Category: Geeks r Us
Can y'all recommend a good set of quad computer speakers for music listening?
No. Here is why.
Computers generate sound in Stereo, 5.1 or 7.1 audio, but not quad.
When you see 4.1 in a sound card configuration this means how many speakers, 2 front left and right, one middle, and one in the back. I personally haven't found anything coded in this format.
Next, to get true quad you must have an amp/receiver/pre Amp, that can create the signal.
Last, the recording you are listening in must be decoded in Quad. If not you just get stereo.
Digital recordings are the first set I talked about,stereo, 5.1, or some times 7.1, but mostly stereo, or 5.1.
Anyone have a different opinion on this? I'd love to hear it, and why?
I have actually ran 4 speakers on a older computer and honestly did not notice a difference, I used a splitter.
It could be speaker placement, too.
Wayne, you are talking about a true quad system.
i dont think that's been around since the 70's.
The reason I ask is, I want to eliminate that goofy panning effect you hear on a lot of old stereo recordings, where you had vocals in one speaker, and everything else in the other. I figure that could be solved with four speakers instead of two, and strategically placing them.
do you want to maintain the stereo seperation somewhat, but not have it be as wide? or were you more wanting a mono dub.
Kinda both I guess, I want to hear everything equally from both sides.
well if you wanna hear everything at the same time on each channel then you'd want a mono dub.
I can do that with sound forge, but m maybe others on here no of programs that you can use to do it per file, or in say W Winamp.
You'd probably wanna go 100% of each channel so everything is at the same volume level.
You'd have to make the signal mono, and on a computer you'd maybe need to get a cable that would bring the signal to mono from stereo, then run that in one speaker. If you did it with headphones you'd lose half.
A slick way would be to get one of these speakers, like a wireless speaker or a Bluetooth Speaker. There only one, not 2, and listen to your old recordings on that. Speaker boxes. Some have 3.5 MM in puts, so you can run the signal from your computer in even if it doesn't have Bluetooth.
Yes, true quad has not been done for a while, but the sound card can produce it providing you had a recordeding coded in that format.
I've not done any research, but have wondered why this feature is available? I'd say for gamers.
Only problem with mono is the possibility of certain sounds being canceled out.
What I'm getting at is, two pairs of speakers equals two copies of each stereo channel. Correct? So let's say I put one pair on either side of my monitor, with both speakers of each pair pushed together.
i get what you are saying. four speakers, 2 pairs of the same type.
put a left and right channel on one side of your monitor,
put the other left and right channel next to the other side of your monitor.
dont see any reason that wouldn't work for ya. would have no stereo imaging at all, but you aren't looking for that, so this may be good for you.
OK. Good.
Yes, good.
The speakers boxes are stereo as well, but that be interesting how that sound. Expensive to learn, but interesting.
Now then, is there a rig out there with only one volume control for all four of them? You know, to keep the levels even.
You mean if you actually had a quad system? Sure, they had one volume control that turned all the speakers up or down at once, just like stereo.
Any way to rig one by soldering wires together?
If your sorce had enoough power you could chain wire them.
Example you'd have the left channel speaker then you'd wire another speaker to that speaker. You'd do the same on the other side, but then you'd just have 2 left and 2 right speakers.
For best effect make sure the positive and negative polls match.
Its not quad just more speakers.
Hmmm. do you really need four speakres? or are you just lookin for a stereo to mono source.
IT sounds like you are looking to mainly have all your stuff come out in mono.
If so, perhaps what i was thinkin of is way too complicated.
Naw JH. You had it set. If he had both speakers on one side he'd hear all the channels, but from one centeral area.
Yes indeed.
hmmm. sounds simular to having a mono source if you ask me.
i mean the channels are so close together that i was thinkin it might as well be.
of corse, the other thought i'm thinkin is if you do ever wanna spread out your speakers, you'll have a stereo image again.
Similar, yes. But as I said, two copies of each channel instead of just one.
So wire up! See what you get.
keep in mind impedance mismatching can cause one set of speakers to be lower than the other.
I've never tried what your wanting to do myself so let us know how it works for ya.