Surround sound with two sets of speakes

[marek_shields]

I am looking to see if it is possible to make a 4.1 (or possibly 5.1) speaker set out of a 2.1 set that I already have and a 2.0 set that I am looking at buying. The motherboard I am using has the 3.5mm jacks for a 7.1 set and the 2.1 set I have now is the Logitech LS21.

As I was looking at some pics online about the different colored audio jacks, I noticed that the orange one is labeled for 'center/subwoofer' so I assume since the LS21 only uses the green cable, that it isn't a true 2.1 set (though I am not an expert by any means on the topic).

Is it possible to just add another 2.0 speaker set to the black jack that I saw labeled 'Surround Left/Right' to make it a 4.1 set?

I have an actual 5.1 set from Creative for my computer but the two rear speakers plug into the subwoofer and so do the front 3 speakers. Then the subwoofer has a cable with the 3 plugs on it that goes into the sound card so i wasn't sure if there was some audio magic happening withing the subwoofer that made the surround sound work or if the only reason all the speakers were plugged in there was so I could control the volume of all of them simultaneously with the volume control knob they give you.

If this works to get 2.1 + 2.0 to get 4.1, is it possible to add another set of speakers to the orange jack to fake 5.1 or will that not work because the jack is meant for a subwoofer and center speaker?

Here is the image i was using for reference in case anyone was wondering: http/www.microsoft.com/library/media/1033/windowsxp/images/using/mce/expert/sound_sound_card.jpg

 

[cilliers]

This is totally possible. I have done this myself before. However, on the downside, you will have different sound stages and frequency ranges with different speaker sets, meaning that a sound source from your PC might be audible on the front set, while being inaudible on the rear set. Conversely, sounds on one set may be distorted on one set, while being optimal on the other set in extreme cases. Also, you will have two different power supplies. For the best performance, use the "smaller" set as the rear satellite speakers and the larger speaker set as the fronts. Hopefully this isn't too confusing...

 

[marek_shields]

Thanks. I managed to find the right search terms and saw other people posted a similar answer to yours. The two sets of speakers will be the same. Logitech sells the LS11 which is the same as the LS21 minus the subwoofer. Still wondering about the orange port though. How does that work since it is labeled "Center / Subwoofer"? Is there a combo center speaker and subwoofer set or does it work for the center speaker or subwoofer but not both at the same time?

 

[cilliers]

Thanks. I managed to find the right search terms and saw other people posted a similar answer to yours. The two sets of speakers will be the same. Logitech sells the LS11 which is the same as the LS21 minus the subwoofer. Still wondering about the orange port though. How does that work since it is labeled "Center / Subwoofer"? Is there a combo center speaker and subwoofer set or does it work for the center speaker or subwoofer but not both at the same time?

Center or sub. Not at the same time.