2.1 speaker setup + 2 more speakers = 4.1 speaker system?

[Endarkened]

I have a set of Labtec Pulse-424 speakers (2.1). They sound really great as is, but I was wondering if it would be possible to add another pair of speakers and turn it into a 4.1 setup. My sound card is a Hercules Fortissimo II, which came with an adapter into which you can attach a microphone, headphones, front speakers, and rear speakers at the same time. Info appreciated as always!

Endarkened

 

[sprockkets]

I think so. With 5.1 you have three mini jacks, left and right, rear left and rear right, then sub and center. So you can have front and rear left and right, just the sub works with the front speakers.

 

[FuManStan]

yep, it should work fine

 

[boydmack1]

aw...you mean it'll only be 4.1? and not 4.2? 4 speakers/2 subs. mmmmmmmmm that would be nice!
lemme know if it would work or not, i'm thinkin of getting another set of Altec Lansing ACS33s...

 

[TheCorm]

2.1 + 2 would be 4.1 but the rear speakers obviously would have less bass because they don't have the benfit of a subwoofer.

Therefore in EAX enabled games, an explosion in front of you will have much more of a "BOOM" than explosions behind you.

Corm

p.s: as bodymack says, 4.2, very nice.

 

[samgau]

Thats what I did at home with one of my machines, mini-stereo system with build-in sub as front and a set of computer speakers as rear.... works pretty well...)

 

[NOS440]

I have a Game Theater XP and I use 2 sets of Altec Lansing 305s so actually I have 2 subs and 4 satilites with 2 speakers in each Satilite and it works great. I really think this setup works as well as any other 4.1 until you reach real high sound levels. But at my level of listening it is just awesome.

 

[Destructon]

Actually, I think you've got a 2.0 setup now, not a 2.1, that would require a separate sub-out on your soundcard. The best thing to do would be to buy another one of the soundsystem you've got and build yourself a 4.0 setup.

 

[Goi]

The 2.1/4.1/5.1 terminology came about because it has 2/4/5 discrete channels with an extra LFE(low frequency extension) channel, which takes up about 10% of the bandwidth of the other full range channels, hence the .1 in the naming. Adding 2 more speakers to your 2.1 setup wouldn't make it 4.1 unless your decoder is capable of 4.1 output.