Xbox 360 surround with 5.1 computer speakers?

[f4phantom2500]

Alright, well, basically I wanted to use my computer monitor with my 360, since it's a good sized, nice CRT that looks a helluva lot better than my crappy TV, and I know it's good for gaming since I use it for PC gaming, so I bought the VGA cable for the 360. Works great, couldn't be happier.

Here's the dilemma...I have a set of Logitech Z-640s (I know, I know, pretty low end, but hey it's all good.), and I'm trying to figure out how to get surround sound out of them. Currently what I'm doing is using an adapter that plugs the RCA left and right jacks into the green and black plugs for the speakers. This is, obviously, not ideal at all, since it's just splitting up a stereo signal. Also, it's lame because whenever I want to listen to something on my computer, I have to manually unplug the speakers from the 360 and plug them into my computer.

Okay, so the 360 has an Optical S/PDIF port. That seems like my best starting point. I've come across several possible solutions:

1. Get a set of Logitech Z-5500s, or other computer speakers that also have an S/PDIF in port.

2. Get a sound card with an S/PDIF in port, and just channel the signal over the sound card.

3. Get one of these contraptions:

http://www.soundblaster.com/pr...16&product=14711&nav=0

http://www.soundblaster.com/pr...tegory=16&product=1780

4. Get an actual home theater receiver and speakers, and probably a sound card with an S/PDIF out port to streamline things (I really don't want 2 sets of speakers...)

Okay, so obviously I think option 2 or 3 would be ideal, if they would work correctly...the problem is I'm not exactly sure how a sound card would deal with porting over an S/PDIF signal to computer speakers, I e-mailed Turtle Beach's tech support about their Montego sound card and got this reply:

DOES YOUR SOUNDCARD DECODE DOLBY DIGITAL/DTS SURROUND?

For licensing and copyright protection purposes, soundcard
manufacturers are effectively prevented from adding DD/DTS
decoders to their products. The reasoning is that the only
legal use of DD/DTS decoders is for playback of licensed
soundtracks from DVD movies. In your PC, a DVD player soft-
ware must decode your DD/DTS soundtrack, NOT the soundcard.

Many customers have asked us how to use the S/PDIF Digital
Input to decode surround sound from external players such
as the Microsoft Xbox 360, standalone DVD players or other
computers. Because of the above-mentioned licensing and
copyright protections, this is not possible.

However, you can use a home theater receiver, or one of
the new Home Theater In a Box (HTIB) powered speaker systems
from Logitech, Samsung and others. Both of these product
types have built in DD/DTS decoders, so will accept an
incoming data stream from the Digital Out of Turtle Beach
PCI soundcard and USB sound products.

Our Montego DDL *encodes* game audio to the new "Dolby
Digital Live" format, so you can hear positional audio
from your PC games. It DOES NOT decode DD/DTS soundtracks.

Again, you will need a DD/DTS decoder, either a software
version or a hardware decoder in your home theater receiver
or Home Theater in a Box.



Sorry for the extremely long-winded post, but I'm really confused on this one. I'd like to just be able to get a sound card or something relatively cheap like that that will let me just take the 5.1 signal from the Xbox's S/PDIF port and have it come out of my speakers as such, while still being able to use the speakers for my PC.

Can someone help me out on this one?

 

[PurdueRy]

The Z-5500's would be the cheapest option

 

[BassBomb]

If you are cheaping out as much as possible, you do not need to limit yourself to SPDIF.

http://computers.pricegrabber....s-adapters/m/13939442/
My cousin is using this for his XBOX360 and is playing on his monitor with VGA cable.


edit: ohhh you are already using that. my bad

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
If you are cheaping out as much as possible, you do not need to limit yourself to SPDIF.

http://computers.pricegrabber....s-adapters/m/13939442/
My cousin is using this for his XBOX360 and is playing on his monitor with VGA cable.


edit: ohhh you are already using that. my bad

And that won't get him surround sound

 

[nsafreak]

I agree with PurdueRy on this one if surround sound is your objective then the Z-5500s are going to be your cheapest option.

 

[f4phantom2500]

so how well would a sound card with s/pdif in do the job?

i'm mainly thinking of the turtle beach montego ddl:

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/mtgoddl/home.aspx

based on the e-mail i received from their tech support, i don't know what to expect, if anything, from trying to use the card as a bridge over from s/pdif to my current speakers. would it even work? if so how well?

EDIT:

oh and does anyone know of computer speakers that have s/pdif in that are less expensive than the z-5500s?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: f4phantom2500
so how well would a sound card with s/pdif in do the job?

i'm mainly thinking of the turtle beach montego ddl:

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/mtgoddl/home.aspx

based on the e-mail i received from their tech support, i don't know what to expect, if anything, from trying to use the card as a bridge over from s/pdif to my current speakers. would it even work? if so how well?

EDIT:

oh and does anyone know of computer speakers that have s/pdif in that are less expensive than the z-5500s?

You won't get anything more than stereo by using SPDIF in on a sound card.

I don't believe there is a cheaper option than the Z-5500's...at least not a good one.

 

[f4phantom2500]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: f4phantom2500
so how well would a sound card with s/pdif in do the job?

i'm mainly thinking of the turtle beach montego ddl:

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/mtgoddl/home.aspx

based on the e-mail i received from their tech support, i don't know what to expect, if anything, from trying to use the card as a bridge over from s/pdif to my current speakers. would it even work? if so how well?

EDIT:

oh and does anyone know of computer speakers that have s/pdif in that are less expensive than the z-5500s?

You won't get anything more than stereo by using SPDIF in on a sound card.

I don't believe there is a cheaper option than the Z-5500's...at least not a good one.

damn, well, thanks...

 

[The J]

The Audigy 2/4 and X-Fi cards have built-in DD/DTS decoding. My friend used his Audigy 2 ZS Platinum (the one with the breakout box) to connect his Xbox360 to his speakers. The soundcard seemed to take the Xbox's digital signal and decode it to surround sound just fine.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: The J
The Audigy 2/4 and X-Fi cards have built-in DD/DTS decoding. My friend used his Audigy 2 ZS Platinum (the one with the breakout box) to connect his Xbox360 to his speakers. The soundcard seemed to take the Xbox's digital signal and decode it to surround sound just fine.

They only do decoding through software, not from external sources. For example if you play a DVD or you play a game that has Dolby Digital sound then yes you will get true Dolby Digital surround sound. However if you pass from an external source to the card it will not decode the Dolby Digital sound. What your friend was likely hearing was the card converting the audio into quadrophonic sound which is not true Dolby Digital surround sound. The op's best option is to purchase a set of Logitech Z-5500s to do the Dolby Digital decoding.

 

[f4phantom2500]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: The J
The Audigy 2/4 and X-Fi cards have built-in DD/DTS decoding. My friend used his Audigy 2 ZS Platinum (the one with the breakout box) to connect his Xbox360 to his speakers. The soundcard seemed to take the Xbox's digital signal and decode it to surround sound just fine.

They only do decoding through software, not from external sources. For example if you play a DVD or you play a game that has Dolby Digital sound then yes you will get true Dolby Digital surround sound. However if you pass from an external source to the card it will not decode the Dolby Digital sound. What your friend was likely hearing was the card converting the audio into quadrophonic sound which is not true Dolby Digital surround sound. The op's best option is to purchase a set of Logitech Z-5500s to do the Dolby Digital decoding.

i currently have an x-fi xtrememusic. i would consider using that as a temporary option, but would i need to get that little front bay control panel thingy to do it?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: f4phantom2500

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: The J
The Audigy 2/4 and X-Fi cards have built-in DD/DTS decoding. My friend used his Audigy 2 ZS Platinum (the one with the breakout box) to connect his Xbox360 to his speakers. The soundcard seemed to take the Xbox's digital signal and decode it to surround sound just fine.

They only do decoding through software, not from external sources. For example if you play a DVD or you play a game that has Dolby Digital sound then yes you will get true Dolby Digital surround sound. However if you pass from an external source to the card it will not decode the Dolby Digital sound. What your friend was likely hearing was the card converting the audio into quadrophonic sound which is not true Dolby Digital surround sound. The op's best option is to purchase a set of Logitech Z-5500s to do the Dolby Digital decoding.

i currently have an x-fi xtrememusic. i would consider using that as a temporary option, but would i need to get that little front bay control panel thingy to do it?

I believe you can get the digital IO module and it will work for the X-fi sound cards. This will give you a full size optical in.

 

[shortylickens]

I use my Xbox360 with my home theater system. My receiver has two fiber optic inputs and one digital coax. Thats fine for my two game systems (also have a PS2 slimline which uses built in fiber optic) and my DVD player, but then I had to use my receiver as a switch for the audio and also use a video switch. My TV only has one set of component inputs.

Ended up buying a couple of cheap fiber-to-coax converters and now I just run everything through the video switch. The HD video goes through the red-green-blue jacks on the switch, and the audio is all digital coax which goes through the composite video jacks on my switch.
Never have to switch anything on my receiver.

http://www.monoprice.com/produ...p?c_id=104&cp_id=10423
You can get the converters here for $11.20.
They also have a decent switch for 26 bucks and it has a remote control.

EDIT:
As others have said, the Logitech Z-5500's may be a good option for your audio needs.

 

[videopho]

Z5500, period.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: f4phantom2500

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: The J
The Audigy 2/4 and X-Fi cards have built-in DD/DTS decoding. My friend used his Audigy 2 ZS Platinum (the one with the breakout box) to connect his Xbox360 to his speakers. The soundcard seemed to take the Xbox's digital signal and decode it to surround sound just fine.

They only do decoding through software, not from external sources. For example if you play a DVD or you play a game that has Dolby Digital sound then yes you will get true Dolby Digital surround sound. However if you pass from an external source to the card it will not decode the Dolby Digital sound. What your friend was likely hearing was the card converting the audio into quadrophonic sound which is not true Dolby Digital surround sound. The op's best option is to purchase a set of Logitech Z-5500s to do the Dolby Digital decoding.

i currently have an x-fi xtrememusic. i would consider using that as a temporary option, but would i need to get that little front bay control panel thingy to do it?

I believe you can get the digital IO module and it will work for the X-fi sound cards. This will give you a full size optical in.

And its a helluva lot cheaper than the drivebay.