| Big Karnak |
|
Part-time Lurker
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 05/22/13
|
|
Posts: 1011
|
|
Loc: Mount St. Lurkling
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
#366930 - 06/19/17 06:44 AM
|
|
|
I bought Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers at Best Buy for $76. I chose these computer speakers because it was inexpensive and it would work for both my PC (Dell 4700 Series, Win XP, P4, 3.0 GHz, Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit) and my television,(SAMSUNG 50" - 5200 Series). I currently have the speakers hooked up to my television.
I've never had surround sound before and I'm clueless about this stuff. So I have a couple questions if you could please help me out...
Is there a way I could hook up both my PC and television to these speakers at the same time? I'm assuming I'd need some kind of adapter or splitter? If so, any inexpensive recommendations?
In my Samsung TV options, under Audio Format, there is two options. PCM or DTS Neo 2:5. It's currently set at PCM. Should I change it to DTS Neo 2:5?
Here's an image of the inputs on the back of the subwoofer. https://store.donanimhaber.com/9d/5c/4c/9d5c4caae640411e399a5ced65eff53c.jpg
And here's an image of the back of my TV. http://i.rtings.com/images/reviews/j5200/j5200-inputs-back-large.jpg
I plugged the light green Audio In wire into the back of my television (Audio Out). On my subwoofer, there's a black and orange input underneath that. But my TV doesn't have those two inputs. So I can't plug them in. Are they needed?
|
|
|
| B2K24 |
|
MAME @ 15 kHz Sony Trinitron CRT user
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 10/25/10
|
|
Posts: 2663
|
|
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Big Karnak]
#366966 - 06/19/17 07:15 PM
|
|
|
I'm not an audio specialist, but you probably need to have everything routed to an audio receiver and then it can do the heavy lifting to send things properly to the PC or TV as needed.
|
|
|
| R. Belmont |
|
Cuckoo for IGAvania
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 09/21/03
|
|
Posts: 9713
|
|
Loc: ECV-197 The Orville
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Big Karnak]
#367029 - 06/20/17 04:34 PM
|
|
|
> Is there a way I could hook up both my PC and television to these speakers at the
> same time? I'm assuming I'd need some kind of adapter or splitter? If so, any
> inexpensive recommendations?
I'd recommend running HDMI audio+video from the PC into the TV, and then the TV's audio output will naturally send sound to the speakers when you're on the computer, just as it does when you're watching TV. Pretty much any PC video card with an HDMI output includes a built-in sound card for that kind of usage, you'll just need to change Windows to send the sound to there.
> In my Samsung TV options, under Audio Format, there is two options. PCM or DTS Neo
> 2:5. It's currently set at PCM. Should I change it to DTS Neo 2:5?
Don't change anything if you have working sound :-)
> I plugged the light green Audio In wire into the back of my television (Audio Out).
> On my subwoofer, there's a black and orange input underneath that. But my TV doesn't
> have those two inputs. So I can't plug them in. Are they needed?
You'd have to consult your manual for that, or call Logitech support.
Good luck!
|
|
|
| Sune |
|
Connected
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 09/21/03
|
|
Posts: 5648
|
|
Loc: Lagoa Santa, Brasil
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Big Karnak]
#367102 - 06/22/17 04:49 AM
|
|
|
> I plugged the light green Audio In wire into the back of my television (Audio Out).
> On my subwoofer, there's a black and orange input underneath that. But my TV doesn't
> have those two inputs. So I can't plug them in. Are they needed?
Outputs. Your TV doesn't have those two outputs. I don't mean to sound condescending but it is kind of an important distinction to make (and also a bit of a pet peeve). Sound comes out and goes in  Down here in Brazil people call everything "inputs" (entrada) presumably because that's where you plug "in" and it drives me nuts.
The black and orange jacks are separate analog inputs for the subwoofer and rear speaker channels, so if you want surround sound then yes, they are needed.
Your Soundblaster Live has corresponding outputs (consult the manual to see which ones, it's on your Liveware installation CD) and you'll need two more cables identical to the one you're using already. It doesn't matter what colour the plugs are ;D
If you use the green colour jack only, you only get stereo sound, or 2.1 at best, assuming the subwoofer kicks in automatically, "faking" the .1 in this configuration.
If your TV does not have separate analog outputs for subwoofer + rear speakers you can't have true 5.1 sound if you use PC to TV via HDMI and connect the speakers to your TV using only the green colour I/O.
If I'm right, this means that the only way to get true 5.1 sound from your TV playing on the speakers is if your tv has a digital output (SPDIF or RCA) that sends the whole shebang at once. Your question quoted below indicates that it has some kind of digital output:
> In my Samsung TV options, under Audio Format, there is two options. PCM or DTS Neo
> 2:5. It's currently set at PCM. Should I change it to DTS Neo 2:5?
DTS is digitally encoded surround if I'm not mistaken so you'd activate this setting and then connect the digital sound output on the TV to a digital input on the Soundblaster (assuming it has a digital input!) and set the audio source to digital in the mixer software. You may also need to activate DTS decoding somewhere, IIRC there was a separate application for that that came with the Live/Audigy cards.
This should work, in theory as long as the Live! supports decoding and converting the signal to analog 5.1. I have never done anything like this so I don't know if it's actually possible.
If it works, the downside is that your PC would need to be on whenever you want to watch TV.
*check the manual for the speaker system to see if any of the inputs doubles as a digital input that will accept all 6 channels at once. If it does, everything will be a lot simpler. I doubt it though.
S
|
|
|
| Big Karnak |
|
Part-time Lurker
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 05/22/13
|
|
Posts: 1011
|
|
Loc: Mount St. Lurkling
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Sune]
#367118 - 06/22/17 05:02 PM
|
|
|
I realized my rear left speaker was defected and I returned it and got a new one.
I currently have my Logitech speakers hooked up to my television through the light green Audio In/Out wire. And sound is working in all 5 speakers as well as my subwoofer. You said I would not be able to have surround sound just using that one light green wire. But that appears not to be the case. So I guess the orange and black wire is not needed for it to work with my television.
|
|
|
| Sune |
|
Connected
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 09/21/03
|
|
Posts: 5648
|
|
Loc: Lagoa Santa, Brasil
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
|
> I currently have my Logitech speakers hooked up to my television through the light
> green Audio In/Out wire. And sound is working in all 5 speakers as well as my
> subwoofer. You said I would not be able to have surround sound just using that one
> light green wire. But that appears not to be the case. So I guess the orange and
> black wire is not needed for it to work with my television.
Okay but I'm guessing that what you're hearing is not actually "surround sound" - but rather 2x stereo - front left and right replicated on the rear speakers and low frequencies automatically directed to the sub.
It's possible that the amp does that automatically when using only the stereo input jack.
/Edit
I looked at the quickstart guide pdf for your speaker set and it looks like I was right, the only way to get true 5.1 surround sound is to use all three cables that came with the speakers, connected respectively to the front, rear and sub outputs on your sound card. If you want to hear a helicopter fly around your chair this is the only way.
S
[ATTACHED IMAGE]
|
|
|
| R. Belmont |
|
Cuckoo for IGAvania
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 09/21/03
|
|
Posts: 9713
|
|
Loc: ECV-197 The Orville
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Sune]
#367264 - 06/26/17 09:27 PM
|
|
|
> DTS is digitally encoded surround if I'm not mistaken so you'd activate this setting
> and then connect the digital sound output on the TV to a digital input on the
> Soundblaster (assuming it has a digital input!) and set the audio source to digital
> in the mixer software.
DTS is a proprietary format that not all soundbars/receivers support. PCM is what it says on the tin: 6 channel uncompressed audio, which is compatible with everything. So normally you'd start with PCM and then if your soundbar supports it you'd turn it on on both ends and pray.
|
|
|
| R. Belmont |
|
Cuckoo for IGAvania
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 09/21/03
|
|
Posts: 9713
|
|
Loc: ECV-197 The Orville
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Sune]
#367265 - 06/26/17 09:29 PM
|
|
|
> Okay but I'm guessing that what you're hearing is not actually "surround sound" - but
> rather 2x stereo - front left and right replicated on the rear speakers and low
> frequencies automatically directed to the sub.
He may also be getting matrixed Dolby Surround, the VHS-era precursor to Dolby Digital. It generates rear content from the difference between the front left and right, and it generates center from content that's equal on both front left and right. It's better than nothing, but it's far from taking advantage of the capabilities of that setup.
|
|
|
| Sune |
|
Connected
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 09/21/03
|
|
Posts: 5648
|
|
Loc: Lagoa Santa, Brasil
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
|
> > DTS is digitally encoded surround if I'm not mistaken so you'd activate this
> setting
> > and then connect the digital sound output on the TV to a digital input on the
> > Soundblaster (assuming it has a digital input!) and set the audio source to digital
> > in the mixer software.
>
> DTS is a proprietary format that not all soundbars/receivers support. PCM is what it
> says on the tin: 6 channel uncompressed audio, which is compatible with everything.
> So normally you'd start with PCM and then if your soundbar supports it you'd turn it
> on on both ends and pray.
I think it will work with his SB Live! if he has the appropriate Liveware installed and the digital output on the TV is compatible with whatever input is on the Sound Blaster.
Liveware was a huge pain in the ass though if you had various Creative cards, it's never obvious which install CDs work with which model Card. Having the CT-XXXX number helps when googling it, it's printed somewhere on the PCB.
This is from the setup utility for my X-Fi Titanium. I remember DTS settings on my old Soundblaster cards but I think there were cheaper variants or OEM versions that didn't do DTS.
Thanks for all the info RB, I was mostly just guessing about this stuff.
S
[ATTACHED IMAGE]
|
|
|
| TrevEB |
|
Brokering peace between the collectors and the Mame Community
|
|
|
|
|
Reged: 03/11/05
|
|
Posts: 769
|
|
Loc: Oakland, CA
|
|
|
|
Send PM
|
|
|
Re: Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
[Re: Big Karnak]
#370092 - 10/03/17 06:03 PM
|
|
|
I’m late to the table but you need something like this,
http://a.co/h7TFdCz
You’ll need 3 (3.5mm phone jacks to RCA)
This little box decodes several formats. You may find others with more options. I couldn’t find any with 3.5mm phone jacks but it may be out there.
Having both PC and TV connected at once, you could either purchase a switcher which will isolate the two from each other and is cheap, or you could get 3 (2 to 1) adapters. Sound will be degraded a little and you could have PC and TV audio at the same time which is messy. On the other hand, you never have to hit a switch button. Some of these switchers will auto switch when they detect audio.
TrevEB
|
|
|
Index 
Threaded 
Logitech - Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
Reply
[Re: 
Down here in Brazil people call everything "inputs" (entrada) presumably because that's where you plug "in" and it drives me nuts.
