[dizzycat]

Just a question for anyone who owns these. I'm thinking of buying these for 360 gaming, but i'd also like to use them with my TV, bluray and motorised sat system. My sat box and bluray connects to the TV (LG 47LF7700) over hdmi 1.3 and the TV has an optical out. If I connect the optical out from the TV to the headphones will I still get full surround sound from the TV and Sat Box on the headset. I understand that I need a direct connection from the xbox for the surround to work, but i'm just trying to save having extra optical leads trailing around by having just one from the tv and one from the xbox to switch. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[StevieBuck]

Most TVs will not pass through 5.1 audio from an HDMI input to it's optical connection, so leaving you with stereo sound only. My TV (Sony) can, but only with Dolby Digital. When I tried this with a DTS soundtrack I got no sound out the optical at all. So if you're watching Blu-rays this way (a lot of which have DTS soundtracks) then you won't get very far.

For anything you want true surround sound from, you're probably going to have to connect direct (or via a proper switch) to the headphones.

[GenesisGod]

You should be able to connect the X41 directly from your HDTV's optical output. The X41 does not have DTS processing, only Dolby--but that should be fine for use with your Xbox. Just make sure that the LED for Dolby Digital is illuminated when you play a game or watch a movie. (The Pro Logic LED will be on when you're just in the Xbox dashboard or pre-game lobby).

If you are only getting Pro Logic during games/movies, then you are likely getting a stereo signal from your HDTV. In this case, you will need to get the Xbox HDMI audio adapter:

AVAILABLE HERE

Unlike other AV cables, this adapter can fit in the Xbox at the same time as an HDMI cable. It is also ideal because with this, you can also separate the audio going to your X41 and also to your TV speakers. (So they can be muted when not needed). Since the X41 has the digital pass-thru output, connecting it to a home theater sound system is pretty simple as well. This too allows you to bypass any external speakers if needed.

Similar to the Xbox HDMI audio adapter, you could technically go this route as well since it will do the same thing:
YouTube - Optical and HDMI on Xbox 360 at same time - adapter hack

[dizzycat]

Thanks for the good advice guys. I've followed up what you've said and found that the xbox only sends stereo over hdmi, so I'll definitely need a minimum of two toslink leads to get surround for gaming. Luckily that picture of the adapter reminded me that I've already got one of those in my lead box so i'm sorted there. I'll have to try the Tvs optical lead to see what it outputs. Hopefully it will be dolby surround, because it will make life a lot easier. I'll update you when i've tried it out, and let you know how I've got on. I think that i'm definitely going for these as I want a simple wireless solution.

[dizzycat]

Heres a quick update. I've got the x41s and connected them to xbox with the lead mentioned. Sound is excellent, but downstairs microwave does cause interference (load pops). My dect phones and wireless in the same room do not interfere though. I have set these to the low channels of the rf band as some people say the x41s prefer the higher frequencies.

The surround really works well in games, almost get overwhelmed with extra detail which takes some getting used too. I do notice that the volume is significantly lower with Dvds (even played on xbox), you can have the volume maxed without really hurting your ears. This is a pity, but it may well be something that I haven't set up properly. The TV only passes the surround sound through the built in Freesat decoder, not the Freeview. I need to play with the other options as I've been really testing them with the xbox.

An unexpected bonus is the wired headphone adapter on the amp which outputs the surround sound as well. I tried this with my walkman cans and was really pleased with the result. I may well get another set of headphones (and a long lead) just to use with this port. I'm assuming it is amplified, does anyone know if this is the case, because i'm guessing that this would impact on the choice of headphones to use with this input.

[StevieBuck]

Originally Posted by dizzycat

I've followed up what you've said and found that the xbox only sends stereo over hdmi

This isn't true - the xbox 360 can output 5.1 audio over HDMI. As long as Dolby Digital is selected in the audio setup it will.

I have two xbox 360 consoles (one 'elite' & one 'arcade' version). Both of these give me 5.1 Dolby Digital/DTS over HDMI on my amp.

[dizzycat]

Thanks for that I was told on another forum that the Xbox only sent stereo over HDMI. When I select dolby digital on my xbox the headphone amp only lights up PL11 not DD (ingame and menus). I've also selected Dolby digital on the TV optical output (the only other option being PCM). So the TV isn't sending 5.1 over the optical from the xbox.

Anyway I started playing with this. My inbuilt freesat decoder on the TV does send DD to the headphone amp when the channel audio is dolby. My attached sat receiver does not (HBMI 1.3 connection), but when the optical is connected direct from the receiver to the headphone amp it does. I'm wondering if theres something i'm missing here, because the optical can definitely send DD, but it doesn't seem to be passing it on from HDMI inputs. Could it be anything to do with the HDMI handshaking only sending stereo because the TV only has stereo speakers? The xbox always restarts when I switch AV inputs because of the TV reconnecting with it.

I would have thought that because the TV has inbuilt dolby digital that this should work.

[StevieBuck]

Originally Posted by dizzycat

I'm wondering if theres something i'm missing here, because the optical can definitely send DD, but it doesn't seem to be passing it on from HDMI inputs.

I believe this is a limitation of several TVs. Obviously its possbile to make this work (as I said, it does on my TV) but not all manufacturers have chosen to implement the feature on their sets.

[GenesisGod]

Originally Posted by dizzycat

Heres a quick update. I've got the x41s and connected them to xbox with the lead mentioned. Sound is excellent, but downstairs microwave does cause interference (load pops). My dect phones and wireless in the same room do not interfere though. I have set these to the low channels of the rf band as some people say the x41s prefer the higher frequencies.

The surround really works well in games, almost get overwhelmed with extra detail which takes some getting used too. I do notice that the volume is significantly lower with Dvds (even played on xbox), you can have the volume maxed without really hurting your ears. This is a pity, but it may well be something that I haven't set up properly. The TV only passes the surround sound through the built in Freesat decoder, not the Freeview. I need to play with the other options as I've been really testing them with the xbox.

An unexpected bonus is the wired headphone adapter on the amp which outputs the surround sound as well. I tried this with my walkman cans and was really pleased with the result. I may well get another set of headphones (and a long lead) just to use with this port. I'm assuming it is amplified, does anyone know if this is the case, because i'm guessing that this would impact on the choice of headphones to use with this input.

Yes, the headphone output on the front of the X41 transmitter is amplified. I was just watching the BluRay of Independence Day (via PS3) last night with my Sennheiser HD650's using the X41 transmitter output. Works like a charm!

Originally Posted by StevieBuck

I believe this is a limitation of several TVs. Obviously its possbile to make this work (as I said, it does on my TV) but not all manufacturers have chosen to implement the feature on their sets.

To my knowledge, this is correct