A "Real" surround sound system... :D

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bobsaget

Supreme [H]ardness
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I am going to get a cheap 420W Sony home theater in a box system at WalMart for $200. It is 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Since I currently have the onboard 5.1 sound on my mobo, I can't get the 5.1 from my computer to my speakers...

What is the cheapest soundcard that I could get to have 5.1 sound hooked up to my reciever? Audigy2?
 
If your motherboard can put 5.1 out and your reciever can take 5.1 in then you can hook it up. If your motherboard can't put 5.1 out then it is not 5.1. A 5.1 soundcard will have pretty much the same outputs that your motherboard has. I don't understand why you can't hook up your motherboard to the receiver. A dolby digital reciever won't help much when dealing with computers, except for playing dvds(or if you have a nforce board). Also, buying cheap electronics at walmart is rarely considered a good idea. You may very quickly regret spending that $200.
 
I listened to it and it was fine for my needs.

I would buy the Logitech Z5300's, but I have and xbox, a tuner and a computer that I want to hook up to the reciever. with the 5300's, I would have to unplug all the time. And besides, these systems are always upgradable, i.e., buy a powered subwoofer, etc...

Anyways, back to the question... could you explain what type of cable I would need?
 
here's a pic of what im trying to do...

hardforum.JPG
 
You need three 1/8"-to-rca cables. Walmart should have those. Your computer should have front stereo, rear stereo, and center/subwoofer outputs. Use the cables to go from there to the six channel input(which is comprised of six rca jacks) on the receiver.
 
Do you have a bigger picture of the back of that reciever or a detailed spec list? The picture is kinda fuzzy but I'm not seeing a 6 channel discrete input. Without 6 channel input then the best you can do is stereo(either analog or digital). Also, you will NEED a powered subwoofer. That reciever does not have an amplified subwoofer output. If it is a kit, though, then I assume it will come with a powered subwoofer.

edit: unless you can reassign those audio jacks on the motherboard then you don't have 5.1 onboard.
 
six rca jacks on reciever? I thought is was only a red and a white jack?

thanks for the help so far!
 
well, that is just some reciever i found on the net... not the sony one
 
Okay. 5.1 audio is six discrete channels of audio. You cannot fit six channels through a red and a white jack without some really complicated electronics. The reciever MUST have a six channel discrete input(usually called 6ch dvd or something like that). You simply cannot get 5.1 channel sound out of a stereo connection.
 
That receiver does not have 5.1 channel input(I found the full specifications on amazon). Only way to get 5.1 sound from the computer to that reciever is to encode your audio with dolby digital. Only way to do that is with an nvidia motherboard with soundstorm audio. Of course you can still get stereo sound to that reciever.
 
alright thanks a lot!

So... would a new soundcard make things a lot easier? or would a new reciever?
 
Well it's not really about making things easier. It is about being able to actually do it. You just can't get 5.1 sound into that reciever without an nvidia soundstorm motherboard. Look for a different reciever.
 
what should I look for in a different reciever?

last question.. i swear! :D
 
jpmkm said:
Well it's not really about making things easier. It is about being able to actually do it. You just can't get 5.1 sound into that reciever without an nvidia soundstorm motherboard. Look for a different reciever.
Click to expand...


Not true. You can't get Dolby Digital 5.1 on-the-fly unless you have soundstorm, however, things that are already pre-encoded with a 5.1+ stream can be outputted to a receiver quite easily with say an M-Audio Revolution.

Most mini-receievers and HT's-in-a-box have the ability to accept a coaxial line, so that isn't much of a problem.
1 coaxial digital input and 1 optical digital input for sound
Click to expand...

He can do it the way you suggested, three 1/8" inch to RCA convertors, so instead of using digital you have analog, making an Audigy or what have you do the work, but you'd have to deal with quite a bit of hiss (I've tried this before, it isn't pretty).

He has said nothing of what he intends to do with such a receiver (gaming from his pc? maybe then in that case soundstorm is needed), and I must note that HT's-in-a-box do not qualify as a "real surround sound system" anymore than multimedia speakers qualify for a "real surround sound system".
 
Duck-BOT said:
Not true. You can't get Dolby Digital 5.1 on-the-fly unless you have soundstorm, however, things that are already pre-encoded with a 5.1+ stream can be outputted to a receiver quite easily with say an M-Audio Revolution.
Click to expand...
I already mentioned that(well, DVDs at least. Not much else comes preencoded with DD other than DVDs).
He can do it the way you suggested, three 1/8" inch to RCA convertors, so instead of using digital you have analog, making an Audigy or what have you do the work, but you'd have to deal with quite a bit of hiss (I've tried this before, it isn't pretty).
Click to expand...
Not with the reciever he was talking about getting. The reciever did not have a six channel discrete input, so the only way to get 5.1 sound to the reciever is via dolby digital encoding. There shouldn't be much more hiss than with a standard stereo connection.
I must note that HT's-in-a-box do not qualify as a "real surround sound system" anymore than multimedia speakers qualify for a "real surround sound system".
Click to expand...
Damn straight.

bobsaget: What you need to look for is a reciever with a 6 channel input. That consists of six rca jacks in a group - front R/L, rear R/L, center, and subwoofer. Of course if all you want to do is watch DVDs then you can just pass the dolby digital through the digital out on your sound card.
 
I for the most part did what you are trying to do... but my motherboard has a coax digtal output that I just put in to my sony 5.1. it works great!!! and I got the setup with speakers for 200 bucks...
 
I have a digi coax setup with an original Audigy, did the same thing with a realtek ALC650 as well. Thing is, that's digital, and I only get surround sound on DVD's; stereo on everything else. This is my home theater setup mind you, it works well for rips, anime, and mp3's. None of which qualify as being limited by the cheapass Kenwood HTIB (of which I payed over twice as much, granted it's 600 watt and came with a 5 disc changer and $90 rear stands). I also have an Xbox hooked up, and was looking into getting a PS2 (which I currently believe to be pointless, as I don't play the Xbox hardly at all).
 
jpmkm said:
That receiver does not have 5.1 channel input(I found the full specifications on amazon). Only way to get 5.1 sound from the computer to that reciever is to encode your audio with dolby digital. Only way to do that is with an nvidia motherboard with soundstorm audio. Of course you can still get stereo sound to that reciever.
Click to expand...

That would be true *if* the receiver in question lacks *any* sort of S/PDIF inputs. (Since Sony is one of the *inventors* of S/PDIF, I would find it ridiculous that they would make a 5.1 receiver/conttrol center that lacked the proper inputs.)

If the receiver supports S/PDIF (either coaxial or optical) then he simply needs I/O to match (from PC to receiver).

And in that case, he still can choose from any motherboard that supports either S/PDIF-out directly (onboard sound) or a similar card-based 5.1 or better solution.

You only need Dolby *encode* if the source material already *isn't* Dolby-encoded (MP3s, etc.).
 
jpmkm said:
I already mentioned that(well, DVDs at least. Not much else comes preencoded with DD other than DVDs).
Click to expand...

Oh? Examples of pre-encoded DD content: sporting events (in particular, most NFL broadcasts, and *especially* the Super Bowl; the MLB All-Star Game, playoffs, and World Series; the NBA Playoffs and Finals; the Stanley Cup Finals; the NCAA Division i basketball tournaments (both men's and women's); most BCS bowl games; most FM stereo content; etc.)

And that is whether it's broadcast in HDTV or not!

In fact, if it *is* broadcast in HD, the chances of it being encoded in DD approach certainty (especially for live content).

My single biggest reason for watching TV on my computer is *because* of the sheer amount of Dolby-encoded live sports (especially the NFL). My biggest nitpick is that there is no real way to tell if your decoding mechanism (unless it's your speakers) is actually *getting* the Dolby-encoded signal from your content.
It's the one software utility that I wish Creative would add to their sound cards.

.
 
PGHammer said:
That would be true *if* the receiver in question lacks *any* sort of S/PDIF inputs. (Since Sony is one of the *inventors* of S/PDIF, I would find it ridiculous that they would make a 5.1 receiver/conttrol center that lacked the proper inputs.)

If the receiver supports S/PDIF (either coaxial or optical) then he simply needs I/O to match (from PC to receiver).

And in that case, he still can choose from any motherboard that supports either S/PDIF-out directly (onboard sound) or a similar card-based 5.1 or better solution.

You only need Dolby *encode* if the source material already *isn't* Dolby-encoded (MP3s, etc.).
Click to expand...
Yes, I understand this. However, 5.1 is not limited to dolby digital. There is a lot of 5.1 audio that is not dobly digital. For this the digital out will not provide 5.1 sound. S/PDIF does not imply full 5.1 channel audio. A digital out can pass dolby digital through but for everything else it will just be stereo pcm. That is what I have been saying this whole thread. bobsaget still hasn't told us what he wants to do with this so I am trying to give him the best answer for the information I know. I am not going to just tell the guy that he can run a coax from the digital out on his computer to the digital in on his reciever and get 5.1 no matter what he does. That is not an appropriate answer for what he is asking. I was trying to help him get 5.1 sound regardless of if he is using a dolby digital encoded source or not. If he is going to be using the digital out then he has absolutely NO USE for a 5.1 sound card. The sound card will not put that 5.1 sound through the digital out. The 5.1 sound card IS necessary when using the analog outputs to go to a six channel discrete input on the receiver. That is the ONLY way to get non dolby digital encoded 5.1 sound to a receiver. Everyone knows that just about any soundcard can passthrough dolby digital. We don't need to keep arguing about that.
 
PGHammer said:
jpmkm said:
I already mentioned that(well, DVDs at least. Not much else comes preencoded with DD other than DVDs).{/QUOTE]

Oh? Examples of pre-encoded DD content: sporting events (in particular, most NFL broadcasts, and *especially* the Super Bowl; the MLB All-Star Game, playoffs, and World Series; the NBA Playoffs and Finals; the Stanley Cup Finals; the NCAA Division i basketball tournaments (both men's and women's); most BCS bowl games; most FM stereo content; etc.)

And that is whether it's broadcast in HDTV or not!

In fact, if it *is* broadcast in HD, the chances of it being encoded in DD approach certainty (especially for live content).

My single biggest reason for watching TV on my computer is *because* of the sheer amount of Dolby-encoded live sports (especially the NFL). My biggest nitpick is that there is no real way to tell if your decoding mechanism (unless it's your speakers) is actually *getting* the Dolby-encoded signal from your content.
It's the one software utility that I wish Creative would add to their sound cards.

.
Click to expand...
I NEVER said that there was NOTHING other than DVDs endoded with dobly digital. Compared to EVERYTHING THAT IS SOUND, those sports broadcasts that a few people listen to in 5.1 sound would fall under 'not much else'. Damn dude. And why would FM stereo content be dolby digital encoded? That isn't even the damn point of this thread. Somehow I get the feeling that bobsaget is not interested in listening to sports broadcasts in 5.1 sound on his computer. Just a fucking gut feeling.
Click to expand...
 
Alright guys thanks for the help!

I will still get this sound system, as it is the perfect system for my needs. I will just have to settle for stereo sound (I'll settle for that)


One more question...

When I am say, listening to mp3's on my computer (using a normal 1/8" jack to red/white rca cables adapter) will all of the five speakers be putting music out? or will just the front 2 and the subwoofer?
 
Recievers usually have different "sound fields" that modify the sound so that it sounds like you are in a concert hall or something. These sounds fields will usually put sound out of all the speakers. Additionally there is usually some sort of simulated surround setting that will upmix your stereo sound to surround sound. However, keep in mind that most music is recorded to be played back with stereo speakers, so anything else you do to it will take you farther from the artist's intentions. Do whatever sounds best to you, though. I am quite happy with my reciever hooked up to my computer, though I only use it for stereo sound(I even have soundstorm on my motherboard but that is damn near worthless in linux).
 
jpmkm said:
However, keep in mind that most music is recorded to be played back with stereo speakers, so anything else you do to it will take you farther from the artist's intentions.
Click to expand...


Less you get a DVD-A Player :cool:
 
Duck-BOT said:
Less you get a DVD-A Player :cool:
Click to expand...
How does that change the fact that most music is recorded to be played back with stereo speakers? Compared to the number of stereo music recordings in the world, the number of 5.1 music recordings is very small, therefore MOST music is stereo. I never said ALL music was stereo. Though I do wish I had a dvd-a player.
 
hmmm, well, DVD-A seems to be more expense than it's worth, UNLESS you play it from a computer. Too bad they won't allow a digi signal, that keeps so many people from playing it and doesn't begin to stop determined people from pirating it.
 
jpmkm said:
How does that change the fact that most music is recorded to be played back with stereo speakers? Compared to the number of stereo music recordings in the world, the number of 5.1 music recordings is very small, therefore MOST music is stereo. I never said ALL music was stereo. Though I do wish I had a dvd-a player.
Click to expand...


I never said it did change the fact. It's just something :cool:
 
Duck-BOT said:
Not true. You can't get Dolby Digital 5.1 on-the-fly unless you have soundstorm, however, things that are already pre-encoded with a 5.1+ stream can be outputted to a receiver quite easily with say an M-Audio Revolution.
Click to expand...

The new AC3Filter can do on-the-fly DD5.1. It's not completely stable yet, but it's beta. It works for some WMV-HD w/5.1 wma9 audio. It doesn't use up too much cpu power either.
 
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