Hooking up some sound - need advice

J

Jonny Two Shoes

Expert Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
4,542
Reaction score
17
Location
Gauteng
Hi there,

Just need some solid advice on the best way to go about this...

I have a decent 5.1 setup for my PC but I feel it juuuust ain't good enough for a party of course....maybe but maybe not.
So I am running Ubuntu Linux on my PC with some nice music and DJ stuff on the HDD and my PC has an onboard sound card.

I don't see a line-out though at the back of my PC but there is a S/PDIF-out...can I use this somehow?

I figure all I need is an amp, a set of nice speakers...and if necessary a better sound card with line-out if spdif_out can't be used.

I don't want anything major...just decent enough volume for a normal house party.

I also don't have a major budget so cheapest is best :)

Any advice?
 
You can use the SPDIF output. It's a Sony/Phillips standard that doesn't require conversion between digital and analogue, but your amp will need to be able to handle the SPDIF signal input. It has to convert the 1s and 0s to audio at some stage. Digital amps have this feature however they can be pricey so it might be more worthwhile buying a new soundcard with analogue outputs. If you do go the spdif route then you will need two coaxial digital inputs and a cable that converts the ordinary spdif signal to coaxial 9not sure about the costs involved here)

So if you want to go the digital route, you're looking at a buying an amp for around R3k, speakers range from R1k to R10k depending on the quality you're after. Behringer make some cheapish, decent speakers for your requirements - because you have an amp you will not need active speakers, you will want passives.

If you go the analogue route you could pick up a sound card for a few hundred bucks, an ordinary stereo amplifier for about R2k (otherwise you can just buy a hifi stereo amp for cheaper) and some speakers for around R1k to R2k.

One question though - how do connect your speakers if there are no outputs on the soundcard? Also, is there not a headphone output somewhere on your pc/laptop? That will work just fine.

EDIT: OK, I see it's a 5.1 so it's one of those non-standard outputs for your speakers. Regardless though, there must be a headphone output somewhere on the sound card - that is a perfectly usable analogue output...
 
Last edited:
My onboard sound card has seperate outputs for each set ie... rear, side, center, front......there is also a line_in but I doubt I could use that (I need a line_out right??) :/ (interestingly I don't use the side speaker output :/..never have...wonder if I could) ---- I take it then my sound card is capable of 7.1

There is also a mic_in and I have a normal PC mic plugged into that.

[EDIT..deleted: lol I read your post wrong.....my headphones will plug into the same output as my front speakers --- I have to manually swap the two if I want headphones or speakers---although I did have a splitter thing once that let me use both at the same time...wonder what I did with it]

Just to add each pair on the onboard soundcard has one plug (ie 1 for both front speakers, 1 for both rear....etc... and all cables lead to the PC amp/sub first)
 
Last edited:
Mic in!!?? No mate, you need to use an output - no input will work.

You need to look for the output with a little headphone icon above, below or next to it. I don't know of any soundcards that don't have a headphone output - every single one I've come across has one. What soundcard do you have - post the exact make and model.

If the existing speaker outputs are ordinary RCAs (unlikely - they're probably some proprietary connections) then you could just use the front left and right outputs and change your settings on the pc to output in stereo only. The fact that it is a multi-channel card means that any output won't be analogue, it would be digital, as in spdif, otherwise you'd need multiple outputs. But check for a headphone output rather and then change the settings to output in stereo only.

Doesn't sound like a built in, onboard soundcard btw...
 
Oh lovely...I just discovered a plug I never knew I had lol...

My front panel closes like a fridge door on my PC so I never noticed this :p I checked and there is a green and a pink port/plug (no icons though). Plugged my headphones into that and they work :)

Sorry about the mic_in comment but I really read your post wrong :p

My motherboard is/was pretty decent so it has a good onboard card I think. Motherboard is the ASUS-A8N-SLI Deluxe

I just picked this up off the ASUS site on my soundcard...
A8N-SLI has eight channels of audio output with Coaxial and optical S/PDIF connector designed to maximize your auditory experience. AI Audio also provides "Jack Sensing" and "UAJ" functions. "Jack Sensing" automatically detects and notifies user of any inappropriate connection. "UAJ" function enables both input and output functions each jacks, thus eliminates the confusion of Line-in, Line-out and Mic jacks once and for all!
Click to expand...
This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via an optical or coaxial S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jack. It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality.
Click to expand...

Realtek ALC850, 8 -Channel CODEC
Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports
Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology
 
I just tested two other smaller speakers in the front panel headphone plug....they work.

Will ordinary decent sized speakers work in this plug as well? I could combine the whole lot with my 5.1 :)

PS I know I am a noob at this so soz :o
 
Cool. You can't just plug speakers in - it must go to an amp and then to the speakers unless the speakers are active/powered (they have built in amps). If you have ordinary speakers then you'll just need an amplifier - plug the output from your pc into any available input (probably auxiliary), hook up the speakers, set the amp to that input, switch on, crank up the volume and you're sorted...
 
Thanks DJK....

Quick question though just to be sure....

I can and I have another PC amp connected to two mid/small but decent speakers lying somewhere neglected but work. I want to know if it would be safe to plug this second amp into the headphone plug and hook the extra two speakers into that amp? Is that what you meant?

Two amps through one PC onboard sound card lol :) why not hook up another pair and have 7.1 plus the two extra in front...haha
 
Sorry man, I'm completely lost as what it is you're hoping to achieve. Bridgeable amps can be daisy-chained together, but not your amp by the sounds of things - why would you want to though? And I'm not sure what a pc amp is to be honest.

BTW, you don't plug the amp into the pc. You take an output from the sound card as an input into the amp, then hook up your speakers to the amp. I know it's all semantics but it just sounds wrong the other way around.

EDIT: you're going for overkill by the sounds of things, and not a very easily controllable environment either. So in short - no, it aint gonna work...
 
It's called making a plan boet :p quick fix lol

Well I took a chance and plugged this other dudes amp/sub and two speakers into the headphone plug of my PC. Nothing blew and my fk is it loud for what it is :eek: especially when I crank up my 5.1 with it...:) I was pleasantly surprised.

I think that would do for now. Thanks DJK for the help :) I was just really nervous if I play around something would break :/ eish
 
Last edited:
If you use hifi speakers on full blast (or close to full) all night, they WILL blow, or by the end of the night sound like ****. Easiest is to rent or buy proper stuff from a music shop.
 
Yeah, ordinary hifi speakers are not intended to be played at full volume for extended periods as they have very little built-in headroom. Get a decent set of speakers and piss off your neighbours properly...
 
My onboard soundcard got 1 blue jack, 1 green jack and 1 pink jack
the Blue 1 is Line in/or back channel, the green 1 is front, the pink 1 is mic/or sub and center

I connect my stereo amp to the green 1 to get stereo sound
 
Hein_JHB said:
My onboard soundcard got 1 blue jack, 1 green jack and 1 pink jack
the Blue 1 is Line in/or back channel, the green 1 is front, the pink 1 is mic/or sub and center

I connect my stereo amp to the green 1 to get stereo sound
Click to expand...

But change your sound card settings to output in stereo only, as if your sound card is working properly it will run the front signals through a simple HP filter to avoid blowing (what it expects to be) speakers which cannot handle low frequencies. Therefore, you're not getting a decent representation of the audio unless you change your sound card to output in only stereo...
 
Yes I know, I got a utility that I got with my onbourd soundcard that can change the outputs to stereo, 4 channels or 5.1 channels
 
Well I stay on the hill in Constantia Kloof.... I intend to aim all 10 odd speakers on the roof to all existing neighbours and stuff all the rest :D my sisters 21st is happening in April so that is the whole deal about sound :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X