Surround setup

[arendsoogg]

So I got the panasonic sa-dt100 amplifier and dvd/cd player and I want to play my music (and maybe play games/watch movies) in surround from my PC.

 

How should I connect the amp and my PC to get a working surround setup?

e.g. USB to RCA, a DAC or some other solution that I don't know yet.

 

Thanks in advance

 

[edit]

Since surround from my pc isn't going to work with this amp, can I enable the left and right back (and center) speakers to just be stereo left and right?

 

[edit 2]

Surround doesn't really matter to me anymore, I'm more than fine with a 4 or 5 channel stereo setup

There might be a setting for this but since I don't have the remote yet (long story) I can't check that

 

[edit 3]

So I got the remote and turned on 'super surround' with the music preset. The surround speakers are not producing great sound but when I put the surround connector in the left and right output instead of left and right surround they will produce sound just normal.

 

Anyone having an idea what this might be?

[Goodman2265]

RCA is stereo

 

How many audio jacks on your mobo and what type?

 

[d3sl91]

7 minutes ago, arendsoogg said:

So I got the panasonic sa-dt100 amplifier and dvd/cd player and I want to play my music (and maybe play games/watch movies) in surround from my PC.

 

How should I connect the amp and my PC to get a working surround setup?

e.g. USB to RCA, a DAC or some other solution that I don't know yet.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Looking up that AMP, http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/ref=pd_sim_23_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41JGQR4TJML&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0DZ9G1PBGK4DY7PC3TBH

 

That is pretty much your only option. That amp does not have any surround INPUT for your computer, purely RCA STEREO input. 

 

Look for an amp that has either HDMI or Optical inputs. 

[Enderman]

your amp does not support surround

you need an AV receciver with optical or HDMI input

[Goodman2265]

Just now, Enderman said:

your amp does not support surround

you need an AV receciver with 5.1 or greater output, and optical or HDMI input

I just googled it and your correct this dude gonna need a receiver like mine or something

[arendsoogg]

Since surround from my pc isn't going to work with this amp, can I enable the left and right back (and center) speakers to just be stereo left and right?

 

Just found that the thing I described above is named quad stereo

[Donk Quixote]

It looks like you can get surround through the DVD player, but because it's a proprietary connection nothing else can.

 

Does your amp have any options?  Usually you can choose something like Dolby Pro Logic II, which is fake surround.  Even though it's fake and won't sound as good as real surround it does sound a lot better than stereo IMHO for movies.  5 Channel Stereo is another common option that I think sound better for music.

[arendsoogg]

4 minutes ago, Donk Quixote said:

It looks like you can get surround through the DVD player, but because it's a proprietary connection nothing else can.

 

Does your amp have any options?  Usually you can choose something like Dolby Pro Logic II, which is fake surround.  Even though it's fake and won't sound as good as real surround it does sound a lot better than stereo IMHO for movies.  5 Channel Stereo is another common option that I think sound better for music.

That is what I want, but I can't check the settings since I don't have the remote yet, although the manual says it has support for dolby tigital, digital dts surround and dolby surround

 

[edit]

But the surround doesn't really matter, I more than fine with 4 or 5 channel stereo

Edited February 12, 2016 by arendsoogg

[arendsoogg]

So I got the remote and turned on 'super surround' with the music preset. The surround speakers are not producing great sound but when I put the surround connector in the left and right output instead of left and right surround they will produce sound just normal.

 

Anyone having an idea what this might be?

[EndlessOyster]

On 12/02/2016 at 7:42 PM, d3sl91 said:

 

Looking up that AMP, http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Audio-Cable-Splitter-1-Mini/dp/B00004Z5CP/ref=pd_sim_23_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41JGQR4TJML&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0DZ9G1PBGK4DY7PC3TBH

 

That is pretty much your only option. That amp does not have any surround INPUT for your computer, purely RCA STEREO input. 

 

Look for an amp that has either HDMI or Optical inputs. 

 

On 12/02/2016 at 7:43 PM, Enderman said:

your amp does not support surround

you need an AV receciver with optical or HDMI input

Stop recommending hdmi and optical as the gods all. Lets say you have one with hdmi and optical and in ten years time there nolonger used by computer companies, your fucked similar in this case where this flat cable isnt in use. Also stop saying its the only way to get surround its not. multiple analogue jack cables is the better way to go because it doesnt trap you from upgrading because jack cables will never die.

[Donk Quixote]

7 minutes ago, EndlessOyster said:

 

Stop recommending hdmi and optical as the gods all. Lets say you have one with hdmi and optical and in ten years time there nolonger used by computer companies, your fucked similar in this case where this flat cable isnt in use. Also stop saying its the only way to get surround its not. multiple analogue jack cables is the better way to go because it doesnt trap you from upgrading because jack cables will never die.

Very few receivers have analog inputs for each channel, so while there are exceptions effectively you need HDMI, SPDIF, or digital coaxial.  This particular reciever can't do proper 6 channel surround unless playing off a DVD.

[EndlessOyster]

Just now, Donk Quixote said:

Very few receivers have analog inputs for each channel, so while there are exceptions effectively you need HDMI, SPDIF, or digital coaxial.  This particular reciever can't do proper 6 channel surround unless playing off a DVD.

There are quite a few actually but its just people think that all these digital things are god sends well there not until it gets standardised otherwise its just time before they become worthless 

[Donk Quixote]

1 hour ago, arendsoogg said:

So I got the remote and turned on 'super surround' with the music preset. The surround speakers are not producing great sound but when I put the surround connector in the left and right output instead of left and right surround they will produce sound just normal.

 

Anyone having an idea what this might be?

On page 26 of the manual there it mentions a "Center Focus" mode.  Try turning that on and off and see if it does anything.  Right below it mentions "Changing sound field and quality".  Mess around with those options.

 

You could also try using either thicker speaker wire or shorter speaker wire for the surrounds.

 

edit: forgot the link to the manual http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/SC-DT300.PDF

[Enderman]

13 minutes ago, EndlessOyster said:

 

Stop recommending hdmi and optical as the gods all. Lets say you have one with hdmi and optical and in ten years time there nolonger used by computer companies, your fucked similar in this case where this flat cable isnt in use. Also stop saying its the only way to get surround its not. multiple analogue jack cables is the better way to go because it doesnt trap you from upgrading because jack cables will never die.

Optical audio was designed in 1983

That means its been in existence more than 30 years

HDMI was designed 14 years ago

it is not going away any time soon

 

Maybe you're not very experienced, but you need to do your research

 

99% of AV receivers do not have analogue surround input

Why? Because then you need 5 cables instead of just one going to your receiver, plus the fact that analogue is prone to interference and EMI while digital or optical is not

To get 5.1 or 7.1 or whatever surround, you need to use a digital format, so either optical TOSLINK or HDMI

 

you also get the DAC quality of the AV receiver which is far better than crappy onboard audio

[SSL]

21 minutes ago, EndlessOyster said:

 

Stop recommending hdmi and optical as the gods all. Lets say you have one with hdmi and optical and in ten years time there nolonger used by computer companies, your fucked similar in this case where this flat cable isnt in use. Also stop saying its the only way to get surround its not. multiple analogue jack cables is the better way to go because it doesnt trap you from upgrading because jack cables will never die.

 

That would defeat the purpose of having the receiver doing the D/A. How else is someone supposed to connect their BluRay player to a surround setup?

 

Stop being silly.

[EndlessOyster]

18 minutes ago, Enderman said:

To get 5.1 or 7.1 or whatever surround, you need to use a digital format, so either optical TOSLINK or HDMI

That comment is just wrong.

19 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Why? Because then you need 5 cables instead of just one going to your receiver, plus the fact that analogue is prone to interference and EMI while digital or optical is not

That comment is wrong as well, since a balanced audio cable and a digital cable work the exact same way to exclude interference (not including optical). Getting interference with digital means you lose the hole signal, getting interference with analogue means you get a noise in the background.

22 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Optical audio was designed in 1983

That means its been in existence more than 30 years

HDMI was designed 14 years ago

it is not going away any time soon

They is true but they were not in common use untill many years after, and like nearly everything else involved with connectors cabling and technology its only a matter of time till they change it, HDMI is becoming less common these days with new technologies such as Display port DVI and now the USB C which does it all. Its just a matter of time of it being ten years or thirty, but when you reach that time your receive is now worthless and useless. Yet analogue will never die unless something major happens, just because of how much its used.

25 minutes ago, Enderman said:

you also get the DAC quality of the AV receiver which is far better than crappy onboard audio

If you have bad onboard audio and need a DAC you also probably dont have surround sound on your computer, so the use of a AV reciver is perfectly acceptable. But if you on-board is good and you have a mediocre to high spec motherboard most have surround sound audio so whats the point in that case.

[Enderman]

17 minutes ago, EndlessOyster said:

That comment is just wrong.

That comment is wrong as well, since a balanced audio cable and a digital cable work the exact same way to exclude interference (not including optical). Getting interference with digital means you lose the hole signal, getting interference with analogue means you get a noise in the background.

They is true but they were not in common use untill many years after, and like nearly everything else involved with connectors cabling and technology its only a matter of time till they change it, HDMI is becoming less common these days with new technologies such as Display port DVI and now the USB C which does it all. Its just a matter of time of it being ten years or thirty, but when you reach that time your receive is now worthless and useless. Yet analogue will never die unless something major happens, just because of how much its used.

If you have bad onboard audio and need a DAC you also probably dont have surround sound on your computer, so the use of a AV reciver is perfectly acceptable. But if you on-board is good and you have a mediocre to high spec motherboard most have surround sound audio so whats the point in that case.

wow your proof is so great! "you're wrong" is excellent proof! congrats!

 

1) motherboards do not have balanced audio outputs

 

2) AV receivers do not have balanced audio inputs

 

3) no you do not lose a lose a digital signal because of EMI

put your USB cable beside your power cable

does it stop working? NOPE

 

4) if you think displayport and USB C are going to magically replace all other ports in one decade you must be on drugs or something

why do you think VGA and DVI and USB2 still exist

what about phone lines and copper ethernet cables

what about coaxial and component video and s-video

 

5) almost every motherboard these days has 7.1 analogue out, and they ALL have EMI

all that "high end onboard sound" advertising is BS, turn up the volume on your speakers and just listen to the static

this is because it is only a few mm away from the power delivery to all other motherboard components

 

6) AV receivers do not have USB C or displayport inputs

 

7) as I said before, almost no receivers have 7.1 analogue in, and even if they do you should not be using ANY onboard audio output

 

8) there is no problem with using optical or HDMI for surround sound

 

9) by your logic nobody should buy anything that has HDMI or optical because "oh in 10 years it will be obsolete" lol

in ten years your PC will also be obsolete, maybe you shouldnt buy anything at all

 

10) you think analogue will never die, lol, look at what happened to VGA

you're too ignorant to realize that everything around you is digital

usb is digital

displayport is digital

sata is digital

your CPU is digital

your keyboard and mouse are digital

your display is digital

 

11) go troll somewhere else, you're not helping anyone with "your receiver will be worthless in 30 years"

well OF COURSE are you stupid?? LOL are you still using a 30 year old receiver and a 30 year old PC? you're hilarious

[EndlessOyster]

18 minutes ago, Enderman said:

snip

Comment 3 the reason why the usb cable doesn't get interference is the same reason why a balanced audio cable doesnt. SURPRISINGLY AT HAS FUCK ALL TO DO WITH SHIELDING! its because both cables uses a clever idea called twisted pair, where you take the positive and the negative cables twist them around each other along the cable, this mean any interference they pick up is equal and then at the end the difference in power between positive and negative is the signal. My comment is 100% correct because with digital use lose one bit of data it corrupts and it fucks up tremendously but with analogue the more interference the louder the buzzing noise is. You just proved to me you dont understand how a balanced cable works good job.


4, it wasnt long ago that they got hdmi so give it time.

5 So when I work at a festival i plug the audio into a massive sound system at 120db oh shit theres all that static from the power supply. (sarcasm it doesnt happen because the problem in most places inst because of EMI)

6 give it time and something will replace it maybe not usb c who knows i cant see the future

7 movie theatres use analogue surround sound and they range form 5.1 surround to things with hundreds of speakers (wont see a hdmi in there)

8 not arguing with thats because your correct, its just not the bees knees fix everything.

9+10 Nothing major has changed in the way sound works in hundreds of years, large proportions of the mathematics behind sound have been calculated a long time ago and even thousands of years ago in a few cases. The speaker works the same way it has always worked something moving to change sound pressure. People still use amps mixing desks even receivers which are decades old because they have analogue connections which are still in use today. Computers are different in this case because  they get more powerful, a AV reviver doesn't get more powerful unless your using it to make virtual surround sound, which then defeats the point.

Im not trolling im saying that jack cables are so use full that not getting a receiver with them means you miss out on the advantages and that means in the case of the op in the future you cant plug certain devices in.

[Enderman]

Just now, EndlessOyster said:

Im not trolling im saying that jack cables are so use full that not getting a receiver with them means you miss out on the advantages and that means in the case of the op in the future you cant plug certain devices in.

Sorry but OP is talking about a home theater, not a concert or full theater

Maybe you didnt read the title of this topic...?

 

I dont think anyone expects to be using the same PC or even receiver after 10 years

I bet 10 years from now displayport and USB C will also be crap compared to newer standards

Thats how technology works, stuff keeps evolving

Why do you think that receivers are moving to digital inputs instead of analogue lol

 

The point is that OP will have no problem using optical or HDMI for his home theater system

And if by some magic HDMI stops working in a decade, he probably will have enough money to upgrade by then

 

Anyone using a 10 year old receiver these days should seriously upgrade already

[EndlessOyster]

Just now, Enderman said:

Sorry but OP is talking about a home theater, not a concert or full theater

Maybe you didnt read the title of this topic...?

 

I dont think anyone expects to be using the same PC or even receiver after 10 years

I bet 10 years from now displayport and USB C will also be crap compared to newer standards

Thats how technology works, stuff keeps evolving

Why do you think that receivers are moving to digital inputs instead of analogue lol

 

The point is that OP will have no problem using optical or HDMI for his home theater system

And if by some magic HDMI stops working in a decade, he probably will have enough money to upgrade by then

 

Anyone using a 10 year old receiver these days should seriously upgrade already

Now your trolling me, a reviver is just lots of inputs going to a single out put with amplification, some inputs are digital in some case. As technology improves the only thing which changes is possible the quality of DAC (not by much because a reasonably good dac is cheap) the amps effience has been increasing as technology but doesnt change much but change you power bill by a tiny amount. Theyve gotten smaller as technology so modern ones are normaly smaller or fit more features in because of the size. 
The reason why they change from analogue to digital is because uneducated people think that digital means its better which isnt always true as its just a change in how it data is transferred and by only having digital you cant use analogue. The problem with OPS reciver is it has a connector which they used to trick uneducated people to think is better but all it does is mean you cant use as much stuff with it, and now hes stuck as he cant use more stuff with it.

Audio is one of these magical things where you dont have to upgrade every couple years as technology does because the technology doesn't change enough to make it worth while, which is why high end equipment twenty years ago is still very much high end equipment today (if you buy cheap old shit it is normally not that good just because its cheap and poor build quality)

"Anyone using a 10 year old receiver these days should seriously upgrade already "
 I think @spwath would be very pissed off if he read that since I believe most of his audio set up is ran off things older then my self.

[Enderman]

6 minutes ago, EndlessOyster said:

 

and how is this relevant to OP getting 5.1 surround sound?

its not.

so stop derailing the thread and making stupid arguments.

 

nobody cares if you think "hdmi will stop being used in 10 years" you are clearly wrong as everyone in this thread has pointed out, so go fanboy about your "jack cables never die" somewhere else

thanks

[EndlessOyster]

1 hour ago, Enderman said:

and how is this relevant to OP getting 5.1 surround sound?

its not.

so stop derailing the thread and making stupid arguments.

 

nobody cares if you think "hdmi will stop being used in 10 years" you are clearly wrong as everyone in this thread has pointed out, so go fanboy about your "jack cables never die" somewhere else

thanks

Because he got a receiver which doesnt have jack cables, it has a strange cable I havnt seen before. And now technology has gone on this cable is no longer in use and he is now struggling to use it for other devices with the receiver, which is why you always want jack cables.

[Enderman]

1 minute ago, EndlessOyster said:

Because he got a receiver which doesnt have jack cables it has a strange cable I havnt seen much and now technology has gone on is no longer in use and he is struggling to use it for other devices and for other uses.

...try using english?

[SSL]

1 hour ago, EndlessOyster said:

Comment 3 the reason why the usb cable doesn't get interference is the same reason why a balanced audio cable doesnt.

 

This is wrong. Not only do USB cables actually have shielding as one strategy to reduce interference, such as aluminum Mylar sleeve, tinned copper braid, and ferrite chokes, but balanced audio does not work on the principle of either shielding OR twisted pair.

 

Please, if you're going to have a catty fight that goes on for pages (which I am all for, generally), at least try to get the facts straight.

[EndlessOyster]

 

6 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

This is wrong. Not only do USB cables actually have shielding as one strategy to reduce interference, such as aluminum Mylar sleeve, tinned copper braid, and ferrite chokes, but balanced audio does not work on the principle of either shielding OR twisted pair.

 

Please, if you're going to have a catty fight that goes on for pages (which I am all for, generally), at least try to get the facts straight.

Balanced audio cables are twisted pairs (google it and this apears).

And Im not saying that USB and audio cables dont have shield Im just saying that its not very affective in most cases. (ill try and find the report on how shielding wasn't effective (it does something but not much in comparison to a twisted pair))

This is also slightly different to USB as the USB cable has two twisted pairs one with the 5V and the ground and the other pair being Positive and Negative. While audio cables have on pair of the positive and negative and the earth is connected to the shielding.