sales primer computerspeakers

Harman International

Sales Primer

Computer Speakers

Ravi Lakkundi

Product Manager, India

Harman International India (Pvt) Ltd

Published on: 29 Oct 2012


Introduction

Every Personal Computer (PC) includes some kind of speakers, which invariably are not great (Size and

Acoustic volume constraints). By PC, here we mean Desktop computers, Laptops and even convertible

tablets etc. Most of the media resides in these computers and it becomes essential to have some sort of

entertainment speakers attached to these computers.

One quick search on internet reveals a range of computer speaker’s offerings across various brands.

These computer speakers basically are either a 2.0 system or 2.1 system. Stereo sound out of a 2.0/2.1

system is a preferred choice of many people, even audiophiles like the stereophonic sound; some go to

an extent saying that’s the true sound, natural sound field.

History: Recording sound in stereo (The Channel Concept!) dates back to more than a century, but

Stereophonic Sound a.k.a. Stereo was put in limelight by Dolby. Dolby first introduced Dolby Stereo in

1975 for motion pictures.

So, what is a 2.1 system – Most know its 2 Audio channels and 1 Subwoofer channels, but then how to

choose one such system esp. computer speakers, what types of feature these 2.1 system offer, Should

one buy a 2.1 system or 2.0 system? These are some of the question which often comes in minds of

customers who want to buy a music/entertainment system for their computers.

This primer is a guide to customers as well as sales staff, a guide which will lead you as a consumer to

the right product, in this case computer speakers.

Important Terminology - What is a 2.1?

A 2.1 system refers to a speaker system which has an ability to render stereo sound, sound recorded in 2

– channel. The ‘.1 ‘refers to subwoofer, a special speaker called Subwoofer, which has the ability to play

low frequency sound – Thump of the music/movie.

A typical 2.1 system is shown here for reference.

If one is watching a movie, It’s the

subwoofer which converts a show to an

experience


PC becomes a single source of entertainment for most people especially youngsters – A primary Speaker

System. They have a personal space or a study table or a small office space of few square feet and would

want to watch a movie or favorite tracks in that space. Owning a home theater for a better sound

experience is too much and probably never comes to their minds (silly thought isn’t it?)

Computer Speakers are the best option for people looking for casual listening/mini-cinema experience.

These computer speakers come in two different configurations 2.0 or 2.1.

2.0 System

A 2.0 speaker system has only Left and Right speakers in it (Can be called as Satellite speakers – Inspired

by home theater systems terminology). One of the satellite speakers will house all the amplifier

electronics and will have the power cable attached. This satellite speaker also will have typical volume

control knob, Treble knob and Bass knob.

As shown above a 2.0 system has a simple wiring mechanism.

These systems are suitable for casual music listeners (No Cinema, No 3D !), Listeners who just listen to

their favorite track while working on their computers should chose these 2.0 speakers.


These system are differentiated from one another primarily on shape, size, features – as listed and

explained below

Features What it means Preference

Footprint Size of the speaker Small, should be as portable as

it can with amazing sound

performance

Response Bandwidth The frequency response of the

speakers used – Ability to

reproduce frequency

Ideally the speakers should

cover 20Hz to 20KHz onwards,

but then practically they should

cover anywhere between 50 to

70Hz and above for acceptable

quality

Output Power Watt (W) – 3 to 8W Higher wattage not necessarily

means good sound, loud system

– But a higher W is preferred

with Quality !

Connectivity Source that can be connected

and in how many different ways

Should have wired (3.5 mm Aux

input) as well as wireless

connectivity (Bluetooth)

Headphone Out For connecting headphone

directly to Speaker

Required must for ease of usage

Magnetically shielded speakers Called a bucking magnet,

Cancels the magnetic field

around the outside of speaker

magnet

Preferred, must

Design, Color, Material, Finish All good !

3D Surround Giving some kind of audio

surround effect over 2 speaker

system

Preferred (Depends on price

point)

Power options How is the speaker powered USB for small speakers, normal

power line input for large

powerful speakers

THX Certified Quality Assurance Certification

– One of many standards

Not mandatory, trust your ears

– THX certified is you are

trusting some good professional

ear

Customers shopping for computer speakers can use the above features to compare one offering from

another. Remember, you are buying Speakers – Do keep sound quality on priority!


2.1 System

2.1 system has subwoofer attached to it in addition to the Left and Right speakers.

A subwoofer is certainly needed if one is watching movies on the PC/Laptop. As said before it’s the

subwoofer which converts a movie show into an experience – That boom boom of your favorite movie

when heard over a subwoofer will keeps your ears locked on to the PC screen! and bet you will be

craving for more action for your subwoofer to react !!! – If you feel we are talking about you/your

experience here – Buy a 2.1 system

Satellite speakers (The left and Right speakers) alone often fail to give that bass (Boom/Thump) effect.

Some of the high end computer speakers often claim that they can provide the movie experience

without the Subwoofer (2.0 system), they either have a subwoofer built into the satellite speakers or

have amazing wide range speakers (20 Hz to 20 KHz) ! or surely are lying about the complete experience.

However some might just be on the edge to giving that cinema experience but as said it will not be

complete experience.

In short – If you love watching movies and want to have a near cinema experience on your computer get

a 2.1 system, casual listener’s go-ahead with 2.0 system – bet you will be happy and satisfied

Some additional features to look for in a 2.1 system are

Features What it means Preference

Subwoofer Footprint Size of the Subwoofer 3” to 4.5” subwoofer driver, 10-

15 Watt power (10% THD)

Subwoofer Response Bandwidth The frequency response of the

subwoofer used – Ability to

reproduce frequency range

Typically: 40 Hz to (the set

crossover);

Total 2.1 System response 45

Hz to 20 KHz – Typical

Wireless Connectivity Is the subwoofer Wired or

Wireless

Optional, For a computer

speaker being wireless matters

less, since the close proximity of

listener


Conclusion

A brief introduction of 2.0 and 2.1 computer speaker systems is given in this paper. Computer speaker

market is widely spread, making it difficult for some customers to take the decision. This paper also

provides a some key features of computer speaker systems, features which can be used to compare

against different offerings of speakers.

References

Some of the definitions and materials have been inspired from the reference links provided. For the

ones who wish to read more here are some reference World Wide Web links

[1] www.harman.com

[2] www.jbl.com

[3] http://reviews.cnet.com/

sales primer computerspeakers

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