Actually I won’t have anywhere to put rear speakers on my temporary setup , but is anyone using a centre channel ?
I had purchased 5.1 home theatre speakers from Paradigm years ago that were for a computer setup I never did .
I do need to buy a home theatre receiver to run the audio still, and thought I’d use the fiber out of the MB to the receiver . No idea how carried away they get with games nowadays though .
At this time I was just going to use a centre channel and the right and left speaker , and the subwoofer.
Any point in connecting the centre channel , or nay?
Here’s a pic of the speakers ,you can’t see the one on the right . I will be using a single 34” monitor .
I’m almost wondering if I should use my old Logitech system for now , but swap in these speakers instead .
My thought is the game would be more immersive with 5.1 ,
but my computer guy is trying to tell me that 2.1 is in right now . I’m almost debating to just get a couple of larger speakers about the height of the monitor and go that way now

This YouTuber did a great job aesthetically . I like how he got the height close to the monitors .
If I did this ,the only problem is my centre channel will be below the monitor, and my sides higher .
Not sure if I’m liking that idea aesthetically, or sound wise having them at different heights

I have 7.2 just cause thats my tv set up, so play games the same way.. i will say i mostly play mlb the show but i cant tell you that any sound particularly stands out. I do know my sub hits sometimes.. makes me think games arent nearly mixed lkke movies.. but.. i could play a few games and pay attention

Idk if you know the way it works but front left, center and right get majority of the power and surrounds barely get any.. i honestly dont think id have any problem going 3.1. Majority audio comes through the center.. like 80%

Thats not 3.1

That looks like only 2.. unless the center is hidden somewhere. Dont see the sub either, but if its down there thats 2.1

Sorry I’m using that as an example of a 2.1 system . I’m just mirin how big his speakers are .
Although I can’t see why these speakers I bought for home theatre shouldn’t suffice . I’ve never heard them yet , but I’m expecting good things .
I think I’ll do 3.1 and see how it goes. , thx

Its gonna be better than any soundbar or tv/ computer speakers built in.. thats for sure

Ya and if I buy another receiver, I do have a brand new still in the box 10” subwoofer from paradigm for bass duties

I had 5.1 when I was using my racing sim alot but I got rid of it cause I wasn't playing as much

3.1 may be good for gaming and movies for the center channel but for music 2.1 will be better

I Just use 2.1 for music now, I don't often game on speakers. They are like 90 percent just for music.

Speaker stands for the win. I like to have mine spread out a little bit more than my desk would allow.

I have a 5.1 setup with two extra side surround speakers and an elevated center speaker over the monitor.

When you get a game with proper surround support, it's incredible. E.g. Monster Hunter World has full surround sound support, and there were times where I had to stop for a second because I wasn't quite sure if the bird chirping were right outside or the game.

What caused me to get the center speaker was that I found 2 speakers + 2 surround (and a subwoofer) was not working if you try to get a pseudo surround setup, like telling Windows you have a 5.1 setup. The missing center speaker in such a scenario cuts out a ton of audio, so you're forced into a 2.1 setup that disables the side speakers. There might be a new option with Windows 11 for 4.1, or some sort of workaround (which might not work depending on an application/game basis), but honestly the 5.1 was completely worth it, so I don't regret going for it in the end. Plus, it was much easier to configure since 5.1 is such a common standard.

Thx , I want to do 5.1 ideally then . I don’t have room in my living room where I’m temporarily setting it up , but will definitely try to implement 5.1 somehow in my new setup when I build a desk in my office .

No problem.

It was definitely a hassle to set up in my case, mostly because I have a second listening area and, as far as I know, most receivers don't actually let you utilize their second sub out for a Zone 2, so I had to get creative with a passthrough to a second. So going from that, everything else is cake by comparison.

5.1 is pretty ubiquitous now as well, and Windows has had good support for it for a long time now. You can even get the Dolby Atmos application from the Microsoft Store for free (the headphones function costs money, but the regular surround speakers one doesn't, believe it or not).

It's fantastic for music as well, playing out all 5 speakers + sub, although I'll note that the music application I use is MusicBee, which has support for upmixing 2.1 to 5.1. Having gone through countless audio applications, that is hands down my favorite, having an incredible amount of customization that is very easy to navigate. Even things like the ability to set separate volume/eq for individual songs or albums, or outright remove ReplayGain if you want. I love it.

I want to also chime in and support the 5.1 decision. I remember the first time I ran proper 5.1 for Metroid Prime and the sound went from in-game sound, to being an experience. From the blasts of Samus' arm cannon and explosions kicked out from the subwoofer, to the enemy screeches, roars and environmental sounds all around you, it put you into the game. Even headphones can't compare. If you have the room, do it.

Highly recommend you get a widescreen monitor as well.

I used to mess around with 5.1 on my gaming PC, been using only stereo and 2.1 setups for the longest time ever since. They are a just a lot cleaner and easier, and it's all I really need for PC use about 99% of the time.

Surround only really makes sense if you got a home theatre setup IMO, then you will use it for things like movies where it makes a lot of sense to have all those speakers setup. Yeah it can make a difference with gaming, but I feel I only desire that for gaming on a TV.