connecting 5.1 speakers to sound card

[Clifford Dayton]

I made a mistake and got some 5.1 speakers thinking I was getting computer speakers.

Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System
The sound card on my computer is an ASUS XONAR.

I'm hoping I can find a good way to connect the two. Looking for good 5.1 rock and gaming. Budget is $200.

Would I be best eating a little crow or is there an amp with cables that can make lemonade out of this lemon?

 

[americanaudiophile]

Those will sound better than PC speakers so it will be worth it. Your soundcard should have spdif digital out which can connect to a surround sound receiver with a single cable. A new receiver would start at $250. Any used 5.1 channel receiver wit digital inputs would work too.
Older ones without HDMI inputs are cheaper and would still work fine.

 

[Clifford Dayton]

Those will sound better than PC speakers so it will be worth it. Your soundcard should have spdif digital out which can connect to a surround sound receiver with a single cable. A new receiver would start at $250. Any used 5.1 channel receiver wit digital inputs would work too.
Older ones without HDMI inputs are cheaper and would still work fine.

I did some study over the weekend and found an amp for a little over 100 that seems to fit my requirements. I'm no sure how the "spdif digital out" works. I do know that I can use the front, back and cnt/sub connection to have this work. The amp comes with a remote so I can place it out of the way. No more need to have at least one speaker close to adjust the volume.

I will take a close look at the spdif digital out. This something new to me and sounds like a better choice that three wires. Is it better than using the three outputs or just more simple.