how to connect my soundblaster audigy to my home theatre set

jtpryan · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 2

I have a Media PC I built with a Soundblaster Audigy card. I want to
connect the PC to my Onkyo receiver so that I can get Dolby surround
sound out of DVD's I play. I think I need to connect the digital port
to the coax optical in, but I don't know what cable to use. I have a
mono 3.5mm jack to RCA and tried that but got no sound. Any tips?

-Jim

Archived from group: alt>home-theater>misc

John Carrier · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 33

There's a dedicated I/O cable to convert the 3.5mm minijack output to coax
and/or toslink digital for your receiver.

R / John

"jtpryan" wrote in message @b1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>I have a Media PC I built with a Soundblaster Audigy card. I want to
> connect the PC to my Onkyo receiver so that I can get Dolby surround
> sound out of DVD's I play. I think I need to connect the digital port
> to the coax optical in, but I don't know what cable to use. I have a
> mono 3.5mm jack to RCA and tried that but got no sound. Any tips?
>
> -Jim

AZ Nomad · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 165

On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:56:15 -0600, John Carrier wrote:
>There's a dedicated I/O cable to convert the 3.5mm minijack output to coax
>and/or toslink digital for your receiver.

Not very dedicated. It's just a stereo miniplug to stereo RCA cable.

The sound blasters typically output front and rear stereo s/pdif -- two
s/pdif outputs, each with left and right data.

If you use a mono adapter, you've shorted the two together and won't
get anything working. A stereo adapter will let you select the front
left+right or the rear left+right.

Get a different sound card if you want 5.1.

Gandalf · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 28

jtpryan wrote:
> I have a Media PC I built with a Soundblaster Audigy card. I want to
> connect the PC to my Onkyo receiver so that I can get Dolby surround
> sound out of DVD's I play. I think I need to connect the digital port
> to the coax optical in, but I don't know what cable to use. I have a
> mono 3.5mm jack to RCA and tried that but got no sound. Any tips?
>
> -Jim

Pick up the Digital I/O module for your card.
Should be readily available.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=13&subcategory=55&product=1780

John Carrier · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 33

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message @ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net...
> On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:56:15 -0600, John Carrier wrote:
>>There's a dedicated I/O cable to convert the 3.5mm minijack output to coax
>>and/or toslink digital for your receiver.
>
> Not very dedicated. It's just a stereo miniplug to stereo RCA cable.
>
> The sound blasters typically output front and rear stereo s/pdif -- two
> s/pdif outputs, each with left and right data.

I'll be more specific. It's a digital I/O cable that connects to the
digital miniplug on the card, has a couple inch cable and then a housing
that has (IIRC) two coax and two toslink connectors. You can also get a
converter that takes a mono miniplug input from the card's digital output
and converts it to either a single coax or (depending on converter) a single
toslink output. The multi-output card has more flexibility.

R / John

> If you use a mono adapter, you've shorted the two together and won't
> get anything working. A stereo adapter will let you select the front
> left+right or the rear left+right.
>
> Get a different sound card if you want 5.1.

Soundblaster Live! and Audigy both offer 5.1 output through the digital
output. If I were seriously pursuing best possible 5.1 or 6.1 or 7.1
output, I'd agree, I'd get the newer Xtreme Music card or similar.

R / John

AZ Nomad · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 165

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:07:31 -0600, John Carrier wrote:

>"AZ Nomad" wrote in message
>@ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net...
>> On Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:56:15 -0600, John Carrier wrote:
>>>There's a dedicated I/O cable to convert the 3.5mm minijack output to coax
>>>and/or toslink digital for your receiver.
>>
>> Not very dedicated. It's just a stereo miniplug to stereo RCA cable.
>>
>> The sound blasters typically output front and rear stereo s/pdif -- two
>> s/pdif outputs, each with left and right data.

>I'll be more specific. It's a digital I/O cable that connects to the
>digital miniplug on the card, has a couple inch cable and then a housing
>that has (IIRC) two coax and two toslink connectors. You can also get a
>converter that takes a mono miniplug input from the card's digital output
>and converts it to either a single coax or (depending on converter) a single
>toslink output. The multi-output card has more flexibility.

>R / John

>> If you use a mono adapter, you've shorted the two together and won't
>> get anything working. A stereo adapter will let you select the front
>> left+right or the rear left+right.
>>
>> Get a different sound card if you want 5.1.

>Soundblaster Live! and Audigy both offer 5.1 output through the digital
>output. If I were seriously pursuing best possible 5.1 or 6.1 or 7.1
>output, I'd agree, I'd get the newer Xtreme Music card or similar.

Last time I checked (I admit that it was about 4 years ago), creative had
separate models of the soundblaster live. Only the soundblaster live had a
5.1 output offered. Creative's computer speakers use the same weird dual
stereo s/pdif for 4 channel sound.