Plugging a 5.1 setup into a laptop?

contraband

So, I have a laptop at university. I have a Logitech x5300 at home. There are three inputs, a [front],[rear], and [center&sub]. However, there's only one headphone jack on my laptop which I use for outbound sound. Right now, I have the [front] and [center&sub] channels plugged into a 2>1 headphone splitter, which goes into my headphone port. The [rear] channels are just disregarded. I don't really want to use those speakers anyway because there isn't room in my dorm. Am I getting the best sound quality with what I have?

I have: an optical digital/audio jack, a digital/headphone jack, and an ExpressCard 34 slot (MacBook Pro). Help?

AnteCantelope

Don't you have some sort of amplifier for the speakers? My laptop has a cord form the headphone jack to my amp, and from there to the 6 speakers, and that works perfectly. If you don't have one, could you get one?

Also, I really doubt that you're getting proper surround, because the signal going to each of your speakers is the same. So, and I speak with a large degree of ignorance here, each of your speakers will make the same sound.

corcorigan

I think you'd need optical in on your speakers to get proper 5.1 sound.

A lot of PC sound cards seem to bodge things by just have 3 3.5mm leads. Not sure what practical difference that really makes, but if your laptop doesn't have that, then you're stuck with stereo or getting an optical-receiving set/amp.

Sam

You may be out of luck, I was at my student union bookstore looking at speakers the other day. They had your speakers and a 2.1 set that cost the same andd when I asked why, the guy said the 5.1 set didn't work on laptops, which was why it was cheap for a 5.1 set.

contraband

My dorm room is too small to house a 5.1 set up anyway. I don't want to use the read channels since there isn't any room for them, and so 5.1 sound is out of the question. I just wanted to use the front channels, as well as the sub (and the center, apparently, since they are on the same cord) for a ~3.1 setup, because those speakers give a much better audio quality than my tinny internal speakers. I just wanted to get the best quality for the front speakers.

FreddyD

You would have to get a laptop soundcard to get 5.1, preferably one with optical out.

Sam

contraband wrote: »

My dorm room is too small to house a 5.1 set up anyway. I don't want to use the read channels since there isn't any room for them, and so 5.1 sound is out of the question. I just wanted to use the front channels, as well as the sub (and the center, apparently, since they are on the same cord) for a ~3.1 setup, because those speakers give a much better audio quality than my tinny internal speakers. I just wanted to get the best quality for the front speakers.

I don't know if you're eligible for a refund at this point but the logitech Z-4 2.1 system packs way more punch into its 2.1 speakers for the same price (less online)