need help with external sound card

[hotrod24]

hello everyone,

just purchased my first macbook and its pretty sick. Now i had a desktop before with a 5.1 speaker system and would like to use that system with my mac. I have read several threads on this topic but have not gotten a clear answer. I own the new macbook so I have no firewire; cant use firewave!!!wish i could...so I want to know if there is something in the price range of the firewire that uses usb? my speaker do not support optical! WHAT CAN I DO?

 

[hotrod24]

anyone??

 

[little nin]

you can't do anything from what i know, i pretty much had the same problem.

i ended up buying a creative soundblaster, which did give me 5.1 but that was only with ac3 things, and then DVD Player app wouldn't know that i had the external soundcard etc. so sound would only come out of the front 2 speakers from normal files. i think m-audio do a few externals but they're not as cheap as the griffin one.

 

[leishan]

Check the M-Audio site--they have several things that might work.

 

[hotrod24]

yea but if i go with m-audio might as well buy real good 2.1 speakers

 

[nanofrog]

Have you tried looking/posting in the Digital Audio section, or searched?

IIRC, there's been a thread or two on this. Some products exist, but they differ greatly. (Quite a few are aimed at professional audio). USB and FW interfaces exist, and I would think you can find something simple enough for sound output.

Sorry I don't have specifics , but the comment about M-Audio is a good start.

 

[little nin]

it's not worth getting 5.1 if you can't get the rear stereo speakers to play the same sound as the front two too

 

[hotrod24]

nanofrog,

i have searched!...ive looked at the m-audio site but the problem is that if I am going to spend that type of money Id rather just get a 2.1 speaker system. Hopefully griffin comes out with a firewave that works with usb because that would be perfect! and have you found one on or below $50?

 

[nanofrog]

nanofrog,

i have searched!...ive looked at the m-audio site but the problem is that if I am going to spend that type of money Id rather just get a 2.1 speaker system. Hopefully griffin comes out with a firewave that works with usb because that would be perfect! and have you found one on or below $50?

I haven't looked in awhile, so I'm not sure. (I was looking mainly at RME, but they don't make anything near that inexpensive that I recall.)