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Does SB Live support 5.1??

M

Mule

Golden Member
I have an older Sound Blaster Live that I had gotten when it first came out and was wondering if the older ones supported 5.1 Dolby Digital. I was at the store the other day and I noticed on the box that the ones they are selling now have that. I don't remember if the older ones that that specifically written on the box.
 
Yes they can pass DD to an external decoder. Some, like the Value, did not include an external connector but did have pins on the board for a coaxial hookup (or an optical add-on). The "5.1" models just added more analog outputs and used software decoding, which in my opinion is useless as it requires an external amplifer anyway and just makes for more mess and interference with all those analog cables. Essentially, it was a way to tout more features and sell crappy amp and speaker kits. If you happened to already have a good old "digital ready" amp then it would be usefull, but otherwise mass market amps always include decoders for a minimal cost these days and it is much better to maintain a digital signal as long as possible before being output to speakers.
 
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