Sound card: 96khz/24-bit audio decoding question

[jrichrds]

Both WinDVD and PowerDVD have an option to enable 96khz/24-bit audio decoding. With it enabled, the sound plays fine through either an SBLive! MP3+ or Yamaha USB speakers. But I was under the impression only newer, more expensive sound cards like the Audigy supported 96khz/24-bit decoding. Is this not the case? Or are the sound card drivers reconverting back to 16-bit before outputing the sound?

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: jrichrds
Both WinDVD and PowerDVD have an option to enable 96khz/24-bit audio decoding. With it enabled, the sound plays fine through either an SBLive! MP3+ or Yamaha USB speakers. But I was under the impression only newer, more expensive sound cards like the Audigy supported 96khz/24-bit decoding. Is this not the case? Or are the sound card drivers reconverting back to 16-bit before outputing the sound?

Your older sound cards have to be downsampling, or else the DVD software is seeing that the sound card can't handle 24/96 and is falling back to 16/48 anyway. The Audigy does not properly support 24/96, despite what Creative claims. The Audigy 2 can actually handle it, as can the M-Audio Revolution 7.1.

 

[jrichrds]

OK, thanks for the info.

Looks like the days of SBLive series being the "premium" sound cards are long over, with cheaper alternatives providing better quality.