Hi, i decided to get a speaker for gaming. But I don't know what is 2.1 speakers. And which one should i get between 2.0,2.1 and 5.1 speakers. Can someone tell me what type of speakers is better?
2.0 is stereo (2 speakers)
2.1 is stereo with a subwoofer.
5.1 is 5 speakers placed around you, plus a subwoofer.
5.1 is the best when it comes to games, as you can hear where the noise is coming from. It is also the best for movies, and a good 5.1 system will even make stereo music sound better.
Originally posted by KillerBug: 2.0 is stereo (2 speakers)
2.1 is stereo with a subwoofer.
5.1 is 5 speakers placed around you, plus a subwoofer.
5.1 is the best when it comes to games, as you can hear where the noise is coming from. It is also the best for movies, and a good 5.1 system will even make stereo music sound better.
Whats a subwoofer? Also, do you need a 5.1 compatible sound card to use the 5.1 speakers?
A subwoofer is a large speaker with the sole purpose of producing bass sounds. Since the size of the speaker required to produce low frequency sounds like bass notes/drums, explosions in games and so on is much larger, dedicated speakers are used to improve the clarity of the sound. You will need a sound card that supports 5.1 sound to get most of the benefit of 5.1 sound. You will not need a card to support anything other than stereo for 2.1, as the subwoofer used in 2.1 systems draws sound from the other speakers, it does not require its own signal.
I like listening to music with 5.1 speakers as it can fill the room rather than just come from one side, but unless you use a high-end set of speakers, this has to be done in the sound card on a PC (and basic sound cards do not support this), or with a complex set of cables. If you do happen to own a Creative card with CMSS, however, this is very worth doing.
