Adding more speakers to my 5.1

majju2

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Ok so I have the Logitech x-540 5.1 sound system, which is pretty good considering its value, its good good sound quality and good bass but not enough for me, Im a sound fanatic and i would like more bass.
A cheap solution for me would be adding these old speakers :
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/5141/ritratt207.jpg

(or watever they are) to my x-540. They got a really good sound quality and really superb bass.
They are connected to an old stereo(no longer used).
Each speaker is connected via these cables:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1669/ritratt209.jpg

Here is a picture of how they are connected to the stereo if it helps:
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8646/ritratt208.jpg

I would like to know how i can connected them and also connect my x-540.

Thanks.
 

anwaypasible

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you said the stereo they connect to doesnt work anymore?
that means you need an amp.

get yourself a cable like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5mm-MALE-MINI-STEREO-DUAL-Y-ADAPTER-AUDIO-CABLE-/170393360563?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27ac3c58b3

then plug one into the logitech speakers and the other one into the amp that is powering the aiwa speakers.

when hooking up those aiwa speakers.. you need to realize that the subwoofers are a different impedance than the midranges/tweeters
that means you need a seperate amp.

i really need to know the power handling of those speakers before i can suggest amplifiers.

maybe this amp is small enough for those speakers:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-1CH-TDA2030A-Audio-Amplifier-DIY-Components-Kit-S4-/260702879762?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb31a4012

maybe this amp is big enough for those speakers:
http://cgi.ebay.com/TDA7294-2-1-Power-amplifier-board-80Wx2-160W-Subwoofer-/250762095018?pt=AU_Electronics_Audio_Amplifiers&hash=item3a6295e9aa

you need a toroid coil that lowers the voltage from the wall down to the required voltage needed for the amplifier.

then you may or may not need a power filter.. which is sold seperately.

sometimes you can pay a little extra and have the amplifier sent to you already built.. then all you gotta do is stick the wires inside the screw terminals and tighten the screw.

a toroid coil costs about $30 - $50

OR you could purchase two seperate amplifiers.. one for the midrange/tweeters and another one for the subwoofers.

**edit**
you also need to buy a heatsink
 

majju2

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the stereo they are connect to works normally, it just sitting there not being used, thats y i want to add them to my current system (apart from having more bass)
It sound a bit complicated and no that cheap as i expected.
If I do so, will I be able to get speakers+bass power from aiwa speakers? cause i tried to connect it directly but there was no bass.
 

anwaypasible

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all you need is the y-adaptor then.

i have no idea why there was no bass.
maybe the amplifier that drives the subwoofers is blown?
maybe the radio turns off the subwoofers when you use the auxiliary input.

i'd turn on the radio or some other source to see if the subwoofers are still working.
if you can hook up the aiwa speakers and amp to the soundcard directly.. you will be able to determine if the subwoofers work when using the auxiliary input of the amplifier.

IF the subwoofers work when listening to the radio or tape or CD .. you can get one of those cassette adaptors meant for cd players.
you pop in the cassette and plug it into the soundcard.
the cassette 'adaptor' will play sounds from the soundcard through the tape player.

its just a workaround if the subwoofers dont work when using the auxiliary input.
 

majju2

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Yes when i turn on the stereo they work, there are still bass etc.
I bought the x-540 cause i could get a 5.1 sound on a laptop, but I will be buying a gaming pc with high ends and good sound card soon and try to connect the the x-540 and speakers with the y-adaptop on the sound card.
but what about the other two copper wires(check the second link) shall i leave them lying there?
 

anwaypasible

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you are asking if you should hookup the midranges/tweeters ?

i think it is a personal choice.
depends on which output on the soundcard you choose to tap into.
if you use the front channel.. you need to have the aiwa speakers in the same place as the front channel logitech speakers.

if i were you.. i would use the aiwa speakers with the front channel and simply place the logitech speakers on top of the aiwa speakers.

BUT
you could try to connect the aiwa speakers to the LFE channel and play only subwoofer bass.
that requires a different adaptor.. because the center channel output of the soundcard reserves one channel for the center speaker and the other channel for the subwoofer.

you would still need that stereo adaptor.. but then you would need another adaptor to seperate the center and subwoofer channels.
if you plug into the adaptor i linked to without another adaptor.. you would have bass in one speaker and the center channel in the other speaker.
that means you are only using one aiwa subwoofer.

i would really suggest trying these two options:
connect the aiwa speakers to the front channel.
then..
- point the aiwa speakers directly at your ears and point the logitech speakers at a wall
- point the logitech speakers directly at your ears and point the aiwa speakers at a wall

see if you can widen the sound field.
you might get a really big impact and it might be a surprising improvement.

but you could also do the same experiment with the rear channel.

i would personally try using the speakers as front speakers and as dedicated subwoofers only to see which one i am more happy with.
the reason why i didnt say anything about using the aiwa speakers as rear speakers is because there usually isnt very much audio coming from the rear speakers.
most of the information and bass comes from the front speakers.. especially when you are listening to stereo music.
 

majju2

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Thanks a lot for help. Will place them as front as I alredy noticed that not much audio come from the rear speakers.
Also the 5.1 has 3 pins, green orange and black. what does the colours mean(which is bass/center/front/rear?)
and what are the other colours on the sound card(blue green gey orange?)
 

anwaypasible

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green - line out / headphones (front)
black - rear speakers
orange - center / subwoofer (LFE)
grey - middle surround speaker (6.1/7.1)

http://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/sound-card-color-code.php
 

Chinsane

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A simple solution.

Here is what I did for a few years. I had 18 speakers hooked up to my computer once. I currently have 2 sets of 5.1's connected right now to 1 pc. Here is what I did:

I took the plug off the sound card for Front L/R and put a stereo "Y" adapter in line and sent one to the pc 5.1's and the other out to a 5.1 reciever (Kenwood KR-V9010) (any receiver will work for a stereo pair..as long as it has RCA IN...example would be VCR IN or Aux IN). I don't really turn it on much these days, as my pc speaks are plenty, but it does add some big bass when I'm running the 5.1 B&W setup with the Logitech X-530's.

This will work for you considering you just want to add a stereo pair. I think it was $6 for the RCA cable adapter and $3 for the "Y" splitter.
 

NOR_65

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I have
Creative Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 PCI Sound Card_SB0220
Zoltrix E-18_2.1 Speaker that i bought new
my old loudy Zoltrix Stereo 2.0 Speaker
Dell Stereo Speaker Sound bar with my LCD

I want to configure my system as to use all 3 speaker at a time using 5.1 sound card for a more dynamic sound.I don't know much about PC.

Q1_Is it possible? and How?
Q2_Can I use my Dell sound bar as front audio speaker, Zoltrix 2.0 as side/rear speaker and Zoltrix 2.1 as rear/sub-woofer speaker without using Y-adopter...i mean by using pins in sound card directly

Its my first ever post on internet, i don't know much. Plzzzzzz help me out on this, or guide me