Motherboard Audio Question

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

I know it's a longshot, but I figured I'd ask here before trying to register on a computer forum somewhere.

I've got an Asus A7n8x-E Deluxe motherboard, and it uses the Nvidia SoundStorm for sound decoding, actually quite decent for computer soundcard.

It's a 6 channel sound processor, and has a digital output, which I'd like to use to hook this thing up to my receiver. However, the output jack is just a 1/8 mini plug, just like any other jack you'd find on a soundcard. So of course, I can't plug a optical or coaxial cable into this jack. Do they make some type of adapter that I would use to go to either optical or caozial (I assume coaxial?)?

How do I hook this thing up to my receiver???

[Graham]

You can get a optical cable. I have a couple of them. On one end it looks like a stereo mini plug and the other looks like a traditional Toslink plug. I use them for digital recording onto mini disc.

Sony makes them but I'm sure others do as well.

This is what it looks like:

http://www.core-sound.com/IMG20A.JPG

[anonymouse]

A cheaper and effective method would be to use a simple $2 cable from RS with a mini plug at one and and a RCA at the other end. Works just as well since the signal is digital.

I do this with my Archos Jukebox and it works just fine. I am using a 6' length so I do not know how longer lengths would work.

[unc2701]

I'm pretty certain that it's a coax output, but with a mini plug connection- go with anonymouse's suggestion... if it were optical, you'd see a red light glowing from the jack.

[bobman1235]

Not to be contradictory, but I have the A7N8X, and I could swear that it has a full-size RCA for the digital, with mini's for all the analog stuff. In fact I have that digital out incorporated into my current system.

Unless Asus made several versions of that MB with different outputs... which is possible...

[unc2701]

Manual attached... looks like you can buy an add-on board w/ coax-RCA I/O jacks... but there should be a miniplug jack that puts out s/pdif.

edit: manual is too big to attach; try this:
http://www.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/nforce2/a7n8x-e/e1876_a7n8x-e_deluxe.pdf

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Originally posted by bobman1235
Not to be contradictory, but I have the A7N8X, and I could swear that it has a full-size RCA for the digital, with mini's for all the analog stuff. In fact I have that digital out incorporated into my current system.

Unless Asus made several versions of that MB with different outputs... which is possible...
Hmmm...wondering if you're right. I'm looking at the manual for the -E version that I have and it looks a bit larger there also. I was just feeling around the back of the machine and thought it was the same size, will have to check again though.

[malikarshad]

The Yellow Jack is the digital SPDIF out. I had this board and that what it is. The minis are the analog outputs. If you need optical out then you have to buy an add-on adapter. I don't know if its still available. Check newegg.com

[Shizelbs]

Screw digital. All analog baby.

[brettw22]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
Hmmm...wondering if you're right. I'm looking at the manual for the -E version that I have and it looks a bit larger there also. I was just feeling around the back of the machine and thought it was the same size, will have to check again though. Am I reading correctly in that you were asking about a cable because you 'felt' your connection on the back of your computer but didn't actually look at it? (it just read funny......sorry)

I have a cable that's a 1/8 to dual RCA connections going from my laptop that i use all the time........though make sure if your'e doing so that the weight of the cable isn't going to pull too much on the jack you're connected to.....i can't tell if my audio jack is fuqed or the cable head is messed. I'm using a 20' version.

[nadams]

Originally posted by Shizelbs
Screw digital. All analog baby.

Shiz- You didn't actually _get_ one of those mobos, did you?

[Mike682]

Originally posted by bobman1235
Not to be contradictory, but I have the A7N8X, and I could swear that it has a full-size RCA for the digital, with mini's for all the analog stuff. In fact I have that digital out incorporated into my current system.

Unless Asus made several versions of that MB with different outputs... which is possible...

I have the same board (A7N8X) and I run a digital coax cable right to my receiver.

I believe newer boards with nvidia chipsets ( nforce3 and nforce4 chipsets) may not have onboard 5.1 encoding like the nforce2 chipstes had. I think the reason was that Microsoft actually subsidized the onboard 5.1 for the nforce2 chipset as a joint project with nvidia.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

Well I pulled out the computer last night and it is most definitely a 1/8 jack, so it looks like my initial check by 'feeling' was correct...which I was pretty sure it was right because how do you mistake one jack for the other, even without looking...

Anyway, so that brings me back around to my original issue. I'm off to Radio Shack to see if I can find some type of adapter, but it looks like I'll be buying that add on card. I checked with Tiger Direct and newegg and they don't have it, maybe Asus does...

[malikarshad]

Originally posted by Polkmaniac
I checked with Tiger Direct and newegg and they don't have it, maybe Asus does...

I'm really confused here. There is a yellow RCA connector (not the mini plug size, regualr RCA size) that is a digital coax SPDIF out.
I'll be surprised if you don't have it. I'm 100% sure about it when I had the mobo around a little over a year ago. And I actually used BJC digital coax cable to connect it to my receiver without using any adatper or miniplug to RCA converter.

[unc2701]

I used to have a sound card like that had hook ups like that.- just get a 1/8 mini to single rca adapter/ cable. You can also try the standard stereo mini to rca (like you use for hooking an Ipod to your stereo),but only one of the plugs will actually be active.