speakers for editing in 5.1

may the lords of the realm forgive me if a thread on this matter precedes mine.

dudes, how do you listen to your 5.1 project during the editing phase?

5.1 speakers of home theater quality?
5.1 so-called computer speakers?
5.1/7.1 headphones?
cyberhellhounds barking you the sonic data from the flaming points of your home office pentagram?

I just use cheapo earbuds. But when I'm done, I always review it with home theater 5.1 speakers, make corrections, and review it again.

I use a pair of large stereo headphones, but like Frink, check the final mix on my home theater setup.

coolio, frink & throw, tenks for the responses.

anyone familiar with sound bars like this one?
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-audio/razer-leviathan

and for either 5.1 headphones or 4.1/5.1 speakers hooked up to a computer, is the audio out jack sufficient to provide 5.1 information? I was under the impression that standard audio jacks conveyed signals only in mono or stereo, so how do they accommodate additional channels?


edit: cursory readings indicate that some audio out jacks have dual analog & optical transmission.

I know this is an old thread, but it seems like the right one to post in.

I've been pondering on maybe getting some cheap surround computer speakers to help with accuracy during mixing/editing (though I would still watch through drafts on a proper system). Is there anyone who currently does this who can maybe recommend a cheap but reliable set?

@"TVs Frink" @"ThrowgnCpr" - I don't know if your methods are the same since posting here, but in Vegas there's a button for downmixing to stereo which I didn't realise existed until today. When mixing surround on a stereo setup, do you guys use that/alternative? If so, do you find it helps?

I had no clue that existed.

The Scribbling Man said:

I've been pondering on maybe getting some cheap surround computer speakers to help with accuracy during mixing/editing (though I would still watch through drafts on a proper system). Is there anyone who currently does this who can maybe recommend a cheap but reliable set?

Click to expand...

I recently bought a second hand set of the creative labs inspire 5300 speakers. There were a few available on Ebay for about the price of a modern cheap set. But they look good, they sound great and have shown exactly where my surround editing had problems that I couldn't hear when editing 5.1 in a stereo setup.

As I have a Mac I needed the CSL USB 7.1 external sound card to connect it, and that worked, a few quirks, but it worked.

Thanks for the tip, @"DSM2337" . I've just managed to pick up that same model off ebay for £20.

However, I've just realised... I'm not sure my computer's motherboard has the right inputs for a 5.1 system... Just a single aux input. Can this be gotten around using an adapter of sorts? Or do I need to invest in a device of some kind..?

The Scribbling Man said:

Thanks for the tip, @"DSM2337" . I've just managed to pick up that same model off ebay for £20.

However, I've just realised... I'm not sure my computer's motherboard has the right inputs for a 5.1 system... Just a single aux input. Can this be gotten around using an adapter of sorts? Or do I need to invest in a device of some kind..?

Click to expand...

That's a good price. It sounds like you need a new soundcard. As I said above, I bought the CSL USB 7.1 external sound card, about £25 on Amazon. It connects via USB and was pretty painless on the Mac, but I think is aimed at PC users. Just plug it in, and select the device in your sound output options. For the Mac, I then had to open the MIDI application in utilities, that lets you test each speakers output and adjust the volume for each.