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Audigy2 ZS Question

J

jpnelson83

Gawd
Joined
May 13, 2002
Messages
736
I'm looking to build a HTPC and I'm seriously considering putting a Audigy2 ZS in it as my sound solution. I primarilly want it for the digital output. Reading into Creative says the digital output is for creative digital speakers. Now can I take that signal and run it to a Reciever that has digital inputs or is the SPDIF out on the Audigy card proprietary to Creative's speakers? I'm looking at getting an Onkyo reciever. I've got a buddy thats got one and he's real happy with it and its pretty cheap too so thats nice. The reciever has to optical inputs and one coax input. Using the oppropriate adapters will I be able to decode the signal from the Audigy or do I need to start looking at other sound cards? So I guess my question boils down to, do I have to use Creative's digital speakers in order to utilize the digital portion of the Audigy or will any digital decoder work? Thanks for your help guys.

EDIT: I also plan on using an AIW 8500 card with this. Will this cause problems for me considering the Audigy2 ZS wants a DX9.0 vid card or will this setup work fine?
 
The answer is No ... you don't need creative speakers to use the digital out on the Audigy cards ... but there is a catch.
The Audigy 2 ZS will pass through a previously encoded multichannel digital audio signal but cannot encode one.
This means you will not get surround gaming nor will you get anything but two channel PCM audio from anything other then DVDs if you go that route.
 
Ok, seeing as this is for an HTPC I'm not to worried about the about the surround gaming...but I'll get 5.1 from DVD's right? Thats what I hear you saying and I think your also saying everything else will be stero and that the Audigy2 ZS Doesn't actually encode a multichannel digital audio signal. Does this include CD's encoded with 5.1? My other question at this point is, does this hold true for previous generation Audigy cards or other Audigy cards like the Platnium line cards? So are there Audigy cards, past or present, that can encode a digital signal?
 
Does this include CD's encoded with 5.1?
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That does not exactly qualify as an audio cd does it? ;)

So are there Audigy cards, past or present, that can encode a digital signal?
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Nope ... only one product on the market has that distinction, and it is made my Nvidia.
 
Originally posted by X86Dude
...
spam.gif
...and it is made by Nvidia.
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fixt
 
Originally posted by Irons82
fixt
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Yea, another gen may level reply from the resident moron.
At what point will you stop trolling these threads with your nonsense and start contributing to the discussions that take place here?
 
Originally posted by X86Dude
Yea, another gen may level reply from the resident moron.
At what point will you stop trolling these threads with your nonsense and start contributing to the discussions that take place here?
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: Have a sense of humor and cool it down, cowboy ;)
 
Have a sense of humor and cool it down, cowboy
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Pft ... if your jokes were even the slightest bit funny then there would be no need for you to offer such a rebuttal would there?
Once again you put yourself in a position were you should know not to tread.
What do you expect?
Your weak and ineffective prods at me....and others that you disagree with are better left on that other forum.
In case you still don't get it let me spell it out for you in small words you might be able to understand..... don't play with fire cause you WILL get burned.
 
Originally posted by X86Dude
Nope ... only one product on the market has that distinction, and it is made my Nvidia.
Click to expand...

Newb question here, what is it? One of their vid cards or something?
 
X86 is referring to Soundstorm that comes with the Nforce2 boards that have the MCP-T southbridge.
 
Ok, so that I understand all this correctly, the Audigy cards are unable to take a 5.1 analog signal and encode it to a 5.1 digital signal. In all actuality the Audigy cards simply relay a previously encoded 5.1 digital signal. It that right?
 
in general, yes. there is no actual analog step there- it's just that the A 2 ZS (or anything but nVidia's Soundstorm) will either send a 2.1 PCM signal, or pass through (with the right boxes checked) a pre-encoded digital signal such as Dolby Digital or DTS. And yes, an Audigy series card will work great for an HTPC- have an original Audigy in mine using a digital coaxial output.
 
I also plan on using an AIW 8500 card with this. Will this cause problems for me considering the Audigy2 ZS wants a DX9.0 vid card or will this setup work fine?
Click to expand...

Yes, cats are DX9 drivers even if DX9 class hardware isn't present.
That said, there are some issues with creative's implementation of the AC'97 specification.
For the AIW 8500DV and the Audigy 2ZS, I would recommend catalyst 2.4 and MMC 7.9 for the least ammount of audio recording problems.
 
Update: I boutght an Audigy SB1394 from a guy here and I have a AIW 8500 128MB. Any conflicts here?
 
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