Z5500 + Dell vostro laptop

[Maximilian]

Most laptops ive seen including the vostro 1700 ive ordered dont have enough sockets for the 3 plugs from the z5500. Theres the green one that every computer has but there wont be anywhere for the black+yellow ones which are subwoofer and rear speakers i believe, they wont have any place to go.

How can i make it work? Is there something i can add in the expresscard slot?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Green is FL/FR, Yellow is Center/Sub, Black is SL/SR

I'm not going to look up the laptop you ordered, but if it has a digital audio output, that would be another way to hook it up and get surround sound from sources like movies.

For games, you'll want to get either an external soundcard or one that plugs into a port on your laptop. Random example:
http://www.creative.com/produc...05&product=10769&nav=0

 

[darkswordsman17]

You've got several choices. Sondigo makes a USB sound device that encodes into DD/DTS and connects digitally (which your Z-5500s can accept). You could pick up a USB based sound card (such as the E-MU 0404 or 0202). They're aimed at audio production more though. I don't even know for sure if they have the requisite 3 mini-pin plugins for the speakers. They do have digital out, but the Sondigo would be cheaper (and it can also encode). I don't know if there are any expressport sound cards yet (I think there are probably a couple but their higher priced audio production ones). Creative is supposed to be making an X-Fi that uses that. Seems like its been over a year since they originally said they were making it though so who knows when it'll be out.

Don't buy the Audigy 2 ZS card as its PCMCIA and thus won't work. (No offense Jello )

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
You've got several choices. Sondigo makes a USB sound device that encodes into DD/DTS and connects digitally (which your Z-5500s can accept). You could pick up a USB based sound card (such as the E-MU 0404 or 0202). They're aimed at audio production more though. I don't even know for sure if they have the requisite 3 mini-pin plugins for the speakers. They do have digital out, but the Sondigo would be cheaper (and it can also encode). I don't know if there are any expressport sound cards yet (I think there are probably a couple but their higher priced audio production ones). Creative is supposed to be making an X-Fi that uses that. Seems like its been over a year since they originally said they were making it though so who knows when it'll be out.

Don't buy the Audigy 2 ZS card as its PCMCIA and thus won't work. (No offense Jello )

None taken, I made no effort to look up the laptop in question as I mentioned

 

[Maximilian]

Hmmm i see, interesting. I couldnt find a sondigo, but i found this USB sound doodad Would this do it? Could i do better? Seems ok for £35.

 

[Maximilian]

bump

 

[darkswordsman17]

Ah, I see you're in the UK.

Text

That's what I was talking about. Hmm, I don't know what you'd really have access to.

That Creative card looks ok, but it looks like an older one (well based on an older chipset) and Creative isn't the most well liked company. It does look like it has a SPDIF out put (what you'd need to do digital out to the Z-5500s), so it should work. Unfortunately Crative has a bad habit of not putting a nice direct one (so you'll need a mini-pin to digital coaxial adapter). I don't know for sure if this one does or not.