Setting up with an amp query

ooaldridge · 20 Apr 2006 at 16:10

Im thinking of setting up with hifi speakers using an x-fi soundcard. if i connected from the digital I/O connecter to say a 7.1 amp would i still get complete surround sound or effectively 2.1 sound?

if 2.1 sound is there any way to create 7.1 sound using the x-fi sound card?

Tommy B · 20 Apr 2006 at 16:48

NOPE. The X-Fi WILL NOT output a 7.1 signal UNLESS you are watching a DVD in which case it can by-pass the DD or DTS signal via the digital output. It won't however do realtime encoding, so you can't get 7.1 games/music etc. It's only 2.1 I'm afraid.

If you want to connect it via 7.1 you need THREE jack>Dual phono connectors. They then split in to FL/FR/SUB/CENTRE/RL/RR. I've no idea how the SL and SR work though!

Hope that helps.

fish99 · 20 Apr 2006 at 16:51

X-Fi won't output 7.1 through digital optical in games, it will do it in DVDs though. That's basically because it doesn't do realtime Dolby Digital encoding. So if the surround sound is already encoded in the signal it will pass it on, but otherwise you just get stereo. You would need to use four 3.5 mm to phono jack leads, and you would need to use the analogue inputs on your 7.1 amp (AV receiver), assuming it has 7.1 analogue in, and analogue outputs on your X-Fi.

ooaldridge · 20 Apr 2006 at 16:56

thanks for the info.

Theoreticly speaking, could i have 4.1 sound if i set up the soundcard as 7.1 like in this diagram: http://www.creative.com/products/speakers/howto/?f=5&v=1 by having 2 amps connected to the relative ports and a sub connected to the sub/centre port?

Tommy B · 20 Apr 2006 at 16:57

ooaldridge said:
thanks for the info.

Theoreticly speaking, could i have 4.1 sound if i set up the soundcard as 7.1 like in this diagram: http://www.creative.com/products/speakers/howto/?f=5&v=1 by having 2 amps connected to the relative ports and a sub connected to the sub/centre port?

Erm. Yes, hence the jack>phono thing we both explained

ooaldridge · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:00

Tommy B said:
Erm. Yes, hence the jack>phono thing we both explained

sorry im not that technically minded to know what that meant

ooaldridge · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:04

for that 7.1 sound if you did that split the connectors thing i take it you would efectively need 7 amps?

Tommy B · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:05

You need three of these...

The AV receiver would have loads of PHONO inputs (the red & white fatter ones) and the X-Fi has three JACK outputs. (not including the digital one)

I'm not actually 100% sure myself tbh, but I think the X-fi works by channeling sound through the L and R phono leads. For example, the white phono might carry the centre speaker sound, where as the red phono might carry the subwoofer sound.

Someone may be able to clear this up!

EDIT: How strange. It seems that somehow the card outputs 4 channels of audio through each line out. I've no idea how that works!

ooaldridge · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:13

just to clear up a thought, can an av receiver play all the sound signals going into it or does it selectively play individual ones e.g. dvd, cd, tv, etc?

edit: and on an av receiver can you adjust each individual sound output?

Tommy B · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:16

Ah, this is what you'd need!

http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=16&product=14309

Tommy B · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:19

ooaldridge said:
just to clear up a thought, can an av receiver play all the sound signals going into it or does it selectively play individual ones e.g. dvd, cd, tv, etc?

edit: and on an av receiver can you adjust each individual sound output?

It depends on the make and model. The higher the price the more stuff you can do!

ooaldridge · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:22

on the back of an av reveiver what set of ports would use to plug in the leads?

Tommy B · 20 Apr 2006 at 17:27

Phono