Audio/Surround settings (Audigy 2ZS)

[Punkster20]

Hey.

I have a couple of questions..

I am currently using logitech's Z-5500 surround speakers with my Audigy 2ZS with Audigy 4 drivers.
I am also using 3 analog connectors (no coax or optical)

I was wondering if CMSS/CMSS2 should be turned on when playing games and watching DVD movies supporting 5.1 surround or leave them off?

And in what situations should i use CMSS? is CMSS usefull? What is CMSS exactly?

My external surround controler is on 6 channel direct, is that correct?

Also, should i use the AC3 filter that came with the XP-codec pack i downloaded or turn it off? And again, what is it usefull for?

Will surround sound different with coax or optical from analog? I hope not in my case.

Many questions here, and i hope you can answer them.

Sorry for my crapy english. Its not exactly my spoken language.

-Punkster

 

[TheGuru3k]

CMSS is supposed to just be a feature that upmixes stereo signals to emulate a surround environment. Supposably it's not supposed to do anything if you have a surround signal coming in (i.e. 5.1ch audio).

For the Audigy 2 ZS it has the three options, CMSS, CMSS2, and Stereo Surround. CMSS is basically the standard emulation, which upmixes the signal and adds in a 3d effect. It tends to lose some treble in the output with this mode though I have noticed. CMSS2 is better for the sound dynamics, as it doesn't wreck the output, and I use this mode on my plain Audigy 2. It does however add some effects to the sound, such as echoing, which doesn't suit all sound. If you just want the same sound through the back and front speakers, you just use the Stereo Surround mode, as it doesn't alter the sound, and simply sends the original output through the front and the back. I think the Audigy 4 drivers should behave the same.

You should be able to leave any of these modes enabled even when playing a movie or game with surround, and it shouldn't even use CMSS at all. As I said earlier, it's supposed to only have an effect on stereo signals, not surround signals.

I don't actually have a real surround setup, I just have one amp plugged into the front, and one in the back, so I can't really help with the actual surround configuration settings.

The COAX and the optical outputs are both digital, which means that either method you use, if you have a digital receiver, will sound exactly the same (digital signals don't change the sound as a results of the communication means). You might notice a slight difference between the analog and digital connections, with the digital signal likely having less background noise and slightly clearer sound. In the most part, many people don't really notice a big difference. There is a big advantage of using the digital links though, which is that all the channels are sent down the one cable, rather than needing a seperate cable for each channel. It just means less messy cabling anywhere is all.

 

[Punkster20]

Thanks for the answering my questions.

But what about the AC3 filter? What does it realy do? Should i have it turned on configured for my speakers setup or just leave it off?

What's the prons/cons with AC3 filter..?

-Punkster