The new 14 with digital out

hi there i hook my s/pdif optical from my amplifier to the one of the headset outs on the side, like on my mx17x, but do not see "digital audio (s/pdif)" in my sound, playback properties to enable my audio out to stereo?? i just unboxed this thing, am i missing something why when i plug my amp in it doesn't detect it and give an option for a digital out? all that happens is "alien audio" come up to give me the option to call the amp a headphone or a centre/sub out ... nothing shows up in "sound/playback" when i plug in my cable from my amp to the audio outs to the alienware 14

 

Have you tried reinstalling the audio drivers? Are you on Windows 8 or 7?

 

Yeah tried reinstalling 10 times but for some reason the computer will not recognize my s/pdif connection from my amplifier and alien audio only gives me the option to call the connection center/subwoofer speaker out, or a set of headphones and nothing in the "sound/playback" menu for "digital auto output (S/PDIF)" this set up worked perfectly fine on my m17x r4. I am on windows 7

thanks..

 

Does the 14 even have optical out on either of the headphone jacks?

 

My M17 r3 does, not sure if they nixxed it on the newer models or not.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

Notebookcheck implies that it does.

and the specs listed on Dellienware's site states:

which means it's the microphone jack rather than either of the headphone jacks that can be set to output S/PDIF.

I don't have anything on me at the moment to plug into the mic port, but I suspect you would see the pop-up screen asking which type of device.

 

Well when i plug in my s/pdif alien audio pops up asking me if the connection is "headphones" or "center/ subwoofer output", i pick the output , and nothing thru my amplifier ....... also nothing pops up in my sound/playback device menu ... so i have no idea why it does not reconize my amp as a "digital audio output (s/pdif)" in the sound menu and actually play sound thru my amp

 

Sounds like you're still trying one of the headphone jacks. It's the rearmost jack, the Mic jack, that you want. When I plug in my headphones a pop-up asks me to choose from Mic In or Side Speaker Out.

 

i try the side speaker out and nothing pops up in my sound/playback for and (s/pdif) out , and nothing plays on my house stereo

 

Does the optical cable light up at all?

 

Okay, I just got home and hooked up a toslink cable. No optical output regardless of which audio port used. Despite what some review sites state, I don't think digital output via S/PDIF is a feature offered on the 14. Dell's specs list 7.1 digital output via HDMI and then go on to list audio out via the 3 audio ports. Those obviously aren't digital though and are only 5.1 combined.

If anyone was counting on S/PDIF the 14 doesn't have it. Neither (it would appear) does the 17 or 18.