How to choose speakers for your computer

It is necessary to specify such a moment: in most cases, computer speakers are not designed to reproduce high-quality sound. Melomaniacs or fans of movies in HD qualityusually prefer to buy a good music center or home theater with a high-quality speaker system, instead of listening to music or watching movies on the computer.

Therefore, our goal - to choose the speakers that will suit the usual daily work on the computer, while not being too expensive, but at the same time quite high-quality. Computer speakers are different from conventional smaller size, isolated magnetic field, compatibility with the sound card and the corresponding connectors.

The first thing you need to pay attention to is column type. Any columns (not just computer ones) are divided into two types: active and passive. In active speakers there is a built-in amplifier, in passive it is not.

The only weighty advantage of passivecolumns - their low price. The sound quality leaves much to be desired: the amplifier on the sound card, usually designed only for headphones, full-fledged sounding will not help. therefore it is better to choose speakers with built-in amplifiers: they will help to get a loud and high-quality sound.

Speakers for computers have different layout options. The simplest version is the 2.0 system, which includes two columns. Systems 2.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1 consist of a subwoofer and several satellite speakers. The subwoofer is responsible for the reproduction of low frequencies, the satellites for the reproduction of medium and high frequencies.

System 2.1 should be selected to play quality music with good bass. If you want to use a computer as a home theater, it's better to take the 5.1 system. But note that the motherboard and sound card of the computer must support the selected speaker system; say, for 5.1 system you need a sound card with support for six-channel sound. Otherwise, you will be able to select the speakers, and connect them - not.

If you decide to choose a column without a subfuver (an inexpensive two-column system) Looking for a golden mean between sound quality and size: the smaller the size, the worse the soundsmall speakers there are no lower frequencies). When buying a system with a subwoofer, note that the subwoofer and the center speaker should have one speaker in each, and the rear and front speakers are sold only in pairs.

An important point in choosing columns is the body material. Choose columns from plastic - not the bestdecision. Such columns are cheaply priced and can look interesting enough, but their acoustic characteristics tend to zero. Therefore, it is best to choose columns from fiberboard / chipboard, their sound is much better. On the shell of the columns there should be no excess holes, they must be tight.

The only possible hole that can be on the speakers is a bass reflex port. It is located next to the speaker on the front panel and serves for high-quality reproduction of bass (low frequencies). But in columns less than one liter in size, the need for a phase inverter is simply not there.

The important parameters of the speakers are power, sensitivity and frequency. Power affects the mechanical reliability of the system, and not at the volume of the sound. The volume depends on the sensitivity, usually the optimal value for computer speakers is 85 dB.

The speakers must be equipped with an output control (in other words, the volume), for greater convenienceit should be displayed on the front panel. When buying a speaker, it is worth checking to increase the volume to determine at what volume the distortion of the sound will start, and whether you will have enough of this volume for listening. It is also desirable to have frequency controllers - separately low and high.

Additional useful "lotions" - headphone output on the front panel of the speakers, remote control, rack. They are optional, but if they are - this will be an added plus when selecting columns.

But the most important point - you should select the speakers that fit the sound card. Even the most expensive sound card will not giveGood sound if the speakers are cheap and substandard. And vice versa - the coolest speakers will be useless if you have a simple built-in sound card.