Using home theatre speakers as comp & HT speakers?

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l3r4nd0n

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 8, 2002
Messages
86
Hey guys im new to this sorta thing.
I was just wondering how I would go about hooking up the 5.1 home theatre system up to a computer to use for music or whatever, but still use them with the TV for everything?

The receiver is a RX-V540
if that helps.

and the computer is just onboard sound from some crap mobo

any help is greatly appreciated :)
 
Connect the computer sound to the analog 6 channel input section.

You will have to purchase converters to change the computer miniplugs into full sized RCA plugs - radio shack sells several such items that do this, as would mopst any A/V retailer of any quality in the known universe.

Connect the TV as you would normally.
 
so i wont need a 5.1 sound card or anything?

and would it be possible for me to get a link to these converters? just so i know exactly what to look for when i go shopping
 
Originally posted by l3r4nd0n
so i wont need a 5.1 sound card or anything?

and would it be possible for me to get a link to these converters? just so i know exactly what to look for when i go shopping
Click to expand...

No the reciver will handle your surround, you can use any type of sound card cause you only need 2 signals coming from your card, left and right. Correct me if i wrong.

You will need a single minijack (Mini headphones) into 2 RCA, plug the minijack into your sound card front speaker out and the 2 RCA go into the reciever input.
 
so i wont need a 5.1 sound card or anything?
Click to expand...

Yes, yes you will, if you want 5.1 output from your reciever.
Otherwise you can send it out as stereo if that's all the onboard supports, which is unlikely.

The vast majority of onboard audio solutions these days are 5.1, but it is possible yours isn't. Since you didn't bother to list your board model or the CODEC it uses, I can't tell you if yours is.

Check which CODEC it is and the connection options listed in the drivers.
 
I thought his reciver would handly the surround. So he will have 3 inputs into the reciver?
 
Originally posted by Highlife
No the reciver will handle your surround, you can use any type of sound card cause you only need 2 signals coming from your card, left and right. Correct me if i wrong.

You will need a single minijack (Mini headphones) into 2 RCA, plug the minijack into your sound card front speaker out and the 2 RCA go into the reciever input.
Click to expand...

this whole set up is for my girlfriends house so i dont really know the fine details about everything..
her comp is an HP so the mobo probly just has very minimal audio stuff. no actual sound card.

and are you talking about one of those really simple Y cables?
 
Yes, When i used my home speakers before i bought computer speakers it was hook up like this.

Front Speaker out (green on my soundcard) into 2 RCA's Then those RCA into the AUX of my reciever. Cable looks like this:

Cable needed, from Radioshack


I was using a Onkyo at the time. It was old, but I dont see why you need a 5.1 sound card. You only going to be using the front signal, then the reciver will handle surround, split that signal into 4.1 or 5.1. If you going for digial input, then your sound card has to have a Digital out, the that goes into the reciver to get proccessed, then out of 4.1/5.1 you have setup. This way you will not be using the surround from the card. To play games and everything in true surround, then you will need a 5.1 card. The reciever will Matrix the signal into surround. So you wont be able to control anything really but volume and simple changes in sound card properties.

However, if you want surround sound that processed by the sound card itself, to its own set of PC speakers, then you need a 5.1 card. My Audigy has 3 outputs for speakers, Front L/R, Rear L/R, and Center/Sub. So 3 mini jacks going from sound card to speakers.
 
what kind of sound quality did you get when you had this set up?

i actually tried this once at my house with an old system i had and the sound was pure shit. but that might have been due to a shitty receiver? everything else was fine, but when i tried playing audio for the computer it sucked
 
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