Can anyone tel me the correct name for the colour coded sound output sockets at the rear of my Abit AX8 mobo. They look a bit like phonos but are not. I need to source an adapter to split the single jack from my aged speakers to two of these sockets but as I don't know what they're called I don't know what to search for on the net.

3.5mm jacks, aren't they?

Rob.

Well, the jack on my speakers is about 3.5mm dia., about 15mm long, divided into 3 sections, fits snugly and completely in the line out socket on my old PC and delivers signal to a pair of speakers and a subwoofer. The AX8 has separate sockets for the speaker pair and the sub woofer and while the speaker jack fits fairly snugly the sockets will only take half its length. I'm assuming I need an adapter/splitter with two half length male jacks for the AX8, one divided into two sections to carry left and right signals, the other a single section to carry the subwoofer signal and a full length socket to suit the three section jack from the speakers? Sound correct or even familiar?

Hmm...was pretty sure the AX8 had standard audio connectors, so should take that kind of 3.5mm jack? Might just need a bit of "firm persuasion"...

By the sounds of it, your speakers just take a left and right signal, and splits the sub-woofer sound itself.

The motherboard will use the three jacks to give outputs for:

1. Left and right fronts.

2. Left and right rears.

3. Centre and sub.

Therefore, I think you're best using your speakers plugged into the line-out, and not setting the board to use the 5.1 surround...

Rob.

Yep, you were right about the "firm persuasion". Was really thrown cos I tried the jack for fit (power off) in all the sound in/out sockets and it fitted easily in the mic.socket but none of the others.

There's no line out on the AX8. Had there been I would probably have tried your remedy on the line out as that was how it was connected on the old PC. However plugging into the AX8 front speakers socket does the biz. so problem solved. Many thanks for your help, Rob.

Mike G.