1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,160 You're building your brand new PC. When you realize you made a rookie mistake, 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:09,200 you forgot the speakers. So you figure that you should go and buy some unless you want to spend 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,400 all your time wearing an uncomfortable pair of headclamps. It's not exactly hard to find a set 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:19,760 of cheap speakers specifically designed for PC that have great ratings on Amazon. Some of them 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:25,360 even throw in a subwoofer or allow you to power them by a USB instead of running another cable 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:30,080 to a power strip that lives in a tangled jungle behind your desk. But hold on a second, despite 7 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:36,080 the name, PC speakers aren't necessarily the best way to get sound out of your PC. A popular 8 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:40,320 alternative is to buy speakers that look a little more something like what you'd find in a home 9 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:45,360 theater or a dedicated stereo system, the kind commonly referred to as studio monitors, bookshelf 10 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:50,960 speakers, or satellite speakers. You see, although computer speakers and these other speaker types 11 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,760 look fairly similar, they were designed with different groups of people in mind, 12 00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:01,760 and there are two aspects in particular where PC speakers differ. Number one, convenience. 13 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:06,080 Setting up computer speakers is typically as easy as just plugging them into that weird little green 14 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,840 port on the back of your motherboard and then turning the volume knob that's built into the 15 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,880 speaker itself. No other setup required unless you're setting up a subwoofer. Two, PC speakers 16 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:20,880 tend to be tuned a specific way. In order to sound impressive, they often emphasize the base 17 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:25,920 and sometimes also the treble. It's similar to the V-shaped sound signature you commonly get 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:32,000 with mainstream headphones as exaggerated bass and treble can make music sound richer and crispier. 19 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,240 And who doesn't like hard hitting bass when an explosion goes off during a game? 20 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:42,240 Thor was throwing grenades at me. But the problem is that designing your speakers this way means 21 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,880 you're sacrificing the accuracy of the sound. Not to mention that some of the cheaper PC speakers 22 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:52,240 simply aren't built well enough to sound clear in the first place. And while there are definitely 23 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:57,200 some very good PC speakers out there, a set of bookshelf or studio speakers could possibly give 24 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:02,640 you clearer, more accurate audio that reflects what the artist or game developer wanted their 25 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,360 creation to sound like, thanks to larger drivers and generally better build quality. 26 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:11,200 But you still have to be careful when choosing a pair. Make sure you're paying attention to 27 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:16,320 whether the speakers you're considering are active or passive. Active speakers simply mean 28 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:21,280 they have a built-in amplifier to power them. So you'll plug them straight into the wall socket, 29 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,440 kind of like you would with regular PC speakers. Passive speakers on the other hand, 30 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:30,400 they require an external amp for power. You connect the speakers to the amp with speaker 31 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,720 wire and then the amp to your computer to get a signal. So yeah, there's another thing you gotta 32 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:39,680 buy. Although active speakers can be a bit more convenient, passive speakers allow you to upgrade 33 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:44,720 later at a lower cost as passive speakers are usually cheaper than the equivalent active 34 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,920 speakers since you're not paying for a built-in amp. Opting for a good quality external amp 35 00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:55,200 can also allow your speakers to get louder without much distortion and even prevent that annoying 36 00:02:55,200 --> 00:03:02,080 hissing sound when you turn them up. But remember, you can't just pair any passive speaker with any 37 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:07,280 amp. You need to make sure your amp can put enough power into your preferred speakers without 38 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,360 blowing them up. We'll link a calculator in the description that can tell you how powerful an amp 39 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,840 you need by entering the speaker specifications. But the good news is that for an average desktop 40 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:21,040 PC setup, where you're sitting just a few feet away from the speakers, an inexpensive 20 or 31 41 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:26,400 amp is likely all you need. Also remember that most studio and bookshelf speakers and amps use 42 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:31,920 RCA connectors for audio rather than the 3.5 millimeter jack common on computers. So there's 43 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:35,920 a good chance you'll need to pick up one of these Y adapters. But aside from speaker wire, 44 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,680 that's really all you need in terms of extra equipment. So don't be afraid to experiment 45 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:46,240 when picking out your next audio setup unless you really need that extra RGB. You don't. 46 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,920 So thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit us up 47 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:54,400 in the comments section with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future.