How to Install Creative Speakers

When we think about computers, we don't always think about sound. But sound is an important part of the computer experience, whether you're using your computer to play music files, watching videos or for gaming. Creative Labs produces a wide variety of powered speaker systems designed for use with computers. Installing Creative speakers depends upon the type of speaker system and your computer. We'll examine the installation of common 7.1, 5.1, and 2.1 Creative speakers.

Installing a Creative 7.1 speaker system

Check your sound card connections on the back of your computer. Your sound card must have three minijack outputs to allow you to connect a 7.1 system. These may be labeled sequentially as "Line out 1-3," or they may be designated as "front," "rear/side," and "center/subwoofer." The jacks will be color-coded as well--respectively green, orange, and gray.

Connect the green cable of your speaker system between "Line out 1/front" of the computer and the "front" jack of your speaker system's subwoofer. This connection and the following connections are achieved by simply plugging the 3.5 mm minijack plug on each end of the cable into the appropriate jack.

Connect the orange cable of your speaker system between "Line Out 2/center/subwoofer" of your computer and the "center/subwoofer" input of your speaker system's subwoofer.

Connect the gray cable of your speaker system between the "Line Out 3/rear" of your computer and the "rear" and "side" inputs of the speaker system's subwoofer. Note that this cable will have one connector on the computer end, and two on the subwoofer end, since there are separate "rear" and "side" plugs on the speaker system's subwoofer.

Position your speakers. In a 7.1 system you'll have a subwoofer, center channel, two front, two side, and two rear speakers. Position these according to their description in the best possible position in your listening area. Try to position all the speakers (with exception of the subwoofer) at ear level for best performance.

Connect the included speaker cables between the speakers and correct plugs on the subwoofer. For example, the center speaker will plug into the "center speaker" jack on the subwoofer. The connectors are specific to each end (subwoofer or speaker) and are simply plugged in to make the connections.

Installing a Creative 5.1 speaker system

Check your sound card connections on the back of your computer. Your sound card must have three minijack outputs to allow you to connect a 7.1 system. These may be labeled sequentially as "Line out 1-3," or they may be designated as "front," "rear," and "center/subwoofer." The jacks will be color-coded as well -- respectively green, orange, and gray.

Connect the green cable of your speaker system between "Line out 1/front" of the computer and the "front" jack of your speaker system's subwoofer. This connection and the following connections are achieved by simply plugging the 3.5 mm minijack plug on each end of the cable into the appropriate jack.

Connect the orange cable of your speaker system between "Line Out 2/center/subwoofer" of your computer and the "center/subwoofer" input of your speaker system's subwoofer.

Connect the gray cable of your speaker system between the "Line Out 3/rear" of your computer and the "rear" input of the speaker system's subwoofer.

Position your speakers. In a 5.1 system you'll have a subwoofer, center channel, two front, and two rear speakers. Position these according to their description in the best possible position in your listening area. Try to position all the speakers (with exception of the subwoofer) at ear level for best performance.

Connect the included speaker cables between the speakers and correct plugs on the subwoofer. For example, the center speaker will plug into the "center speaker" jack on the subwoofer. The connectors are specific to each end (subwoofer or speaker) and are simply plugged in to make the connections.

Installing a Creative 2.1 speaker system

Check your sound card connections on the back of your computer. Unlike a 5.1 or 7.1 system, your sound card needs only one stereo output to connect a 2.1 system. This will usually be labeled as "line out" and will be color coded with a green jack. If you have multiple line outs, use the "line out 1" or "front" jack. When in doubt, use the green jack.

Connect the green cable of your speaker system between "line out" of the computer and the "audio input" jack of your speaker system's subwoofer. The audio input jack will also be color coded green. This connection achieved by simply plugging the 3.5 mm minijack plug on each end of the cable into the appropriate jack.

Position your speakers and subwoofer. Put one speaker on each side of your computer's monitor, with the subwoofer below or to the side of your computer's desk.

Connect the included speaker cables between the speakers and correct plugs on the subwoofer. Plug the speaker on the right side of the monitor into the "right" output and the left side to "left." The connectors are specific to each end (subwoofer or speaker) and are simply plugged in to make the connections.