Can't get my surround sound headphones working...

[pjwinkler]

I Just got a pair of Zalman ZM-RS6F headphones and they worked somewhat but I know the asus drivers for my onboard 8 channel audio weren't doing something right.

I have an ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe AND I WANT TO USE MY HEADPHONES PLEASE HELP!

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Not working = nothing/only part of the sound is playing? Only "stereo"? Sounds strange?

More info please

 

[Seekermeister]

I did a quick Google and I saw a couple of mentions about plugging the headphones into the rear sockets, instead of the front. This makes no sense to me, because the only reason that I have front connectors, is because my sound card's drive bay provides them. But, if your setup is otherwise, try the rear connectors and see what happens.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
I did a quick Google and I saw a couple of mentions about plugging the headphones into the rear sockets, instead of the front. This makes no sense to me, because the only reason that I have front connectors, is because my sound card's drive bay provides them. But, if your setup is otherwise, try the rear connectors and see what happens.

You're not going to get analog surround from a front case connection

 

[Seekermeister]

I only know what I read in a couple of posts, and they said nothing about analog or digital. This is a mystery to me, because my case connectors do have a cable to the front audio on the MB, but I don't see anything that look like a connector to plug anything in...except like I said, in the sound drive bay, but that connects to the card, not the MB.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
I only know what I read in a couple of posts, and they said nothing about analog or digital. This is a mystery to me, because my case connectors do have a cable to the front audio on the MB, but I don't see anything that look like a connector to plug anything in...except like I said, in the sound drive bay, but that connects to the card, not the MB.

I don't know what you're trying to do. I thought this was a suggestion to help the OP.

If your card in made by creative, chances are that it's not going to have the connectors you need to plug in your case front panel connections. If you have a sound drive bay with your card though, that will accomplish the same thing that the front case connections would do.

For regular stereo headphones, either a sound drive bay or the front case audio connections should allow you to hook up there.

In the case of the OP's headphones, he has 3 x 3.5mm stereo connections he needs to hook up. I don't know of any front case connection or audio drive bay that gives you 3 x 3.5mm stereo (for 5.1) analog output, thus connecting to the back of his onboard audio is his only option.

Without knowing more about what his problem is, I would suspect either
1. He doesn't have the headphones plugged in correctly
2. He doesn't have settings set up for 5.1 somewhere in software
or
3. He's using a stereo source and he's expecting 5.1 sound from it

Those would be the three easiest Issues to resolve. If it's something different, he would have to give us more specifics.

 

[Seekermeister]

I don't know what you're trying to do. I thought this was a suggestion to help the OP.

That is exactly what I was trying to do. Any extraneous remarks that I made were simply to clarify myself. In any case, it sounds as though we are agreeing...in a round about fashion.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister

I don't know what you're trying to do. I thought this was a suggestion to help the OP.

That is exactly what I was trying to do. Any extraneous remarks that I made were simply to clarify myself. In any case, it sounds as though we are agreeing...in a round about fashion.

Oh ok. I thought with the amount of info you were getting into on your own front panel options you had an issue of your own or something.

 

[Seekermeister]

There is one thing that you probably can tell me. I connect my headphones to the front drive bay with adapters. I'm not really sure about the specs, because at Radio Shack they just referred to the headphone jacks as being 1/4" instead of 3.5mm. The two numbers are not exactly the same, but are they actually different, or was the sales clerk just being approximate? The headphones are stereo, but I don't know if they are analog or digital.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
There is one thing that you probably can tell me. I connect my headphones to the front drive bay with adapters. I'm not really sure about the specs, because at Radio Shack they just referred to the headphone jacks as being 1/4" instead of 3.5mm. The two numbers are not exactly the same, but are they actually different, or was the sales clerk just being approximate? The headphones are stereo, but I don't know if they are analog or digital.

The vast majority of headphones are analog. You'd know if you have a digital pair.

1/4" and 3.5mm refer to different sizes.

http://wolfstone.halloweenhost.com/Audio/audcon_14And18.jpg

The signals are the same, both stereo analog. The 1/4" is the larget one and the 3.5mm (1/8") is the smaller kind.

 

[Seekermeister]

I guess that it's time for me to go to bed, because I should have said 1/8", instead of 1/4". The 1/4" is the size of the drive bay sockets, and I adapt up from the "1/8"".

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Seekermeister
I guess that it's time for me to go to bed, because I should have said 1/8", instead of 1/4". The 1/4" is the size of the drive bay sockets, and I adapt up from the "1/8"".

In that case, 1/8" and 3.5mm refer to the same size.