Enhance audio for 5.1 Home theater connected to pc..

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HoliC

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Hi..

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I have a Jetway 690G mobo to which i have connected My 5.1 Akai Home theater Wooden Speakers using the above wire..
Mobo has realtek 8channel hd out or something like that not sure

The speakers are approx 10 yrs old.. but sound really great...
And I am quite satisfied with the output.. so not looking to spend much
Is there any way i can enhance the audio on this setup.. without spending much cash may using DIY stuff.. etc
Dont want to buy a sound card..

Can i do anything..??

Thnks..
 

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What i meant was that would I be able to enhance the sound further ??

When I used the Speakers with my DVD/Cd player and audio CD.. there was a considerable increase in volume and sound quality..

It would be great If I can achieve the same thing with PC.. Thts why i needed some suggestions..
 
whats the input on the akai?
if its only through rc then in that case you can opt for an external soundcard---but my guess is that with an akai its simply gonna be a waste of money.

Basically the problem here is that you need to send out a digital signal. rc to ur akai input is just going to give you a low volume.

You could also try your hand at one of the cheap amps available @ lamington road audioshops (800-1500 range)
 
considerable increase in volume and sound quality
Click to expand...

The quality of the converters in the player would be much better than the ones in (any) onboard sound card.

Short of adding a new soundcard, not much you can do.

Good Luck!
 
cranky said:
Putting a thoroughbred in the middle of a pack of donkeys doesn't make them go any faster.
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Wow.. you really are cranky.. :P :P

Now if sound card is my only option, il try it at my next upgrade..
 
^^^

no dude, soundcard is an option if you have an optical input.. do you?

if not, its gonna again be a waste of money, period......
 
There are plenty of sound cards which offer good analog outs. M-Audio, Emu, Xonar ones to name a few.
 
@hussain - digital to analog conversion can be done either within the soundcard or within the speaker. For pretty much most speakers in the Indian market (with very few exceptions), the latter is not an option, hence you have to use a soundcard's analog output. And as titana has mentioned, there are plenty of soundcards with excellent analog output, enough to compete with dedicated audiophile players multiple times the cost of the card itself. See my review on the Xonar DX, which is an excellent entry-level choice. You may be right about cheap soundcards, but if you are willing to put in some money you can get excellent results. Digital outputs are now available as standard on a lot of motherboards - but the analog quality on those boards are still pathetic. I have an Asus M3A78-EM which has analog and digital outputs, I use the digital output for gaming and the analog output for system sounds, but for music I have a pimped-out m-Audio Delta66 which takes on pretty much any audiophile source up to 50K without being shamed.

HTH.
 
^^^

yes i agree to what ur saying and i am aware of the soundcards that have analog outputs, but dude its an AKAI for crying out loud.. and as he mentioned a 10 yr old one.. Do you really feel it makes sense buying an expensive soundcard and connecting it to an akai...

Hence if you read my first comment i recommended him to buy an el cheapo amp from lamington. That should, IN HIS CASe, do a much better job considering d low cost..

Shouldn't he just save his money and probably buy better speakers??? Anyways its his call though i would stick my neck out and still say its not a smart upgrade.....
 
^^I already said that

Putting a thoroughbred in the middle of a pack of donkeys doesn't make them go any faster.
Click to expand...

Common sense is always applicable, no matter what the situation is.

But your statement on optical output [sic] was not either common sense, or factually correct. Which is why I was curious about it.

I do still stand by the fact that the entire chain should be synergistic, but the fact remains that the TS experienced notably better sound when connected to a CD player. This obviously meant the limiting factor (the donkey) was not the speakers, and that a similar experience would be obtainable with a source (soundcard) upgrade (and of course, source material - MP3 will not cut it).

The whole tone of my posts in the thread have been to leave well enough alone, and only give technical point of view. Purchase recommendations are not something I usually make - and I've been here awhile now. So, no, a soundcard does not make sense if it is not accompanied by a speaker upgrade as well. However, there is nothing apart from a soundcard upgrade that will give the TS the enjoyment he momentarily experienced when listening to the same speakers from a better source.

HTH.
 
So sound card and speakers it is at my next upgrade... :P

thnks a lot for the input guys..

Just 1 - 2 more questions.

What exactly is a digital or optical out ?? and how do i find out if my mobo has it or not..

Links to guides or tutorials will also do.. its always better to learn. :P

And i think analog out is the universal 3.5mm jack right.. ??

Thnks..
 
Analog output on most consumer cards is available through a 3.5mm jack, but most pro cards have RCA or TRS 1/4" outputs. Yet other have breakout boxes with the connector (and sometimes, other electronics) in the box.

The Asus Essence STX makes analog output available over RCAs (and headphone over 1/4" TRS), as does the HTPC series of boards from Asus and the m-Audio Audiophile card. The RCA connector is a lot more robust than the puny little 1/8" jack.

Digital output is essentially an unconverted SPDIF bitstream from the audio in your source. Basically the player software decompresses the source software into a format called PCM and sends it to the onboard sound chip. If using the analog output, the stream is converted into a analogue signal but if using the digital output, the stream passes straight through (or depending on your card, reconverted to Dolby/DTS) to the digital output.

There are two types of connector for a digital output, one is an RCA connector known as 'coaxial' and the other is a fiber optic connection known as 'optical' (or TOSLINK). Both of them are electrically identical, only the connecting cable changes but the data transport remains the same.

The motherboard should have these connectors on the back panel, optical/TOSLINK is a small black square connector with a plastic movable cover, usually grey. On moving the cover you should be able to see a red light glowing/pulsating inside the connector, this is an optical output. A lone RCA jack on the I/O shield or included bracket is a giveaway that the board uses a coaxial output.

Usually however, manufacturers will tell you upfront if the board has a digital output. If they didn't, you probably don't have it.
 
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