Wondering what my sound card is...2.1 or 5.1?

[deeloughran]

I have :
C-Media AC97 Audio Device
Bluetooth AV/HS Audio

and was wondering whether it is 2.1 or 5.1 before buying a new set of speakers.

Interested in one of these...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...264929-5336746

Thanks

[Ross Stone]

I am presuming you are talking about the PC that you have shown in "My System" below your name.

I am also presuming that you mean your onboard sound card? So you motherboard is an Asrock P4S55FX2 which has 5.1-channel 3D audio according to Asrocks website.

Taken from this site: http://www.asrock.com/product/product_p4s55fx2.htm

Hope that helps, as searching under your sound card yeilds no results when I search it on Google.

[deeloughran]

Thanks mate you read my mind lol! May go that one bit extra and get a set of 5.1 speakers...have you any experience with them yourself...how major would the difference in sound quality be?

[TooNice]

Sound quality would depends a lot on how much you spend... and what you use it for.

Put it this way... A £200 2.1 system will most likely have better sound quality than a £200 5.1 system. However, the 5.1 system will have better positioning for movies/games.

For music alone, 2.1 would certainly provide better quality for the same cost. And again, for the same cost, headphones would generally provide better value (£200 headphones will generally be comparable to 2.1 speakers several time the cost - but of course, you'll have to live with its own limitations).

[hitman67]

Or I'd say if you were spending £200 I'd spend it on a Hi-Fi system (I got a JVC one for £180) and simply plug the PC into the Hi-Fi. Mines only got 2 Speakers but the sound quality is ten times better than any Speaker system you can buy for a PC Direct.

Just my Idea anyway.

[Ross Stone]

What TooNiceand Hitman67 said. Mind you, I can't imagine spending £200 on speakers? lol

I myself only need a 2.1 setup to be honest. Apparently my sound card can support 7.1 speakers, but where would I put all them speakers.

Make sure you think about positioning of your speakers if you get 5.1 speakers. If the room you have your computer can't have enough room to position all the speakers how they should be for 5.1, then you won't get the benifits of having 5.1, so then it might be worth while just going for a better 2.1 setup.

So first do a google search for how your supoced to position the speakers, and see if your room has room. Mine does not, so other people like yourself also might find there is not enough room to make full use of 5.1.

Then just decide a budget and go for the best speakers you can get.

This is the 2.1 Speakers I have and there fine for gaming, internet radio, etc.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...roductID=80306

But for 5.1 perhaps something like this on a budget
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=138858

[hitman67]

Well I don't have the room (or the motivation) for 5.1 so I stick to the Hi-Fi set up, at least then you get an FM Radio and a CD Player for when the PC is off. Plus if it's like mine you get a nice looking head unit to boot.

Basically wasting the 5.1 Capabilities of my PC, but I think the Hi-Fi does a far better job anyway. If your looking at spending anything near £100 plus then I'd say look at the Hi-Fi option, purley as I think they offer better value for money than just a speaker system.
http://www.service.jvc.be/productpic.../FS-SD770R.jpg

[dave87]

Unless you spend decent money on 5.1s, then 2.1s are much better. I bit the bullet and bought myself a top of the range Panasonic Surround Sound set (SCHT-900), and haven't looked back since (but that cost me circa £500)

If you're looking for 2.1, then something like the Creative Gigaworks, theyre expensive, but the soundquality is bloody good for the price.

Dave

[TooNice]

Well, I invested on a set of 7.1 MM speakers (Gigaworks). Those cost more than £200.

They aren't meant to be hi-fi quality, but they are certainly good for movies in my room (nothing huge).

For music, I have a Grado HF-1, with an AKG 701 on the way... eventually. For music, those two should compare favorably to a good hi-fi system (assuming the source is decent too of course).