looking for 5.1 soundcard

[Linearsoup]

which will let me use surround with only the spdif coaxial.i have good speakers which i dont want to get rid of,can anyone point me the right way.thanks

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you want 5.1 through digital in games, you'll need a card that can do Dolby Digital or DTS encoding in real time.

What speakers / receiver do you have?

The HDA X-mystique can do DDL through a digital coaxial connector.

If it's just movies you need 5.1 for, you can get away with something cheaper.

 

[Linearsoup]

thanks for the repy,my speakers are kirro,got given them ages ago and been using em for a couple years on my tv.my set up does dolby digital which i would like for gaming as ive just replaced my £5 speakers i was using and the deferrence in sound quality is pretty amazing.ive found a Hercules Fortissimo high def 7.1 which says it can do 5.1 and 7.1.heres the link http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products...cm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=98926 do you know anything about it and do you think 5.1 would work for games as i know nothing about sound cards and speakers,been using onboard sound since my first pc.thanks again

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Do your speakers have a 5.1 analog input? (would usually be a set of three 3.5mm jacks)

 

[Linearsoup]

no i can only use the coaxial lead,optical at the moment so ive adleast got 2 speakers working.think the card i found will do the job as ive seen a review and the bloke who done it had the same prob as me with a deferent card.and now hes happy as larry with the hercules card.if i cant get it sorted i will have to bite the bullet and shell out for new speakers,thanks for your help m8

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Well it mentions DD decoding, but DD encoding is what's going to give you 5.1 from games through digital.

I guess if that other guy was successful with it, you might be but I don't see how that would do what you want to for gaming.

A DDL card with digital coaxial output over here in the US can be had for under $100.

Do you have a link to the other guy's comments?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Browsed through that site - it looks like this one has DDL capability
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products...cm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=98073

It's a C-media 87xx based card like the two current DDL cards HDA produces but it looks like a lower end chip.

I think that's your best bet out of the cards on that site for giving you surround sound in games through digital.

 

[Cawchy87]

I had the fotissimo 7.1 card and my audigy 2 value blows it away. I wouldn't buy it.

 

[Ichigo]

I think the "digital" part excludes the Audigy's...

 

[Linearsoup]

yep your right m8 he emailed me back and he uses it for dvd,will try that card you pointed out,its only a tenner,think im going to get a decent card and 7.1 speakers end of the month,thanks for your help cheers m8

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I've never seen that card I mentioned before for the DDL one so I can't comment on quality.

If you do get a new set of speakers that's meant for computers it will be a lot easier to get a card that will do surround sound in games for you.

Remember that a quality 5.1 is almost always better than a lesser 7.1 set. The rear speakers aren't too important while better quality speakers will make a bigger difference.

 

[Linearsoup]

yep am gonna get this set i think http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/produ...details/US/EN,CRID=2177,CONTENTID=9486 as i imagine a decent set of speakers will last a good few years.was gonna sli my gt but i think i will wait and get my sound sorted out first,what would you recomend for a sound card,like i said i know nowt about sound stuff having allways used onboard and cheap speakers,thanks

 

[Cawchy87]

Originally posted by: Ichigo
I think the "digital" part excludes the Audigy's...

Just saying that a 30 dollar card blows the Fortissimo away, so I would look for a card other than the Fortissimo.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Ok, my roommates are bugging me to watch Star Trek on the projector so I have to go, but I just started looking at the cards from your site again.

It seems like the A2 SE card is just what we call a soundblaster Live over here.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102176

Maybe the Audigy4 or an X-Fi would be your best bet. I haven't looked at the prices for comparison really.

ok.... they can't figure out the remote I have to go.

 

[Cawchy87]

Nope, my sound card is much bigger then that and has firewire on it as well.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Cawchy87
Nope, my sound card is much bigger then that and has firewire on it as well.

Was that directed at me?

My comments are based of this product http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products...cm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=98938