
5.1 external sound card for mac plus#
(be sure you verify each speaker, my Logitech z-5300 channels didn't match up with the defaults)Ĥ) Once you click done, double or right click the "SB X-Fi Surround 5.1" and select the bottom two options to use the X-Fi Surround deviceĥ) Once this is done fire up iTunes or your favorite music app and you should have standard audio coming from the speakers hooked up to the X-Fi plus you will have 5.1 surround audio for surround-enabled audio sources find " SB X-Fi Surround 5.1" output device (you likely have two listed, one will be input only and the other is output)Ģ) Set the Source to "External Digital Audio Interface" and make sure the encoding is one of the 6ch options "6ch-16bit Integer" or "6ch-24bit Integer"ģ) Click Configure Speakers button, select Multichannel and then "5.1 Surround" from the drop down list on the right and click apply *) You must connect your surround speakers to the Green/Yellow/Black 3.5mm connections on the X-Fi Surround 5.1 device!!!ġ) Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup > Audio Devices. Here's what I did, and now I have 5.1 sound working correctly AND I have sound coming from my built-in speakers simultaneously. My MAC detected the X-Fi USB soundcard but I had the same problems others had reported (5.1 sound didn't work) and I couldn't get the built-in speakers working at the same time. My surround solution: Frys had refurbushed USB Creative X-Fi Surround 5.1 units for $15 over the holidays, so I picked up one hoping it would be the solution.

I never found all this information in the same place, so I wanted to share what I finally worked out. I also wanted to keep sound coming out of the built-in speakers on my iMac, so I knew I had to go the USB soundcard route. Issue: I wanted to use my Logitech THX speakers on my 27" iMac but the X-5300's don't have TOSLink inputs and I still like my Z-5300's.

I just wanted to "give back" after trolling for weeks on getting my (external) USB Creative X-Fi Surround working on my iMac.
