Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Four-point surround sound uses four speakers plus a subwoofer to surround you with mu-
sicandgamingsoundeffects;thefourspeakersareplacedaroundthelistener,andthesub-
woofer is usually placed near a wall or in the corner to amplify its low-frequency sound.
The subwoofer in stereo or four-point surround sound setups is not on a separate circuit
but is controlled by the same signals sent to the other speakers. A stereo speaker system
with a subwoofer is often referred to as a 2.1 speaker configuration , and a four-point sur-
round sound configuration with a subwoofer is often referred to as a 4.1 speaker config-
uration .
5.1 Surround sound, also referred to as Dolby Digital or DTS Surround sound, uses five
speakers plus a subwoofer. The fifth speaker is placed between the front two speakers to
fill in any missing sound caused by incorrect speaker placement. The subwoofer is inde-
pendently controlled. This is the preferred sound system for use with DVD movies. Most
lower-cost audio adapters lack support for 5.1 Surround sound.
Some of the latest sound cards and motherboards with integrated audio support 6.1 and
7.1 Surround sound. The 6.1 configuration resembles the 5.1 Surround setup but adds a
middle speaker along with a subwoofer. 7.1 Surround sound uses left-middle and right-
middle speakers to flank the listener, along with a subwoofer. Some cards play back 5.1
or greater Surround sound configurations with analog speakers only, whereas others can
alsotransmitDolbyDigital(AC-3),DTSSurround,orDolbyEXdigitalaudiothroughthe
SPDIF digital audio port to a home theater system.
Microphones
Some audio adapters come complete with a microphone, but most do not. You'll need
one to record your voice. Selecting a microphone is quite simple. You need one that has
a 1/8-inch minijack to plug in to your audio adapter's microphone jack (or audio in jack).
Most handheld microphones have an on/off switch. However, you can also use the Mute
control in the audio mixer to shut off the microphone. If you are planning to use audio
for voice chat, recording podcasts, or interactive gaming, consider a headset with an in-
tegrated microphone. You can use a USB-based headset/microphone or use one that plugs
into HD Audio or AC'97 jacks.
Like speakers, microphones are measured by their frequency ranges. This is not an im-
portant buying factor, however, because the human voice has a limited range. If you are
recording only voices, consider an inexpensive microphone that covers a limited range of
frequencies. An expensive microphone's recording capabilities extend to frequencies out-
side the voice's range. Why pay for something you won't be needing?
If you are recording music, podcasting, or producing other audio content that will be dis-
tributed, investing in a more expensive microphone is usually justified. However, in that
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