I have a Toshiba laptop (M45 S331) which has an integrated sound card(Soundmax). It has only one audio output, viz the headphone jack. Now my sound settings (Control Panel->Sounds) allow me to set the sound output for a 5.1 speaker setup, but obviously the hardware doesn’t seem to support it. I have already ordered the Logitech Z5300 5.1 speaker system. In light of that I have a couple of questions I hope someone can answer:
Since the speakers are going to covert stereo sound from the headphone jack, I assume the front and back speakers will have the same output. But will the center channel and sub-woofer work properly?
I understand that music CD’s and mp3s have nothing to do with Dolby or DTS encoding, which is used primarily in DVDs. So if I am going to use these speakers mostly for music, would it make sense to add an external sound card like the Audigy 2zs notebook?
What is the difference between decoding done by this card as opposed to that done by 5.1 ‘Dolby’ speakers?
I tried to find the answers on various tech forums on the net, but didn’t find anything satisfactory. Since I’m too lazy to register on those forums, here’s hoping there are enough tech-heads here on the dope.
In order to get any kind of surround sound from one jack, you’ll need a decoder (DTS or Dolby, most likely Dolby). The single speaker jack on the laptop will output left and right audio streams. When not hooked up to a decoder the left and right are just that, left and right. When hooked up to a decoder, it will seperate them, decide which is truly designated for the left, right and center (it does this by comparing the left and right stream. If they are different it sends them to where they were originally headed, left and right speakers, if they are the same then it looks at the phases. If they are in phase it will send them to the center and if they are out of phase it will send them to the left and right speakers. BTW I might have that backwards, but I think it is essentially correct). Oh and before it even does that it will take out any low pitched sounds and send them to the subwoofer so the speakers don’t have to deal with them, assuming of course you tell the software that you have a subwoofer and small from speakers. As for the rear speakers (unless the computer encodes the audio stream in some funky way that I don’t know about) it’ll probably just replicate (in one form or another) what’s coming out of the front speakers, except maybe quiter, and just a millisecond later. To get 5.1 you’ll really need to have to output jacks (which would be four audio streams), or optical out. Of course, now that I think about it, it could possibly be used (with the right software) as a digital coax output, and that would get a full 5.1 DD output as well that a decoder could separate into 5 disticnt audio tracks as well.
I have a headache. No more thinking.
and thanks for the reply…I’m still not completely sure about differences in mp3, dvd and pc game sound formats or how these will be handled differently by the speakers without an external decoder/soundcard
1 for front left and right
1 for back left and right
1 for center channel.
With only one output you will only get one of the 3.
You could possibly use a splitter to output to two of the inputs. Preferably this will be front left right and back left right. You won’t have any center channel but I don’t think mp3’s output a center channel anyway.
If these logitechs are anything like the logitech z-640’s they have a button called “matrix” which kinda fakes a center channel for you.