AKA.HULK Posted April 18, 2001 Share Posted April 18, 2001 Hi all. Need some info. I'm in the market of purchasing a center channel speaker for my computer. I've been searching for a while now trying to find just the right size to go with my 19 inch monitor. I already have the Sound Blaster Live 5.1 with a set of Klipsch 4.1 Pro Medias. I watch lots of DVD'S on my puter, so I need something that will not break what little I have in my bank , but will give good sound quality. Thanks Textf>Textc>Texts> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalkaos Posted April 19, 2001 Share Posted April 19, 2001 If your going to hook up a separate center channel, it will most likely need an amp of itz own... whatz your price range anywayz? Some people in this post suggested getting a pair of klipsch 2.1's to make a 6.2 system.. using the 2.1's as the center... the 2.1's currently go for about 180 i think.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Jean Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 You should definitley go for the 2.1's for center channel. It is the best choice if you want all your speakers to be voice matched. Like when a car drives across the screen, as it's going across the sound will remain the same the whole way across. If you have a different kind of speaker for center it might not sound right, it might have different tone qualities. Let's say you get a center channel speaker that has a brighter sound than the promedia's, when the car's sound moves from speaker to speaker it will have a different sound when it's in the center as compared to when it's on the side with the promedia's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalkaos Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 If you dont have the cash, you dont necessarily have to get the klipsch 2.1's, there are other 2.1 speakers out there that sound okay as well and are cheaper... But if you're concerned about looks... by all means... coordinate... you got to coordinate... klipsch here klipsch there klipsch everywhere... special K all the way baby... hee he... sorry.. got kinda enthusiastic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKA.HULK Posted April 20, 2001 Author Share Posted April 20, 2001 I'm in the market of adding the new Bose center channel speaker to my puter. I have the new Sound Blaster Live 5.1. My concern and question is, do I have to hook it up to a seperate amplifier or just directly to my SBL 5.1? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Jean Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 Do not get a BOSE speaker!!!!!! And yes you would have to hook an amp up in order for it to work. Really BOSE speakers are not that great. They are over priced and do not sound that good. Basically they have a name that sells to people who do not konw that much about speakers. It's like Compaq, most of their computers suck, but they still sell well because people who don't know any better heard the name before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totalkaos Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 Very good point billie jean... compaqs do suck... dont even know why people even bother buying those... My mom's computer is a compaq 663 i think... and itz just a little bit faster than my old 233... Goes to show the power of marketing... My brother has a bose system... and well... itz not all that... i'm just wondering why people would spend so much money on a product because of it's name instead of taking the time to actually test it out first... Educate thy self... and the rewards are endless.... By the way... wont getting a bose center break what you have in the bank? Whatz your price limit? If itz under 200... the 2.1's would probably be perfect... but like i said.. it doesn't have to be klipsch... there are other 2.1 systems out there that are pretty good for less than 100... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKA.HULK Posted April 21, 2001 Author Share Posted April 21, 2001 Billie Jean, thanks for the quick response. Just to clarify something. You say I have to get a amp for a center channel speaker for my puter for it to work. I have the SBL 5.1 which has a connection on the card itself for a center channel speaker. I thought I just would be able to connect the speaker and do some configure settings and be done. Please explain for I am confused!!!! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Jean Posted April 22, 2001 Share Posted April 22, 2001 The center channel output on your soundcard is basically the same type of output as the front or rear outputs. It's called line level output, which means that it's just a line out with no amplification. Some soundcards have built in amps, but those cards are usually cheap stereo cards. The new good cards usually don't have amps on them. First, because there's too much other stuff on the card and second, they figure if you have a good sound card you're going to have good amplified speakers to go with it. A built in amp on a soundcard is a fading feature. Now if you have an set of amplified speakers you can hook them up to the center channel output, but you'll need a special connector in order to that. You see the center out plug on your card is also the sub out. Each one has it's own channel on the plug. So you need a connector that splits the 2 channels into separate plugs. (1/8" stereo plug that separates the stereo signal to two 1/8" mono plugs, available at Radio Shack) Once you have a speaker and an amp or a set of amplified speakers hooked up, then you to go into your soundcard settings and configure it for 5.1 or 6 channel output. Cambridge has an amplified speaker that they developed to be hooked up to regular TVs. It's called TVWorks 250 and is on sale right now for $50. It is a stereo speaker box that is meant to be hooked up to a tv just for better sound, it's not really meant for home theater. I'm not sure what kind of connectors are on it, but they are most likely RCA plugs. So then you would need that splitter I told you about above and an 1/8" plug to 2 RCA plugs wire. It doesn't matter if the 1/8" plug on that wire is stereo or mono, but I would suggest getting a stereo one just in case you want to use the wire for something else some day. The input on that speaker could be an 1/8" plug too, but I'm not sure. You can check out that speaker here or here. It doesn't look like it's a "great" speaker, but it's cheap and it will do that job well. If any of this doesn't make sense, just ask and I'll try to explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajachepe Posted April 23, 2001 Share Posted April 23, 2001 Try my set up, I got the SBLP 5.1 card, the Klipsch Pros 4.1, and my center set is the Altec Lansing ACS48. This Altecs will set you back only around $100 and they are worth every penny and they team up beautifully with the Pros in a 6.2 set up. By the way the ACS48 will put out 20 each sat,40 watts sub, for a total of 80 watts center!!. Remember your SBLP 5.1 has a "digital/analog" output, this is where you'll plug in your center. You'll get the full effect of 5.1 in your DVD's and just awesome gaming sound! I was just playing Unreal Tournament and even with the volume turned down it is just "unreal!!" .My mp3's sound awesome too, not mention my cd's.Give it a shot, you'll be amazed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKA.HULK Posted April 24, 2001 Author Share Posted April 24, 2001 Thanks for the reply bajachepe. What do you think about these???? Yamaha 3-Piece Multimedia Speaker System (black) The louder you play it, the younger you'll feel Model: YST-MS50B When you were growing up, your stereo speakers filled your room with music. They also just plain filled your room. Imagine your surprise when you discover that this compact computer speaker system rivals the big sound of those monstrous cabinets from your youth. The twin satellite speakers offer brilliant highs from their tweeters and crunchy midrange from the horns, while the 40-watt subwoofer pumps full-bodied life into your game and music files. If the neighbors downstairs complain, there's a headphone jack so you can lose yourself in your own audio world just like you used to. PRODUCT VIEWS Angle View Back View Larger Front View In Stock - Usually ships in 2-3 days Not available for store pick-up ThinkAbout It $99.50 PRODUCT FEATURES 2 slant-baffled, 2-way satellite speakers Amplified subwoofer for dynamic bass response Active servo technology Headphone output jack on 1 satellite speaker Magnetic shielding to eliminate monitor distortion 80 watts of total power Read Product Details PRODUCT DETAILS YST-MS50B Speaker Configuration Pair of speakers with subwoofer Flat-Panel Design No Digital Decoder Included No Speaker Power 20 watts Subwoofer Power 40 watts Speaker Controls Power, Volume Location of Controls On speaker Frequency Response 32Hz - 20kHz Impedance Subwoofer: 6 ohms; satellites: 4 ohms Headphone Output Yes Warranty Term Parts 1-year limited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKA.HULK Posted April 24, 2001 Author Share Posted April 24, 2001 Sorry, heres the pic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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