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Adam Zegelin

Q: Logitech Z-5500's and Intel iMac

Hi,

I'm thinking of purchasing a 20" Intel iMac and a set of Logitech Z-5500 5.1 speakers to go with it. I have a few questions about compatibility, before I go spending $525 (AUS) on a set of speakers.

My main question is: do they work at all? The iMac has optical out. The 5500's have optical in. So I assume they would produce sound. But does the iMac detect them as 5.1 speakers? If it only outputs 2 channels, it seems like a big waste to buy a 5.1 system!

If they are detected, and as 5.1 speakers, does the DVD Player, Quicktime Player (with movies that contain 5.1 audio), VLC, etc. output 5.1 channels?

I know that iTunes will only output 2 channels, so I'm guessing I'd either have to configure the 5500s to output 5.1 from 2 or create my own AULab setup that splits the input to multiple channels.

What about games? I've done a few tests with Soundflower — creating a virtual 16 channel device on my iBook and running AULab on it, and then running a few games. I've noticed that most don't output 5.1 audio. So I guess I'll have to settle for non-true 5.1 audio from these games.

One last thing, since the new machine will be x86, I'm planning to install Boot Camp and run WinXP on it (to play games and run software that isn't compatible). Does the Sigmatel audio drivers for WinXP included with BootCamp support 5.1 optical output, and do games such as HL2 detect them?

Thanks,
Adam

iBook, Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Posted on Apr 9, 2006 12:36 AM

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