Surround sound with STR-K750P + HTPC

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hi there, I'm new the forum, and AV setup in general. I hope you guys can help me.

I have a Sony STR-K750P and a computer with an optical audio output combined with the normal headphone jack (a Mac mini). Can I hook this up so my receiver gets the optical signal and therefore surround sound?

Thanks! -FM

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

You certainly can hook that up using an optical connection. Just let us know if you need any help with the specifics. I connect my MacBook to my receiver using the optical connection, and it works great.

 

[Fleetwood Mac]

Thank you! Yes, I think I'm going to need a little help with all this..

Here's my setup. Sorry I can't post proper links or images yet:

Samsung LN46a530 HDTV (inputs below)
"dl.getdropbox.com/u/32515/Picture%205.png"

Sony STR-K750P (its got loads of l/r inputs and this for digital)
"co-bw.com/Images_DIY/imagevii.jpg"

HD Receiver (supposedly has coax and optical surround capabilities)
"shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Television/HDTV/Hardware-HD.htm"

And the mac mini.

I want surround sound from both my HD box and my mini. So what are my options here? Can I use any coax cable to connect my HD box's orange digital out to the receiver's input? And what kind of cable do I need to buy for my mini? Is there a way to connect my mini so it can be used with the TVs internal speakers as well? There are times when surround might be over kill. (The setup is directly under the master bedroom, bad planning I guess )

Oh, and around here the prices for cables are usually outrageous. So if you have suggestions for online places that would be really appreciated.

Thanks so much.

 

[Adam]

Hi. Let's see if we can get you all set up.

Can I use any coax cable to connect my HD box's orange digital out to the receiver's input?

You can use any cable with RCA connectors on both ends. You can use any that you have around, or something like this cable would work.

And what kind of cable do I need to buy for my mini?

For a digital connection, you'll want to use an optical cable. You'll also need an adapter for the special jack that the Mac uses. A cable like this one with an integral adapter would work just great.

Is there a way to connect my mini so it can be used with the TVs internal speakers as well? There are times when surround might be over kill. (The setup is directly under the master bedroom, bad planning I guess )

You could do that. Let me take a look at the details, and I'll post again. You could also just turn down the surround sound system.

Oh, and around here the prices for cables are usually outrageous. So if you have suggestions for online places that would be really appreciated.

I'm a big fan of Monoprice.com. They have good cables for great prices.

 

[Fleetwood Mac]

Hey long time no see! Anyways, I'm here to report that I got my cables, but still haven't gotten this all sorted out.

Right now I'm mostly concerned about the Mac mini. It outputs beautiful, 2-channel sound over the new optical adapter/cable but that's not really what I want.

Has anyone successfully convinced their Mac + Sony receiver to play nice?