You can do so many things on a computer and some of them are: watch a movie, play a video game or listen to some music. And for all of these activities you will definitely need some sound. If you don’t want to disturb anybody else you can use some headphones, but if you want to share the sound with others you must use some computer speakers. The computers evolved a  lot in the last years, and so did the speakers. Today you can find very advanced computers and also very advanced speakers. The computers got smaller and smaller, and so did the speakers. Now you can find very small speakers, which can bring a very good sound quality in a small and compact design.

There are many types of computer speakers and also a lot of big producers on the audio market. You can choose some regular stereo speakers and be satisfied just with them. But if you are looking for something more powerful you can get a 2.1 system, which beside the 2 speakers also has a subwoofer. But if you are looking for a complete audio experience, with a surround sound you should definitely choose a surround sound system These kinds of systems can be 5.1 – with 4 satellite speakers, a center channel and a subwoofer, or they can be 7.1 – with 6 satellite speakers, a center channel and a subwoofer. There are also 4.1 systems but they are not so common. The most preferred by the home users are the 2.1 or 5.1 systems. If you don’t wish to buy the whole system, you can always get just some of the components, and combine them as you like. All the companies are offering individual satellite speakers, center channels, subwoofers, bookshelf or floor standing speakers. If you don’t the speakers to be placed near your computer, you can choose some in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. These are very small and specially designed to be placed in a wall or a ceiling. This way they won’t fill up any space on your desk, and they will give a nice sound from above your head. If you want to take the party outside you can choose some outdoor speakers. These are made of special materials and they can be placed outside on any weather, no matter if it is a hot day of summer or a cold day of winter. They can also be placed near the pool because they are water proof.

With al of these speakers you can listen to different things, for example listen to your mp3-s from the computer, or use the speakers for playing a radio station or listen to the movie, game or whatever activity you are doing at the computer. Some of the speakers can also be connected to other devices such as MP3 player, iPods, iPhones and many more.

Like we mentioned before, there are also many audio producers. Some of the big names of the world are: JBL, Creative, Logitech, Harman Kardon, Klipsch, Altec Lansing, Bose, Boston Acoustic and others.

In this article we’ll take an example of each of the type of speakers presented before, and discuss more about them. Let’s begin with a center channel, for example RS 244 C from Boston Acoustics Company. It is quite an expensive product, but also equipped with advanced technologies, and high quality sound. Usually a center channel brings the high sounds, especially the voices (for example the voices of actors in a movie or singers in a concert). So that’s why it is an important component of an audio system. The RS 244 C has an elegant design and it delivers clear sounds across all the sound ranges, and it can even give some bass. The range frequency for this speakers is between 50 Hz and 26 kHz. The recommended power at which it can be used is 10- 200 watts RMS

We mentioned before about the bass. Well there is a special component which brings only the bass and it is called the subwoofer. Usually it is the largest component in an audio system, but if the space is a problem for you, there are also some smaller subwoofers on the market. The subwoofer will make the difference between some regular music on the computer and a cool sensation of being in a night club, or the difference between watching a movie like on TV, or watching a movie like at the cinema. One of the most powerful subwoofers you can find is the VPS 210 from Boston Acoustics. Even if its expensive, it will really rock your house because it has an incredible power of 500 watts. Imagine how your windows will vibrate when turning this subwoofer loud :)

The third part of an audio system are the small satellite speakers (also named bookshelf speakers). Even they are so small they have an important role in an audio system, because of their placement. The will be placed each in one corner of the room, and this way you will have that surround feeling, for example that someone is behind you. An example of bookshelf speakers are the Pinnacle QP 2way LCR speakers. They have a price of 270 dollars and they can be combined both with the computer for playing a radio station or some music and also with the TV to have a much better sound. They have some pivots so they can be placed on a flat surface, but they also feature some wall mounts to be placed on the wall. They have a small weight and size, and are also video shielded so they won’t interact with your monitor or TV. And least but not last, they will give you a good sound quality.

The world we live in is characterized by technological development and people nowadays accept technology as part and parcel of their lives. As a general rule human beings seem to cope quite well with technological research but they are not aware of the fact that little by little they tend to govern their lives according to the latest breakthroughs.

However, technology is not meant only to make peoples' lives easier but it also has an entertainment function. We include in the category of entertainment technology home audio equipment. Nevertheless, there are a lot of people who are not acknowledged with the secrets of this type of technology.

First of all, you should know that there is no difference between home cinema and home theatre. They have the same meaning and the same function. Focusing on a definition for the two terms it must said that home theatre was developed as a smaller theatre built in your private home, intended to mimic the "cinema experience". But you should know that home cinema is, actually, the basic field of home audio equipment. This kind of equipment is composed of a wide variety of devices, such as audio electronics intended to home use, like home stereos and surround sound receivers which became the modern mark of home audio equipment. Thus, there is no clear-cut distinction between home cinema and home theatre but they are featured as accessories, and not as standard equipment. Home audio equipment functions as a device of enhancing or replacing your standard equipment. The composition of this type of equipment is quite simple.

The AV receivers are often viewed as the home entertainment system, functioning as the sounds amplificator and serving as the hub of your entire home-theatre system. It is common knowledge that for an excellent "cinema experience" you need a front video projector which takes a video signal and projects the images on a projection screen by means of a lens system. All the modern projectors have the capacity to correct the inappropriate curves or blurriness, using a very bright light in projecting the specific images. The convergence device which combines the feature of a personal computer and a media center software which develops video and music playback is called home theatre PC, HTPC or media PC. Media centre usually has a 10 foot user interface designed to be used in living-room TV and a remote control.

Moreover, there are few types of home theater, such as backyard theater, defined as a version with a  screen which is foldable, a projector and a pair of speakers, but this home theatre relies very much on your backyard space. Then it is home theater in a box, a combination of DVD-Video or Blu-ray Disc player and multi-channel amplifier, including a surround sound decoder, a radio tuner, some speaker wires, certain connection cables, a remote control, a set of five or more surround sound speakers together with a low-frequency subwoofer.

On the whole 21^st century is the century of modernization where home audio equipment is a piece of the puzzle technology represents. If now this kind of equipment is still seen as a fashionable one, soon it will become a common issue. Just take into account the fact that surround sound formats were used in movie theatres dating back to Disney's Fantasia and became available to consumers in the late '80s.

A digital audio mixer is a device that can help you in your quest for music, but can also help you in other various ways. This sort of equipment is mostly used at a large scale in recording studios, that kind of facility where songs or other audio elements are recorded in certain conditions, like sound diffusion or other desired acoustic properties. You can also find digital mixers in broadcasting and television where they have a quite large range. In broadcasting system, digital audio mixers are used with success for that new age thing called internet radio. Post-production in film industry is again one of the domains where audio mixers are marking their important presence. The digital format is preferred these days because of its easily versatile feature. That is why audio mixers are very common this days and that is the explanation for the fact that you could find them even in the public address system.

The digital audio mixer is the perfect tool that can be used in professional studios but can be easily used in home made studios as well. A great instrument that can create deep reverbs that will envelope any listener, a mixer can help you to store preset automation tasks for an easy and quick handling. It also bring various software that can ease your work from pressing a simple button to combine two separate audio signals into a single one. You also have the ability to have automatic mixes that can be easily stored into your personal computer, to add effects to your own music or your voice recordings. Compression and mastering can be made without many efforts and all you need for these operations is under a single unit: the digital audio mixer. Its complexity however can limit you to a certain number of commands in case you are not so well trained in the audio business. You should know what a reverb is, how can you control delay or pitch function, or how much can you modify digital effects otherwise an investment in this domain does not have any base.

If you want to have a completely digitally controlled audio mixer for your on, try in the beginning to understand the importance of knowing how a thing like this work, how can it help you on your studies or, in case you are a person who know something about this kind of digital instrument, how can improve the audio stuff you are working at. The digital audio mixer can interface via universal serial buss to any personal computer and the audio signal control can be easily made just using the software which is provided by the manufacturer of the hardware. With this feature you can also use M-LAN to record an audio signal.

There are advantages and disadvantage in the matter of using a digital audio mixer instead of a classic analog one and those differences are visible especially when you are put under the pressure of making the things work. To begin with the advantages, a digital mixer have the property that the sound is clear, without the existence of any distortion. When the audio signal is in the digital domain, the transfer from that format to the analog one can easily be made without any risks concerning the sound alteration with noise or other signal degradations (that isn't valid when you want to add noise intentional, like a phat bass or something alike). The same thing happens when the conversion is made from the analog format into digital audio signal.

The flexibility that a digital audio mixer can offer you is another advantage. The audio signal can be easily manipulated without any risks because of the saving and loading possibility. The setup for various settings can be made in advantage and can be rapidly loaded when needed in situations like a live concert where each band that participate may have her own presets that can be lightly changed. For this kind of events, a knowledgeable person can adjust all of the microphones or other settings like monitors etc. After several minutes, when everything is properly adjusted, the created setup is labeled under an assigned name and stored in the personal computer memory or in the CPU of the machine. Afterward, as easy as it gets, a less knowledgeable operator or sound editor can simply look on the computer screen or touch screen to recall that previous setting by pushing a simple button. Then the system operates himself and the controls are moving to their proper positions. Beside that, the presets and the setups for any other events can be saved and instantly recalled by opening a folder and loading the settings.

Beside all this advantage, when you chose a digital audio mixer you benefit of many typical on board effects that can help you to adjust a signal the way you like until is perfect for your needs. There are also many virtual signal processors available, gadget that you can use to eliminate the need for any additional hardware modules that can complicate the assemblage (all the hard work involving cabling, signal quality issues, weight, transport, size or cost) and compromise the good working of a live act for example.

As regarding the disadvantages that you can encounter using a digital audio mixer, there are some issues that can make you think about your choice concerning your choice for digital. The complexity of the software is a thing that can make angry any patient sound editor. There are multitudes of channels and other buttons, effects and layers that are usually hidden in banks, thing that can make the audio processing difficult. Another issue for digital audio mixer is the quality of the audio signal when processing from the analog to digital format and vice versa, but because the quality degradation is not always noticeable some audio editors are not embracing this idea.

In comparison, the two audio mixers, the digital and the analog one have their good and bad parts but because of many features and gadgets, the digital mixer is preferred these days.

Many users search for the best computer speakers but first you would have to ask what makes a computer speaker good? Its loudness? The design or its stature? Because this refers mainly to the basic subjective features that everybody would like for their speakers to have we have made a list of the best products in 2008 so that you would have from were to choose.

We shall start with the Harman Kardon HK3490 Stereo Receiver, which was give by the users, the medal for the best value, being a highly known name in the home theater and stereo business, and having a very good reputation when it comes with the audio field for many, many years. These speakers are known for their ultra wide bandwidth amplifiers, high current and a design that will offer you a very high frequency audio response to 110 kHz and this will be shown in the receiver's performance. With many features and a very good audio performance you can purchase the Harman Kardon HK 3490 stereo receiver computer speakers at the price of $499.

The BG Z-92 tower speakers are the best value tower computer speakers that you can get from the market, BG Corporation being known from introducing these speakers in the Z-Series speakers' line. With two 6,5 inches aluminum cone woofers, the Z-92 is a 3 way audio speaker with a Neo10 mid range driver and a Neo3 PDR tweeter. Its manufacturer has built its name on planar ribbon drivers so you will have outstanding detail and clarity audio sound and a very good transient response.

In the best value bookshelf speakers category we have the B & W 685 speakers, its manufacturer being a very respected name in the British audio field and made its brand known for its quality for many decades. These stereos can be placed on speaker stands or on a shelf very good for home theater or stereo speakers. With a 6,5 inches woven Kevlar bass / mid driver, the 685 stereo speakers are two way sidled devices with one inch metal dome tweeter.  You can find them in four finish designs: Wenge, Black, Red Cherry and White, having a very accurate and good sound quality, this being a know feature of the B & W products.

The most innovative product that 2008 has seen is the Russound Collage Multi room Audio System that is one of the most promising devices that you will ever see. Just imagine of replacing you entire home stereo system without having to run with wires from room to room and that this new system will have the feature of incorporating music from the CD player, MP3 player, iPod and many other audio devices, having also video and intercom surveillance capabilities. If you are one for the lucky ones that owns a home that is already wired for a multi room audio this offer is not for you. If you are not then you just have found the perfect system for you. Using a Power Line Carrier Technology, the Collage stereo speakers make it much easier to install a new house audio system without the pesky job of running new wires through it.

Optical and coaxial cables are being used to make the digital audio connection between a DVD or a CD player and the receiver. Both types will transfer a digital signal from one device to the other. So, basically if they do the same thing what is the difference between them? The performance level between the two is almost the same but it depends on whom you are going to ask. We can state some facts about both the optical and coaxial digital connections so you may form your own opinion.

The coaxial digital audio cable uses shielded copper wire and in general it will be the most rugged. It has a both ends the familiar RCA jacks which will be reliable and stay firmly connected, but these types of cables will be susceptible to EMI (electro-magnetic interference) and RFI (radio frequency interference) leading to some 'hum-ing' problems with the device, the cable transferring the noise between the components. They also tend to loose the signal when over very long distances but for when you are using it at home this will not be a problem.

The optical digital audio cable is known as the Toslink and it will transfer an audio signal using the red light beam through the plastic fiber optic cable. The traveling signal will be converted from an electrical to an optical signal in the CD player and then back to an electrical signal in the receiver. These cables are not susceptible to EMI or RFI noise because through the cable will travel light not electricity. Unlike the coax cables, optical cables are much more fragile and it is not advisable to bent them too much or pinch them. At both ends of the cable you shall find an odd shaped connector that will have to be inserted correctly and does not have the same tight connection as the coaxial cable will have with the RCA jacks.

The basic role of the cable is to carry a video or an audio signal from one device to another. These signals are carried from stereo receivers to speakers, from DVD players and TVs or computers and video projectors and may other technological devices, making many jobs easy. A cable is made up from three parts: conductors, shielding and connectors. The conductors are the wires that will actually carry the signal and a layer or more of shielding will prevent these wires to act as an antenna that will pick up electro-magnetic interference EMI or radio frequency interference RFI, the connector being the plug at the end of the cable that will be connected into your device.

Cables are very important components in any home stereo or theater setup and if you will not use the right cables for the job you could get a bad picture quality or a bad audio experience and if you use damaged cables you could get yourself a very crappy video or audio event. For example, for real audiophiles if you use low-end cables with a very expensive HDTV plasma it will be like putting very lousy tires on a Lamborghini.

Remember to be informed with all the details that you need when you are connecting any device to another and to choose the right cables out there on the market.