How to Connect Surround Sound to a Computer
- 1). Get the right cable. You need a specific type of cable to connect your computer to the home theater receiver. This cable, known as an RCA-to-headphone jack adapter, has a pair of RCA cables on one end and a universal headphone plug on the other. RadioShack usually always has it, and it comes in various lengths.
- 2). Insert the end of the cable with the headphone plug into the headphone input on the sound card in the computer. Choose a free input on the back of the receiver like "CD" or "Tape," and you will see a pair of red and white RCA inputs. Insert the two RCA adapters on the other end of the cable into these inputs. Put the red plug on the cable in the red input and take the white plug and place it in the white input.
- 3). Turn on the receiver and switch it to the input the cable is attached to in back. Make sure the volume on the receiver is somewhat low at this point. Set the volume on the computer between halfway to max level and play audio. It is best to always keep the computer volume the same level and turn the receiver volume up or down.
- 4). Select a surround-sound mode on the receiver, and the computer audio is dispersed to all front and rear speakers.
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