What You'll Need:
RCA Y adapter with 1 female end and 2 male ends
3 RCA Y adapters with 1 1/8 male end each and 2 RCA male ends each
A 4 channel amplifier and a single channel amplifier
.........OR..........
A 5.1 channel amplifier (either way, it has to run 4 speakers and a subwoofer)
2 lengths of thin switched wire
Windows XP
Wiring:
- There is a J2 jumper on the M1-ATX for an amplifier on/off switch, you'll have to find out how to run a switched wire with your PSU. From the M1-ATX, use this wire to run a remote switched signal to each amplifier.
- Plug one of the 1/8 inch ends of the Y adapter into the green sound port of the motherboard and run the other end to the 2 front inputs of the amplifier.
- Do the same from the blue sound port to the rear inputs of the amplifier.
- Plug the 1/8 inch end of the last Y adapter into the red sound port of the motherboard and plug the RIGHT channel on the other end into the female end of the other Y adapter. Plug both ends of this Y adapter into the inputs on your subwoofer amplifier.
- This is assuming your 2 amps and computer are already getting power and grounded properly. And that your subwoofer is already hooked to your subwoofer amplifier.
Software:
- Go
here and download the new audio drivers for your motherboard.
- START MENU > CONTROL PANEL > SOUNDS AND OTHER DEVICES
- Do the following.
- Change the sound output to 5.1 Surround Sound.
- Click OK
- Click VOLUME under the Default Device section.
- Click Options and then Advanced.
- Click the ADVANCED button under the Front section.
- Enable Smart 5.1 and hit OK
- Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds And Audio Devices > Audio tab > Volume under Sound Playback > Options > Properties > Other > select Multi Channel > check all 4 boxes > OK > Options > Advanced > click Advanced under the rear slider
- Enable Magic5.1 and click OK
- Mess with the volume of both your front/rear sliders in the volume control and also the gain on your amp to get your preferred sound out of your speakers.
- Start Menu > Control Panel > Sounds And Audio Devices > Audio tab > Volume under the mic section > Options > Properties > Other: multi-channel > check all boxes > OK
- This is your new volume panel, it will allow you control your front/rear/subwoofer/center all independently. Now by changing the volume on the slider for the subwoofer and also the gain on your amp, you'll get the desired amount of bass from your subwoofer.
- You'll notice you still have a RCA jack hanging near your subwoofer because you're only filtering one side into your amplifier. This jack is for your center channel. If you have a center speaker, you can patch this cable into an amplifier and power a center speaker for full 5.1 sound.
You can make this pseudo if you wish, or delete it all together. I'm going to clean it up after I check it all to make sure it's exact, I did it from memory.