[Minosmal]

-----FIXED! THANKS!--------
So i'm trying to setup my FiiO E9 and hook it in to work with my sennheiser 598's. I've searched threads and even tried posting this to computer audio and couldn't find an answer.
 
My question is, what cables i need to hook it up. I have some images to illustrate what i mean, here's the back of the FiiO, and here's the back of my computer's sound card. Please forgive the sound nub question but what sort of cable(s) do i need to connect the FiiO into the back of my computer? I would assume the standard red/black, but i dont have red/black outputs on the back of my computer.
 
Also, here's the back of my computer surround system, is there anyway i can get the three all working together so when i plug my headphones in my amp, the speakers switch over? I'm having the same issue of not having the same colored plugins from the FiiO to my computer and on the back of my surround system. I'm about to head down to the local electronics merchant in town and am at a loss of what sorts of cables i need to set all this up.
 
Thanks! and again please forgive my noobness.

 

[Darkblade48]

What sound card do you have? From your picture, it looks like a standard onboard, and not a discrete sound card.
 
For the E9, there are many options; you could use an E7, E17, or even an E10 to get it to work (fed via USB).
 
Take a look here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/590317/fiio-e9-need-help-opinion
 

 

[Minosmal]

Thanks, yeah i ended up getting it all figured out. Turned out it was that i needed a 3.5mm male to male cable to connect it from my PC to the amp. I had some trouble with interference of some sort once i actually got sound coming out of the amp, but i ended up unplugging the USB i had plugged from it, into the computer and that fixed it.
Turns out the USB doesn't even need to be plugged in if you dont have anything like an ipod or whatever plugged in the top of the amp and that was making the interference. So i ended up getting that 3.5mm cable and doing all that and got it workin! Thanks again.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Thanks, yeah i ended up getting it all figured out. Turned out it was that i needed a 3.5mm male to male cable to connect it from my PC to the amp. I had some trouble with interference of some sort once i actually got sound coming out of the amp, but i ended up unplugging the USB i had plugged from it, into the computer and that fixed it.
Turns out the USB doesn't even need to be plugged in if you don't have anything like an iPod or whatever plugged in the top of the amp and that was making the interference. So i ended up getting that 3.5mm cable and doing all that and got it workin! Thanks again.

Only two things that work on the dock on top of the Fiio E9 is the Fiio E7 & E17, both are DAC/amplifiers.
The USB port on the back of the E9 only functions when the E7 or E17 are plugged into the dock.
The E7 and E17 function as DACs when plugged into the dock. the USB port on the E9 feeds digital audio to the dock.
A DAC is a Digital to Analog Converter
 
As you using the motherboards on-board (built-in) sound, I'm guess it has a low cost DAC.
Using an external add-on DAC should improve the sound quality foryour headphones
Fiio makes D3 (digital optical) and D5 (USB) DACs which cost less then $30.
A nice USB DAC, called the DAC Destroyer sells on eBay for $50.
 
So an add-on DAC would plug into your S/PDIF (digital optical) port or USB port on the motherboard,
You would need a cable, 3.5mm (mini-jack) to RCA to connect the external DAC to the E9.
 
If you got a sound card like the Xonar DX or D1, you could connect to the E9 using the 3.5mm to RCA cable.
The Xonar would come with Dolby Digital, 7.1 surround sound for both your speakers and headphones.
 

 

[Darkblade48]

Quote:

Thanks, yeah i ended up getting it all figured out. Turned out it was that i needed a 3.5mm male to male cable to connect it from my PC to the amp. I had some trouble with interference of some sort once i actually got sound coming out of the amp, but i ended up unplugging the USB i had plugged from it, into the computer and that fixed it.
Turns out the USB doesn't even need to be plugged in if you dont have anything like an ipod or whatever plugged in the top of the amp and that was making the interference. So i ended up getting that 3.5mm cable and doing all that and got it workin! Thanks again.

 
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't connecting the line out from the sound card to the E9 effectively double amplify?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't connecting the line out from the sound card to the E9 effectively double amplify?

I believe the Headphone/Front Speaker jack (green) for the on-board sound is more like a line-out jack that you can plug headphones into.
I not not believe the word amplifier could apply in any way to that jack.