firas said:
Hi all. I really wanna buy a new Intel Mac Mini to try out the Mac OS (X) to see if I can ditch WinXP at least at home. I'm curious about the audio output though on the Mac Mini. I have a Creative Inspire 5200 5.1 surround sound speaker system which I would really like to use with my Mac Mini to be. The problem is that the speakers only accept analog inputs (3 of them), whereas the new Mac Mini has a "Combined optical digital audio output/headphone out (minijack)". Anyone know if Surround Sound will work with the Mac Mini and how to go about it?
Much appreciated.
The Intel Mini can output audio in two ways:
1. Analog, via a 3.5mm minijack connector (stereo)
2. Digital, via an optical digital audio connector
If you use analog, there's no way you can get real surround-sound output. Digital output might offer some hope, but you will need some kind of adapter. Nothing comes to mind other than a dedicated receiver. Assuming you could find an appropriate receiver, then you would be able to hook your Mac Mini into it digitally and output to your speakers. The receiver would need an optical digital audio input jack (TOSlink) and non-powered 6-channel output. You would need three stereo RCA-to-minijack adapters to plug into the three analog inputs on your speakers, assuming they are stereo minijack inputs. That is an expensive option; you might as well go with a new set of speakers that already has optical input like the Logitech z-5500s if you're going to go that route.
As a cheaper alternative, you can do pseudo-surround-sound. Logitech sells a "game adapter" which lets you plug in a stereo input into any 3-wire analog speaker system. It basically takes the red and white stereo plugs and converts them to minijack outputs. You sacrifice one of the inputs on your speaker system and then use the matrix function to upmix the audio. It's not a super great solution but it works, assuming your speakers have a matrix function (blends stereo into surround-sound). You would also need a minijack-to-stereo RCA cable for the Mini.
In summary, your options are:
1. Buy a fancy receiver to connect your speakers to your Mini for real 5.1
2. Find some kind of digital-to-analog adapter box (good luck!)
3. Use a game adapter to get fake 5.1
4. Buy new speakers
5. Don't upgrade
Feel free to ask any questions