Adding 5.1 Sound To a Laptop.

[QUOTH]

Hey, I'm wondering what the best way to get 5.1 sound out of a laptop that hasn't got it built in [no optical cable, only two 3.5mm jacks.]

1. Express card like the sound blaster X-fi xtreme audio notebook. Are there any others out there?

2. An external sound card. So far all i've seen are four channel [mic and stereo] usb cards. Are there 6 chanel [ three jack] ones around. Optical would be best. Do they exist?
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.sondigo.com/callisto[/]
<b">Castillo home theater adapter (optical)

[l=Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX (3.5mm jacks and more)</a>

3. Speakers with pc USB conectivity. Can anyone recomend some?


So whats the best option quality wise? Obviously the express uses power and makes heat, the external is unweildly [although saying that the x-fi linked above could be smaller] and the usb speakers limits your choice of sound systems.



One final thing. Assuming none or those options are any good, is there anyway to get front speakers to work on the speaker jack and rear speakers to work on the microphone jack? Ive got a dell inspirion 6400 atm. Does it depend on the hardware, or are there settings in windows you can play with, or is there an application you can download?


Thanks in advance, unless your comment is "buy a better laptop noob"

Q

 

[corkyg]

I don't know what is available today - but I solved that problem year before last (2006) with Creative's USB module.

You might find an equivalent in Xi-Fi - or a good deal on a used Audigy 2NX.

NX

 

[QUOTH]

Hmm, looks good but dosen't say if the optical out is 5.1. Hows the sound quality?

Audigy 2 NX

live 24bit

Looks like a different option, but from my limited knowledge can't tell which is better. Could someone compare for the newbies out there/here?

Refering to a different product, could someone tell me what "virtual 5.1" is? How is it different?


Other options and comments welcome.

Q

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: QUOTH
Hmm, looks good but dosen't say if the optical out is 5.1. Hows the sound quality?

Audigy 2 NX

live 24bit

Looks like a different option, but from my limited knowledge can't tell which is better. Could someone compare for the newbies out there/here?

Refering to a different product, could someone tell me what "virtual 5.1" is? How is it different?


Other options and comments welcome.

Q

The optical quality is likely the same on both units. The analog quality is much better on the NX.

Virtual 5.1 takes any stereo source and does its best to extend that sound to 5.1 speakers. It typically results in voices going to the center channel and some ambient sound coming out each of the remaining speakers.

 

[QUOTH]

Thanks PurdueRy.

OK, I'll email and ask is the output on the NX is 5.1, and post it for people who are searching.


So is there a easy way to convert three 3.4mm jacks to a optical cable? I'm curious because it would give one more options when buying PC speakers.

And is there such think as a optical Y splitter? Say a set of speakers only has 1 optical in but you have two devices. Do you just have to swap teh cables around or is there a batter solution?

Q

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: QUOTH
Thanks PurdueRy.

OK, I'll email and ask is the output on the NX is 5.1, and post it for people who are searching.


So is there a easy way to convert three 3.4mm jacks to a optical cable? I'm curious because it would give one more options when buying PC speakers.

And is there such think as a optical Y splitter? Say a set of speakers only has 1 optical in but you have two devices. Do you just have to swap teh cables around or is there a batter solution?

Q

The optical out will only be 5.1 for movies. Games will be in stereo. Music(as it should) will be in stereo.

The 5.1 analog outs will be 5.1 from games and movies and stereo(as it should) for music.

Don't connect computer speakers via an optical out. All computer speakers that are 5.1 have 5.1 analog ins. Use those.

Yes there is such a thing as an optical Y selector which will let you select from more than one source.

 

[QUOTH]

So is there any reason not to use a entertainment 5.1 system [optical] instead of a computer [analog] 5.1 system?

In an ideal world I'd like to connect my satalite TV games console and PC to one set of 5.1 speakers, rather then having multiple sets around. Which means speakers with analog and optical inputs, or a PC with optical out.

 

[PurdueRy]

If you are going for a home theater route rather than computer speaker route make sure you get something decent. The Onkyo HT-SR800 is about the minimum I could recommend that way. It retails for $350-$400. Otherwise get something like the Logitech Z-5500 which have a digital coax, optical, stereo and 5.1 in.

In terms of sound cards. If you are going to find it easier to connect with optical(such as with actually receiver which doesn't have 5.1 analog inputs then check out this for laptops:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16829272001

That will encode all games into Dolby digital and still output movies via dolby digital/dts.

 

[QUOTH]

That looks ideal. So it seems my usb external sound card question has been answered.

Still hoping someone can fill me in on there laptop express sound card experiences.

 

[QUOTH]

Wait wait wait. Can I use the castillo dongle to recieve 5.1 sound, then run it through the soud card and play it out through the 3.5mm jacks? At the moment I have some 5.1 PC speakers, only 3 3.5mm jacks. Is this a better option that A analog to optical converter [if such a thing exists?]

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: QUOTH
Wait wait wait. Can I use the castillo dongle to recieve 5.1 sound, then run it through the soud card and play it out through the 3.5mm jacks? At the moment I have some 5.1 PC speakers, only 3 3.5mm jacks. Is this a better option that A analog to optical converter [if such a thing exists?]

The callisto is simply a digital output. You would output that to the Z-5500's or home theater system for decoding. The receiver would do the decoding, not the sound card.

The callisto is not a good option if all your speakers have is an analog input. I was assuming that you were going to buy new speakers with a digital input.

 

[QUOTH]

So do analog jacks give better sound quality that optical through castillo?

Thats the plan, when the money is available. Just curious what the options are.


Still curious if i can get rear sound out of my mic jack

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: QUOTH
Still curious if i can get rear sound out of my mic jack

Only if you rewire it. MIC is an input. Rear sound requires an output.

 

[QUOTH]

In the past I've seen mc jacks that offer the option to use it as a rear sound for 4.0 speakers. So it's a hardware thing rather than software. Thanks.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: QUOTH
So do analog jacks give better sound quality that optical through castillo?

Thats the plan, when the money is available. Just curious what the options are.


Still curious if i can get rear sound out of my mic jack

That depends on what you connect the callisto to.

When you pay for a sound card you pay for the analog sound quality(basically).

The callisto you are paying for the convenience of a digital connection for music/movies/games.

At some point the signal has to be converted to analog. In the callisto this will happen at the receiver and on a sound card it happens on the sound card itself.

If you connect the callisto to a good receiver, you will get all the performance(or more depends on the sound card) of a good sound card.