Connecting computer audio and satellite receiver audio to 7.1 surround speaker system

[goldenmack76]

Hi,
I have a Creative Inspire P7800 7.1 Powered Surround Sound Speaker System. I have connected it to my computers 7.1 surround external usb sound card. Now i would also like to connect my satellite receiver box to this surround speaker system. so i tried to connect the left and right RCA port wires from satellite receiver to the aux in port of the subwoofer . But only the left and right speaker work ,rest of 5 spkrs dont work. I have notice that the satellite receiver has spdif port . will all he spkrs work if i connect from spdif port to aux in port of sub using digital audio to 3.5 mm converter box.

In short i want to connect my spkr system to computer as well as satellite receiver box permanently.

My tv is being used as monitor for pc via hdmi port and has rca ports (currently being use by satellite receiver)
satellite receiver has only 2 rca ports and spdif ports for audio
spkr system has only one vacant port which is aux in port

can some one help please

 

[americanaudiophile]

The speakers do not have the ability to process surround sound. Your PC does that for it so if you connect to the aux in (which is stereo) you can only get stereo (even if you convert the spdif).
If you convert the spdif output to discrete audio with one of these
http/www.ebay.com/itm/like/261325168149?lpid=82
you would have to switch all the connections from the PC to the adapter to get surround sound.

 

[boosted1g]

If your PC has an SPDIF port on it, then the simplest option would be to connect both PC and Receiver to a SPDIF switch to toggle between them.

You can do RCA/AUX cable to your PC's Line In but this will not be true surround sound, you will either only get 2 speakers or you can use software on PC to halfway recreate the surround sound from the 2.0 sound.

 

[goldenmack76]

My pc is fine because i have 7.1 surround card. I want to connect my satellite receiver box (limesat receiver box) to this speaker system as well. To watch satellite channels Surround sound is not important for me ,but i want all speakers to work (aux in stereo is ok) .Right now my satellite reciever is connected via RCA to 3.5mm to aux in port of subwoofer but only 2 spkrs (L AND R) out of 7 are working

 

[goldenmack76]

i want both pc and satellite receiver to be connected to my sound system at the same time

 

[boosted1g]

My pc is fine because i have 7.1 surround card. I want to connect my satellite receiver box (limesat receiver box) to this speaker system as well. To watch satellite channels Surround sound is not important for me ,but i want all speakers to work (aux in stereo is ok) .Right now my satellite reciever is connected via RCA to 3.5mm to aux in port of subwoofer but only 2 spkrs (L AND R) out of 7 are working

Yes, only two speakers are working because RCA is only supplying it with 2 speakers worth of data.

If you just want "fake" surround sound (meaning L and R on multiple speakres) then just connect the RCA/AUX from receiver to the blue line-in on your PC sound card.

If you want actual surround sound you will either need a SPDIF switch box or you will need a better PC sound card that has an SPDIF optical INPUT (most have output but only few have input).

 

[goldenmack76]

My pc is fine because i have 7.1 surround card. I want to connect my satellite receiver box (limesat receiver box) to this speaker system as well. To watch satellite channels Surround sound is not important for me ,but i want all speakers to work (aux in stereo is ok) .Right now my satellite reciever is connected via RCA to 3.5mm to aux in port of subwoofer but only 2 spkrs (L AND R) out of 7 are working

Yes, only two speakers are working because RCA is only supplying it with 2 speakers worth of data.

If you just want "fake" surround sound (meaning L and R on multiple speakres) then just connect the RCA/AUX from receiver to the blue line-in on your PC sound card.

If you want actual surround sound you will either need a SPDIF switch box or you will need a better PC sound card that has an SPDIF optical INPUT (most have output but only few have input).

my pc has spdif input and also my satellite receiver has spdif input ,,when i say satellite receiver i mean receiver box used to watch dish tv . my pc is producing surround to spkrs but i want all spkrs to work from satellite receiver box

 

[boosted1g]

It is not just a matter of having the port, what matters is if it is INPUT or OUTPUT.
The satellite box for certain is an OUTPUT port as it OUTPUTS audio to another device (there would be no reason to bring audio IN to it).
Your PC card could be either one, but more then likely it is an OUTPUT as I have never seen a card that had an INPUT spdif port and have an output one as well.

 

[goldenmack76]

my question is where do i connect rca wires coming from satellite receiver box to my subwoofer to et all spkrs working. my subwoofer has only one port vacant which is aux in . rest of 3.5mm wires go to my pc sound card

 

[boosted1g]

Is it an RCA cable on both ends, or an RCA that turns into a 3.5mm jack?

If it is RCA on both ends then you need a cable that is RCA on one end and 3.5mm jack on the other end. Then you connect it to the blue LINE IN port on your PC sound card.

 

[goldenmack76]

It is not just a matter of having the port, what matters is if it is INPUT or OUTPUT.
The satellite box for certain is an OUTPUT port as it OUTPUTS audio to another device (there would be no reason to bring audio IN to it).
Your PC card could be either one, but more then likely it is an OUTPUT as I have never seen a card that had an INPUT spdif port and have an output one as well.

this is my sound card

http/www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-U7-Sound-Card/dp/B00E7QA9E0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441313965&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+xonar+7.1+usb+sound+card

 

[boosted1g]

You can configure the MIC jack to be LINE IN jack. Then you can connect the RCA/AUX cable to the "mic" port on your asus sound card and get fake surround sound.

Your SPDIF is an output.

 

[goldenmack76]

You can configure the MIC jack to be LINE IN jack. Then you can connect the RCA/AUX cable to the "mic" port on your asus sound card and get fake surround sound.

Your SPDIF is an output.

Bro my pc sound card gives me real suround. My pc is not an issue as i have 7.1 surround sound card . .issue is the other device ok le me make it more simple how do i connect RCA audio from dvd player (rca jack) to get sound on my home theatre 7 spkr system . The 3.5mm jacks on home theatre are connected to my computer so i dont want to disconnect any wires from 3.5mm jacks in the home theatre

 

[goldenmack76]

I want to watch movies from dvd player and need audio in my home theatre speakers (all 7 spkrs) . My dvd player has rca jacks and a spdif jack and my home theatre has 3.5mm jacks which are already connected to my pc . so i dont want to disconnect these 3.5mm jacks but i have an aux in jack in my home theatre so how to connect my dvd player to home theatre spkrs

 

[boosted1g]

You can configure the MIC jack to be LINE IN jack. Then you can connect the RCA/AUX cable to the "mic" port on your asus sound card and get fake surround sound.

Your SPDIF is an output.

Bro my pc sound card gives me real suround. My pc is not an issue as i have 7.1 surround sound card . .issue is the other device ok le me make it more simple how do i connect RCA audio from dvd player (rca jack) to get sound on my home theatre 7 spkr system . The 3.5mm jacks on home theatre are connected to my computer so i dont want to disconnect any wires from 3.5mm jacks i he home theatre

You are not listening/understanding anything I am saying.

I understand that you have a 7.1 surround card, I understand you are getting real surround sound from your PC to the speakers, I understand you have 7.1 speakers plugged into 3.5 jacks on your sound card.

When I say fake surround sound I mean from the dvd player, satellite receiver, etc. RCA connection has 2 data sources, a left speaker and a right speaker, that is it, it does not provide any data for center, subwoofer, mid L, mid R, rear L or rear R speaker of your 7.1 system. Thus at best you will get the same exact sound on all the Left speakers, and the same exact sound on all the Right speakers, hence a "fake" surround sound.
A proper 7.1 source sends data A specifically for speaker 1, data B specifically for speaker 2, data C specifically for speaker 3, data D specifically for speaker 4, and so on and so on. Your RCA only has data A and B, that is all, thus it takes A and puts it on speakers 1,3 and 5, and takes B and puts that on speakers 2,4,6 (and most systems will put A and B on the center speaker).


You stated that you don't want to buy an spdif switch and toggle between PC and Satellite receiver on your 7.1 system so your only option with your existing equipment is to use a RCA/3.5mm cable that has RCA on one end and 3.5mm on the other..

You plug the RCA end of the cable into your Satellite receiver (or dvd player or whatever), you then plug the 3.5mm end of the cable into the microphone jack of your 7.1 card, this does not require you to unplug any of your speakers. You then go into your asus software and configure the mic jack to be a line-in.
If you are already using the microphone jack on your 7.1 system then you are either going to have to switch it back and forth or actually buy different equipment.

 

[goldenmack76]

.ok now i understand but dvd player or satellite receiver is not sendind data A and B to all spkrs its sending data A and B to only 2 spkrs , rest of the 5 spkrs are not working at all . Hence am not getting fake surround in all 7 spkrs am getting fake surround in only 2 spkrs.

secondly my pc will be swiched off when i will watch dvd player or satellite channels so how pc sound card will send dvd player or satellite receivers audio to home theatre spkr system if i plug the 3.5mm end of the cable into the microphone jack of my 7.1 card, and configure the mic jack to be a line-in.

 

[boosted1g]

Hooking up to the hardware of your speakers will only output on the L and R speaker as you see.
Hooking it up via the PC with software allows it to re-output that data A and B onto all 7 speakers.

You did not tell me you were going to switch the PC off. It will not work in any way to pass the data through your PC sound card when the pc (and the sound card) are turned off.

Also you can not Y cable your speakers because the dvd player does not have separate outputs for center, mid, surround , and subwoofer.
Even if it did Y cables are meant to output the same source to two different devices (1 mp3 player and 2 headphones), not the other way around (hear 1 of 2 mp3 players on the same headphones). If the ports do not have electircal diodes or other short circuit protection the data from mp3 player one will go to the headphones and the output port of mp3 player 2 and could short it out.

Thus your only 3 options are as follows:
1) use it the way it is
2) Use spdif cables at your PC and at your dvd player and then connect them to a switch (possibly with a remote control) that then connects to the speakers
3) Get the right tool for the job, an actual living room type of home theater receiver system.

 

[goldenmack76]

[you mean to say if i do y cable audio from dvd player will reach spkrs and my pc which might short out my sound card . thanks for the headsup..

 

[goldenmack76]

Hooking up to the hardware of your speakers will only output on the L and R speaker as you see.
Hooking it up via the PC with software allows it to re-output that data A and B onto all 7 speakers.

You did not tell me you were going to switch the PC off. It will not work in any way to pass the data through your PC sound card when the pc (and the sound card) are turned off.

Also you can not Y cable your speakers because the dvd player does not have separate outputs for center, mid, surround , and subwoofer.
Even if it did Y cables are meant to output the same source to two different devices (1 mp3 player and 2 headphones), not the other way around (hear 1 of 2 mp3 players on the same headphones). If the ports do not have electircal diodes or other short circuit protection the data from mp3 player one will go to the headphones and the output port of mp3 player 2 and could short it out.

Thus your only 3 options are as follows:
1) use it the way it is
2) Use spdif cables at your PC and at your dvd player and then connect them to a switch (possibly with a remote control) that then connects to the speakers
3) Get the right tool for the job, an actual living room type of home theater receiver system.

you mean to say if i do y cable audio from dvd player will reach spkrs and my pc which might short out my sound card . thanks for the headsup..