How to Use 5.1 Surround Speakers & 5.1 Surround Headphones on a PC

Directly connect a surround sound system to your computer.

5.1 surround sound systems have five different speakers set up around the viewer, plus one subwoofer. Although 5.1 surround sound headphones don't actually have the different speakers, they do replicate the direction of a stand-alone speaker system, so you receive a similar audio experience. Once you have the equipment connected to the line-out port on a computer, you just need to adjust the computer's settings to ensure your system is able to produce satisfactory audio output on speakers or headphones.

Instructions

1. Insert the 3.5mm cable running from the 5.1 surround sound system (or the headphones) into the "Line-Out" port on the computer system. The 5.1 surround sound computer speaker setup has a single 3.5mm cable that runs to the subwoofer (the rest of the speakers directly connect to the subwoofer).

2. Power on the speakers and the headphones or speakers. If you are using headphones, it's important to get the sound set up before placing them on your head, as you don't want to be wearing the phones if the audio is initially too loud.

3. Click the "Start" button on the desktop, then choose "Control Panel." Select "Sound" from the list of options in the Control Panel and an audio editing window will appear on the screen.

4. Select the speaker setup option, then click the "Advanced" feature. Click the "5.1 Surround Sound" option and click "OK." The computer is now ready to play back any audio via the 5.1 surround sound speaker setup or the surround sound headphones.

References

• Microsoft: Windows Sound Cards FAQ