how to connect my PC to my Yamaha reciever (1 Viewer)

[Oscar Sentirmai]

Aloha to all...

I have a Yamaha RX-V 550 reciever with a set of wharfedale speakers...8.4s front, 8.1s rear, 8 center and a Powercube 10A sub.

In my SAME living room and in the same corners was my OLD setup of CREATIVE CAMBRIDGE SOUNDWORKS 5.1 speaker setup which was connected to my COMPUTER (also in the living room).

Well..the creative setup HAD to go...too many wires ...and i was hoping of connecting the PC to the reciever....

I have a few questions:

1- I used a wire which on one end looks like a headphone plug and on the other end has 2 RCA plugs..one red , one white....and connected these RCAs to the "CD input on the receiver"....IS this RIGHT???

2- Should I have plugged it into the MDTape Recorder input instead??

3- The soundcard on my PC is a soundblaster Live! 5.1.....the plug went into the "BLACK" output on the card....I left the "GREEN" "YELLOW" "BLUE" "PINK" outputs empty.....I can hear sound when I use "CD" on my amp.....BUT I WONDER...AM I GETTING 5.1 SOUND???
FOR EXAMPLE...IF I PLAY doom 3..WILL I GET 5.1 SOUND??

4- aM i PLACING THE AMP UNDER ANY DANGER BY CONNECTING IT TO THE pc??

thanks!!

 

[Raj_asaurus]

no damage done, but I'd plug it into the green output on the soundcard as that is the one that is made for the front speakers. Black is center speaker. It doesnt matter what input you make it on the receiver, it cant tell the difference

 

[Nathan W.]

Yeah, use the green port on the card. In your current setup you're only going to get stereo or just the L/R channels of 5.1, depending on how your card is configured. The simplest way to get 5.1 would be to set your card to "digital output" and use a digital input on your Yamaha, if it has it. You need a cable with a mono 1/8" mini-plug on one end and a single RCA at the other. Use the green port on your card for this as well.

I think my info is right, although I've never tried it, and I also have a SB 5.1 card. I just run my card in stereo going to a Sherwood receiver. I may try 5.1 someday.

 

[Jeremy_R]

Nathan is right. You will either have to hookup 3 sets of stereo cables or use optical or digital coax if your soundcard has a digital out.

Your other option is to use the pro logic II or dts neo to make the stereo input into fake 5.1.

 

[Allen_N]

Actually you won't get 5.1 in games unless you do the 3 sets of stereo cables or use pro logic II. The digital out will only work with dvds and the such. That's because 5.1 from games is not dolby digital, it's eax which your receiver will not understand/be able to decode.