5.1 Surround on Ps3

[andystar351]

My youngest has just had his PS3 for xmas and loves it to bits, he has saved hard and bought himself a HD TV to play it on. He now wants a better sound system to get the full experience.
My tech knowledge is limited to Tvs etc and the only way i can think of reproducing 5.1 sound is to use an optical out lead from the new TV into a home cinema system. Can anyone tell me of a cheaper alternative without the need or expense of a home cinema set up, and advise me the correct way of connecting everything please?
Cheers folks, and happy new year to everyone!!

[Raven]

Your audio quality is more down to your actual speakers than anything else.....you can pick up surround sound systems for around ?50 that sound perfectly good, but for some people it's impractical because there's other people to consider. Other than that you could do what I did and buy a decent pair of headphones and a decent sound card for your PC and hook your headphones and PS3 to the sound card for better audio. It'll cost around ?100 - ?150 at least though depending on what you buy, surround sound is easily the cheaper and best sounding option but as I say it's not practical or even possible for everybody.

Nontheless you will get improved audio that way through your sound card and headphones rather than over headphones and TV.

If you want me to explain further I'll link you to another post. Though feel free to PM me if you want.

[sirlisterofsmeg]

Welcome to wonderful world of HD
Most TVs will only output Pro Logic from the Optical output and not true 5.1.
( I the first TV i bought last year went back to the shop because it would only output PCM from the optical via a HDMI 5.1 feed and after many hour of research you wont find many TV's that are capable of this)

to get the most from your PS3 i would really recommend investing in a dedicated 5.1 decoder.
you can pick up some small cheapish systems that should suit your needs.
The main thing to look for is to make sure it has an Optical Input.
Try to avoid the supermarket own brands 5.1 systems as they are not really true 5.1 unless they have an Optical input
Units with RCA (red & White) phono inputs whilst outputting to all 5 speakers will only decode in Pro-logic (Fake 5.1).
The PS3 has an Optical output on the back but you will need to alter your sound options in the menu as the defaul setting if for HD Audio from the HDMI cable.
Speaking of HDMI you can pick up some nice little Amps that have HDMI inputs That carry the HD sound & Image into and out of the Amp and output to a HD TV.
Dont be fooled into thinking that you need to buy wxpensive HDMI leads or optical leads.
They just carry 1&0'2 and unless you are running a cable over 10 metres you wont loose any quilaity.
I have used Asda cheap leasd that cost less than ?5 each.

You will also appreciate the 5.1 when playing Blu-Ray movies aswell.

Try your local Richer Sounds for the amp & Speakers

[sirlisterofsmeg]

or just thinking about it
you could try to find a "Creative" 5.1 decoder and speaker package.
I had one of these in the kids room and now regret selling it

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Creative-Labs-5-1-Surround-Sound-System_W0QQitemZ280449127328QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ AudioTVElectronics_Video_HomeCinemaSystems?hash=it em414c1213a0`

Something like this may be ideal especially if it for the bedroom

I am sure Amazon sell similar systems

Again make sure it has an Optical input before you buy one.

Mat

[andystar351]

Fantastic folks thanks for all your help, i will review all the options and consider the best plan.
i did notice in one of the posts the sound settings had to be modified on the PS3 to output sound via optical out rather than HDMI, would this by any chance affect sound output between 2 tvs? ie, we tried to hook up his ps3 to the big tv downstairs (he wanted to show off a little i think) but we couldnt get any sound through any of the 3 HDMI inputs on the large tv but when hooking back up to his new one up stairs everythingwas fine again.

[Raven]

Yes mate if you want sound from your optical cable you need to set your PS3 to use the optical cable, hence why your PS3's audio worked on the HDMI upstairs but not downstairs. If I'm understanding your post correctly it's simply that the PS3 was set in the options to HDMI and not Optical - or vice versa depending on the socket you was using. Not a problem it's just a case of remembering to tell it to route the audio down a different wire and into the one you want to use.

As for differences in sound quality between HDMI and Optical....I don't think there'll be much. It all depends on where the audio is coming from and where it's going. It's still miles better to route your audio to a dedicated handler be it an amp, PC sound card, or surround sound system rather than use the HDMI TV option for audio, this is true for regular bog standard 2 channel analogue audio as well.

Thinking on it the SoundBlaster card in your PC will do a much better job of handling the audio than the card in your TV will, irrespective of anything else. Outputting to surround sound is still the best option though if you are in the position to do it. Now combining the sound card to handle audio and the outputting of that to your surround sound....Jesus! I'd do that if I could.....I just realized I think I'm starting to get the audiophile bug!

[andystar351]

Lol, i started something big for you and me both, hes quite happy to just turn the tv up, but after he mentioned it the other day that he wanted some better sound, i am putting more effort in sorting it than he is....like you say im on a mission now, good job hes paying.......oh hold on he isnt really is he? .

[Raven]

Lol, i started something big for you and me both, hes quite happy to just turn the tv up, but after he mentioned it the other day that he wanted some better sound, i am putting more effort in sorting it than he is....like you say im on a mission now, good job hes paying.......oh hold on he isnt really is he? .

its a good thing its not any more expensive than the whole HDTV deal because although some people say "sound is just sound" it's the same as saying "picture is just picture" or "graphics is just graphics" it's not until you experience the good stuff that you can't really go back. What triggered it for me was making the most out of what I had available, now I'm after the best I can have within a sensible price point.

[gsxr]

I bought an LG HD 5.1 system and have my ps3 connected to the tv via a hdmi lead and the ps3 connected to the 5.1 system through the original cable that the ps3 was supplied with (the one with the 3 prongs) will an optical cable make much of a difference?

[sirlisterofsmeg]

YES
It will make a complete difference.
The only way to get full proper 5.1 from your PS3 is from either HDMI or Optical(SPDIF) cable.
The Phono cable will only ever output a stereo signal.
Whilst sound will come out of all the speakers it is basically just stereo but your amp will "fake" a 5.1 signal. (PRO-LOGIC).
This may be good enough for your needs
But if your amp has an Optical input i would seriously consider buying a lead to connect them together.
Dont forget to change the settings in the PS3 menu to output 5.1 to Optical as the default is 5.1 via HDMI.

This will make all the difference in games and even more so with BluRay discs

[gsxr]

YES
It will make a complete difference.
The only way to get full proper 5.1 from your PS3 is from either HDMI or Optical(SPDIF) cable.
The Phono cable will only ever output a stereo signal.
Whilst sound will come out of all the speakers it is basically just stereo but your amp will "fake" a 5.1 signal. (PRO-LOGIC).
This may be good enough for your needs
But if your amp has an Optical input i would seriously consider buying a lead to connect them together.
Dont forget to change the settings in the PS3 menu to output 5.1 to Optical as the default is 5.1 via HDMI.

This will make all the difference in games and even more so with BluRay discs

Thanks for that, im going to nip to tesco later and get one.

[brian.farrell]

i have a problem i hope you guys can fix for me. i bought a decent lg dvd surround sound player mainly for the ps3 in surround sound(and for tv too) problem is when i set the connection to 5.1 sound via hdmi it will play dvd's and music on ps3 in 5.1 but i have no sound when i play games, any idea why? and also if i use optical cable and choose the optical option i have no sound at all. it really has me wound up. if i was happy with stero speakers i would have hooked it up through my stero and saved ?140

[shearer9uk]

did'nt have much 5.1 on my zx81

spoiled kids today I think.

well I suppose if you brought them into the world, it's on you to buy them stuff.

unless your a Mcann... and then a short trip to Poro sorts that buying shit for the kids prob.

[clem58]

I bought myself a docking station and linked it jack to jack usin the ear piece to improve the sound quality of my b/room tv. Whether or not you can pick up a docking station with optical connection i'm not sure about, but might be worth a look.