How to Install Surround Sound to the Computer
Level of difficulty: Easy
These days, it is no longer uncommon to find a household with a surround sound home theater system. Surround sound can make a listening experience more 3-dimensional in a sense that a person watching from the proper spot would be immersed from all directions with the sounds of the film. It is no longer simply in a home theater system that the surround sound speaker-system is being applied. Many computer users, especially gamers have opted to install the system to their computers as well. Installing it is not so different from installing the system to a home theater.
Materials Needed:- Computer
- sound card and its driver software
- surround sound speaker setup
Step 1
Purchase a surround sound system. A surround sound system consists of 5 to 7 speakers and one subwoofer. The number of speakers to be chosen highly depends on the user.
Step 2
Make sure that the computer already has a sound card and its driver software installed. If not, consider buying one that is compatible with the surround sound system. A fairly new motherboard typically already has a soundcard installed.
Step 3
Once the proper purchases have been made, install the sound card to the motherboard. This can be done by taking off a part of the case. The soundcard should be placed on the PCI bus of the motherboard.
Step 4
Put the CPU case back together and turn the computer on. Install the driver software. Restart the computer if necessary.
Step 5
Unpack the surround sound system. Make sure that all the tools and equipment are in the box. If something is missing, inform the vendor as soon as possible so they can supply the missing piece.
Step 6
Plan the positioning of the speakers in the room. Determine where exactly in the room each speaker should be placed.
Step 7
If some stands need to be constructed or some speakers need to be mounted on the walls, perform the necessary constructions in order to place the speakers properly.
Step 8
Clear the area of any other obstructions and items other than the computer. The extra objects may unnecessarily compromise the positions of the speakers.
Step 9
Determine the position of the subwoofer. This is important because unlike in home theater surround sound systems, the subwoofer does not only play bass but it receives the full audio from the computer as well. It is responsible for routing each audio channel to its respective speakers. This means that it is the only speaker directly linked to the soundcard (and, as a result, the CPU) as it is the one that reads output from the card. Consider the things mentioned above in determining the position of the subwoofer.
Step 10
Connect the other speakers. Make sure that the center speaker is exactly in the middle of your perspective from the workstation. The other speakers should be positioned in such a way that maximizes its surround sound capacity.
Step 11
If applicable, configure the audio software to ensure that the system’s sound capabilities are maximized.