Best sound card for Z-5500's?

[wildcat86]

Whats the best sound card for the Logitech Z-5500's? I would like to use optical output. Ive heard mixed things about the X-Mystique so I'm not sure if thats the best card to go with. Thanks for any help!

 

[alcoholbob]

Any sound card in the last 10 years thats not onboard will be more than enough for the Z5500s.

 

[keeleysam]

audigy 2 platinum

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you want a card to just do digital out for music, get a Chaintech AV-710.

If you need surround sound in games, get an X-Mystique or Montego for a DDL connection.

You will also get very good results using a standard soundcard and hooking up in analog. If you send a digital signal to your speakers, you're just having the Logitech control pod do the decoding and processing rather than a soundcard. For $100, you could get a nice analog soundcard for this and skip the digital connection.

Is there a reason you want to use the digital connection?

 

[wildcat86]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
If you want a card to just do digital out for music, get a Chaintech AV-710.

If you need surround sound in games, get an X-Mystique or Montego for a DDL connection.

You will also get very good results using a standard soundcard and hooking up in analog. If you send a digital signal to your speakers, you're just having the Logitech control pod do the decoding and processing rather than a soundcard. For $100, you could get a nice analog soundcard for this and skip the digital connection.

Is there a reason you want to use the digital connection?

i thought it would be better quality if it was optical since that would mean it would be bit-perfect output

i would like to take advantage of that and the 96 kHz / 24 bit support, right now im using a santa cruz which doesnt support either

I want this card for movies and music mostly, but for some gaming too

 

[wildcat86]

bump

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: wildcat86

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
If you want a card to just do digital out for music, get a Chaintech AV-710.

If you need surround sound in games, get an X-Mystique or Montego for a DDL connection.

You will also get very good results using a standard soundcard and hooking up in analog. If you send a digital signal to your speakers, you're just having the Logitech control pod do the decoding and processing rather than a soundcard. For $100, you could get a nice analog soundcard for this and skip the digital connection.

Is there a reason you want to use the digital connection?

i thought it would be better quality if it was optical since that would mean it would be bit-perfect output

i would like to take advantage of that and the 96 kHz / 24 bit support, right now im using a santa cruz which doesnt support either

I want this card for movies and music mostly, but for some gaming too

Well, it would be bit-perfect out from a card like the AV710, but as soon as it gets to the contol pod for the z-5500s, the output quality is going to be reduced to whatever the quality the control pod produces.
The speakers themselves are going to be a limiting factor in the quality of the final sound too.

If you're not worried about surround sound in gaming though, then go ahead with a digital connection and offload the sound conversion work to the control pod.

I have an X-Mystique hooked up to my receiver and it's working well. I had the Chaintech before that and it was just as good at movies/music at the X-Mystique. If you're not interested in gaming with DDL, then just get the Chaintech card.

 

[alcoholbob]

What is 96khz that might be played on an HTPC?

DTS "might" be sampled at multiples of 48khz, although I don't know how often it is. DTS isn't exactly the standard in DVD audio, and you usually have to pay more for DTS disks anyway. Why do you have to have 96khz/24-bit support?

 

[konakona]

phililps aurillium. just ordered one yesterday, heard its already out of stock. keep checking tho, it seems to come and go. i just got lucky that they had it when i was about to checkout