which soundcard for Logitech Z-5500 ?

supergt · 24 Jan 2011 at 22:37

hey guys, so ordered Logitech Z-5500 today and now i need a soundcard, noob here! ive not really got that much to spend, it was really between these 3

Asus Xonar DG 5.1
Asus Xonar DS 7.1
Asus Xonar D1 7.1

of course the cheaper the better, will there be a noticeable difference between them? for 5.1 surround !

thanks

Marsman · 24 Jan 2011 at 22:59

If you are going to use digital connection, in this case optical, go for either the DS or D1. They both have real time 5.1 encoding. DS uses DTS Connect, and the D1 uses Dolby Digital Live. DG has no real time 5.1 encoding.

If you are going to connect via analogue, then any of the 3 cards will be fine, as the 5.1 will be direct. Real time 5.1 encoding is only needed when connecting with digital.

slade · 24 Jan 2011 at 23:25

Dont go for a sound card that only puts out an analouge signal..... go digital!!

Fantastic speakers they are...

supergt · 25 Jan 2011 at 00:14

alright thanks for the reply! now the question! whats better sound? the analogue or digital from it? ive read somewhere that digital isnt as good from these speakers!

Marsman · 25 Jan 2011 at 00:27

Well it all boils down to the DAC (digital to analogue converter). When using analogue from a sound card, the sound card is doing the DAC, when using digital, the speakers DAC will be used.

If going for a D1, I would say the sound card will have a superior DAC, and thus will sound better. The DS and DG are considerably cheaper, and have inferior DAC's and components than the D1 has. Whether or not that means the DS and DG will be on par or better than the speakers DAC, is hard to say without some testing.

Gimpymoo · 25 Jan 2011 at 20:27

slade said:
Dont go for a sound card that only puts out an analouge signal..... go digital!!

That is not true.

The DAC on the Z5500 is not the best.

My Xonar DX via analogue on Z5500 trumps using the Toslink.

Just because something is "Digital" does not make it better.

Why bother purchasing a decent soundcard if your going to let the sub-par DAC on the Z5500 do the donkey work.

wonko · 25 Jan 2011 at 20:44

I thought that the Z5500 used ADCs to convert the analogue inputs into the digital domain, so that the DACs were always used regardless of the input :confused:

supergt · 25 Jan 2011 at 20:45

thats what i read too! so which soundcard would you recommend? hoping to order tonight/tomo!

edit : talking about gimpymoo not wonkos comment ;D

Marsman · 25 Jan 2011 at 20:51

Well if the Z5500's do indeed convert from analogue to digital, and then back to analogue, that makes a choosing a sound card based on sound quality, rather pointless. However, as Gimpy Moo said, his DX, using analogue to the Z5500's, trumps using SPDIF. That's what many a person has said, that have a Xonar D2/D2X.

If the Z5500's are going to convert from incoming analogue to digital, than back into analogue, the sound quality would be the same.

wonko · 25 Jan 2011 at 20:55

I've got both Z5500 and a Xonar D2X, and always used it via digital as I'd read that the analogue inputs were converted. It's just what I've read though so it could be wrong... I think I may try with an analogue connection to see if I can hear (or imagine

) a difference.

Even if the Z5500 does convert the analogue inputs to digital, it doesn't mean that they would sound the same, and some people may prefer the 'analogue' version.

Edit: FWIW, the following is from http://www.laaudiofile.com/z5500.html:

Inside the SoundTouch™ Control Center lies a Cirrus CS494003 32-bit DSP to handle both Dolby® Digital and DTS® bitstreams including DTS® 96/24 data for unsupassed sound quality. A Cirrus CS42526 data conversion chip is used to move signals between the analog and digital domains. The CS42526 contains an amazing number of high-quality converters including six 24-bit DACs and two 24-bit ADCs. The same chip includes digital audio interfaces (S/PDIF) used for the coaxial and optical digital connections. Finally, a pair of Cirrus CS5351 stereo ADCs are also used to convert the remaining analog inputs to the digital domain.