Lukewarm: Hook up your PS2 or DVD player to your Z560s! (requires SB Live or Audigy)

[jiwq]

Digital I/O card from Creative.com
This thread is particularly targeted to those in the big Z560 thread asking how do they hook it up to their PS2

You will be able to hook up your PS2 or DVD player via optical cable to your computer and play out through your Z560's (or any other computer speakers) with this.

However, you won't get 5.1 sound (no Dolby decoder on board) and the price is not so hot, running at $59.99 + shipping. Also it's only limited to Sound Blaster Live or Audigy owners.

 

[helpme]

I always wanted one.. but 60$?

what about hoontech?

 

[Quytopia]

How I hooked my Dreamcast up to the Z560s:

Went to radioshack and bought an adapter, coupler and splitter. The adapter takes in the RCA audio, outputs as a 1/8" stereo jack. I then attached the coupler which accepts two 1/8" stereo jacks. Next, I connected a splitter to the coupler, which allows me one input for each of the 1/8" stereo jacks from the speakers.

RCA Stereo jack #1
RCA -------Adapter-Coupler-Splitter---------Stereo jack #2

Works perfectly fine for me. Total cost: $5. I think there are simpler adapters on the market (which simply change the RCA to the female end of the stereo jack). In fact, I saw one posted on another thread.

 

[fr]

<< How I hooked my Dreamcast up to the Z560s:

Went to radioshack and bought an adapter, coupler and splitter. The adapter takes in the RCA audio, outputs as a 1/8" stereo jack. I then attached the coupler which accepts two 1/8" stereo jacks. Next, I connected a splitter to the coupler, which allows me one input for each of the 1/8" stereo jacks from the speakers.

RCA Stereo jack #1
RCA -------Adapter-Coupler-Splitter---------Stereo jack #2

Works perfectly fine for me. Total cost: $5. I think there are simpler adapters on the market (which simply change the RCA to the female end of the stereo jack). In fact, I saw one posted on another thread. >>



Yeah, I've done that too (simpler than it seems).

 

[jiwq]

That method works too...

I suppose this card would still be useful if you didn't want to bother switching between your video game system and computer if you're using the Z560's exclusively.

 

[whitelight]

well, any sound card with a digital in will work also. (gtxp, AE).

 

[deras]

i did that too but at my radioshack those 3 things together cost $14, what the hell kind of chain of stores are they running with such variable prices - i knew the jacks were overpriced but hey best buy and circuit city did not even have one of the three jacks, much less all three....

 

[netants]

Quytopia, you said you hook up the Z560 with dreamcast, in that way can you hook it up the TV?

Do you have the SKU for the jack or adapter you bought from Radio Shack?

Thanks

 

[Hawk]

Yeah, he can output it to the TV.

Basically just go find an adapter that lets you plug the RCA from the Dreamcast, and then find another that lets you plug in the headphone jack-like connector (input to the sound card) on the 560, and then find something that connects those two together. =)

 

[Davemeister]

why would you connect the rca output of the dreamcast to the headphone minijack output of the z560? they're both output jacks, aren't they?

 

[LiQiCE]

If you have an SB Live! 5.1 or Audigy that can do Dolby Digital 5.1 in software, you should be able to get 5.1 or 4 speaker downmixed 5.1 from an optical input since SB Live! 5.1 and Audigy decode their 5.1 signals via SP/DIF, and the TOSLink Optical in is considered an SP/DIF input. I haven't tried it myself but it should work just fine for DVD movies being played through PS2 and other PS2 games that take advantage of DD 5.1 (the EA Sports games using DTS Interactive will not work since neither the SB Live! 5.1 or Audigy support DTS). It would work for X-Box however, which uses DD 5.1 surround sound for all of its games when coupled with the Advanced or High Definition A/V Pack and a optical cable.

 

[SpacemanSpiffVT]

<< why would you connect the rca output of the dreamcast to the headphone minijack output of the z560? they're both output jacks, aren't they? >>




thats what im wondering... i got klipsch's
wouldnt you being connecting to outputs together?

 

[Hawk]

No, not TO the headphone jack on the control center.

I meant the headphone jack-like connector (the thing that goes into your sound card usually).

 

[netants]

hawk, can I hook up the Z560 directly to TV using some adapters or connector bought from Radio Shack?

 

[darth maul]

YES you can hookup up just about any powered speaker system to a VCR, TV, DVD, CD, Tape Deck, ETC. You just need the 1/8" STEREO to RCA adaptor found at your loacl radio shack. Other terms some people use for 1/8" jacks: headphone jack, mini-phono jack, the thing on the back of my sound card, ETC. RCA jacks are the standard jacks found on VCR, TV, DVD, CD, Tape Deck, ETC.

In this connection scheme you are just connecting a stereo out to a stereo in, so no of course you won't get rear speaker support, unless of course your speaker system has a pro-logic decoder built in, then you will get full matrixed surround sound.

I know each and everyone has gaps in knowledge, but come on, this is the basics (atleast my first paragraph).

 

[WaNaNaa]

I want to hook these speakers to my xbox..... but i'm a little lazy to go to radioshack and buy it