4.1 surround sound help

[jimjam89]

Hi Guys,
Just wondering if you could help me, i have a set of 5.1 speakers and on the front of my laptop i have 2 headphone jacks and a mic jack. i know that for 5.1 i need three 3.5mm jacks, but i only have two. at the moment i just get the left channel from front and rear left, and the right channel from front and rear right.
Was wondering if it was possible at to configure the laptop to output front left, front right, rear left, rear right? i dont know if this is even possible, if i need new drivers, or what?

Thanks Guys
JJ

 

[Collie147]

What model is your laptop and soundcard? If it is 5.1 capable through the jacks you're talking about you should have an application provided with the laptop that changes the outputs to whatever speakers they're assigned to. From what it sounds like to me you have a line out/in a mic in and a headphone in. When you stick a jack into each of them you either get a menu asking what you've plugged in - Centre &Sub, Rear R&L and Front R&L. Or just run an app and it'll assign them to what you've plugged in, but generally laptops are not 5.1 capable and some of those that are (mine included in this one) output the 5.1 signal through the optical cable, which in my case is the headphone socket as it is a dual optical/analog 3.5mm socket. If the card is not 5.1 capable, the best that you can do is 2.1 (left and right and sub).

 

[jimjam89]

Hi,
I have a HP Pavilion laptop with a Conexant High Definition Audio card? I dont get a menu when i plug anything in, it literally as if i've plugged two sets of headphones in and both give the same output.
Like i said, i dont even know if this is possible, i just thought 2 outputs should mean i could get 4 channels? (2 fronts, 2 rear)
Thanks, JJ

 

[gamerk316]

No. The headphone jacks are for two seperate headphones. You can NOT have two different signals output through each port.