Surround Sound questions from an A/V newbie

[Kilton]

Hello,

I just moved into an apartment that has 2 speakers in the wall behind me and RCA jacks in the wall near the TV & computer for surround sound. I'd like to utilize these speakers for my computer in addition to the 2 front speakers & subwoofer I already have. I've never hooked up anything like this before though so I'm pretty much clueless about how to do it.

I assume I need sound card that supports surround sound? Do I then just need a 'sound card <-> RCA jacks' cable at that point for the rear speakers, or is there more to it? Do sound cards have separate output jacks for the front and rear speakers or is there a single output jack that has to plug into a receiver or something?

Any tips would be appreciated, as I'm out of my league here.

Thanks.

 

[TheWarden]

Almost any modern soundcard will support surround sound. I wouldn't be surprised if your current soundcard does, even if you are using integrated sound. The main problem you will likely have is that your rear speakers probably don't have a built-in amp like your regular computer speakers do, so you would need to come up with one. The analog outputs from the soundcard will be in the form of 1/8" stereo mini jacks, just like what your current speakers probably use to plug in to your current soundcard. There will be three of these outputs, though, one for the front left/right channels, one for the rear left/right channels, and one for the center/subwoofer channels. You would plug your current speakers into the front output and run the rear output through your amp and to your rear speakers. (Would probably need a stereo mini jack to RCA converter here, which is available at any Wal-mart for a couple bucks.) In this case, you wouldn't have anything plugged into the center/subwoofer output. You would then need to go into your soundcard's audio control panel and set it to use 4 speakers. None of this is too complicated, but there are some things to consider.

If you don't already have an amp, going out and buying a new one could be expensive, and you may be better off putting that money into a dedicated 5.1 speaker rig like the Logitech Z-640s or Z-5300s. Unlike the 4 channel system you are setting up, this would get you true 6 channel (5.1) sound, which would be especially good for gaming and DVDs. Also realize that with your proposed system, you will end up with two separate volume controls for front and back. No big deal, but I thought I would mention it.

If you don't care much about style and you want to do this thing on the cheap, just go to some garage sale and pick up an old phonograph with an auxiliary input. Use that as your amp, and presto, you have useable 4-channel surround sound for extremely cheap. (If you need a new soundcard, you can pick up a basic Soundblaster Audigy for $42.) If that's all you're after, go for it. If, on the other hand, you have more money to spend and want to get into this a little more seriously, then I would scrap all your current speakers and get a true 5.1 (or better) setup.

Cheers,
Warden