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Creative X-Fi

EightySix Four

EightySix Four

Diamond Member
If I was to buy a Creative X-Fi, and plug it ino my home theatre system through SPDIF or Optical, would it play in surround sound on my speakers? I have heard that it won't because it doesn't output 5.1 through SPDIF or Optical for games unless they are Dolby Digital games or movies. Someone told me to get a card that supports Dolby Digital Live to play normal games in full surround sound on the system, is that correct?
 
You'd have to get a mini-plug to digital coaxial adapter cable (unless you get the higher up ones with the front panel or external panel) since the X-Fi only has digital out through its mini-plug port.

As far as output goes, it can pass a signal (say DD5.1 or DTS thats being decoded from a DVD), but it won't encode anything that isn't a readily passable signal into a surround signal. So if you've got a game, the only way you'd get multichannel audio from the X-Fi is to either run direct analog connections to your reciever (like you would for DVD-A or SACD), in which case your reciever is just working as an amplifier. Otherwise it will just send a stereo signal (which you then could have your reciever upmix using Dolby Pro Logic or DTS Neo:6, but it won't be a true surround signal).

There's a card, I can't recall who makes it, but it features DDL and DTS Connect, and is supposed to be pretty good. The only problem is that for games, you'll have a framerate hit.

So you could still get multichannel audio from an X-Fi but you'd have to run analog cables from the mini-plug on it to your reciever, which most people do not want to do.

If this if for a home theater PC I'd recommend the other card. It costs about the same as an X-Fi Xtreme Music.
 
Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
You'd have to get a mini-plug to digital coaxial adapter cable (unless you get the higher up ones with the front panel or external panel) since the X-Fi only has digital out through its mini-plug port.

As far as output goes, it can pass a signal (say DD5.1 or DTS thats being decoded from a DVD), but it won't encode anything that isn't a readily passable signal into a surround signal. So if you've got a game, the only way you'd get multichannel audio from the X-Fi is to either run direct analog connections to your reciever (like you would for DVD-A or SACD), in which case your reciever is just working as an amplifier. Otherwise it will just send a stereo signal (which you then could have your reciever upmix using Dolby Pro Logic or DTS Neo:6, but it won't be a true surround signal).

There's a card, I can't recall who makes it, but it features DDL and DTS Connect, and is supposed to be pretty good. The only problem is that for games, you'll have a framerate hit.

So you could still get multichannel audio from an X-Fi but you'd have to run analog cables from the mini-plug on it to your reciever, which most people do not want to do.

If this if for a home theater PC I'd recommend the other card. It costs about the same as an X-Fi Xtreme Music.
Click to expand...

Correct. and the card you are thinking of is the Auzentech X-Plosion or the X-Raider. The X-raider just doesn't have replaceable op amps.
 
Does the X-Fi platinum support it? Someone else is swearing to me it does, and I'd like the support, but I do want to hook it up to my home theatre and if it won't that just won't do.
 
Originally posted by: crazySOB297
Does the X-Fi platinum support it? Someone else is swearing to me it does, and I'd like the support, but I do want to hook it up to my home theatre and if it won't that just won't do.
Click to expand...

Support what?

It will play surround sound in movies and any other preencoded material. However, you will not get surround sound in games unless you connect via analog connections. Frankly, if you are going to shell out the big bucks for the X-fi...you would be throwing your money away with a digital connection. You are paying for its clean analog output.
 
Purdue has it exactly right. It's why i have one. It's a gamers card mostly, and gamers cards are best in analog - just like the A2 ZS - best with higher end analog speakers like the Creative MegaWorks.
 
You can always use the analog outs, if you want digital my suggestion is to buy a differnt card, I currently have my reciever hooked up via the 7.1 multichannel in.
 
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