Need sound card with 5.1 digital coax connection.

[Energize]

I need to connect an av reciever to my pc using a digital coax cable so I can play movies on the pc in 5.1, what output do I need on the soundcard, and what cards would you reccomend?

 

[Tute]

I believe the X-Fi range will all do this, although the Music and Gamer require an extra connector from the Creative Labs website. The more expensive ones have one of the breakout box.

I don't think the Audio has one though.

You might want to wait for clarification regarding the connector as this was a few months back.

[Edit] This is the connector.

http://uk.europe.creative.com/shop/product_bundles.asp?category=14&subcategory=0&product=773&page=

Sound Blaster® Live!™ 24 bit
Sound Blaster® Audigy™ 2 Value
Sound Blaster® Audigy™ SE
Sound Blaster® Audigy™ 4
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Range:
X-Fi Xtreme Audio (SB0790)
X-Fi Xtreme Music (SB0460)
X-Fi Platinum (SB0460)
X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS (SB0466)
X-Fi Xtreme Gamer - Fatal1ty Professional Series (SB046A)
X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series (SB046A)
X-Fi Elite Pro (SB0550, SB055A)

The audio IS supported after all.

 

[badbob]

Look for C-Media based chipsets, work and you don't need X-Fi or other expensive card- EAX and all that won't be used.

I'm using a M-Audio Revolution 5.1, RCA coaxial output. DD/DTS works fine in DVD player software, as does 44khz PCM although having problems with DTS wave files.

 

[Energize]

How do trading standards let creative get away with selling i/o adaptors at £24? The cards digital output is useless without it, so they should have to include it with the card.

I've found the TRUST SC-5200 5.1 SURROUND SOUND CARD for £15,this has a coax digital output built in.

 

[james.miller]

that'll do it just fine

 

[Energize]

Just had a look on the manufacturer website, it doesn't output 5.1 through the digital connections.

 

[james.miller]

it will work, my friend had one before i gave him my x-mystique. what they wont do is 5.1 for gaming

 

[Phil99]

How do trading standards let creative get away with selling i/o adaptors at £24? The cards digital output is useless without it, so they should have to include it with the card.

On which card? I've used digital output on cards from (IIRC) a SB 4.1 card, SB Live 5.1, Audigy 2 and X-Fi Xtreme Music without anything extra costing remotely close to £24. All you need is a 3.5mm -> Phono adapter and a digital co-ax input on your receiver, or in the case of the Xtreme Gamer, an optical cable.

 

[Energize]

So if I buy a creative audigy se and a male 3.5mm to female mono phono adaptor I can get 5.1 surround to my amp in movies and games?

 

[Dr.EM]

This is what i'm doing, only to get stereo mind, but it works perfectly. Audigy 2, my MD deck does the DAC now.

 

[james.miller]

So if I buy a creative audigy se and a male 3.5mm to female mono phono adaptor I can get 5.1 surround to my amp in movies and games?

no, not for games. games are a different ball game. for that, you'll need a DDLive or dts:interactive encoding card like the x-mystique, x-plosion, xfi prelude ect

 

[Phil99]

So if I buy a creative audigy se and a male 3.5mm to female mono phono adaptor I can get 5.1 surround to my amp in movies and games?

You'll get 5.1 (or however many channels it's encoded in/your receiver can handle) if the source is pre-encoded, i.e. DVDs. The problem is that games aren't pre-encoded and Creative cards can't encode on-the-fly so you only get PCM stereo for anything that hasn't already been encoded in to a multichannel audio format like DD or DTS. That adapter will work for digital output though; I'm using one at the moment.

 

[yanguangz]

I think the extigy can do the job.

Found this on the net. hope it will help.

 

[yanguangz]

 

[badbob]

You don't need anything like that. A standard card with digital coaxial or optical output with Dolby Digital & DTS streaming is all that's required. In fact I'd rather not have low quality Creative analogue sections in between, as the DAC and processing in my av pre-amp is far higher in quality.