The number of speakers you need depends on what you do
with your PC. With multichannel speaker systems, space becomes an
important consideration, too, since the systems can demand a lot of real
estate where your PC lives. Here is a rundown of speaker configurations.
2.0: A 2.0 system has two
speakers—one for each side of your PC monitor—and no bass speaker. Small
sets take up very little room on the desktop and no floor space. If your
PC is already in cramped quarters and you don't play games or listen to
loud music, this may be a good choice.
2.1: This configuration
is the same as a 2.0 setup, but adds a bass speaker to handle
low-frequency sounds. You'll almost always get better bass response from
a 2.1 system than you would from a 2.0 speaker set. A 2.1 speaker setup
is ideal for the music enthusiast who doesn't play many games, doesn't
watch DVD movies often, and operates in a space-challenged environment.
Even if you have plenty of room for a 4.1 setup, 2.1 saves you from
having to run extra cables for the rear-channel speakers.
4.1: Gamers who want to
hear sound all around need at least a 4.1 speaker setup. This is ideal
for generating sound on four sides of you in gaming situations, which
allows you to better localize or determine the position and movement of
sound emitters in the game. While these speakers can do a fine job of
delivering multichannel gaming audio, a 5.1 speaker set is probably
better, primarily because it will do a better with DVD movie playback.
5.1: For the most part,
DVD movie audio uses Dolby Digital, a 5.1 audio format. Some games can
also take advantage of the Dolby Digital format. The front-center
speaker is very important in this format, because movies present nearly
all dialogue through this channel. DTS (Digital Theater System), another
DVD movie format, also uses the 5.1 channel sound. The 5.1 configuration
is increasingly popular for PC speakers.
6.1:
This format adds a third surround channel called center-surround. Dolby
and DTS now offer 6.1 DVD movie formats—Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES. For
PC sound, the third surround channel is a nice luxury but doesn't really
add much audio information, because the distance separating the left and
right surround channels in a PC listening environment often is only
about four feet. In home-theatre setups, the third surround channel is
more useful, since the left and right surround channels are sometimes 10
to 15 feet apart.
