Hey I got a surround sound 5.1 question.

[Pegasus Kid]

Ok I don't know much about sound systems so I am lost here maybe you guys could help me out. I am looking into buying either a 5.1 or 4.1 set-up but ran into a question the 4.1 set-up has a total output of 400W while the 5.1 has only 100W now could I still be able to handle the 4.1 with only a 350W power supply?? I am lost does it just use your power supply voltage or plug in wall adapter or what please help me on this one.

[flanzig1]

If the systems you are looking at are designed for computers, they will be self powered(power provided from a wall outlet.
If it's a stereo set-up, you will need a audio amp with 4.1 or 5.1 decoding built in.

[Pegasus Kid]

Oh thank you I was unsure about it. The set-up I was looking at is actually a pc 4.1 set-up so guess I don't need the power supply voltage thanks.

[Glaive]

Sound systems have three parts:

1)Preamp-- this is where sound is processed and adjustments (like EQ controls, compression, etc.) are made

2)Power amp-- this is where the signal from the preamp is amplified, or made louder

3)speakers -- these are non-powered devices which convert the signal from the power amp into vibration (aka sound waves) which we can hear

In a home stereo or home theater system, the preamp and power amp are generally built into one device, generally referred to as a receiver.

In a PC, your sound card acts as the preamp, and then passes the signal out of the computer into an amplifier that is built into either one of the speakers (common in small two-speaker setups) or the subwoofer. This is why in 4.1 or 5.1 setups you generally hook the other speakers into the subwoofer, and not into the sound card.