best external sound card to add surround sound to pc

BEST EXTERNAL SOUND CARD TO ADD SURROUND SOUND TO PC PC
BEST EXTERNAL SOUND CARD TO ADD SURROUND SOUND TO PC SERIES
BEST EXTERNAL SOUND CARD TO ADD SURROUND SOUND TO PC WINDOWS

BEST EXTERNAL SOUND CARD TO ADD SURROUND SOUND TO PC SERIES

Ever since the GeForce 3xx and Radeon HD 2xxx series sported integrated sound cards the audio has to be 'injected' into the signal by the graphics card.

BEST EXTERNAL SOUND CARD TO ADD SURROUND SOUND TO PC PC

Technically, the audio and any control data is transmitted in the horizontal and vertical blank periods of the video signal.įor us PC users we know that graphics cards can generate the video but how does the audio get into the video signal? We're glad you asked. To begin, HDMI is a digital connection and it's designed to carry audio, video and control signals over the same data channels and wires. Please consider, our fair audience, the reasonable task of wanting to take video from a PC to an HDMI display, and audio from the same said PC to an AV Receiver. But the depth of the complexity is only matched by the despair of trying to get audio and video to where you want it. It sounds like such a simple idea: a single cable that carries both the audio and video signal. This means that you won't have to worry about precise placement of the satellite speakers.Ī major inspiration for writing this feature has been the amount of emails we get from readers regarding problems they have encountered with HDMI audio. Using a microphone it will tweak the delay for each surround speaker to enhance the surround effect for the room and speaker positions. Room Correction is especially useful it's an auto-configuration for your surround system. The standard is 80Hz raising this to 100Hz or even 120Hz provides a smoother transition from the satellites to the sub. Bass Management is useful for satellites as you can specify the 'cross-over' point for bass effects handled by the sub-woofer. Bass Management, Virtual Surround and Loudness Equalization all provide adjustments to the audio to suite your tastes.

BEST EXTERNAL SOUND CARD TO ADD SURROUND SOUND TO PC WINDOWS

This enables you to adjust just how Windows treats the audio, what connections it thinks are available and how they are configured.Ĭlick the 'Enhancements' tab and this provides a number of genuinely useful real-time effects. Once Windows knows how many speakers you're running click 'Properties'. If you're running a 2.1, 3.1 or another odd configuration, selecting '5.1 Surround' will provide a further option to remove unused speakers from the configuration. Either right-click on the Notification Speaker icon and select Playback devices, or select Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Manage audio devices. So if sound is the carrot stick in a salad buffet – unappreciated and ignored – it's time to scoop that carrot into some delicious taramasalata and let the deliciousness slop over your taste buds/metaphorical ears.īefore we start unravelling the yards of wires involved with surround speakers, let's quickly cover the sound systems Windows uses in Vista and 7. While for films a mixture of atmospheric soundtrack and a range of effects builds tension and emotions. With games, audio adds vital subtle clues as to your enemy's whereabouts and actions that visuals just can't do. Next time you're playing a game or watching a film, switch off the sound and see how long you last. But without sound Michael Bay films would be an unintelligible kaleidoscope of fire and posing pseudo-teen actors. Hearing's the neglected sense, constantly running second place to vision. So PC Format is here to cut through all the connectors, cables, standards and settings so you can get the best sound – surround or not – from your PC for ear-pleasing games, music and films. The same went for DVD and Blu-ray now brings its own issues of digital audio with DRM. Someone had the bright idea to use a cable even though it was perfectly possible to redirect the sound digitally, and would lead to people without CD audio. This can be tracked back to when the first CD drive was connected to the PC. The issues that many people face are ensuring they get the best experience from their existing set up, while making the PC or laptop play nice with external entertainment devices.

This is backed up with far less complexity within Windows itself. Today hardware in many ways is far better behaved, largely as it's integrated on an industrial scale to the despair of poor Creative.

Best external sound card to add surround sound to pc