How many of you have your computer hooked to your home audio?

[Venomous]

I ordered a daughter board for my soundblaster live with a optical out. I was wondering how many of you have yours hooked into your home system and what approach you used to hook it all up? Thanks

 

[Liquidity]

Cancel the order. The SBLive is notorious for not relaying exactly what is input into it, out of it. Meaning, a perfect CD signal (for example) goes into the SBLive, and even though it's not supposed to be processed, when it comes out of the digital out it's not the same signal.

The best card for doing this (compatibility-wise, price-wise, sound-wise) is the sb awe64 with digital out.

 

[backWERD]

I have it hooked up to my Big screen and surround sound using all analog connections

 

[eugovector]

I don't know why you would bother with PC Speakers, I have one of the smaller Sony 6 speaker/receiver setups and love it. Plus I can pull double duty with the equipment for my DVD/VCR/TV. Once you listen to your PC through a Full size stereo, you'll never go back.

 

[Venomous]

Ok, i noticed the optical out on the back of my SB Live isnt the same as the one in the back of my stereo.. It looks like the same as the other outputs, just round instead of having a plug like most digital outs. How did you guys hook it up then? Use an adapter from RCA to the little small jack for analog? So i cant use the actual digial out is what your telling me?

 

[Liquidity]

There are two kinds of digital outs floating around. One is the optical 'plug' kind, that's a TOSLINK connector. The other is S/PDIF, the round connector that looks like an RCA cable but just happens to be completely incompatible with RCA.

If you have an optical input on your receiver then you most likely have the coaxial 'S/PDIF' as well. Double check. If you don't, you'll need to use the analog output on your SBLive, which unfortunately is only the small 1/8 headphone-style jack. You can buy a splitter that turns that into a pair of RCAs.

 

[jd in IL]

Yep...SB Live into Kenwood 106VR going into some Bose AM7's. Liquidity has a point though, CD's do sound different through the computer system, than through my main sudio sytem. Hard to describe but there are some artifacts through the computer that I don't hear in the main system. I don't use the computer to play CD's on as a rule, but games rock.

 

[Liquidity]

jd: FYI, any audio coming out of the digital out from the SBLive will be processed, including game sounds or MP3s.

Most people probably wouldn't care but...

 

[Comp10]

Home audio equipment simple rocks on a computer. Not only can I listen to full Dobly Digital movies while sitting at my desk, but I also get the benefit of a nice subwoofer in games . I can still remember my room shaking when I used to play freespace 2 when large capital ships fired their beam weapons, i'll never go back to PC speakers again. I just have my reciever hooked up by the optical out of my vortex 2 for DVDs, and I used my recievers 5.1 analog inputs for the front and rear speaker outputs from my soundcard.

 

[HardTech]

is that artifacting a problem with all the Live! cards? or just the value? I want to get a Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1 (duh.. who doesn't?) and plan on hooking up some home theater goodness to it. If it has that artifacting problem, then I might have to go elsewhere...

 

[Liquidity]

Unfortunately it's part of the DSP which is 'adding' to the digital audio. Therefore it's in all the SBLive cards. A shame really.

 

[erub]

i have it hooked up to my POS stero system via minplug to component. works fine, but not outstanding.

 

[goofy2000]

I used to have a maranz audio with 2 "huge" speaker connected to my SB16 (ISA) card.
But then, my mother got very annoyed of all the explosion around the house.
So, it had to go, and I never looked back.

ps. I currently disabled the soundcard.

 

[Deeko]

I do. My SBLive! is hooked up to my Aiwa receiver(120x5) in Live!surround mode. Works well. My Live! doesn't support digital output, even though the receiver does, but I don't really need a sub that badly anyway, cause the speakers it's hooked up to have nice 15" woofers.

 

[Venomous]

Ok, i went to Radioshack.com and got a 1/8 stereo to dual rca plug y adapter. Also picked up 6 ft of patch cable and cancelled my order for my daughter board.. All should be well i suppose. Thanks for the input.

 

[BigLance]

I do.
I have 2 Altec Powercubes hooked to my X-Gamer and I also ran it into a Sony Reciever and Some boxes I made with 15" RF Punches and some older mids/highs. Now that box and receiver are in the living room, I'm working on another system for my house now that my blazez's system is done. Probably another Sony or Technics Yamaha or Pioneer reciever and a box with some Infinity Kappa 12's. Still thinking though........

Its really the best way to go, computer speakers are good and all, but if you are wanting to go all out, home audio/ car audio equipment will waste them...

 

[Deeko]

<< Infinity Kappa 12's >>


Aren't those car subs? If you're getting subs for it, wouldn't it make more sense to get home theater subs?