Xbox One sound through Headset on PC via an Optical Toslink cable (not working)

[Travercraig]

I’ve been trying to make it so that I can hear my Xbox One X and PC audio through my headset on PC at the same time.

 

I wrote a previous question on the matter and it was concluded that I would need an optical toslink cable that ran from my Xbox Ones S/PDIF port into an optical toslink to 3.5mm jack adaptor that then plugged into my blue line-in port on my PC’s motherboard.

 

So it looks like this: Xbox One S/PDIF → Optical Toslink cable → 3.5mm adaptor → PC motherboards line in port.

 

Here are links to the optical cable and 3.5mm adaptor that I bought.

 

However doing this doesn’t work at all. I plug everything in with the configuration and equipment above and there is no sound coming from the Xbox One to my PC headset. I can hear PC sound as normal though.

 

There is a red light being reflected from the Xbox One’s S/PDIF port to the other end of the optical toslink cable, it also makes an audible pop through my headset when I plug the toslink cable into my PC motherboards blue in-line port indicating that the cable is probably functional.

 

The PC is picking up the line-in device as you can see on my sound control panel:

 

 

I’ve also made sure that in the line-in properties are set so that the device usage is enabled in the general tab and that the ‘listen to this device’ is ticked, ‘playback through this device’ is set to my headphones in the listen tab and that levels are set to 70 volume in the levels tab.

 

 

It’s strange because If I plug a simple 3.5mm audio cable from an Xbox One wireless controller to my PC’s blue in-line port I’m able to hear the Xbox sound with no problems, however this setup is messy and I get tangled wires.

 

But using a optical toslink with a 3.5mm adaptor cable directly from the Xbox One X console doesn’t seem to work.

 

Does anyone have any idea why this might be the case?

[RandomTechPerson]

Does the PC register that there is sound coming from the Line In?

[Travercraig]

2 hours ago, RandomTechPerson said:

Does the PC register that there is sound coming from the Line In?

Not sure, how would i be able to check this?

[Wyllio]

You got it wrong. Toslink optical is a digital format in the form of a light beam. Most toslink cables end in the standard box protecting actual glass/plastic fiber cable around it. What you did was just remove the outer plastic box/border since some Toslink connections use the 3.5mm standard. While the 3.5mm line in at the back of your motherboard is an analog 3.5mm audio jack.

 

If you want to send audio from your Xbox to your PC that way then you need a DAC that converts the toslink optical into 3.5mm audio out. Then you can use it as a line in.

[circeseye]

1 hour ago, Wyllio said:

You got it wrong. Toslink optical is a digital format in the form of a light beam. Most end in the standard box protecting actual cable around it. What you did was just remove the outer plastic box/border since some Toslink connections use the 3.5mm standard. While the 3.5mm line at the back of your motherboard is an analog 3.5mm audio jack.

 

If you want to send audio from your Xbox to your PC that way then you need a DAC that converts the toslink optical into 3.5mm audio out. Then you can use it as a line in.

yep what wyllio said. you need something like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-Techole-Aluminum-Digital-Toslink-Black/dp/B07MB8VCWQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=toslink+to+3.5&qid=1577722166&sr=8-3

[Kilrah]

23 hours ago, GR412 said:

3.5mm adaptor

These passive things need an actual optical transmitter or receiver to be present in the jack they plug in to.

Some devices like external sound cards or audio recorders have such combined jacks, but it's not typically the case on PC motherboards. It would typically be labeled, and appear as a separate independent input in sound settings.

 

 

So you need an active box, like this for example:

https://www.amazon.com/Neoteck-Converter-Digital-Coaxial-Toslink/dp/B01N07LYON?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_7

[Travercraig]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:16 PM, Wyllio said:

You got it wrong. Toslink optical is a digital format in the form of a light beam. Most toslink cables end in the standard box protecting actual glass/plastic fiber cable around it. What you did was just remove the outer plastic box/border since some Toslink connections use the 3.5mm standard. While the 3.5mm line in at the back of your motherboard is an analog 3.5mm audio jack.

 

If you want to send audio from your Xbox to your PC that way then you need a DAC that converts the toslink optical into 3.5mm audio out. Then you can use it as a line in.

 

On 12/30/2019 at 4:10 PM, circeseye said:

yep what wyllio said. you need something like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Converter-Techole-Aluminum-Digital-Toslink-Black/dp/B07MB8VCWQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=toslink+to+3.5&qid=1577722166&sr=8-3

I see, I didn't realise that. Thanks for letting me know. So could I run my toslink into this converter, then run a 3.5mm cable from the headphone jack of this converter to my line-in port on my pc, then plug my headphomes onto my pc cases headphone jack and it should all work? So Xbox One -> Toslink cable -> Converter -> 3.5mm cable  -> motherboards line-in port -> pc case headphone jack -> headphones?

[Travercraig]

On 12/30/2019 at 4:27 PM, Kilrah said:

These passive things need an actual optical transmitter or receiver to be present in the jack they plug in to.

Some devices like external sound cards or audio recorders have such combined jacks, but it's not typically the case on PC motherboards. It would typically be labeled, and appear as a separate independent input in sound settings.

 

 

So you need an active box, like this for example:

https://www.amazon.com/Neoteck-Converter-Digital-Coaxial-Toslink/dp/B01N07LYON?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_7

I see, I didn't realise that. Thanks for letting me know. So could I run my toslink into this converter, then run a 3.5mm cable from the headphone jack of this converter to my line-in port on my pc, then plug my headphomes onto my pc cases headphone jack and it should all work? So Xbox One -> Toslink cable -> Converter -> 3.5mm cable  -> motherboards line-in port -> pc case headphone jack -> headphones?

[Wyllio]

Yup, as long as you have the current line in settings with the "Listen to this device" toggled on.

[Travercraig]

5 hours ago, Wyllio said:

Yup, as long as you have the current line in settings with the "Listen to this device" toggled on.

Okay cool. Thanks for the follow up reply.