How do I connect this speaker system?

[captainkoloth4]

I just got a new computer. I've had this ancient (1998) Boston Acoustics Digital Media Theater with a subwoofer/control unit and a left and right speaker sitting around for years in perfect shape and I decided to hook it up. It works but I don't think I have it hooked up properly. My motherboard (Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z170) has six stereo outputs labeled c/sub, side, rear, out, in, mic and looks like
this; and the back of the subwoofer looks like
this
Once I hook up the power and other speakers to the remaining ports I have are the ones labeled Surround, Analog input, and Digital input. I have been able to hook up a regular stereo cable from my motherboard's "out" stereo output to the "analog input" but it's not getting the proper 3-channel sound, I think it's just treating my speakers as a big set of headphones. I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to get the proper sound to the subwoofer, left and right speakers, but my knowledge of audio cables is (as I'm sure you can tell) very limited. Can anyone give me a suggestion? Thanks!

 

[DeauteratedDog]

That motherboard has a s/pdif header on it, and, presumably, the digital input on the Digital Media Theater is also s/pdif. That's what i'd use.

 

[Rogue Leader]

That motherboard has a s/pdif header on it, and, presumably, the digital input on the Digital Media Theater is also s/pdif. That's what i'd use.

It is not, the digital input is clearly coaxial digital not SPDIF.

OP the way you have it connected now is the only way you can connect it. That "Surround" plug is an output to add additional speakers to that system. At this point you should go into your audio settings and turn up the bass and see if that affects the sub woofer, also the control unit should have settings for bass or crossover. Make sure that is set to about 120hz.

In your computer's audio settings make sure its set to speakers, and also make sure its not cutting off sound frequencies lower than 120hz. Sometimes systems do that when it believes headphones are connected.

 

[DeauteratedDog]

SPDIF is coaxial digital.

From wikipedia: "S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) is a type of digital audio interconnect used in consumer audio equipment to output audio over reasonably short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable with RCA connectors or a fibre optic cable with TOSLINK connectors."

 

[Rogue Leader]

SPDIF is coaxial digital.

From wikipedia: "S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) is a type of digital audio interconnect used in consumer audio equipment to output audio over reasonably short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable with RCA connectors or a fibre optic cable with TOSLINK connectors."

On the back panel of a motherboard commonly TOSLINK connectors are refereed to as SPDIF. Coaxial Digital is not. Also his PC does not have either a TOSLINK or a coaxial digital output (I didn't even look before because I assumed if it had an output it would be toslink, coaxial digital is long gone off PC equipment). It does have the header on board for connection to an expansion card that has digital out or buy a port adapter (which would be useful to explain to him in your answer if you were trying to be helpful). Otherwise the only way to get digital sound out of it is via HDMI. But thanks for the electronics lesson.