Using Optical Out from Audigy

Jimbo Mahoney · 30 Dec 2006 at 18:24

Hey guys,

I have an Audigy 4 OEM (I think) and I've connected my AV amp using optical (mini-TOS on SBLive - TOS at AV amp).

I'm not getting any sound though, and can't find any way to enable / disable the optical out in the SB interface.

Will it only output Dolby optically, or should it output everything?

Any ideas?

Phil99 · 30 Dec 2006 at 19:21

Windows Volume Control -> Advanced -> Enable Digital IO

Creative Control Panel -> disable onboard Dolby Digital decoding

Jimbo Mahoney · 30 Dec 2006 at 21:18

Thanks, but I don't have either of those options.

Jimbo Mahoney · 31 Dec 2006 at 10:11

OK it's an Audigy 2 if that makes any difference.

I've installed the latest drivers from the website and still don't have any reference to digital out. (Except in the User Guide / Online help, which describes the method of connecting the optical out to an AV amp, but makes no reference to software).

I assume I can have normal speakers AND the optical out connected at the same time? There's not some all-too-clever disabling of the optical if speakers are detected is there?

Phil99 · 31 Dec 2006 at 15:32

In Windows Volume control (system tray icon), go to Options - Advanced Controls then under the main volume slider there should be an advanced options button, go on that then there should be a tick box to enable it. There's one with my X-Fi and although it's been a couple of years since I used an Audigy 2, I'm sure it was there on that as well. The Dolby Digital options should be on one of the panels in the AudioHQ app.

manic_man · 31 Dec 2006 at 15:47

Did the audigy's ever even HAVE optical out? :S

I thought they all had the little 3.5mm electrical "Flexi-Jack"

Unless you have the breakout box or im entirely mis reading it all

Presuming you have none of the above, what you actually need is a 3.5mm mono to phono adaptor and then to plug into your av reciever's co-ax input!

Sorry if ive got totally the wrong end of the stick there.

jbloggs · 2 Jan 2007 at 17:37

Jimbo Mahoney:

manic_man wrote:

Presuming you have none of the above, what you actually need is a 3.5mm mono to phono adaptor and then to plug into your av reciever's co-ax input!

This is correct (also have the 2ZS), if your receiver doesn't have co-ax in, but only optical in, you will need some kind adapter to convert co-ax to optical->receiver.

Jimbo Mahoney · 3 Jan 2007 at 01:00

Damnit!

manic_man · 3 Jan 2007 at 01:07

well presuming you can connect up the co-ax the result should be exactly the same as using optical. i.e. you can play non encoded stuff in PCM 2.0 stereo and it can pass through all pre encoded content to an external decoder.

I think that the THX panel you should have as part of the audigy 2 software is probably the simplest way to enable the digital out. Though if i recall you cant have both digital and analogue enabled at the same time as I can with my X-Fi.

Theres no difference in quality between optical and co-axial btw, both pass the exact same digital signal, so both are either working perfectly or you know about it in the form of really bad corruption etc etc.

Jimbo Mahoney · 3 Jan 2007 at 08:17

It's just that I already bought a really long optical cable and mini-TOS - TOS adapter. :rolleyes:

Ah well. Thanks for your help, that really does explain why I'm not getting pretty red flashing light out of the optical fibre, since there's none going into it in the first place...