home theater and sound cards

[Kaido]

I saw an odd setup the other day. I was working on my friend's home theater. They had a Media Center PC with the surround sound card with the three minijacks on the back hooked up to their receiver via 6-channel direct using splitter cables. Basically, there are three plugs on the back of the sound card for surround sound and six RCA plugs on the back of the receiver for 6-channel direct input and they were using three minijack-to-RCA cables to connect it. I've never seen a setup like that before. Does it actually work or was it just a screwy setup?

 

[Skiguy411]

Yes, they are using the analog output. Basically it allows the sound card to do all the decoding and then passes it on to the reciever just do the amplifying. If they were to use digital out put (coax/optical), it sends a PCM signal to the reciever for decoding and amplifying. It wouldnt be true dolby digital.....unless the sound card supported a thing called dolby digital live (Nvidia's Soundstorm uses it)

Its just to get "true" Dolby Digital surround from the computer through their home theatre.

 

[Baked]

They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

Not for DVD-Audio they couldn't

Using splitters is the only way. That is why the quality of the analog output is so important in many cases.

That said, using all those surround modes would be sweet.


<---uses optical out via soundstorm

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

I switched them to optical, but they broke the flap off of it so if anyone bumps the table it'll fall out. The sound card also has coaxial output labeled on the card itself, but it's a minijack connection...is there such thing as a coaxial mini to full-sized RCA? Or how does that work?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

I switched them to optical, but they broke the flap off of it so if anyone bumps the table it'll fall out. The sound card also has coaxial output labeled on the card itself, but it's a minijack connection...is there such thing as a coaxial mini to full-sized RCA? Or how does that work?

Why did you switch it?😕

Depending on what soundcard they had it might have been better that way.

 

[Goosemaster]

The next time I upgrade I am getting highquality analog out😀

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

Not for DVD-Audio they couldn't

Using splitters is the only way. That is why the quality of the analog output is so important in many cases.

That said, using all those surround modes would be sweet.


<---uses optical out via soundstorm

Yeah, I'd never heard of using the splitters that way before, that's pretty cool. I was wondering how to get DVD-A output on my own card, an Audigy 2 ZS, because it came with a DVD-A sampler disc (which is amazing!) but I knew you couldn't output it through digital audio cables. It's the same with SACD, right?

 

[Skiguy411]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

I switched them to optical, but they broke the flap off of it so if anyone bumps the table it'll fall out. The sound card also has coaxial output labeled on the card itself, but it's a minijack connection...is there such thing as a coaxial mini to full-sized RCA? Or how does that work?

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c...002%5F001%5F001&product%5Fid=274%2D897

The sound card will not send a Dolby Digital signal....Unless the source is Dolby Digital(such as a dvd)

 

[Baked]

How many people do you know has DVD-A and SACD? Seriously. Most people use their HT for DVD movie, and digital will give them the best quality over analog RCA.

 

[PurdueRy]

I have mine setup exactly like that. I also have a digital coax connection. I use each for different purposes. The way he has it setup is for gaming mainly and DVD-audio. Its just analog connections and is absolutely hooked up correctly.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

I switched them to optical, but they broke the flap off of it so if anyone bumps the table it'll fall out. The sound card also has coaxial output labeled on the card itself, but it's a minijack connection...is there such thing as a coaxial mini to full-sized RCA? Or how does that work?

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c...002%5F001%5F001&product%5Fid=274%2D897

The sound card will not send a Dolby Digital signal....Unless the source is Dolby Digital(such as a dvd)

Aye. Instead they will jsut get a damn PCM signal that ignores every capability of the sound card🙁

 

[Skiguy411]

This reminds me. Does anyone know of a sound card that will output DTS....not just DD?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

I switched them to optical, but they broke the flap off of it so if anyone bumps the table it'll fall out. The sound card also has coaxial output labeled on the card itself, but it's a minijack connection...is there such thing as a coaxial mini to full-sized RCA? Or how does that work?

Why did you switch it?😕

Depending on what soundcard they had it might have been better that way.

I came over to look at their receiver and ended up rewiring a lot of stuff. It turned out they just had a bad receiver. It was a big Gateway system with a plasma, MCPC, DVD player, and 6.1 audio system they got a couple years ago. The receiver would randomly click off and would ALWAYS click off when they switched it from the computer's analog outputs. It wasn't a heat issue because it had plenty of air going to it and it had done it before with their previous receiver (same model, but they sent them a new one to replace it, which had the same problem). So they just sent it out for a third time.

 

[Skiguy411]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Baked
They could've just used a sound card w/ optical or coaxial digital out.

I switched them to optical, but they broke the flap off of it so if anyone bumps the table it'll fall out. The sound card also has coaxial output labeled on the card itself, but it's a minijack connection...is there such thing as a coaxial mini to full-sized RCA? Or how does that work?

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?c...002%5F001%5F001&product%5Fid=274%2D897

The sound card will not send a Dolby Digital signal....Unless the source is Dolby Digital(such as a dvd)

Aye. Instead they will jsut get a damn PCM signal that ignores every capability of the sound card🙁

True. However, I think I would much rather have a decent reciever decode the signal rather than the sound card.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Baked
How many people do you know has DVD-A and SACD? Seriously. Most people use their HT for DVD movie, and digital will give them the best quality over analog RCA.

As rleemhui pointed out, optical just doesn't work with gaming. The reciever can't decode stuff like EAX. I'll admit, many games have DD and even half-life added a patch that would make it work, but only with soundstorm as it encodes the DD signal on demand.


Basically, the only thing optical is good for is stereo PCM and DD/DTS because those rely on the reciever.

It's teh budget-conscience persons high-grade analog😀

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Skiguy411
This reminds me. Does anyone know of a sound card that will output DTS....not just DD?

Via what connection?

PowerDVD and such will decode it and send it out

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Baked
How many people do you know has DVD-A and SACD? Seriously. Most people use their HT for DVD movie, and digital will give them the best quality over analog RCA.

As rleemhui pointed out, optical just doesn't work with gaming. The reciever can't decode stuff like EAX. I'll admit, many games have DD and even half-life added a patch that would make it work, but only with soundstorm as it encodes the DD signal on demand.


Basically, the only thing optical is good for is stereo PCM and DD/DTS because those rely on the reciever.

It's teh budget-conscience persons high-grade analog😀

So really the best option is to get a 5.1 card and use analog outputs with splitters if you're more musically inclined and like to play games?

 

[Skiguy411]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Skiguy411
This reminds me. Does anyone know of a sound card that will output DTS....not just DD?

Via what connection?

PowerDVD and such will decode it and send it out

Digtial Coax

Hmm...I was using ATI's Multimedia Center. I'll have to try a different DVD player. Thanks

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Baked
How many people do you know has DVD-A and SACD? Seriously. Most people use their HT for DVD movie, and digital will give them the best quality over analog RCA.

Their setup didn't, but mine did. The either used the computer, mostly to surf the net, watched tv, or used the dvd player.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Baked
How many people do you know has DVD-A and SACD? Seriously. Most people use their HT for DVD movie, and digital will give them the best quality over analog RCA.

Their setup didn't, but mine did. The either used the computer, mostly to surf the net, watched tv, or used the dvd player.

In that case optical was better.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Skiguy411

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Skiguy411
This reminds me. Does anyone know of a sound card that will output DTS....not just DD?

Via what connection?

PowerDVD and such will decode it and send it out

Digtial Coax

Hmm...I was using ATI's Multimedia Center. I'll have to try a different DVD player. Thanks

For audio or under speaker options, set it to s/pdif passthorugh.

 

[Kaido]

Can anyone in this forum actually discern the difference between analog and digital cables in terms of sound quality? I guess I've never owned speakers good enough to tell. I setup my brother's apartment home theater with z-680s using coaxial, digital, and analog for the dvd, vhs, gamecube, and ps2, and can't really tell a difference between any of them, other than the vcr since it's stereo (even mixed with plII)

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: Baked
How many people do you know has DVD-A and SACD? Seriously. Most people use their HT for DVD movie, and digital will give them the best quality over analog RCA.

As rleemhui pointed out, optical just doesn't work with gaming. The reciever can't decode stuff like EAX. I'll admit, many games have DD and even half-life added a patch that would make it work, but only with soundstorm as it encodes the DD signal on demand.


Basically, the only thing optical is good for is stereo PCM and DD/DTS because those rely on the reciever.

It's teh budget-conscience persons high-grade analog😀

So really the best option is to get a 5.1 card and use analog outputs with splitters if you're more musically inclined and like to play games?

Yeah, but we aren't talking about some POS card here. You need to get something good. And if you want to game a lot, you need soemthing that supports the sourround sound enhancements.

You're pretty much stuck with Creative stuff when it comesto gaming. I haven't messed with their stuff in years personally, but overall, it has always been decent, albeit surrounded by a bunch of software overhead.

Their New Audigy looks nice in terms of the numbers, but that is where my knowledge stops since I haven't tried them. Testing results are suppossed to be real good though.

That said, check out M-Audio. I once got to use an M-Audio Delta Dio and was floored.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Can anyone in this forum actually discern the difference between analog and digital cables in terms of sound quality? I guess I've never owned speakers good enough to tell. I setup my brother's apartment home theater with z-680s using coaxial, digital, and analog for the dvd, vhs, gamecube, and ps2, and can't really tell a difference between any of them, other than the vcr since it's stereo (even mixed with plII)

It's not the cables. It's your hardware.

In my case, mY soundstorm has average analog output. Basically, going from optical to analog would be a downgrade. For me, the soundstorm can handle passthorugh of about 32bit quality so everythign sounds as great as my reciever can make it.

As for higher end cards with better analog, you msut check the specs of your receiver/speaker preamp. If you can't handle the 192/24bit audio at the processor/ D/A convertor, you ain't gonna get it coming otu of the speakers.