What are folks here using other than the stereo output jack? I realized I have an older 5.1 speaker set I’d like to hook up but I think I am going to have to pick up a USB or HDMI ARC pre-amp to connect it. Will HDMI ARC work reliably with a DP monitor also connected? Does anyone recommend particular USB amps or pre-amps?
Is something as simple as this USB adapter the way to go? I’m not a big audiophile, I just want surround sound.
Or is there a real advantage other than the volume knob to something like this SoundBlaster desktop sound card?
My speakers are already powered via the sub, I just need the 3.5mm surround plugs.
Does not fit your situation but I went with Edifier speakers I put on my desktop and a sub under the table. The sub automatically goes into standby when not in use and although the desktop speakers do provide analog inputs I’m using the USB interface which registers as external sound card on my FW Desktop. Could also connect through Bluetooth, but I prefer cable. My old speakers had terrible, audible static when no audio was playing. Not anymore - so happy now.
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I ended up with the basic USB 7.1 audio, the Startech one I believe. I looked at the Soundblaster one but couldn’t justify the higher price just to end up listening to the same Teams calls and Netflix shows. Combined it with a generic 4-port hub, ended working good for what I need.
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Ok, if these little things work well enough not to leave you with buzzing scratching audio then I think I’m going to try that first. They all seem to be the same chipsets with the same ports available. Thanks!
I guess a half height soundcard could also be installed on the PCIE slot if you cut out or drill out the back panel for the connectors. Not sure about the clearances there though.
This is one of the (few) disappointments with the Framework Desktop: no high-quality sound output. That is, no digital sound out, wire or Toslink.
Even for gaming, this is an issue because almost no monitors have a Toslink pass-through so even if you get digital sound to a monitor, the quality dies there.
And if you want music from a service like Tidal or Qobuz you’ll only get analog out of the single audio jack.
Well I picked up a Cubilux 5.1 surround USB adapter and it works. Now I just need to get upmixing sorted out so stereo sources will use all the speakers. I haven’t had to play with that in linux in a while, I think this might be why I stopped using these speakers to begin with. Arch wiki has a lot of information to parse.