guppie

Exactly what kind of cable do I need in order to get best sound quality (5.1) from Xbox Advanced A/V pack? I'm currently getting video via S-Video and audio via RCA cables with the Advamced A/V pack. I'm trying to find out what kind of optical cable I need... I saw one at Circuit City for like $40??? Is this right? How about something from eBay? Will any standard 6' optical cable do?

cubanx

The cheapest Toslink/Optical cable you can find will do. I got mine off ebay myself for under $10 shipped.

kegman

I have 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. I was wandering if the advanced AV pack will work for me. My TV doesn't support S video but my receiver does. Could I hook the S video wire from the Xbox to the receiver to get the sound.

Flay

S-Video is only for Video, not audio. If your TV is without an S-Video connection, you can't use it.

The Advanced AV pack has 2 audio connections, the digital optical cable connection (digital sound) and the regular red and white RCA jacks (analog sound).

If you have an optical jack on the back of your receiver, that is the absolute best way to go.

Brian Shannon

I bought a recoton one from Best Buy

kegman

I have the optical input on my receiver but my DVD player uses it.

Flay

Well, try it out with the XBox. Halo sounds completely different in Dolby Digital.

kegman

If my TV doesn't support S video. I can still use the AV pack. Just want to make sure before I buy it. Thanks for all the Info.

boobietheclown

While we are on the topic. I have a TV that supports S-Video and a stereo that supports 5.1 ch.

Can I get the AV pack and plug the S-video into the TV and the 5.1 ch directly into the stereo? Or will that not work?

Thanks

gross@iastate

That should work just fine.

boobietheclown

thanks!

finbogg

Yeah you can use the advanced AV pack....just use the standard TV plug and the 5.1 audio plugs.

Also you can get an optical cable at TARGET for $12.

kegman

Well I just bought the advanced AV pack while I was on lunch. Will see if the sound is better.

Stoolie

Okay, wait. I read all these posts but I don't get it.

My receiver has two optical jacks on the back, currently filled with the DVD and the CD players. Even though my T.V. doesn't have S-Video, I still plug a third party PS2/X-Box/Gamecube cable into the front inputs on my receiver. Can I still get the 5.1 sound if I use the inputs on the front of the receiver and just plug an optical from the X-box to the receiver? I didn't see an optical out on the back of the X-box did I miss it?

Thanks for any help.

stoolie

kegman

The optical input is on the Advanced AV pack for the Xbox.

Crizzar

Yes, you can need to you need the Advanced or Hi-Def A/V pack adapter to get the optical out.

You would need to purchase either the Advanced (S-video) or Hi-Def (Component) A/V pack.

El Kabong

To be more specific, you have to buy an advanced video AND audio cable (unless someone makes one that's connected). I got the Monster component cable for video & the Monster fiberoptic for the audio. The optic cable also has a little adatper that plugs into the advanced video cable- NOT the Xbox, so I couldn't just use one of my other optic cables. So you can't just get the optic cable without getting some sort of advanced video cable that has the digital adapter as well. But since they're 2 completely seperate cords, there's no problem running them in different directions. I think you could still use the 2 RCA cables in the advanced video pack, without the 3rd S-video connector plugged in & it would look fine. On my 65" HDTV these games loof friggin incredible. Much better than PS2 (I have all Monster cables for that too). The Xbox games are progressive scan, so they look really great (dvd clarity on a big screen), plus the 5.1 sound in the games is great- and all the games seem to be 5.1 in game, whereas just a few PS2 games had DTS. Just incredible on a nice HT system.

Giantrobo

I would love to try the optical cable but my XBOX is between my tv and my couch so I would need a long optical cable to reach the back of my Yamaha reciever.

I don't think it would work well due to length of the cable with this setup.

Carl Spackler

Actually, the Advanced AV pack has a cord which is kinda long, and you wouldn't be plugging the optical cord directly into your xbox in that case.

DWilson

So, was I completely hosed? I just got the x-box and have been going through the "money pit" syndrome, -everytime I try to set it up with my home theater system I habe to buy yet another costly add-on. Today, I went to Best Buy to get the av pack and the csr told me that neither of the two higher end packs from Microsoft would give me 5.1 Dolby Digital (or allow DD 5.1 or DTS when playing DVDS). They didn't have the proper hook-ups, he said. The only answer was the $45 Monster cable combined with the $30 connector (of course, he also told me I absolutely had to have a memeory card because people were coming in right and left complaining that the x-box was losing their data). My warning bells were going off, but I'm better informed about DVD players and such then game systems....

Drexl

Go dry yourself off, because you got hosed. As others above have said, you just need one of the two higher end packs from Microsoft (Advanced AV for s-video or composite; HD pack for component) and a standard optical TOSlink cable for the sound. Note that if you have an HDTV, you would need the HD pack (that's why they call it that) and component cables to connect the XBox to your HDTV. However, you can of course use component cables to connect the XBox to an non-HDTV if it has component input with the HD pack.

Technically, when the guy said that neither of the two packs have the proper hookups, he wasn't lying because you still need the optical cable to get 5.1 sound. I guess he assumed you didn't have an optical cable and was getting you to buy everything you needed (while spending the most money) right then and there. You don't need the Monster cables though.

thatguy

No offense to any Best Buy goons in the forum, but they constantly lie. As a rep that frequents best buy I hear them lying to customers to get them to buy replacement plans and additional accessories all the time. First off, I have never heard of an xbox ever losing data off the hard drive. Even if you did want a memory card you should have picked it up at KB Toys, they still have all Xbox and GameCube accessories half off. Obviously, Drexl speaks the truth, all you need is the advanced av and an optical cable.

For the money the Monster Cables are definitely not worth it, unless you have it to burn. Take it back and tell them that guy (not me) lied to you...If they won't take it back jab yourself in the throat with a sai (just don't die) and pee on that dumb security guy at the front of the store...

kegman

I hooked the Advanced AV pack up last night. I even bought monster cables to go from the adapter to my TV. I thought it sounded good before this thing ROCKS NOW. I can't believe how much better it sounds. I have to play all my 18 games again.