Surround Sound with 5.1 6.1 and 7.1 speakers

Contents

Article Overview

With the PC's sound system becoming more and more important to PC users we look at the types of surround sound available and the best way to set these systems up. Plus take a look at some of the speakers available for these 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 systems.

6.1 Speaker systems

The 6.1 speaker setup didn't have a long life. When the 7.1 system came out it was obvious that it was far superior, not because of the extra speaker involved because of the nature of the 6.1 setup. The single speaker designed to be directly behind was not ideal and these systems soon died out. 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems are left for you to pick from. Below are some of the systems that used to be available that you may still be able to pick up from ebay or other private sellers.

Creative Inspire 6.1 6700

The 6.1 offering from creative here is the Inspire 6.1 6700. The setup supports Dolby Digital Surround-EX to allow 5.1 audio to mixed into 6.1 channels. Also allows 6.1 audio for games and music where applicable. With even more power in the satellites than the 5.1 version these speakers should give you a great experience and should you require it a loud one. 5 satellite speakers are identical but the centre speaker has a new wider design and is fitted with 20 watts of power. The centre speaker is the most important as its the only one that produces dialogue in 5.1 movie soundtracks. The extra power for the centre speaker should make sure you here the voices clearly even with the immersion of sound from the satellite speakers

Specifications

Front and Rear Satellite Power: 8 Watts RMS per channel
Centre Satellite Power: 20 Watts RMS
Subwoofer Power: 22 Watts RMS
Frequency Response 40Hz-20kHz
Supports Dolby Digital? Surround EX playback when used with Sound Blaster? Audigy? 2 card and Creative? Multi-Speaker System (CMSS?) technology
Up-mixes surround to 6.1 channels when used with a 5.1 sound card
Reinforced wood subwoofer with long-throw 6.5-inch driver and dual flared port tubes for clean bass.
Larger, more powerful centre satellite for clear vocal/dialogue.
Flexible wired remote volume control with power switch and bass adjustment plus headphone out for private listening.

Logitech X-620 6.1

Logitech have again made it easy for you to plug their speakers into your game console with the red and white audio cables. Good news for PS2 and Xbox owners alike. For PC users you also get a great deal. No decoder on these speakers so providing you have some form of 5.1 decoding on your PC software or on your soundcard these speakers will give you everything you want for your movies games and music.

Specifications

Total RMS power: 70.1 watts RMS
- Satellites: 45.8 watts RMS (2x 7.4 W front; 2x 7.5 W rear; 8.0 W centre; 8.0 W rear centre)
- Subwoofer: 24.3 watts RMS
Total peak power: 140 watts
Frequency response: 35Hz - 20kHz
Drivers:
- Satellites: 5 cm high excursion driver
- Subwoofer: Patented 20.3 cm pressure driver
Speaker dimensions:
- Satellites: 12.7 cm x 10.2 cm x 10.8 cm (HxWxD)
- Subwoofer: 22.9 cm x 22.2 cm x 24.1 cm (HxWxD)
Signal to noise ratio: @1 kHz: >75db

Sharp SDAT1000H

This is a home entertainment sound system designed for use with your home entertainment system (TV, DVD and Hi-Fi). This comes with decoding capabilities for Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital and DTS (Digital Theatre Systems). These speakers have a massive power output at 100W per speaker including the surround speakers. It also comes equipped with an FM and AM radio, so its great if you have a TV and DVD but no radio setup.

Specifications

1-Bit Home Cinema with High Power Output and Surround Sound Decoders

5.1 CH Built-in 1-Bit Digital Amplifier

High Resolution Sound with 2.8224 MHz (64fs, fs = 44.1kHz) Ultra High Speed Sampling

Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II Decoders

Easy Set-up with Colour Coded Speaker Terminals

AV Remote Control - Controls SHARP AV Components

100 W/CH Front, 100 W Centre, 100 W/CH Surround, 100W Subwoofer

6-Speaker System Including Subwoofer

RDS (Radio Data System) Tuner

Magnetically Shielded 2-Way Front Speakers and Centre Speaker

2-Band (FM/AM) Synthesizer Tuner with 40-Station Random Preset Memory

Clock/Timer/Sleep

Next 7.1 Speaker systems