What Equipment Do I Need For A 2.1 Desk/Office Setup?

Good sound at your desk, is it possible?

The short and simple answer: Yes of course!

The equipment you will need is:

• A pair of suitable speakers for your room
• An amplifier to power them
• An Arendal Sound subwoofer
• An audio interface you connect to your PC with 2 or 4 TRS or XLR outputs
• Cables to connect your audio interface to the amp and subwoofer

In this example, I will be using an Audient ID14 MkII audio interface. It is a great interface that measures and performs well, without costing too much. 

Julian Krause on YouTube has an extensive list of audio interface reviews, so we recommend checking out his videos if you are in the market.

Setup

In this example, the two TRS cables on the right will feed into my amplifier, while out "3L" and "4R" will go into the subwoofer. If your interface only has 2 outputs, you can run it to the subwoofer first, then into the amplifier.
My audio interface uses software where I can map the outputs. The most important part is that they both are fed the same signal at the same level. In the picture below, that will be the outputs marked in red.

The next part is to connect everything and set the crossover and levels on the sub. This can be done in two ways: The simplest way, is to set the crossover on the subwoofer where your speakers naturally roll off. To get the level right you can use REW to match the level between the sub and your speakers. You can also do it by ear if you set your speakers to your desired level, and increase the level of the subwoofer until it's suitable to your ears.
The more complicated way to set the crossover is to download software like Equalizer APO, and apply crossovers to the respective outputs. That is too complicated to go into details here, but an article explaining that will be made in the future.

Ready to go!

If you've followed this guide correctly, you should now have a proper 2.1 setup in your office. You are always welcome to contact us if you have any further questions.