How do I achieve digital sound through my Audigy's digital out?

[Cydewayze]

I swooped up an ol' SB Audigy card a friend of mine spared me, hoping to enjoy the digital sound that it can reproduce with it's odd minijack digital output.

So, I picked up a spdif CD audio cord (the two pronged one), a digital coaxial cable, and a 1/8? mono-to-mono shielded audio adapter from the local Radio Shack (part #274-330) in order to connect the coaxial cable to the Audigy.

Unfortunately I have been unable to hear any sound playback, despite toying with every scenario that has popped into my head?I need some help!

Details (a bit redundant):
The digital coaxial cable runs from my Logitech z-5500?s control pod (which decodes digital signal the same as a receiver) to the 1/8? mono adapter, which is connected to the Audigy?s ?Analog/Digital out? port.

Because my friend didn?t have the drivers/apps CD that came with the Audigy, I downloaded and installed both the drivers (SBA2_PCDrvBeta_LB_2_08_0002) and the Audigy application, audio console (AudCon_PCApp_LB_1_20_23). Then, I enabled SPDIF pass through in audio console.

Questions:
Is the mono adaptor the solution to connecting a coaxial cable to my Audigy?

I noticed that no mixer of any sort is (aside from normal windows sound properties) is bundled in the application software that I downloaded. Does that mean I?m still lacking relevant software?

?elp!

 

[InlineFour]

by running a digital connection, you disable the audigy's DAC and use the z5500 DAC. basically, you're letting the z5500 "process" the audio. in my experience of owning the z5500 and a audigy 2 zs, using the audigy's DAC sounded better. it seemed more dynamic. so in the end, i would stick with the audigy's DAC and using analog cables. why else would you shell out $60 for a sound card?

 

[InlineFour]

i've sold my z5500 so i may not know the exact procedures to use spdf. however, i believe you need to disable onboard dolby digital and dts decoding and allow spdf passthrough.

 

[eno]

I just got it to work on a Audigy2ZS. I have been using that internal drive bay that has a actual Coax/Optical output but I am tired of using that panel since I have to have it on the front of my case and my Media PC is not going to sport that ugly bay. So I went up to Radio Shack yesterday and bought the Gold Series Mono-Mono adapter #274-897. $3.99. I plugged in my MOnster Cable Digital Coax cable into my Onkyo receiver and then the cable and adapter into the digital output on the back of the PCI Audigy2 ZS. I received sound during boot up and music playback. I am stoked I don't have to use my internal bay as a make shift external bay that was just sitting on the outside of my case behind my electronics. So happy to be using the Digital output. Not sure if any of this could help, but ask away and I will try to respond back.

 

[Cydewayze]

Hmmm....I'm skeptical of using RCA's and the audigy's DAC--I can't imagine analog signal besting digital, although it might be so.

Regardless, I think the problem is the Mono minijack, although I don?t know why?it?s a snug fit into the Audigy.

Can somebody who uses an Audigy 1, 2, or X?Fi, or even Live! 5.1?as they all have the same minijack?please explain how to connect a digital speaker system to the digital out minijack.

I don?t understand why this process isn?t clearly explained in either the Audigy or Logitech manual. Don?t a million people do this?

 

[Cydewayze]

Thnx eno, it would appear that my adaptor is the same, just inferior in quality. I can't imagine the gold plating would be the difference between hearing sound, and not...

 

[professor1942]

It makes no difference unless your ears are digital.

 

[InlineFour]

Originally posted by: professor1942
It makes no difference unless your ears are digital.

are you referring to the adapter or the analog vs digital connection?

 

[eno]

Originally posted by: Cydewayze
Thnx eno, it would appear that my adaptor is the same, just inferior in quality. I can't imagine the gold plating would be the difference between hearing sound, and not...

I wasn't meaning to say the gold series is what is making it work for me. I bet in my setup your adapter would send digital as well. Make sure you are using a Digital Coax cable or the Yellow Composite cable to send the signal. From some reading in the past I am not sure if you can run the digital output on the back to a aftermarket set of speakers. I think (not sure) I heard the speaker packages only work with Creative setups and digital output will work to receivers. Could be wrong, I hope you find a fix, I know first hand how frustrating this issue of yours is. Good Luck.

 

[SynthDude2001]

All you should need is a 3.5mm mono to RCA mono adapter/cable, it's what I've used before and it works fine - I can't quite tell from your post if that's what you're already trying to use or not. However, you will only get PCM stereo sound through that connection unless you play a DVD or other pre-encoded Dolby Digital/DTS source, or you set up software DD encoding. I agree with what has been said above though, the DAC's in your Audigy are likely as good or better than the ones in the speakers anyway, and given that it wouldn't be straightforward to get 5.1 sound (from all sources) over a digital connection, I'd recommend sticking with the analog connections. (Stuff like Dolby Digital is actually compressed too, though I've never been able to hear any differences when using it for gaming)