Installation

Installing the system was a fairly simple affair. I have summed it up in a few simple steps:

1) Power off the computer or electrical device that you plan to connect the XPS 510 to.

2) Place the subwoofer on a flat, stable surface, preferably on the floor, away from the walls, allowing a space of at least 10cm above, behind and on both sides of the unit.

3) Decide where you will position your satellite speakers. Preferably place them on a flat, stable surface, or hang them on the wall.

4) Connect all satellites to the RCA jacks found in the back of the subwoofer.

5) Connect the subwoofer to the computer using the plugs provided.

6) Finally, plug the subwoofer into the power outlet and turn it on.

Here is a diagram that pretty much sums up these steps:

I had no trouble installing the XPS 510 speaker system into my computer. I was especially impressed with the lengths of the cables connecting the satellite speakers to the subwoofer because they allow you to place your satellite speakers quite a distance away from the subwoofer. The detailed user manual also gives you a good explanation with pictures on how to install the speaker system.

- Speaker Placement

The way in which you place your speakers is very important if you want the proper surround sound effect. Whilst playing games especially, you want to feel like you are actually in the game you are playing, with sounds coming from all around you. The way I decided to place my satellite speakers was, the rear left satellite on the wall to the left of my head, the front left speaker on my desk to the left of my monitor, the centre speaker on top of my monitor, the front right speaker on my desk to the right of my monitor and the rear right speaker is placed to the right of my head, at ear level. I placed the subwoofer on the ground next to my feet. I experimented with different setups but found that this placement gave the best effect. My speaker placement is illustrated in the image below.