Megaworks 510D Question

[schumaj]

I have an aging Cambridge Megaworks 510D 5.1 system, but it still sounds very nice. The system using a "5.1" cord to output to a 5.1 plug in the Audigy in my comp. I am getting a new computer soon and would like to keep new speakers out of the budget, because these work fine. I am also tired of driver issues and bloatware of soundblaster cards, and am looking at the bluegears b-enspirer.

How can I get these to work with the new card, or how can i get this setup to run through a 5.1 receiver. With the enspire I would just take the optical out to the optical in on the receiver, but where does the "5.1" plug go. It is not a coax, because it doesn't fit in the coax on the receiver, I tested it.

Any suggestions, or anyone with knowledge of the 510d?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Welcome to AT.

I'm a bit confused on what's going on.

How do you have things hooked up now? I'm confused about the "5.1 receiver". Do you have a hometheater receiver that you're hooking up in addition to the set of 510Ds?

Is your plan to connect the soundcard to a receiver and then connect the computer speakers to the receiver?

 

[schumaj]

 

[schumaj]

Things are hooked up now via their 5.1 cable that came with the megaworks. I think its a propietary cable of some sort because it is not an optical cable, and it doesn't fit in the coaxial cables of a receiver i have. The 5.1 cable goes into the 5.1 out slot on the the Audigy card.

If in a new system i get say, the blugears b-enspirer card, it doesn't have a single 5.1 line-in, except for optical/spdif which i don't have with the current speaker setup.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I think the 510D has creative's proprietary digital din connection for a digital input and then the standard 5.1 analog connection as an input.

To hook up the set to a non-audigy soundcard, you can just use these analog connections. It will be three stereo 3.5mm cables instead of a single digital line.

Are you saying you want to have two sources connected to the speaker system at once?
(Receiver and Computer?)

I just want to make sure you only have one source you want to use.

If you only want to hook up your comptuer, you just need to hook up to the three 3.5mm inputs on the speakers to give it a 5.1 analog signal from your soundcard.

 

[schumaj]

I was wanting to keep a digital signal, not analog, I mentioned the receiver because I was thinking of bringing a receiver into the office, and running thing in my office through it. But I only want to use one source for sure. I guess the whole issue is remaining digital as opposed to analog.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: schumaj
I was wanting to keep a digital signal, not analog, I mentioned the receiver because I was thinking of bringing a receiver into the office, and running thing in my office through it. But I only want to use one source for sure. I guess the whole issue is remaining digital as opposed to analog.

Digital isn't necessarily the way to go

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=30&threadid=1940133&enterthread=y

 

[schumaj]

The B-enspirer has all the nice dd/dts encoding on it, including the upconvert neo settings, which the creative doesn't and at a cheaper price. I do watch a fair amount of dvds on the comp, so dts is preferred. If i have to I will get an X-fi, but does the base model, x-fi music have a 5.1 din plugin, I though I read it only had a single multi-in which would mean I couldnt have headphones and the speakers plugged in at the same time, I like to switch to headphones at night to not wake the wife Up who is earlier to bed than I am.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Btw, a soundcard will have 5.1 out, not 5.1 in.

You don't need one of these DD / DTS encoding cards if the material is already encoded (like a DVD). You just need it to be able to decode, like you can with virtually all cards.

The DD / DTS encoding cards are useful when you want to connect digitally to a receiver for games.

You'll still be able to get DTS from running analog, it will just get converted in the card rather than your speakers or a different decoder.

The X-Fi cards do not have the digital din connection, but the analog should get you superior results.

Your speakers don't have a headphone jack on them, do they?

 

[schumaj]

no headphone jack on speakers

so running it the way suggest should produce the same sound in movies, games, and music that i have with my single connection on my current setup?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Well as far as I know Creative dropped the digital DIN connection type with X-Fi, so if you're getting a card newer than the Audigy line, you'll be limited to the analog connections for 5.1 on those speakers.

Does your case have a front panel headphone jack? If you get a card that has internal connections, you could use that to hook up your headphones.

 

[schumaj]

My old Audigy was a platinum so it has the front panel, but I don't plan on getting the new front panel cards because of cost, and i just feel like the whole creative is experience is bloated in general. Too bad the old front panel isn't compatible. So, I guess I should buy the din to rca cord to hook up the new card to the old speakers, whatever card i get.

thanks for your help btw.

edit found this
http://us.creative.com/products/product...tegory=13&subcategory=58&product=10367
assume these are the cables you meant, maybe i will have some of those in my leftover audigy cables somewhere.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: schumaj
My old Audigy was a platinum so it has the front panel, but I don't plan on getting the new front panel cards because of cost, and i just feel like the whole creative is experience is bloated in general. Too bad the old front panel isn't compatible. So, I guess I should buy the din to rca cord to hook up the new card to the old speakers, whatever card i get.

thanks for your help btw.

edit found this
http://us.creative.com/products/product...tegory=13&subcategory=58&product=10367
assume these are the cables you meant, maybe i will have some of those in my leftover audigy cables somewhere.

Yeah, those cables should have come with the speakers.