SB Live! 5.1 $30 Need Help Quick

[PCGUY112887]

Tomorrow morning I am going to Best Buy and I can get a Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 for $30. I assume anything is better than my Sound Blaster Live, and hey, it's $30. Anyways, is there any way to hook this up to a reagular home entertainment reciever (it's a 5.1 500W KLH reciever) and get the full 5.1 surround sound effect, or do I have to get a special set of 5.1 speakers for a PC? Please tell me they make an adapter to go into digital coaxel or optical cable...

BTW anyone know of any online up close pics of the card? I always like to be able to read what's on the connections out the back before I buy it.

 

[KaHNZa]

There should be a digital out on the back

 

[Maxvla]

like kahnza said there will be a digital out on the back of the card so you can directly connect it with no problems, however remember that you will only get 5.1 sound when you are either playing multi-channel music, dvd video, or playing dolby digital certified games. regular sounds including your usual music will be digital stereo.

 

[PCGUY112887]

Yeah, there is a digital out but I am dumb and it is like a mini jack. Do they make digital coaxel cables that go from a mini jack to the full size RCA jack for my reciever. It would have been easier if they just stuck an optical out on there but noo I would have to buy something more expensive to get that. BTW yes I did know that I would need 5.1 media (certified games, etc) to get true 5.1, I wanna play Call Of Duty in 5.1, and i'm wonderin if Halo or AAO supports 5.1 surround sound...

 

[KaHNZa]

Yeah you should be able to get an adapter somewhere. Try looking at Creatives site.

 

[Maxvla]

i don't see anything on creative's site. in all honesty the digital output is meant for higher end multimedia speakers such as the Z680s which have a mini connection but also onboard decoding.

you could probably find something at radio shack to go from mini to rca and use that.

 

[Th0r]

Yes i have the SB LIVE! 5.1 Digital and you will need a special adapter if there is one....

Its like a standard socket which the Center Speaker plug into, if you want to use the Digital signal stuff etc you just enable it and the Center Speaker plug turns into a Digital one

but you will still need a adapter....

 

[PCGUY112887]

Well, off to buy it, then look for an adapter. Any chance a normal mini jack to RCA would work?

 

[Th0r]

Not sure... Maybe you can save up a little more and get a Audigy 1 with the Coax Cable plug on the back???

 

[PCGUY112887]

Well, got the card and found something that I thought might work at Radio shack. Installed the card but the cable doesn't work :-(
I am about to try another cable I have here, but I found exactelly what I need online, but dunno if radio shack will have anything like it if I ask...

http://www.soundprofessionals.com/cgi-bin/gold/category.cgi?category=search&item=SP-DCC-2&type=store

 

[Maxvla]

ouch. $18

 

[PCGUY112887]

Well, returned the cable and looked at Radio Shack for 20min, found nothin. I asked the guys there, I showed them a picture of it, and their eyes got real big then they said, "um...no.."
If I can't get ahold of this cable, I may have to do it manually, which would cost just as much $$ or more than that cable. Only problem is that if I buy that cable online, and it doesn't work, i'm screwed with it. Looking for a cheaper place now, cross your fingers!

 

[DaWiper]

Well, returned the cable and looked at Radio Shack for 20min, found nothin. I asked the guys there, I showed them a picture of it, and their eyes got real big then they said, "um...no.."
If I can't get ahold of this cable, I may have to do it manually, which would cost just as much $$ or more than that cable. Only problem is that if I buy that cable online, and it doesn't work, i'm screwed with it. Looking for a cheaper place now, cross your fingers!

Look in the forum!! Maybe this can help:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=247458

Look for the one of my replys close to bottom of the page.
I use SB live myself and I know this cable works and it's cheap to build just by 1 mono 3,5mm jack, 1 rca, both of good quality, and x feet with 75 OHM ORDINARY COAX. The type you use for tv antennas. Remember to enable "digital output only" in your mixercontrol.

 

[PCGUY112887]

Woah wait, did you just use a normal coax cable, and hook it up to the RCA and 3.5mm plug?

Damnit I had a big nice post then it didn't go through :-(

 

[mrnuke]

sb live is alright, i can't wait for someone else other than creative to come out with a better product :/

 

[Maxvla]

sb live is alright, i can't wait for someone else other than creative to come out with a better product :/

like m-audio?

 

[PCGUY112887]

Well, i got it working, but still lookin for that cable. Just waitin on you DaWiper now! I mean, is that all you did ^^?

 

[DaWiper]

I used a ordinary coax. If you saw the picture the jacks on the picture are the same jack from different angles. The rca is a diffrent cable just used it to show how it looked. And yes the cable used on the picture(on the jackconnector) is the actual cable I use as we speak. It's a ordinary 75 Ohm coax cable bought on a local Electric-shop. Same kind used for aerial-antennas, satelite-dishes and I think they even used it for networkcable in the old days.

edit: almost forgot. I'm useing this cable to connect the pc to my AV-reciver which has a coax digital input. Also made the same cable for a friend. He too has SB live 5.1 card and a AV reciver... Works fine!