Major problem hooking up speakers through SPDIF

[edgeh2o]

Alright this is what I am trying to accomplish - Hooking up my Logitech Z-5500 speakers to my Acer Aspire 5670 laptop's SPDIF out with a coaxial digital audio cable so that when I play pre-encoded DD 5.1 movies from my laptop they will simply be passed through to my speakers to do the decoding. The laptop's sound capabilities are merely 2ch, so everything else besides pre-encoded AC3/DD movies will simply come out in stereo and my speakers will have to upmix that themselves to all channels.

So I went to radioshack and purchased a coaxial digital audio cable, and a RCA mono to 3.5mm adaptor because my SPDIF shares itself with my headphone out. So I have my coaxial cable going from the speakers to the adaptor, and the adaptor to the SPDIF out. I then went to my audio properties (Realtek High Definition) and chose the SPDIF out setting. Went to play music and heard nothing... went to play a movie and selected A/52 over SPDIF or whatever the SPDIF pass through setting is called... and heard nothing. Upgraded audio drivers and restarted pc... nothing. Went into my AC3 settings and checked everything that had to do with SPDIF (wouldnt need to do this to play mp3's though)... and still nothing. So I am at a point where I don't know what to do. I am going to call Acer tomorrow and ask them why they write SPDIF on their headphone jack if it doesn't even work, but until then- any ideas?

Included are some pics to help illustrate my situation.

 

[Ripskin]

I believe the issue is with the adapter....Could be wrong and usually am but it just seems like its the issue.

I remember on some older sound cards (1999 era) that they had digital outputs in a standard 1/8th inch, when you plugged in an 1/8th to rca adaptor it had to be a sterio one and used only the red or white. Weird set up but that was just one case I remember.

I have honestly never messed with one since. In my HTPC I have everything passed out through Digital Coax down to my reciever for all processing.

It could be something with the speakers or some random setting with Realtek audio manager. I would call Acer and ask them since they made it

 

[magnetik]

try installing AC3Filter if those files are ac3 encoded.

I do know that I needed a mono 1/8" plug though.

 

[Tangent inc.]

ripskin is correct. mono to rca uses the common and left channel lead. your laptop may have a proprietary fourth lead as many use now. it also may use the right channel and in that case tou need to get a mini to stereo rca and try the right/red channel.

 

[edgeh2o]

Magnetik - I get no sound at all through it though, and I tried messing around with codecs for kicks...no luck

Rip & Tangent - I was told by a couple people on this logitech audio forum that what I actually need is an optical cable and then a 3.5mm converter... which is what I was actually planning on doing in the beginning but since my optical is taken up by my ps2 and xbox I figured using coaxial for my s/pdif would be more convenient. Turns out my S/PDIF only takes optical, so tomorrow I am going to try my luck finding the right cable, otherwise I'll have to order it online.

 

[Ranma13]

Turns out my S/PDIF only takes optical, so tomorrow I am going to try my luck finding the right cable, otherwise I'll have to order it online.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking when I first read this post. All coax SPDIF are standard RCA size. If it's the size of a 1/8 jack, that's optical out. You'll need a mini-optical to regular optical cable like this one:

http://www.wiretek.com.cn/lantek/images/big/2ktm4.gif

Note how one of the ends is the regular block shape, but the other has a long head.

 

[Tangent inc.]

hahaha... a mini to standard toslink came with my bluegears sound card. mac laptops and the imac's have the same mini optical as well but it is not always the case. the creative cards are mini to rca but have the proprietary fourth contact like i said above.