Sound is a huge part of the gaming and movie-watching experience. Apart from the added atmosphere you get from a distinctive soundtrack, a good audio setup means you’ll benefit from knowing exactly how far away – or up close – your enemy stands.

Whether you enjoy your Hans Zimmer soundscapes or climbing into the trenches with your online teammates, there isn’t any single way to optimise the output of your speakers or headset – it all depends on what you’re looking to add. Here are some tips to boost your audio experience during gaming.

Speaker setups

While normal PC speaker sets are capable of playing internet radio in the office or streaming the latest movie trailer, you shouldn’t expect them to provide you with an authentic gaming experience. Aside from its boost to the soundtrack, a subwoofer completes the gaming soundscape, providing the additional deep rumble of a helicopter landing or rocket launcher being fired, keeping you on your toes throughout and adding a deeper sense of realism to proceedings.

For those who want an even more sophisticated setup, surround sound speakers are becoming more affordable for your PC. Having dedicated channels for each output serves to increase further the depth of realism, but comes with more than a few wires and cables, not to mention the demand for more space in the room where you play to put them.

Many modern games suit a 5.1 surround sound gaming system, though a 7.1 might be a bridge too far for even the most hard-core gamer due to their size and cost. The Logitech Z506 Surround Sound Speakers are able to spread the sound across all speakers effectively even when it’s only a two-channel output – ensuring an enhanced audio experience.

Equalisers

Most sound cards now come with equaliser software – finding the right mix has never been easier with the range of presets available. Getting the right sound for each game is always a hot topic among fellow gamers – you’ll find forums full of posts recommending the right equaliser settings.

Voice chat and headsets

If you’re playing a game with team-mates, such as Counter-Strike or World of Warcraft, you may need to pick up a headset; combining headphones and a microphone, it’s the most convenient option for a crisp and clear connection with your team.

You may prefer to mix up the in-game settings between hearing team-speak only through your headphones, on speakers only or a mix of both. You may experience some sound issues such as bleed-through or even a delay if your Ventrilo or Mumble server is not correctly configured to your sound system, so be sure to tinker with the settings to get the sound you want for better team communications.

Whatever you’re doing, it’s important to ensure that your sound system is as optimised as can be – that way you may not need to spend a lot to boost your gaming and movie-watching experience. But if you’re determined to have the very best, you can always check out the range of gaming speakers on offer, while having the right headset can change the way you play, and watch, for the better.