WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.160 You're building your brand new PC. When you realize you made a rookie mistake, 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 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 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:19.760 of cheap speakers specifically designed for PC that have great ratings on Amazon. Some of them 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 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 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 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 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:45.360 theater or a dedicated stereo system, the kind commonly referred to as studio monitors, bookshelf 00:00:45.360 --> 00:00:50.960 speakers, or satellite speakers. You see, although computer speakers and these other speaker types 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:55.760 look fairly similar, they were designed with different groups of people in mind, 00:00:55.760 --> 00:01:01.760 and there are two aspects in particular where PC speakers differ. Number one, convenience. 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 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 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.880 speaker itself. No other setup required unless you're setting up a subwoofer. Two, PC speakers 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 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 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:32.000 with mainstream headphones as exaggerated bass and treble can make music sound richer and crispier. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.240 And who doesn't like hard hitting bass when an explosion goes off during a game? 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 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 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 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 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:02.640 you clearer, more accurate audio that reflects what the artist or game developer wanted their 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:07.360 creation to sound like, thanks to larger drivers and generally better build quality. 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 00:02:11.200 --> 00:02:16.320 whether the speakers you're considering are active or passive. Active speakers simply mean 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, 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:25.440 kind of like you would with regular PC speakers. Passive speakers on the other hand, 00:02:25.440 --> 00:02:30.400 they require an external amp for power. You connect the speakers to the amp with speaker 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 00:02:34.720 --> 00:02:39.680 buy. Although active speakers can be a bit more convenient, passive speakers allow you to upgrade 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:44.720 later at a lower cost as passive speakers are usually cheaper than the equivalent active 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 00:02:49.920 --> 00:02:55.200 can also allow your speakers to get louder without much distortion and even prevent that annoying 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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. 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 00:03:49.920 --> 00:03:54.400 in the comments section with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future.