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Using Airport Extreme (Airtunes) with 5.1 computer speakers.

D

DKZ

macrumors member
Original poster
Yes as the title says, can you use the airtunes with a 5.1 computer speaker set without having to direct it through somekind of amplifier first.

The initial problem is that my speakers uses minijacks, 3 of them to be precise, in order to produce the surround, and I can only see on minijack input on the Airport. Any way to work around this?
 
I believe the Airport Extreme uses optical out so you're going to need an Optical cable in order to get true 5.1 sound. However you're speakers are going to need an optical out or you'll need to find an alternative way to hook your speakers up to the AE.
 
Quick note, its Airport Express that has airtunes and not Airport Extreme.

The Express has an optical and an analog output.

**EDIT: yg17 is correct, there will be no discret 5.1, its going to be stereo.

For 5.1 audio, you basically have two choices.
1. Run optical to a receiver and use pro logic II or multichannel
2. Run optical to computer speakers with built-in decoder and has an optical input.

Or you can take the analog and have all the speakers (multichannel) play the same thing. It won't be surround sound, but it will utilize your five speakers. Just get a couple of stereo splitters like in the image, or if you can find one that splits it three ways.
 

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Airtunes is only for iTunes though, right? Which means everything it's transmitting is 2 channel stereo anyways, so your only option really is the splitter to have all 5 speakers playing the same thing. Because a receiver with a decoder would decode the audio and get audio for the 2 front speakers and nothing for the back.
 
yg17 said:
Airtunes is only for iTunes though, right? Which means everything it's transmitting is 2 channel stereo anyways, so your only option really is the splitter to have all 5 speakers playing the same thing. Because a receiver with a decoder would decode the audio and get audio for the 2 front speakers and nothing for the back.
Click to expand...

I've seen other apps that will let you use the airtunes for what ever you want it to play.

But I think I'll have to go with the same sound in all the speakers, surroundsound is overrated anyhow. 🙂
 
DKZ said:
I've seen other apps that will let you use the airtunes for what ever you want it to play.

But I think I'll have to go with the same sound in all the speakers, surroundsound is overrated anyhow. 🙂
Click to expand...


The program is airfoil, but it will still be stereo.
 
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