X-Fi Titanium Out Of Sync
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Hmm, well it definitely supports Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS equivalent. I wonder if it has to be enabled, and isn't just automatic. Pro logic II Thats what it does, now why isn't it converting in the incoming audio to 5.1?
It basically does what DD Live or DTS Connect does with the DDL/DTSC pack you installed, except as James said with DDL and DTSC they convert multi channel audio to digital. Pro Logic II and DTS Neo take 2 channel sound and convert to 5.1.
Pro Logic II for eg, can be used to convert audio coming in from analogue souce via the phono to 5.1, but it also does it with digital, or at least should do. My 5.1 system converts 2 channel sound from say MP3 audio to 5.1 using Pro Logic I, but it definitely works with phono and coaxial/optical. This should apply to your amp too. I did wonder if enabling 'Play Stereo Mix Using Digital Output' the card is causing something to the audio so the Sony receiver is not able to apply DPL II or DTS Neo and convert it to 5.1.
Just lookin at my X-Fi console, in the Dolby section it says, DD bitstream out. ON: external decoder. OFF: built in decoder. So it seems the X-Fi must have Dolby to be able to pass out Dolby audio to an external decoder, which would make sense. Same goes for DTS. This would make some sense as you can only pass out Dolby or DTS audio via digital if you have DDL/DTSC pack installed. What is puzzling though, my Xonar DS does not have Dolby at all, but yet it can pass out Dolby Digital to an external decoder. It must work differently for Asus and Creative cards it seems. The Creative cards need to have Dolby included to be able to pass it out via digital, Asus cards do not.
If that is indeed correct, then enabling 'Play Stereo Mix Using Digital Output' must be forcing the audio so DPL II or DTS Neo can't do bugger all with it.
It basically does what DD Live or DTS Connect does with the DDL/DTSC pack you installed, except as James said with DDL and DTSC they convert multi channel audio to digital. Pro Logic II and DTS Neo take 2 channel sound and convert to 5.1.
Pro Logic II for eg, can be used to convert audio coming in from analogue souce via the phono to 5.1, but it also does it with digital, or at least should do. My 5.1 system converts 2 channel sound from say MP3 audio to 5.1 using Pro Logic I, but it definitely works with phono and coaxial/optical. This should apply to your amp too. I did wonder if enabling 'Play Stereo Mix Using Digital Output' the card is causing something to the audio so the Sony receiver is not able to apply DPL II or DTS Neo and convert it to 5.1.
Just lookin at my X-Fi console, in the Dolby section it says, DD bitstream out. ON: external decoder. OFF: built in decoder. So it seems the X-Fi must have Dolby to be able to pass out Dolby audio to an external decoder, which would make sense. Same goes for DTS. This would make some sense as you can only pass out Dolby or DTS audio via digital if you have DDL/DTSC pack installed. What is puzzling though, my Xonar DS does not have Dolby at all, but yet it can pass out Dolby Digital to an external decoder. It must work differently for Asus and Creative cards it seems. The Creative cards need to have Dolby included to be able to pass it out via digital, Asus cards do not.
If that is indeed correct, then enabling 'Play Stereo Mix Using Digital Output' must be forcing the audio so DPL II or DTS Neo can't do bugger all with it.
Well this is the thing, if I don't have 'play stereo mix using digital output' enabled I get no sound what so ever!, I need it enabled to get sound if I'm not using the dts or dd encoder options. Now on the front of my amp there is a button labled 'input mode' when pressing this it displays the current mode which is digital if I press it again it displays 'analog' in this mode the 5.1 speakers appear on the amps display, and I'm able to cycle through the different channel modes, but for some reason I get no sound from the amp what so ever when in this 'analog' mode!!, switch it back to the 'digital' mode and I get sound but am locked to 2 channel only, sods law!
Well you wouldn't get any sound in analogue mode, as that's for the sound coming in from the analogue inputs. Something is definitely amiss for the receiver not to apply DPL II or DTS Neo to the sound converting it into 5.1. Unless of course the receiver will only apply them to the stereo sound if it's analogue, and won't do if for digital. Kind of defeats the purpose somewhat, because if you are using digital and watching a video file with 2 channel sound, then the receiver will just leave it as 2 channel and not convert it to 5.1 using DPL II or DTS. That doesn't seem right to me, which makes me think it's the sound card doing something that isn't allowing the receiver to apply the 5.1 up mixing.
I notice your mobo has optical. You could connect the receiver to that then try playing something with stereo sound, MP3 for eg. The receiver should apply DPL II or DTS Neo to the 2 channel sound and convert it to 5.1. If it does, then you know the problem lies with the X-Fi card. If it doesn't then I can't see the point of Sony including up mixing formats with the receiver if it won't apply them to incoming digital.
I notice your mobo has optical. You could connect the receiver to that then try playing something with stereo sound, MP3 for eg. The receiver should apply DPL II or DTS Neo to the 2 channel sound and convert it to 5.1. If it does, then you know the problem lies with the X-Fi card. If it doesn't then I can't see the point of Sony including up mixing formats with the receiver if it won't apply them to incoming digital.
Yeah I will try the onboard sound tonight, I never had this problem when I used the coxial cable with my previous creatives card, but I did need the I/O module to allow me to use a coxial cable so unless the I/O module was doing something to allow my amp to up mix to 5.1
Soldato
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there is only one possibility i can think of which would explain why you cant use prologic or neo modes when sending a 2 channel signal to an av amp. Check the sampling rate of the output. Depending on the amp, its age ect, high sampling rates will shut off certain DSP logic as they arent capable of keeping up at high sampling rates.
for example, at >96khz, my Onkyo tx-sr805 can not use its audyssey DSP - it gets shut off and you cant select it. on my old yamah rx-v630 it also shut a dsp off, though i cant remember what. i *think* i couldnt use dolby pro logic.
At the end of the day, DPL and dts neo are totally inferior to discreet codecs, i would stick with either analogue 6 channel if your amp has the inputs or using DDLive/DTSConnect.
do you have the analogue leads from the sound card plugged in to the amp as well then? if you dont then again, that is not a fault. no analogue plugged in - no sound from analogue. if you do have 5.1 analogue leads plugged in but get no sound, make sure the multi channel input on the back of the amp is assigned to the correct input mode - most amps you have to assign it first before you can use it.
yes, but at the same time?? why cant you just answer the question lol
for example, at >96khz, my Onkyo tx-sr805 can not use its audyssey DSP - it gets shut off and you cant select it. on my old yamah rx-v630 it also shut a dsp off, though i cant remember what. i *think* i couldnt use dolby pro logic.
At the end of the day, DPL and dts neo are totally inferior to discreet codecs, i would stick with either analogue 6 channel if your amp has the inputs or using DDLive/DTSConnect.
Correct, thats how it should be.
do you have the analogue leads from the sound card plugged in to the amp as well then? if you dont then again, that is not a fault. no analogue plugged in - no sound from analogue. if you do have 5.1 analogue leads plugged in but get no sound, make sure the multi channel input on the back of the amp is assigned to the correct input mode - most amps you have to assign it first before you can use it.
yes, but at the same time?? why cant you just answer the question lol
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I think you might have hit the nail of the head there, at the moment my amps telling me its sending a 96khz signal to the amp, usual stuff i use only use 48khz. Is there a way to down sample this for the X-Fi Titanium?
Soldato
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it'll be in the drivers somewhere, or in the settings for the playback device if you are using windows 7 (click on the speaker icon in the system tray >> playback devices >> right click on default device >> properties >> advanced
ok ill have a look. On a side not, i have just tried the onboard sound which has dolby home theater, and im able to select this 5.1 mode, and my amp atcually says it receiving a dolby digital signal, but i take it that i wont get this option through the Titanium unless i actualling install the DD app??
Are dedicated soundcards really that much better than quality onboard sound?
Are dedicated soundcards really that much better than quality onboard sound?
Yes! Totally forgot about the sample rate. That will certainly cut off the audio if the receiver is not compatible with that rate, or stop the DTS/DPL from functioning, which appears to be the case. If I alter the PCM rate on my Xonar, the 5.1 system cannot process the signal, so there is no audio at all.
As for altering the X-Fi sample rate, I am unsure if it comes under the decoder tab or not. I'll check later.
Is there lag when decoding is dissabled and output to spdif is enabled in software ? Mainly useful for dvd where the audio stream is simply passed through, no encoding/decoding done by the card as its sent direct to the amp to do the decoding. I use this method with coax out (from rear of x-fi) to my z5500, and analogue out for gaming (as i dont have a ddl/dds encoder).
The onboard does not lag because it has DD decoding. It decodes the audio, it then passes the audio on to the AV receiver. The problem with the X-Fi is that is has no decoder, it has to encode the audio to 5.1 using DDL or DTSC then pass it on, then the receiver then has to decode it. All this produces lag.
The X-Fi PCM sample rate is under the SPDIF I/O tab in control panel. See if altering that helps the receiver to apply Pro Logic II or Neo to the 2 channel sound being send out.
The X-Fi PCM sample rate is under the SPDIF I/O tab in control panel. See if altering that helps the receiver to apply Pro Logic II or Neo to the 2 channel sound being send out.
He can't do that. The Titanium has no decoding, and because how the X-Fi works, therefore there is no pass on the bitstream to an external decoder option. So the card can't decode, and can't pass on the bitstream. Only thing he can do is force the sound into stereo, but this is for some reason stopping the receiver from applying Pro logic II to it and converting it to 5.1.
It could be the sample rate, but won't know until he alters it and see what happens.
Yeah im now able to get Pro Logic II, need to lower the sample rate to 48khz as suggested. Im now weather in 2 minds if to sell the this card and just use the onboard sound, as that gives me DD with no lag, where as the creative card cannot. What are the actual advantages of having a dedicate sound card now a days?
Hmm this is weird, all the options in the SPDIF I/O tab are either greyed out or no drop down window present...
Hmm this is weird, all the options in the SPDIF I/O tab are either greyed out or no drop down window present...
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That's mine
But the lag only occurs if you use the DDL/DTSC pack. At 48Khz sample rate, the receiver can now convert the out going stereo sound to 5.1, so the only real use for the DDL/DTSC pack is if you have 5.1 sound you want to send to the receiver. Why not disable the DDL/DTSC pack, and let the receiver convert to 5.1, which will remove the lag.
As for the uses of a sound card. Well, as you are using the digital out you are by passing the EAX and CMSS 3D. So for gaming the X-Fi has lost some of it's value by using digital.
But the lag only occurs if you use the DDL/DTSC pack. At 48Khz sample rate, the receiver can now convert the out going stereo sound to 5.1, so the only real use for the DDL/DTSC pack is if you have 5.1 sound you want to send to the receiver. Why not disable the DDL/DTSC pack, and let the receiver convert to 5.1, which will remove the lag.
As for the uses of a sound card. Well, as you are using the digital out you are by passing the EAX and CMSS 3D. So for gaming the X-Fi has lost some of it's value by using digital.
That's mine
But the lag only occurs if you use the DDL/DTSC pack. At 48Khz sample rate, the receiver can now convert the out going stereo sound to 5.1, so the only real use for the DDL/DTSC pack is if you have 5.1 sound you want to send to the receiver. Why not disable the DDL/DTSC pack, and let the receiver convert to 5.1, which will remove the lag.
As for the uses of a sound card. Well, as you are using the digital out you are by passing the EAX and CMSS 3D. So for gaming the X-Fi has lost some of it's value by using digital.
Hmm, its was the only card that has the digital optical inputs on though, none of the Asus cards have any digital input/outputs on do they?