madrone26

OK, I've been searching around these very helpful forums, and I think I'm just even more confused. I've got a Sprinter van conversion, and the conversion company installed a surround sound system with a cheesy, cheesy DVD player. I prefer to watch movies and listen to music from my laptop. What I'd like to do is run the speakers from the laptop and get rid of the cheesy DVD player.

Here's the options I've come up with so far:

Option 1 - use the optical toslink connection from the laptop to some sort of 5.1 converter that can process the dolby digital signal to analog, and from there to a 6 channel amp. Problem is, the only converter I've been able to find is the Pioneer DEQ p8000, and it seems to only work with the Pioneer DVD head unit. Is there another solution here?

Option 2 - ignore the surround sound information, and just output a 2 channel stereo signal from the laptop. Being a total car stereo newbie, I have no idea how to split that signal so that the center speaker will produce some sort of mono. Help?

Is there another way to do this? My budget is not more than $800 - so it's not going to be audiophile quality.

If it makes a difference, the speakers are all 6 ohm.

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Felix509

Hmmm, maybe a perfect solution..


ALPINE 5.1


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madrone26

Yup, something like that would be perfect. Unfortunately, you have to use a compatible Alpine head unit with it. At least, that's what the information at the Alpine website suggests.

FusionFanatic

if you only run 2-ch (stereo) sound, then the center channel speaker would be useless. just leave it disconnected.

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Pockets

This is mostly a lost cause, unless you are willing to implement more expense in amplifiers (multi-channel) and processor / controller combo. It can be done, but you're probably looking at $800 plus to go this route. That's with ebay pricing and that doesn't get into cables, install expenses.


This is the route you'll find more easily done ... but give of that center channel notion. Surround sound is really difficult to pull off in a vehicle. Just go stereo. The money saved and headache saved in setting it up will be worth it.

madrone26

If you have more specific suggestions for a processor/controller and amp combo for option number 1 I would appreciate it.

The thing about option number 2 is the current speakers are set up for 5.1. So right now if you're sitting at the back of the van in the couch, the rear speakers are above your head (rear R & L), The sub is under one of the other benches in the back, there's a speaker on the cabinet in front, right above where the laptop sits for movie viewing that's the center channel, and then there are two speakers way up front above the driving seats that are the front R&L.

If I give up the center channel, then I'm losing a fair amount of the sound to the back.

sonneboz

You probably not going to benefit from 5.1 anyway, there simply isn't enough space for your ears to locate where the sound is coming from. According to Dolby, the front left and right speakers are to be around three feet off of the center of the screen, usually 22-30 degrees to your left and right when you're sitting directly in front of the screen (0 degrees).

xeensd

The greatest benefit of the Alpine setup (if it worked... I think it requires a head unit)
is the digital path to the amps. Most analog onboard sound (there are exceptions - Auzentech products www.auzentech.com for example)
are at best horrible. Next is the issue of interference and loss in the RCA/3.5mm cables.
Using a digital path (ie toslink/component) eliminates these problems (expect on really cheap sound cards...).

As for surround... unless your running a large vehicle (ie suburban/navigator/hummer).
A simple surround emulator (SRS) will probably do similar sound.


Nathan

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