Surround sound setup Question

ItsAllAboutWins

ItsAllAboutWins

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ItsAllAboutWins
I've done searching, being it very limited but, my wife has an old school surround sound system that's been in our closet for 2 years. I've been thinking about googling it up to my gaming setup and I have no idea how to go about this. It's a fairly old system with component cable plug ins and since I run my ps3 off hdmi, is it possible to hook up the component cables from the ps3 to the surround sound while using the hdmi to go to my monitor? Never hooked up a surround sound before.
 
If you are using a TV it probably had an optical out you could use to get actuall 5.1 instead of using the component cables. If you are just using the red and white RCA cables it will only get a stereo signal and not be that great.

Post the surround sound make and model number and your TV or monitors make and model number so we can give you the best advice.
 
bevo
If you are using a TV it probably had an optical out you could use to get actuall 5.1 instead of using the component cables. If you are just using the red and white RCA cables it will only get a stereo signal and not be that great.

Post the surround sound make and model number and your TV or monitors make and model number so we can give you the best advice.
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Monitor is a BenQ GL2450HM and system is a Pioneer sx-315.

I got it working but bass is extremely weak :( what's this optical out sorcery you speak of?
 
You surorund sound receiver has an optical input. Buy an optical cable and use it from the PS3 to your receiver and change the PS3 audio to go out from it instead of the HDMI.
The optical is also called an SPDIF. You should be able to get an optical cable online for $5. If you go to best buy or somehwere it will probably be $15 or so. Quality with them doesn't matter at all. There would be no difference between a $5 or $40 one unless you are doing a really long run with it.

Here is a link to one http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10229&cs_id=1022904&p_id=2765&seq=1&format=2

It drives me crazy when people setup a surround sound and just use the red and white RCA cables connected to a surround sound receiver. They will not give you surround sound, you have to use the right kind of cables to get it. I went to a friends house not to long ago and he had a decent $1200 or so surround sound setup and was just using it in pro logic because he didn't realize how you were suppose to hook it up. I took him a cable and it sounded much better.
 
bevo
It drives me crazy when people setup a surround sound and just use the red and white RCA cables connected to a surround sound receiver. They will not give you surround sound, you have to use the right kind of cables to get it. I went to a friends house not to long ago and he had a decent $1200 or so surround sound setup and was just using it in pro logic because he didn't realize how you were suppose to hook it up. I took him a cable and it sounded much better.
Click to expand...

ya my friends are the same they buy $3000 TV 7.1 surround have digital Foxtel (paytv) etc etc then all they use to hook up everything is yellow, white & red for pic & sound LOL
 
bevo
You surorund sound receiver has an optical input. Buy an optical cable and use it from the PS3 to your receiver and change the PS3 audio to go out from it instead of the HDMI.
The optical is also called an SPDIF. You should be able to get an optical cable online for $5. If you go to best buy or somehwere it will probably be $15 or so. Quality with them doesn't matter at all. There would be no difference between a $5 or $40 one unless you are doing a really long run with it.

Here is a link to one http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022904&p_id=2765&seq=1&format=2

It drives me crazy when people setup a surround sound and just use the red and white RCA cables connected to a surround sound receiver. They will not give you surround sound, you have to use the right kind of cables to get it. I went to a friends house not to long ago and he had a decent $1200 or so surround sound setup and was just using it in pro logic because he didn't realize how you were suppose to hook it up. I took him a cable and it sounded much better.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much!! I'll go pick one up tomorrow! I wanted to be able to hear people coming up behind me and this is a solution
 
So how do you go about setting up a good audio system from a PC? Just the basics please. Thanks, Vince
 
You need a sound card with surround outputs. Either optical, coaxial digital (rare), or hdmi.
 
VINCE__
So how do you go about setting up a good audio system from a PC? Just the basics please. Thanks, Vince
Click to expand...

You don't need a soundcard if you have a decent surround sound receiver with HDMI and monitor with HDMI. You can go HDMI from the GPU to the receiver and then out to the monitor. That is the best way to get surround sound on a PC. The GPU will let the receiver do the decoding like it should and you will get the best sound.

If you have PC style speakers then you will need a soundcard, but if you have an actuall AVR then no soundcard is needed as long as you have a 500 series or newer nvidia GPU or I think a 4000 or 5000 series or newer AMD.

AMD has been doing audio through HDMI longer the Nvidia.

If you have onboard sound then you could just use the optical to the receiver. I really can't think of a time when a soundcard is needed anymore for 5.1 or 7.1 unless you have a cheap surround system or a really old GPU.
 

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