Charybdisjim
All American
5486 Posts
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pretty much any shelf system will work just fine, your biggest issue would be having decent output from your computer. if you're computer or motherboard suck then you probably don't have digital out. optical out from smething like an audigy2 platinum or newer will give you decent 2.1 output over a good distance. sadly the audigy cards I've had have always limited 5.1 output to the direct speaker set connections on the card itself. maybe the newer cards have done away with this and allowed 5.1 out through the optical ports. Anyways, I reccomend using optical if you can though (cables are more expensive if you're a dumbass and buy them at bestbuy, but you get the longest run with the lowest signal degredation.)
In a receiver look for a decent 5.1 system with at least 200 watts RMS, total harmonic distortion below or around .1%, and a signal/noise ratio above 85 Db. More power is always nice, but unless you're looking to shake a room, 200 watts is fine. Clarity is more important anyways.
Now after telling you specs like that, I also get to tell you that specs don't mean shit half the time. Actual performance can vary as much as 50% from printed specs in some cases. Sometimes it's because of the "conditions" they place on the specs if you read the * text and fine print. Sometimes I'm sure it's because they fudge their shit and lie through their teeth. Always try to listen to a system or components before you buy it. It won't sounde exactly the same when you put it in your room, but at least you'll get to compare it's relative performance. This is why places like circuit city, tweeters, and best buy are useful. Generally though, don't buy from them. Go to some place like jandr.com or search for the model you liked on pricegrabber.com.
As for a good place to learn about it:
cnet.com
They've always got good reviews, and usually have some decent "Home Theatre in a Box" roundups.
[Edited on September 13, 2005 at 8:37 PM. Reason : ]  9/13/2005 8:33:54 PM
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