Hooking up surround sound to my PC

[khaines0625]

Hey I recently purchased monoprice 8247 5.1 surround sound and It would seem impossible to plug that in to my pc without a receiver to hook the speakers into. My motherboard supports 7.1 surround sound and has RCA ports in the back for it. As i understand it though i need a receiver thats 150+ dollars just to hook my speakers to my PC? That sounds totally ridiculous. I don't need a receiver to hook together my tv or to play DVD's or anything else, yet every receiver i see is complex... I simply need to hook the speakers up to my pc. There must be some simple device that can do that?

 

[thee_prisoner]

The problem is that you need some kind of amp to power the speakers, so getting a receiver is the cheapest option. You can probably find a cheap used one at a thrift store.

Happy Listening,

the Prisoner.

 

[americanaudiophile]

You bought speakers when you really need powered speakers. Maybe you can return them and get the right set up.

 

[khaines0625]

I got a receiver for the speakers and they work fine now the problem is that i cant hook them up to my PC. The motherboard on my computer says it can handle 7.1 surround sound but there arent RCA jacks or a spdif jack for it so im not sure how to connect it. an Adapter?

 

[thee_prisoner]

What is your motherboard model?

For the cable you can use mini plug to RCA.
Link:http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/parts/minicbl.html Item number 1408

 

[khaines0625]

GIGABYTE z77-HD3

 

[khaines0625]

you can receive surround sound through only one RCA plug?

 

[thee_prisoner]

I assumed the mobo had outputs like front, rear, sub and center it doesn't. SO you will have to configure 7.1-channel audio, you have to use an HD front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio feature through the audio driver. It has to do with Azalia(HDA), do a search for that and you should be able to find a device that will work.

 

[khaines0625]

Im so confused right now. I ended up getting three cables of this kind... http/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LMFS7M/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 based off this article I read http/blog.tabinda.net/linux/intel-realtek-hd-ac-97-multichannel-5-16-17-1-audio-and-front-panel-solutions/

I reassigned the 3 3.5mm ports on the back of my pc for front speaker out, rear speaker out, and center/subwoofer out.

When i test the front speakers they work but i also get sound from the rear speakers playing the same thing as the front and when i test the rear speakers i get nothing. The subwoofer also only plays during certain times.

There are sections on the back of my recevier that say vcr, dvd, etc but i dont know which one to use and none of them have enough rca ports to plug them all in. The subwoofer is also connected through RCA, giving me even more need for ports.

There are also two rca ports on the receiver that say "subwoofer pre-out" and "center pre-out" The subwoofer doesnt work when i use them. My receiver is an old pioneer vsx-455 btw.

I pride myself on being able to figure out anything on the internet but this one is giving me loads of trouble.

 

[thee_prisoner]

The pre-outs are for powered speakers, like a powered center or powered sub. Look at the back of the receiver, it doesn't have enough inputs. I can't really find much for spec on this receiver but it does say it is a 5.1 receiver but it might be only simulated 5.1 not a true discreet 5.1. Here is a link for a pic of the back for other people. http://bimg2.mlstatic.com/amplifica...-kenwood-bose-css_MLM-F-2797049440_062012.jpg

You can use any unused vcr, dvd and etc but you are right, their aren't enough inputs which makes me think it is simulated surround. Also, their is no speaker terminal for the sub. The specs say 100w x 3 and 55w x 2 which are for the 2 fronts and center and the others are for the rears. So you would need an amp to power the sub which the pre out sub output is for. So what you need is a receiver with fronts inputs, center input, sub input and back inputs or pre outputs for all if you use powered speakers or a combination of both. Here is a link for a pic of what I'm talking about on a different receiver. Notice on the bottom back of the receiver where the surround inputs are. http://www.world-import.com/images/D/VSX-LX50-1.jpg

The cables that you have will work and the blog was pretty informative for other people with the same problem.

I hope I didn't confuse you more! haha

Happy listening, the Prisoner