Optical to 3.5mm?

[drewmeister11]

I've been trying to buy a new set of headphones lately, but it seems like every single one of them requires an optical cable. This is frustrating me to no end because I recently upgraded my computer and the model of motherboard I got does not have an optical cable connector. I've never needed one before, yet between my last headset and this one it has apparently become the standard.

Is there a way to adapt this headset for the old audio ports, or do I have to just stop trying to get a decent set of headphones and buy whatever cheap thing still uses the old standard?

 

[mrmez]

Never heard of headphones using optical, and I've got some high end ear and headphones. Not gaming tho.

Have you searched for a converter?
Have you considered using non-optical/gaming headphones or even wireless?

 

[drtweak]

What headsets to you have? I know mine (Turtle Beach) have optical and that is how i have it connected but it also has two RCA (Red and White) for analog audio

 

[drewmeister11]

It's an Astro A40, non-wireless edition. I tried an A50 wireless, but I kept getting a buzz in my ear and thought that was because I plugged normal audio jacks into the aux slot. Then I tried some Turtle Beach wireless, but they wouldn't work on PC's because reasons.

Before all this I had some logitech headphones that didn't require optical audio, so I never once considered when buying a new motherboard that this would be a problem. The A40's won't even give me sound right now because I don't have an optical slot to plug it into...

Edit: I got them to give me sound (apparently the identical sides to the audio cables don't work if you switch which end is plugged where?) but they won't give me tones coming out of just the left or just the right ear. Amazing how an old Logitech with nothing but a USB connection could give me surround sound, yet these very expensive ones that cost twice as much and have three times the cables can't...

 

[drtweak]

It looks there are a few different A40 models. Can you post a link to which one exactly? Some seem to be just the headset. Some seems to have a Base AMP as well. Never head of these guys before.

And ALL turtle beachs, even if they are designed for another system, should work with a PC. They are either 3.5mm jack or optical.

 

[drewmeister11]

It looks there are a few different A40 models. Can you post a link to which one exactly? Some seem to be just the headset. Some seems to have a Base AMP as well. Never head of these guys before.

And ALL turtle beachs, even if they are designed for another system, should work with a PC. They are either 3.5mm jack or optical.

Turtle Beaches had sound, but their 'surround' capabilities didn't work. I've already returned them, but it said right in the instructions that it wouldn't work on a PC unless I had a Dolby soundcard already installed. Even the software you had to download to put pre-sets on the headset wouldn't work because the computer was recognizing that I had the headset plugged in, but was NOT recognizing it via the software. Not sure if that was because of the soundcard or not.

As for the Astro A40's, I don't have them anymore either (i've gone back to my Logitech G930's, which do all the other headphones claimed to do but via USB) but they weren't wireless and had the Mix Amp thingy with it.

 

[drtweak]

Ah ok yea they had a few on there. wired with just the headsets and wired with the amp so couldn't check it out for sure.

And I haven't hand any issues with mine. I got the PX51 (they are for the PS4 but i got them because i wanted Blue not Green lol) and i have it plugged into optical on my motherboard and it sees it as a 7.1 surround sound. Not sure what the onboard audio is on my machine though but I never had issues with them. Plug they have a RCA jacks in so you could get a RCA to 3.5 adapter and use that as well but unless you go Optical the only other way to get surround besides a headset with 5-7 cords you have to plug in is USB.