2.5mm Connector for Speakers

I have logitech x-530 speakers that I'm currently using with my desktop that has a sound card that supports it. I want to use these speakers with my laptop now and I'm not sure how to connect the two. I'm assuming I need a certain cable that can input all 5 of the speakers and the subwoofer into a 2.5mm outlet (all the laptop has) and I was wondering if anyone can direct me to the proper cable or website that sells them.

Thanks

 

Isnt the x530 a single output cable?

 

I don't think so, I remember having to input a bunch of different colored plugs into my sound card when I originally set it up for my desktop.

 

probably the 1/8" 5.1 setup and its 3 cords, 1 has the front left/right, one has the rear left/right and the 3rd has the sub and center if I am not mistaken.

Anyways to answer your question. Your laptop does not have native 5.1 analog output wich is what those speakers are designed for.

You have 3 options:

> Use just 1 of the cords, probably the one for the front speakers and use only the front speakers.

> Get a external sound card for your laptop that has 5.1 analog output

> Get a splitter and split the output so that you use all the speakers.

I would go with the third option since its the best balance of what you get for what you pay. I don't know if natural 5.1 analog output has a cross over for the sub output tho meaning that it sends only the signal for the lower frequency sounds, or if the cross over is built into the speaker amplifier. What this means is its possible splitting the signal from your laptop 3 ways so that you can use all the speakers could have the subwoofer producing high and low sounds, or it will work just fine. If it does get high sounds you can use a in-line cross over (then only the center would get low sounds too tho), or just unplug the sub cable and deal with not having it.

 

Best option is to get a PCMCIA or PCI express soundcard (depending on which slot your laptop support). I would not go the splitter route since your laptop's 2.5mm output is only stereo and you won't get true 5.1 sound from it.

 

You would think that on the surface, but show me a audio card for a laptop that has true 5.1 sound. I have yet to find one. Even very expensive cards like the X-Fi are only upmixed stereo! So pay 120$ for a X-Fi or 5$ for a spliter?

 

I don't know where you get the impression that all you get is upmixed stereo from those. I had the Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA and I can get perfect 5.1 surround on movies and games. The adapter cable comes outs to 3 2.5mm jacks (one each for front stereo, center/sub, rear surround). It seems that they have gotten greedy with the X-Fi ExpressCard. You have to buy the Multi-channel upgrade kit to get the separate outputs but you can then get 5.1 or 7.1 surround.

 

Can you do me a favor and download a 5.1 channel test file and see? I have heard from more than one source that its just stereo, and unless you test it you would never know. Its possible that I got off track and just figured since digital is upixed analog is too. We have several confirmations here on this very forum that the digital output of the xfi is not surround but only upmixed stereo. Analog however however nobody has actually really said anything.

 

I had used the the Audigy ZS with movies and games that support 5.1 output and I did get voice in center and all the surround effect as is shots and sound from behind the scene will come from the rear speakers. Unfortunately I don't have the card anymore since I sold it with my last laptop with PCMCIA slots (Both my A8Js and M50SV-A1 have expresscard). I don't have a X-fi as I'm going directly from the laptop optical spdif to the Z680 optical input, but from reading the site, you'll need the expansion module to get 5.1 sound if you have a speaker system with the 3 2.5mm analog connection.

 

Yeah see thats not the kind of test I need, I need an actual test where only 1 speaker is in use at a time. Its too easy to think its working right or a "placebo effect" if you will.

I mean my home theater system in my room is so old it has dolby pro logic 5.1 and it will only send some sounds to the rear speakers and voice to the front. However its emulated and not true 5.1 because all of the inputs on the receiver in the first place are just stereo rca! and if you put your ear right up to the speaker while in use you can tell its just a digital filter trying to separate the sounds to where they should be according to frequency not true 5.1. You could put anybody in my room without that knowledge tho and toss on a movie and they would swear its surround sound and real 5.1.

Playing a test file is how I knew for sure that it was just simulated.

My Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVD has a 5.1 test in the extras. Playing it on my computer which was at the time hooked to a creative labs 5.1 set the 3 analog connection proved it was real 5.1 each speaker one at a time played the right sound. Then when I played it on my stereo it was also finally clear that it was not real surround or real 5.1 but just upmixed/filtered.

Like I said its well documented that the digital out on the creative cards is not surround like it claims it is but just stereo. Plus I have heard that the laptop version of the card doesn't even have 5.1 so now that you claim otherwise I would like to get solid proof so we know witch one is the real truth.

 

Dolby Pro-Logic only require 2 RCA jacks since the sub-channel info is inter-mixed. But it's actually only 4.1 sound since the rear channel is not in stereo (stereo in pro logic II). It's not simulated. The rear channel information in intermixed into the stereo signal.

Read this about Dolby pro logic:

Dolby Surround/Pro Logic is based on basic matrix technology. When a Dolby Surround soundtrack is created, four channels of sound are matrix-encoded into an ordinary stereo (two channel) sound track by using phase shift techniques. A Pro Logic decoder/processor "unfolds" the sound into the original 4.0 surround—left and right, center, and a single limited frequency-range mono rear channel—while systems lacking the decoder play back the audio as standard Stereo.

Dolby Digital/ AC3 is where a dedicated digital output is needed in the form of a optical or coax out but you get full range 5.1 sound

This is from the Creative forum:

"The card will allow you passthrough unaltered AC-3/DTS streams from DVDs/downloaded movies or anything with a suitable sound source.

For non-AC-3/DTS sound sources such as games you'll only get stereo from SPDIF."

Anyway. None of this applies to the analog 2.5mm outputs. If you check AVS, you'll see that a lot of people is getting a perfectly fine 5.1 signal that way for their HTPC.