Connecting Speakers with RCA Input to an Apple/Windows PC

[jhonrox]

Hi guys,

I have a Bush sound system but the input is RCA, as shown in the image below:

At the moment, I have a 3.5mm Y-splitter, which is plugged into the pc, and 2x(3.5mm socket to 2xRCA socket) cables plugged into the Y-splitter, giving me 4 RCA sockets which is then connected to the speakers! Could someone please tell me how to connect this system to a computer properly, please? I had a look at external sound cards, but they all have 3.5mm output sockets.

All suggestions are welcome!
And if the method you recommend works with both Windows and Apple systems, it will be brilliant!

Thanks!

 

[PunterCam]

You're pretty much right anyway, or i think you are (only slightly understanding what you wrote). Actually, you could be completely wrong. Who knows.

Simple stuff first -

A 5.1 system is a 6 channel system, obviously. 5 channels plus 1 sub, all mono, all separate.

A 3.5mm mini-jack is a stereo connector - 2 channels on each 3.5mm jack. This is usually stereo, but in reality anything can be sent down these two channels - a mono song down one, and a voice-over down the other. The 2 channels are completely separate.

A sound-card which is capable of outputting 5.1 will have 3, 3.5mm connections on it.

What you need to connect that to your speakers are three, 3.5mm jack to 2 x RCA cables.

Consumer price soundcards with RCA outputs, as far as I can tell, don't really exist, but it actually doesn't matter one bit. Audio is audio, you can go from any (unbalanced) format to any other (unbalanced) format, doesn't matter.

I've probably missed the point entirely. Great.

 

[jhonrox]

Thanks for the reply, PunterCam, I think I got what you meant!

Have a look at this Trust SC-550p soundcard:

If I get 3x(3.5mm to 2xRCA), I can plug my speaker system in to the front, rear and sub/cen connectors?
Thats is what you meant, right?

Thanks again!

 

[PunterCam]

Yes.

 

[jhonrox]

Awesome!