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Installing and Configuring Speakers

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This document applies to HP and Compaq Desktop computers with Windows XP.
HP computers come with a variety of sound options and speaker configurations. Use the sections within the steps below that best match the sound hardware for your computer. This document also describes how to connect your computer to a home stereo system.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following items:
  • Enough speaker wire to connect all speakers.
  • When using desktop speakers, make sure that the speakers are self-amplified. Many sound cards in HP computers output a high quality non-amplified signal.
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Step 1: Position and connect the speakers

Use one of the following sections depending on your particular speaker configuration:

Desktop computer speakers (2) or headphones

Connect the two desktop speakers to the Speaker Out connection on the back of the computer.
NOTE:Most computers do not come with an amplified Speaker Out connection and require self-amplified speakers. Make sure that you are using self-powered desktop speakers or volume levels might be too low.
Connect headphones to the headphone connection on the front of the computer.
After connecting the speaker or headphone cable, continue to Step 2 .

Monitor speakers

Connect the monitor speaker cable from the back of the speaker to the Speaker Out connection on the back of the computer.
For more specific installation and setup instructions, see your monitor Setup Guide.
After connecting the speaker or headphone cable, continue to Step 2 .

Connecting to a pre-existing home stereo system

Use the following steps to connect an HP computer to a home stereo receiver or amplifier:
  1. Buy the necessary number of Y adapter audio cables as described in the following list. Make sure that the cables are long enough to reach from the back of the computer to the back of the receiver or amplifier. Y adapter cables have one 3.5 mm (1/8 inch) stereo mini plug on one end and two RCA style connections on the other.
    Figure 1: Y adapter cable
    NOTE:If your computer came with on-board audio and you want to use 5.1 speakers, the sound connections on the back of the computer change to speaker out connections. Use the microphone connection (orange) for the center channel out and use the line-in connector (black) for the rear speakers. To change the speaker out configuration, see Configuring on-board audio (AC97) .
    If your computer has one Speaker Out connector, buy and use one Y adapter cable. Do this regardless of how many speakers the stereo has.
    If the home stereo system uses two speakers, buy one Y adapter cable.
    If the home stereo system uses four speakers, buy two Y adapter cables.
    If the home stereo system uses a 5.1 or greater speaker system, buy three Y adapter cables, plus one more cable for each extra set of speakers beyond the initial 6 (3 cables for a 5.1 system, 4 for a 6.1, and 5 for 7.1).
  2. Turn off the stereo receiver or amplifier.
  3. Connect the stereo mini plug of a Y adapter cable into the Primary Front Speaker Out (green) on the back of the computer. Connect the other ends of the Y adapter cable into the left and right inputs on the back of the stereo receiver or amplifier (usually CD or DVD in). If your stereo is a 5.1 or higher system, use the front left and right inputs labeled DVD , Surround , 5.1 , or 6 Channel inputs.
  4. If you have rear speakers, connect the stereo mini plug of a Y adapter cable into the Rear Speaker Out (black) on the back of the computer. Connect the other ends of the Y adapter cable into the rear left and right inputs on the back of the stereo receiver or amplifier labeled DVD , Surround , 5.1 , or 6 Channel inputs.
  5. If you have a 5.1 or higher channel home stereo system, connect the stereo mini plug of a Y adapter cable into the Center or Digital Out (orange) on the back of the computer. Connect the other ends of the Y adapter cable into the center and subwoofer inputs on the back of the stereo receiver or amplifier from the section labeled DVD , Surround , 5.1 , or 6 Channel inputs. Plug the Y adapter cable into the subwoofer connecter on the back of the receiver or amplifier even if a subwoofer is not used.
  6. Turn on the stereo.
  7. From the stereo receiver or amplifier, select the component that the Y adapter cable is plugged into (usually CD, DVD, or 5.1). Continue to Step 2 .

Connecting 2.1 computer speakers

Use the following steps to install a 2.1 speaker system. The steps below were created from the setup of a Klipsch 2.1 system, but apply to most 2.1 systems designed for computers.
  1. Unpack the speakers and assemble each component following the manufacturers instructions.
  2. Place the subwoofer (the large cube) on the floor near the computer. Make sure that the connectors on the back of the subwoofer are easily accessible. Position the subwoofer away from the leg room under the desk.
  3. Place the left and right speakers on either side of the monitor or television.
  4. Plug the ends of the speaker wires into the back of each desktop speaker. Connect the other ends of the speaker wires into the red and black connectors on the subwoofer labeled To Satellite Speakers .
  5. The sound cable is thicker and comes from the bottom of the right desktop speaker. Connect the sound cable into the primary front speaker out connector on the back of the computer.
  6. The pre-amp cable is thicker and also comes from the bottom of the right desktop speaker. Connect the pre-amp cable into the round pre-amp connector on the subwoofer.
  7. Plug the subwoofer power cord into a power outlet and turn on the subwoofer.
  8. Turn on the computer and test for sound. Continue to Step 2 .

Connecting 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 computer speakers

The following steps are for installing a speaker system containing several satellite pairs, a subwoofer, and center speaker. The steps below were created from the setup of a Klipsch 5.1 system, but apply to most multispeaker systems designed for computers.
NOTE:If your computer came with on-board audio and you want to use 5.1 speakers, the sound connections on the back of the computer change to speaker out connections. Use the microphone connection (orange) for the center channel out and use the line-in connector (black) for the rear speakers. To change the speaker out configuration, see Configuring on-board audio (AC97) .
  1. Unpack the speakers and assemble each component following the manufacturers instructions.
  2. Place the subwoofer (the large cube) on the floor near the computer. Make sure that the connectors on the back of the subwoofer are easily accessible and the round speaker faces forward.
  3. Place the front left, and right desktop speakers on either side of the monitor or television. Place the side left, and right speaker as close to the sides as possible, usually toward the front of a desk. Place the rear, left and right speakers behind the listening area. Try to place all desktop speakers equal distance from the center of your listening area.
    Figure 2: 5.1 Speaker Connections
  4. Place the center speaker on top or in front of the television or monitor.
  5. Plug the ends of the speaker wires into the red and black connectors on the back of each speaker. Press the red or black plastic tab in while inserting the end of the speaker wire into the hole. Use the longer speaker wires for the rear desktop speakers.
  6. Insert the other end of the each speaker wire into the matching red and black connector on the subwoofer.
  7. Place the control tower (the volume control component) near the listening area where it is easily accessible.
  8. Plug the cable that comes from the control tower into its matching connector on the back of the subwoofer.
  9. Connect the sound cable with green connectors into Primary Front Speaker Out on the back of the computer. Plug the other end of the cable into the green connector on the subwoofer.
  10. Connect the sound cable with black connectors into Rear Speaker Out on the back of the computer. Plug the other end of the cable into the black connector on the subwoofer next to the green connector.
  11. Connect the sound cable with orange connectors into Center or Digital Out on the back of the computer. Plug the other end of the cable into the orange connector on the subwoofer.
  12. Turn on the computer and test for sound. Continue to Step 2 .
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Step 2: Configure the sound software

Use one of the following sections to set the speaker settings in the sound software. If the steps for your sound card are not listed, see the documentation that came with the card for configuration information.

Configuring Sound Blaster Audigy

Use the following steps to configure the Audigy software for your particular speaker configuration:
  1. Turn on the computer and wait for Windows XP to fully load. Make sure that the computer is already set up and all software programs closed.
  2. If you do not see Audio HQ listed, click Start , click All Programs , click Creative , and then click Install Application for Creative Audigy . Restart the computer after installing.
  3. Click Start , click All Programs , click Creative , and then click AudioHQ .
  4. Double-click the Speaker icon.
    A Surround Mixer window displays.
  5. Select the type of speaker configuration you have from the speaker drop down list.
    Figure 3: The Surround Mixer window
  6. Click the Test button. Sound comes from each speaker telling you which speaker the voice should be coming from. Use the test button to help troubleshoot wrong connections and connections that are missing.
  7. When the voice is correctly heard from each speaker, close the Surround Mixer window by clicking the X , and continue to Step 3 .

Configuring on-board audio (AC97)

Use the following steps to configure the Multi-Channel Sound Manager software for your particular speaker configuration:
  1. Turn on the computer and wait for Windows XP to fully load. Make sure that the computer has already been set up and all software programs are closed.
  2. Click Start , click All Programs , click Music or Multi-channel Sound Manager , and then click Multi-channel Sound Manager .
    The Multi-channel Audio Configuration window displays.
  3. Click the Speaker Configuration tab.
  4. Select your speaker configuration from the No. of Speakers section.
    Figure 4: Multi-channel Audio Configuration window
  5. Check to see that your speakers are connected correctly by clicking the Speaker Test tab and clicking on each speaker in the graphic.
  6. Click OK to save the settings, and then continue to Step 3 .
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Step 3: Configure Windows XP

This step tunes the sounds in Windows XP to your particular speaker setup. Use the following steps to enhance your Windows XP sound experience:
  1. Click Start , click Control Panel , and then click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices .
  2. Click Sounds and Audio Devices .
  3. Click the Volume tab, and click the Advanced button from the Speaker Settings section.
  4. Click the Speakers tab and select your speaker configuration from Speaker Setup.
  5. Click OK to save settings and exit. Your computer is now correctly configured to work best with your speakers.
Figure 5: Advanced Audio Properties
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Reference: Sound connector examples

See one of the following diagrams for more helpful information on sound hardware that is common on HP and Compaq Desktop computers:

Creative SoundBlaster Audigy

Figure 6: Back Panel for Audigy
1 - FireWire (IEEE 1394) connector
2 - Speaker out (rear)
3 - Speaker out (front)
4 - Microphone
5 - Line in
6 - Digital out / center channel out

Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 and 2 ZS

Figure 7: Back Panel for Audigy 2 & 2 ZS
1 - Digital out
2 - Line in
3 - Microphone
4 - Speaker out 1
5 - Speaker out 2
6 - Speaker out 3
7 - FireWire (IEEE 1394) connector
Figure 8: Front I/O Panel for Audigy 2 ZS
1 - SPDIF in
2 - Optical in
3 - Optical out
4 - Left aux in 2
5 - Right aux in 2
6 - IR
7 - FireWire (IEEE 1394) connector
8 - Midi out
9 - Midi in
10 - MIC
11 - Line in 2
12 - Headset volume
13 - Headphone jack
14 - SPDIF out

Realtek sound hardware

Figure 9: Motherboards with 3 rear audio connectors
1 - Microphone (on some computers, the microphone can also be configured as the Center/Subwoofer out through the Sound Manager software)
2 - Line-out (to front powered speakers)
3 - Line-in (on some computers, the microphone can also be configured as the rear speaker out through the Sound Manager software)
Figure 10: Motherboards with 6 rear audio connectors
1 - Side speaker out
2 - Rear speaker out
3 - Center and subwoofer out
4 - Microphone
5 - Line-out (to front powered speakers)
6 - Line-in
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