I am kinda hijacking this thread, but since I have started planning for a build, I would like to ask the OP and the rest of those who responded, would these speakers suffice for music listening, movies, games, and perhaps some sound editing for Youtube videos? Will I have a problem if I plug them to an external amplifier or AV receiver?
Will do all of those things perfectly, depending on the size of your room and how loud you really want them to get. For near field listening you should really need that much more.
As they are powered monitors (ie. have a built-in amplifier) hooking them up to a dedicated power amp won't be necessary. If your AV receiver has line-outs then they will work fine. Basically they just need a line-in feed from a source (PC, CD/DVD player etc) or better an external DAC to work.
Actually, I was thinking of getting a mainboard with a digital audio output, and an AV receiver or an amplifier with a digital audio input. Thus, I would minimize interference from the other PC components to the analog audio signal that comes from the DAC.
That would work however, unless you are running these in a living room (which I wouldn't recommend) a external USB DAC would be a better and likely cheaper solution for hooking up a PC to powered monitors.
Check out the Shitt Modi 2 ($99) for a really good budget DAC. However, if you want more than just a USB input you will need to spend a good bit more.
Hm, the Uber Model even has Coaxial and Toslink digital inputs, but UK/Europe distributor has it out of stock. The regular Modi 2 is available though. When I will be ready to pull the trigger, Ι will recheck for availability.
Edit: I found this DAC, cheaper than the Modi 2, and readily available in my country, unlike the Modi 2. I would ask for an opinion, but maybe it's time to make a proper thread 