iMac 24" w/ Logitech Z-5500

[PsykX]

Hi, I have just received a brand new iMac 24" and I had logitech Z-5500 for my PC speakers. I want ALL of them to work with anything (maybe except iTunes because I have read that it didn't really support surround sound )

Anyway, here it goes :
- I have read many threads concerning this
- I know the headphone jack is also a speaker jack and also a 3.5mm optical cable jack.
- I bought an optic fibre optic cable from Electrohome Pro Series Home Theatre, I put the TOSlink adapter on one side of the wire and plugged it into my Logitech speakers' controller.
- 3 speakers work and the sub works. The rear speakers used to work before on my PC, I haven't changed anything, just installed my Mac and I am not able to hear the sound from all speakers.

Can anybody help me on this? Pleaaaaaaaaasee.... Many thanks in advance! The same thing happens in both OS X and Windows, both in games, dvd movies, iTunes, Media Player, etc....

 

[rogersmj]

So, to make sure I understand this correctly, you're using an optical cable and you have the optical-to-3.5mm adapter plugged into the back of your iMac?

I wish I could help, but if that's the way you have it setup I'm not sure why it wouldn't work. It makes me a little concerned because I have the same speakers and I'm ordering an iMac soon.

 

[Doctor Suarez]

What apps are you running?

From what I've read, the optical out is best for pre-recorded surround signals, such as DVDs. For on-the-fly rendering, it's useless.

Also, is an adaptor enough? I was under the impression that the optical signal had to be decoded before it could be outputted in a new format.

I'm wrestling with a similar issue myself. I have a surround setup from my last box that uses the Green/Orange/Black cables, but my incoming Mac Pro only has an optical out. I'm hunting a good external USB sound card.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

 

[rogersmj]

Also, is an adaptor enough? I was under the impression that the optical signal had to be decoded before it could be outputted in a new format.

You are correct that the digital signal needs to be decoded. An adapter is all you would need for speakers like the Z-5500s. Their control pod has a built-in digital decoder -- it's like a mini-receiver.

 

[mulletman13]

I have the same setup as you (well, running a 17" iMac now, will have 24" soon), and I find using the standard headphone cable works best for anything other than DVDs , and 5.1 channel games in Windows. It's annoying that you can't adjust the volume in OSX when Optical is plugged in, so I switch back and forth depending on what I'm doing.

Set the speakers to Stereo x 2 and you will (should) have sound coming from the four speakers minus the center channel.

 

[PsykX]

Hey thanks guys, it's the only place where I could have some feedback

Yeah I thought it was an issue that I couldn't adjust the sound volume with the keyboard or the slider in OS X.

I am using it it any application and only 2 speakers + the middle one work, even mac os x detects only 2 speakers in midi and audio configuration.

Your headphone cable, if it worked for you, is an interesting proposition... but I don't quite understand the idea.. I have one that has a male connector on one side and a female one on the other side. Do you mean something that has 3 male connectors on one side a single male connector on the other side and I would plug it directly? I think you'd have to show me which kind of cable you're talking about, and I'll go buy it ASAP

 

[pincho]

hmmm im running a MacBook Pro with optical out to a set of Logitech z-680s, and the only way to get 5.1 from the mac is to set the speakers to "PL2 Music" or PL2 Movie. This 'emulates' 5.1 on my macbookpro, and i think the z-5500s have the same setting

 

[PsykX]

arggg

Okay... I will feel totally stupid after this reply... but I'll try to answer all others who'd be in my case. I noticed when I changed the controller to Music or Movie that only one speaker was not working, checked the wiring with my subwoofer and noticed that when I moved it, a wire disconnected.... But anyways... I'll try to bring something out of this :

- Check the wiring of your speakers twice before saying it doesn't work
- You cannot change the volume directly in OS X - I have no reason why, but it has an unavailable icon below the volume. I might contact Apple about this if nobody can explain why it cannot be done... maybe it's something that can't be done via optical fibre, but I have some doubts...
- Any Optical Fibre cable will work, as long as one of them has a Toslink adapter that is 3.5mm large. There are cables that are like 20 CAD out there. I'm pretty sure that any quality of optical fibre will be better than a direct connection, so don't look for the most expensive.
- I suppose every Mac supports 5.1 sound nowadays.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback guys, it's always appreciated

 

[mulletman13]

The wire I'm talking about for the headphone port would be a male-male 1/8" standard headphone jack. It plugs into the back of the iMac and then into the side of the control pod below the headphone jack. This will get Stereo, Stereo x2 (the best these speakers can do with standard 2.0 channel music), Pro Logic IIMusic and Movie.

To the guy above that said he only gets PLII Movie for when he plays DVDs --> this is only pushing 2 channels to the speakers, and the middle is a mix of the two channels.

To get full 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS sound out of your speakers in movies, in DVD player go to Preferences, and set the Audio Out to Optical Out. You would think it would change when the optical cable is plugged in but it does not. After you do this you will get the Dolby Digital signal into the Logitechs, and hear true 5.1 sound. To get it in VLC, do it the same way... Optical audio out is somewhere in the preferences.

"System Out" should be changed to Digital Out, as seen in the screenshot. The status should change on the control pod to DD 5.1.

Maybe changing DVD Audio from Disc Default to Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 would be a good idea too.