Finally got the Dell 5650 (5.1 speakers). They're great, except they're just not loud enough. Currently running the standard Dell integrated sound on my PC. Will installing a decent 5.1 Sound Card make them be capable of going louder, and if so how much louder. Notice I'm not looking for clarity, I'm looking for decibel output.

Thanks.

Make sure your volume control (software setting) is turned up for both wave and volume contol. An of course, check the knobs or whatnot on the actual speakers themselves.

in XP ... start ->programs->accessories->entertainment->volume control

i know. it's loud enough for my room, but not for the whole house

guess I may need a pair of bigger speakers

Work louder?

LOL.

check you settings. When I got my speakers and hooked them up with my dell, it was not loud enough either. There was virtually no bass and I thought it was defective. But when I checked the settings

start >programs >accessories >entertainment >volume control > options > properties >

some of the volume controls were not displayed (i think it was front, center etc).

I checked all of them and turned up the volume on all of them and it worked.

the sound card shouldn't make any difference in the volume of the speakers

You might want to buy an inexpensive receiver and run your signal through it. Coupled with a cheap pair of speakers (think garage sale), it makes a big difference compared to the traditional PC speaker setup.

Yeah, that's one way to get volume for sure! I know my living room setup will go a lot louder than my pc setup. Of course, that's part of why I setup a htpc, so I can play music in the living room and hear it anywhere.