[Eye Sea]

Do you know when you're listening to the radio, or watching films, music etc, on your pc, which is the 'right' external speaker?

I always thought it was the one with the volume nob on. My sister reckons it doesn't matter, sound is sound.

Thanks in advance.

[Nigel Goodwin]

There's no fixed way, but the speakers should be labelled Left and Right, so it's pretty obvious which is which. On mine the Left one has the amplifier inside and the knobs on.

[Trajet]

Ah, but is it left and right as you see them or the other way round?

[Deacon1972]

It's as you see them facing the screen.

Same rule applies for surround sound speakers as well - only this time your back is facing them, left/right speakers face each other.

[RobAnt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

It's as you see them facing the screen.

Same rule applies for surround sound speakers as well - only this time your back is facing them, left/right speakers face each other.

To simplify this - looking over your left shoulder you'll find left side/rear - looking over your right shoulder you'll find right side/rear.

If you're an owl, you might even be able to see the centre/rear, over either shoulder.

If you're a dog you should be able to hear the tweeters all the way up to, and possibly beyond 20khz, whereas an elephant should be able to feel and hear the sub-woofer down to, and possibly below 20hz.

And for the sake of the OPs sister - it does matter - especially if you're watching a video. You don't want the poor old piccolo twittering away off to the left, while the piccolo player is obviously way off to the right.

[Deacon1972]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobAnt

If you're an owl, you might even be able to see the centre/rear, over either shoulder.

If you were a spider you'd be able to see all the speakers at once.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobAnt

If you're a dog you should be able to hear the tweeters all the way up to, and possibly beyond 20khz, whereas an elephant should be able to feel and hear the sub-woofer down to, and possibly below 20hz.

I can feel my sub below 20Hz, does this make me an elephant?

[RobAnt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

I can feel my sub below 20Hz, does this make me an elephant?

No - you need at least 1gb of RAMs to be an elephant.

Rams are very expensive at this time of year, so I doubt you'd be able to afford anything more than a few ewes.

[Eye Sea]

I've never bought or encountered any speakers with 'left and right' labelled on them. Nor has my sister's got that idiot's guide.

As I look at the speakers, the one with the volume nob is on the right, the right speaker. Presumably.

I suppose it does matter if a serious music producer wanted you to specifically hear the bell in the left speaker. Oh my dear, if it were to appear in the right speaker!!

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eye Sea

I've never bought or encountered any speakers with 'left and right' labelled on them. Nor has my sister's got that idiot's guide.

You specified PC speakers, it's normal for PC speakers to be so labelled because they connect to a single cable, so you can't tell which is which.

You've probably never looked at them properly.

Quote:

As I look at the speakers, the one with the volume nob is on the right, the right speaker. Presumably.

Not on mine, and like I said, I doubt there's any standard involved.

Quote:

I suppose it does matter if a serious music producer wanted you to specifically hear the bell in the left speaker. Oh my dear, if it were to appear in the right speaker!!

Well the violins in an orchestra are supposed to be at a specific side, no idea which though

But more importantly it's for watching TV programmes or DVD's, you don't want the guy on the right speaking from the left, and vise versa.

[RobAnt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Well the violins in an orchestra are supposed to be at a specific side, no idea which though

But more importantly it's for watching TV programmes or DVD's, you don't want the guy on the right speaking from the left, and vise versa.

The strings in an orchestra are usually spread over the entire left/right soundstage with the violins centre left, ranging to the basses on the outside right (as seen from the audience).

Tchaikovsky's music often plays with this sound-stage quite well, he draws your attention across, backwards and forwards - similar to the way you might see a shoal of fish, or large flock of birds. Although few seem to notice it, which could be for a number of reasons - the makeup and positioning of orchestral elements has changed over the years; instruments themselves have evolved; etc..

This evolution of instruments can be compared. The Hanover Band, a few years ago now (1986 on the highly regarded Nimbus label), recorded all of Beethoven's symphonies using, as far as possible, instruments typical of the type in use when the pieces were written. The sounds created are much less powerful than that of a modern orchestra. It is said to be like seeing in candlelight.

[RobAnt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eye Sea

I've never bought or encountered any speakers with 'left and right' labelled on them. Nor has my sister's got that idiot's guide.

As I look at the speakers, the one with the volume nob is on the right, the right speaker. Presumably.

I suppose it does matter if a serious music producer wanted you to specifically hear the bell in the left speaker. Oh my dear, if it were to appear in the right speaker!!

Speakers, qua speakers, are fully ambidextrous. What matters is the binding posts or clips on the amplifier they're connected to.

But active (speakers with their own amplifiers) speakers are not ambi-anything. They'll be very definitely marked left & right (from the audience's point of view) in some way.

Centre and effects speakers will only ever be identified by binding posts/clips on the amplifier, as they are typically "passive" (speakers without their own amplifiers). Although centre speakers will not usually be interchangeable with speaker types designed for the front left/right pair, subwoofers or effects speakers.