the simplicity of just one volume knob.

And to be honest here, it doesn't sound like your dad's much of an audiophile anyways. Listening to music and being critical of sound output in music are two very different things. I'm sure any upgrade (as long as it's an upgrade) will be fine. Don't even bother with entry level audiophile level equipment, he won't see any real benefit. I'm confident that entry level enthusiast equipment is more than enough.