Z-560s and soundstorm?

[rtcpenguin]

Why do my speakers sound like garbage now? The Z-560's are 4.1, so I have them plugged into line out (left/right) and rear spkr (left/right) connectors. First of all, I dont hear any sound coming from the rears when in winamp. Also, I'm getting a lot of distortion from the satellites because they seem to be trying to reproduce the bass, and Im getting very little sound from the sub.

I've gone through all the equalizer settings, and they all sound really crappy compared to my SB Live! 5.1 I just took out.

Help me tweak this setup!

 

[Crusty]

Soundstorm will only sound good if you are using the digital output....

 

[rtcpenguin]

Apparently so. Gay.

 

[Thoreau]

As much as everyone says the nForce sound is top-notch, I still consider anything from the SBLive and up to be better. You couldn't pay me to use anything but my Audigy Plat. with the Logitech Z5300's. (OK, you COULD pay me, but it would need to be around $200 (enough for Audigy 2 Plat.))

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: MCrusty
Soundstorm will only sound good if you are using the digital output....

bullshît!
They aren't as good, but they definately shouldn't sound like what he's experiencing, and they should definately be better than sblive!

turn off dolby surround encoding if you have that on, set your speakers to 4.1 mode. You're not supposed to get sound from the rears in winamp! Music is 2 channel, not 4! Push the Test Tone button, and you should get sound from all 4 channels if you hooked it up your speakers correctly.
btw, what mobo are you using?

Next you say there is no sound comming out of your sub. Try adjusting the LFE Crossover Frequency slider.

 

[CasTroLTraN]

Originally posted by: MCrusty
Soundstorm will only sound good if you are using the digital output....

bullshit!
LOL... soundstorm is great, but definitely not as good as a Audigy 2. But hell it should not f^#$cking sound as crappy as described. There is a big cost different between the two, so they shouldn't even be compared! I also have a 4.1 system hooked up to the soundstorm and it sounded great. I have the altec lansing 641 system, and soundstorm puts out great quality sound. As for winamp...it's 2 channel sound but if you want 4 speaker output then you must put turn on stereo2x. And getting a lot of distortion from the satalite.... you should check your system....cuz my 641 sounded really sweet. As for my sub...hell I got a lot of quality bass, really great bass coming from the two sub drivers (shakes up my whole house). As for SBLive... soundstorm is way way way better.

 

[Jeff7]

In Winamp, which output plugin are you using, DirectSound or Waveout? (Ctrl+P, Output plugin section)
You need to use DirectSound for surround sound music. And with DirectSound selected, Configure it. Check Hardware Acceleration. Exit out of the config menus back to the main window. Restart/play the song. Hopefully that'll do it.

 

[Mem]

. Also, I'm getting a lot of distortion from the satellites because they seem to be trying to reproduce the bass, and Im getting very little sound from the sub.

I've gone through all the equalizer settings, and they all sound really crappy compared to my SB Live! 5.1 I just took out.

Help me tweak this setup!

I`m using onboard nForce sound,sounds fine to me,infact my Audigy is boxed away,go to Nvidia nForce sound control panel,in the "surround settings" leave them all unticked.

Test tone is good to see if all speakers are working and plugged in right,I just play a MP3 via Windows Media player 9 for music sound test,sounds good to me,as for gaming I`ve never had any problems with all 6 speakers working(I`ve 5.1 speakers).

Using digital where possible will improve the sound even further,I think the onboard nForce sound does vary between motherboards and also speakers you`re using.

 

[spanner]

You need to set the output plugin in winamp to nvidia directsound. Also if your configuration is set to 5.1 then the base will be redirected to the 5th channel which you do not have hooked up. Sounstorm audio is every bit as good as my old live 5.1.

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: MCrusty
Soundstorm will only sound good if you are using the digital output....

I guarantee the z560's sound better using Soundstorms analog output than Soundstorms digital output. Of course, IF they had digital inputs the tables would be turned.

I use my z560's and Soundstorm analog, and garbage is definately not how they sound. I'd rate them "pretty good".

 

[Makaveli]

I also have the Z-560's. I'm currently running them off an audigy 1. I have no problems hearing audio from all 4 speakers in Winamp 5.1. I was considering running my speakers off the SoundStorm on my Asus A7n8x Deluxe, after reading many reviews. The general consensus was SoundStorm was much better using the Digital Out but the Audigy 1 was better for Gaming. SoundStorm also got the nod for music. As for Analog sound the Audigy 1 was given the nod also, with much better base than the SoundStorm. So considering my System is primarily used as a gaming Rig, I decided to keep the Augidy 1 in and disabled the SoundStorm.

You also have to go to the lilttle speaker in the taskbar, then adjust Audio Properties, then Advanced. Now make sure your speakers are setup for Quadraphonic speakers.