James ha scritto: > b.n. <brullonulla <at> gmail.com> writes: >> Your suggestion makes me drool, but how much does a 5.1 setup cost? And >> how much space does it take? It could be "best money I can spend", but >> my Italian Ph.D. student wage is REALLY low. > > Well you can find a mobo with 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 audio chips onboard, for very > little extra cost. Advanced audio chips usually support downward compatibility > all the way to stereo (2 speakers).
What of these audio chips are supported with Linux? Googling or consulting the ALSA matrix is not enough. My current card should work with ALSA intel8x0 driver, yet it always has problems. Currently it doesn't work at all. Not the first time it happens, but now I'm unable to fix it (see the other thread). > Make sure the board works well with Linux, Google a while, > then when you find a board, ask on the list if the chipsets are supported. > Many mobo sites list all chipsets on the boards, except for the proprietary > SOC chips... What SOC chips are? > Speakers. Well, since you are a grad student, you can use most any speakers > as long as they are not too big and they have the small analog plugs > (like what is found on a cheap set of stereo pc speakers). You can > solder wires from speakers you find at a garage sale or just lying around, > as long as they are not too big. Stay analog on the (speaker/chip)outputs to > keep the costs low. Yes, but I have no idea of how does a surround 5.1 set is made or how does it look like. What to choose etc. > Being a phd student/candidate this is right up your alley. Most Universities > I've been around have lots of old gear (small analog speakers) around. > Check the EE department or volunteer your services over at another part > of campus, in exchange for old gear. Lots of Music departments throw > away old amplifiers and such. Ehm. You really have no idea of what the University in Italy looks like. There is NO thing like a campus. Nothing. Zero. "University" is just a bunch of buildings scattered all within the city, usually one or two for each department, where lessons take place and research is made. Most students (except a few ones having excellent grades AND poor economic conditions) are expected to live by themselves, usually by renting a room somewhere in the city. And grad students have no coverage whatsoever, apart from monthly 800 Euros, nor are hosted somewhere near the university. They're basically underpaid researchers. Sad truth. Things like a university campus etc. are just dreams for us. When we watch a movie like "Animal House", we simply don't understand. The movie is fun etc. but the whole environment for us is alien. And, oh, there is NO music department. There are artistic departments covering music, but they have no equipments -just books. > Make sure the old gear is impedance matched > on the speakers and the speakers are impedance matched or compatible > with the audio card (mobo chip).... Oh, ok. That's something I didn't know about. I'll ask about how does it work... > Ebay is also your friend (or the euro equivalent).... Right. Thanks, m. -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list
