2011 MacBook Pro w/ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Surround

the control center doesnt give you any options for this setting? is the sound only coming out of the two stereo left and right speakers? i think unless there is a driver for it or some kind of program to be installed with the speakers that the 3.5mm is only a stereo input. you might be able to use a usb optical sound card and get better sound that way.

 

The MBP can do surround sound via optical cable without any issues. Check for yourself in the MIDI setup.

Edit: OP, you may want to try a restart. Perhaps an SMC reset is also in order.

 

Are you playing audio encoded using DTS or Dolby Digital (AC-3)?

I have the Logitech Z-5500 speakers connected via toslink, when I say play a movie DVD with a surround soundtrack the speaker pod should switch to DTS or Digital and I get surround sound.

The rest of the time it's just stereo or unmixed to 4.1 or 5.1 depending on what effect you have it set to. This is due to OSX and/or the hardware not supporting on the fly encoding (Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect) of surround sound to DTS/DD so it just streams raw PCM (stereo) to the speakers.

 

I wont be able to for a little while but its one of the first things I will set up when I make it home.

 

Then it's working as expected, this is how any speakers connected to the Mac via TOSLINK will work. To get surround sound at other times, for example when playing games you would need another soundcard (USB, Firewire) which has the three audio out jacks (left/right, rear left/rear right, sub/centre).

The Audio MIDI Setup will only show two channels (left and right) when connected via TOSLINK. This should be the same for any speakers connected this way.

The PC also likely has a sound card capable of Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect. Which is why it does do surround sound at other times and shows Digital on the control pod.

 

1. If you play DD/DTS material, you can bitstream that to the speakers over toslink and get surround sound. This is done by the respective player.
2. If you are expecting the computer sounds to play in surround, you are out of luck. Toslink only supports uncompressed stereo (that's why you can only select stereo in MIDI setup), not surround (you need HDMI for that).
3. To get surround for other sounds than DD/DTS movies, you will need to encode the sound on the fly. It may be possible, but I have not found a way to get that to work. You'll probably need to use a virtual sound card of some sort (like Soundflower) in combination with a codec.

 

Uhm... How is that supposed to help you in any shape or form?

 

It would be a lot cheaper to just buy yourself a usb sound card with the 3 outputs, unless you really want to buy new USB speakers.

Well the Bose Companion 5 and 20 both connect via USB, they basically have a USB sound card integrated into them so they should work. Though the Companion 5 appears to only be 2.1 anyway.

 

What audio do you have in surround sound?
You mention Blu-Ray, and I would assume other movies/DVD's etc... but what else do you have that supports surround sound outputs?

 

Want to sell those 5500s on the cheap?

 

If you don't have much in surround sound then it shouldn't really matter that you are only getting true surround sound out of Blu-ray/DVD etc... the rest are only stereo so it won't make any difference.

If you had said games or something else with surround sound but not Dolby Digital/DTS then it would be different.

The only difference when you see Digital on the control pod in this instance is that the computer is handling up mixing the audio to 5.1, versus when connected to the Mac it's the speakers up mixing to whatever you tell it to use (effects setting).

 

The bose companion 20 do not connect via USB, its regular line in.

I have a pair on delivery due to arrive in two hours. I am not sure whether to open the box or return them so I can upgrade to something with a DAC.