asked on

digital audio

hey guys, I currently own an hp laptop and i'm gonna be buying an apple macbook pro soon, and both have an optical/digital audio output (minijack). I wanted to be able to hook up the laptops to my hometheater receiver with either optical or coax. Preferably coax because i still have an open port on the back of the receiver for it.

I've been reading around that some of these computers' spdif connections are coax and some are optical. Does it make a difference which cable I use? I want to be able to get 5.1 surround sound sent to the hometheater system. I am looking for a simple adapter that is minijack to coax. Will this work? Does the laptop's sound card determine whether i need to use optical or coax? Does it matter?

Wouldn't the minijack tip be like a bottleneck when sending signal from it to the receiver through either optical or digital coax cable?

How do i get my digital minijack to send digital signal to my receiver?

Please help me out
Thanks, guys

Callandor

Either one will work. Optical is preferred in high interference situations where there are ground problems, but it costs much more for cables. You do need to match the output jack of the laptop. A minijack to RCA adapter should do the job for you: http://www.audiogear.com/Audio-Adapters-RCA-Plugs.html

Psyco_666

Unfortunaty that is not the case.

The apple MacBook Pro has an optical transmitter behind the headphones out socket. This is not an electrical digital signal but an optical one. You would need an optical cable from the MacBook to your amp to benefit from the digital signal.

If you look at this link it will show you the cable you need. The small adaptor in the picture clips onto the cable and is inserted into the headphone socket to reach the optical transmitter at the back, the other end is for the optical input in your amp.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/images/full/35921i0.jpg

The contacts in the mini jack are just the standard stero ones im afraid!

Psyco_666

Here is a converter however!

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=29293&criteria=optical%20audio%20coax%20converter&doy=27m6

or a switcher model for multiple optical inputs . .

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=35241&criteria=optical%20audio&doy=27m6

enjoy!

Psyc

Okigire

Psyco answered the question, but I"ll give you a little more insight into this:

* TOSlink is an optical square-shaped connector probably found on your home theater receiver
* Mini-TOSlink is in the shape of a regular mini-headphone (1/8" phono) plug
...adapters are available from TOSlink to Mini-TOSlink, and are sometimes bundled
* Optical cables are as cheap as $10 and do the job just fine, as long as your distance isn't too great

* Digital COAX connections are just RCA plugs, with higher quality cable to avoid data loss
* The signal for regular analog audio is different from digital Coax connections

* You can convert optical/TOSlink to coax but will need a very special adapter, such as: http://www.minidisc-canada.com/shopexd.asp?id=619

Psyco_666

Okigire - Very comprehensive Thanks, one for the memory bank!

Psyc

poko2121

ASKER

I had read somewhere that spdif means either digital coax or optical. Is a different signal sent for optical and digital connections? Isn't digital just digital? How do i find out if my pc laptop is digital or optical?

Thanks

Callandor

Optical IS digital, it's just different from coax. The medium is different, but the electronics behind both are handling the same signal. The optical connector looks different than coax; coax is also sometimes terminated by an RCA plug. The optical cable looks much thinner and is designed for transmitting light.

poko2121

ASKER

right, so wouldn't it not make a difference if i used a minijack to coax or a minijack to toslink (optical)?

Because psyco said macbook pro is optical connection not coax. All i read was that macbook pro is spdif connection, which i thought meant either digital coax or optical. Do i make any sense?

Thanks

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Okigire

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poko2121

ASKER

thanks so much for the help guys...i really appreciate it

poko2121

ASKER

just a quick question. with the mini to toslink adapter wouldn't the mini be a bottleneck, not allowing the digital signal to go losslessly from the computer to the receiver?

thanks again guys

Okigire

Nope...