There are several ways to transfer the sound signal from your PC to the amplifier.
Better but pricier systems should have more inputs, including RCA phono sockets and one or two optical ports, plus Bluetooth and/or a phone dock. The Sony’s only “audio in” is a 3.5mm jack plug. Something like a Sony Micro CMT-S20 ($120) will do the job, but it lacks two useful features: RCA and S/PDIF input ports. The amplifier should be much better than the ones fitted inside computer speakers.
All of them include an amplifier with tone controls, FM radio, and usually a CD player in one box, plus a pair of bookshelf speakers. I like the Sony, Onkyo and especially the Denon models, but Pioneer and Yamaha also make good systems. The last alternative is to feed your PC’s sound output to a small (mini or micro) hi-fi system. However, I think you’d be better off spending your cash on better speakers or a small hi-fi system. This has been debated endlessly online (see realtek vs soundblaster). You could probably get an increase in sound quality by installing a dedicated Creative Sound Blaster card, but I think the built-in Realtek chips are good enough for your purposes. If you buy powered bookshelf speakers, put them on stands, or cones, or at least use four small balls of Blu-Tack to lift them off the desk.įor more information, see TechHive’s Buying Guide: Find the best speakers. These are bigger and can provide better quality sound, but usually lack tone controls. Examples include the M-Audio AV30 ($76) and AV32 ($99), Mackie CR Series CR3 ($100), and Cerwin Vega XD3 ($119). Powered bookshelf speakers are the next step up in quality. These have more powerful amplifiers than the SBS 260, dedicated tweeters for treble performance, and their own volume, bass, and treble controls. For example, consider the Creative GigaWorks T20 Series II 2.0 ($90) or the T40 ($110). You don’t need lots of bass, so I’d suggest a traditional pair of wired speakers, with no subwoofer to provide deep bass. You can do a lot better, but choosing a pair depends on what’s available in Canada. These were one of the cheapest on the market ($10 to $20 per pair), and have front-facing bass ports to make them sound bigger than they are.
I think you are using Creative SBS 260 speakers at the moment. The company serves the professional audio market with much more expensive software, and it doesn’t have versions for Windows 8 or 10.
If so, it might be worth paying $29.99 or $39.99 (US dollars) for the full DFX Plus version.Ĭlaesson Edwards Audio’s Breakaway Audio Enhancer is an alternative commercial program ( $29.95) with a fully functional trial version. Click to turn off Hyperbass and it may solve your problem with TV programmes. However, even if you don’t change any of the pre-sets, it does make a significant difference to the sound. The free version is unbelievably annoying, and doesn’t give you full control of the sliders. You can also change your PC’s sound by installing a program, such as DFX Audio Enhancer 11.4, which provides a lot of effects. You can fine-tune the settings later, or turn off EQ. Click “Save” and “OK” then enter a filename (eg trebletest) to keep the settings, and see how the changes affect the sound. To start with, all the sliders will be level, but you can move them to reduce the bass and increase the treble. You should now see a set of sliders that change the loudness at different frequency ranges. This is the command to “Change to graphic EQ”. Look to the right of this box, skip the Reset button, and click on the rectangular button that shows a tiny screen. The bottom half of this page offers an equalizer to adjust the different frequencies in the sound, though it will probably be set to “”. When Realtek starts, check that the speaker configuration is set to stereo, then select the tab marked “Sound Effects”.
When Realtek HD Audio Manager comes up, click the name to run it. To run it, click the Start button and type Realtek in the search box.
You should therefore have Realtek software bundled with Windows 7. It seems your PC has a Realtek audio chipset on the motherboard – actual sound cards are rare nowadays.