Need 5.1 sound card for HTPC

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DerekMecca

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
178
I currently have my computer hooked up to my home theater with an optical cable via the optical port on my motherboard, but apparently it doesn't send a 5.1 signal. I need a Soundcard (less than $200) that will output 5.1 via optical. I mostly use this PC to game on as I have a PS3 that I watch movies with.

Suggestions?
 
So, you want 5.1 sound via optical in your games that you play on your HTPC? That's not usually how it works with PC games. 5.1 sound in PC games is usually obtained via the analog outputs on a sound card or onboard motherboard sound card.

Some cards can do Dolby Digital Live! or DTS Connect to encode 5.1 signals on-the-fly through S/PDIF so they can be processed by a receiver.

I'd like some more details about what you want to do, and in what situations you aren't getting that 5.1 signal.

Thanks.
 
Depending on your Vcard and Receiver, you might not need a sound card, EG

I have a 4770 in my HTPC, and a Denon AVR-789, I can output 5.1 over LPCM, and get 5.1 without any sort of DD or DTS encoding via Digital.

you need to check your receiver, to see if it accepts LPCM, if it doesn't then any card like the XFI Prelude(overkill since you won't use analog) can encode your 5.1 stream into a DD or DTS stream and send it via optical. but other XFI cards also offer it, so do some non-xfi cards
 
if you have 5.1 encoded streams, like DVDs, or similar, you don't need HDMI or an X-Fi, you simply need to enable AC-3/DTS passthrough on your audiocard

if you don't have said 5.1 encoded streams, and wish to encode things to digital 5.1 in real time, you don't need anything nearly as expensive as an x-fi, something like the Turtle Beach Montego DDL or Asus Xonar D1 would do the same exact thing at a quarter the price
 
Well I tried the optical port on my PC and games like HL2 and other Valve games keep reverting back to 2 speakers. It won't stay on 5.1.

This is the motherboard I have.
Gigabyte GA-P35C Intel P35 ATX

If you guys can help me get 5.1 through it so that games like Half Life 2 will recognize 5.1, then that would be awesome! Thanks.
 
DerekMecca said:
Well I tried the optical port on my PC and games like HL2 and other Valve games keep reverting back to 2 speakers. It won't stay on 5.1.

This is the motherboard I have.
Gigabyte GA-P35C Intel P35 ATX

If you guys can help me get 5.1 through it so that games like Half Life 2 will recognize 5.1, then that would be awesome! Thanks.
Click to expand...

re-read my post

if you have a 5.1 encoded source such as a DVD, it can pass through, however if the system lacks DDL or DTS:C (real-time multi-ch encoding, basically) it cannot pass an internally generated 5.1 signal via S/PDIF
 
I don't know how games send out audio. I'll look at the cards you recommended. Thanks.
 
DerekMecca said:
I don't know how games send out audio. I'll look at the cards you recommended. Thanks.
Click to expand...

games do not have pre-encoded, or static, audio tracks, everything has to be done in real time to react to a dynamic input (namely, you move around in the game world, and your actions aren't on a rail, if they were, the game would be very boring), meaning its rendered at playback, so you would need a real-time encoding scheme like DDL or DTS:C in order to take that 6ch audio output (lets say that output is just "there" in the machine) and package it up in a way that it can go across S/PDIF to a receiver that can then unpackage it and make use of it

the reason we need this is because S/PDIF has a limited amount of bandwidth, and conventionally can only carry two tracks (stereo), with something like the AC-3 container, we can pass 6 tracks across the same bandwidth

if the source were pre-encoded, like a DVD (Where the audio is pre-packaged from the studio), that bitstream itself can just be sent out over S/PDIF, this is different than what the game can do, and is called "pass through"

long story short, your onboard solution isn't doing the above real-time encoding, its simply passing the stereo track out, so if you were to get a solution that will pack it up for your receiver, like the Montego DDL or one of the Xonar boards (I'm unsure if the DS has DDL; as its the cheapest and newest of the Xonar boards, I don't know much about it)

make some sense at least?
 
Seems that a lot of people are having trouble getting Montego to work with Windows 7. Maybe I should go with Xonar, but they seem to be around $150.
 
DerekMecca said:
Seems that a lot of people are having trouble getting Montego to work with Windows 7. Maybe I should go with Xonar, but they seem to be around $150.
Click to expand...

don't know where you're shopping/what you're looking at, but the Xonar range has products from ~$50 up to nearly $300, pick one

as far as Windows 7 issues, everyone seems to be crying about Windows 7 not working with audio cards, not just Creative, not just Turtle Beach, not just Asus, everyone (yes, its the OS messiah and the best thing ever :rolleyes:), really don't know what to tell you as far as compatibility issues
 
DerekMecca said:
So there is a Xonar card that outputs 5.1 for games via optical? Link?
Click to expand...

doesn't have to be optical to be digital, Xonar DX/D1 (pretty sure DS has DDL too) through the HDAV will work, if you really need optical for your receiver a converter is like $10 at monoprice

you could also consider the HT Omega Striker, Auzen X-Plosion, Creative X-Fi Titanium, or bgears b-Enspirer
 
I don't know what to get. Maybe I'm just being stupid, but most 5.1 cards don't seem to do digital out, and isn't it better that way? And most cards don't support the latest EAX for gaming which is why I want a 5.1 sound card to begin with.
 
DerekMecca said:
I don't know what to get. Maybe I'm just being stupid, but most 5.1 cards don't seem to do digital out, and isn't it better that way? And most cards don't support the latest EAX for gaming which is why I want a 5.1 sound card to begin with.
Click to expand...

what do you mean/are you even talking about?
everything I suggested supports digital out and analog out; no there is no "better" to using digital out (This is very, very, very relativistic)

as far as EAX, its considered deprecated by Creative; new software is encouraged to use OpenAL as that meets current Microsoft developer guidelines/suggestions/whatever

as far as "doesn't support the newest EAX levels", are you talking about EAX 5.0? go ahead and find a game that uses EAX 5.0; hardly any do
EAX 2.0 is more or less universally supported, EAX 3.0 will work on Asus cards (fairly sure), Creative hardware supports everything through EAX 4 (Audigy) or 5 (X-Fi)

oh and by the way, EAX does not at all mean surround sound or anything of the like, its simply an effects library
 
Ok I bought a x-fi Titanium because it was $79 and a friend has one and it works for him.

I used this for drivers and software http://forums.creative.com/t5/Sound-Blaster/SB-X-Fi-Series-Support-Pack-2-0-05-15-2009/td-p/527485

Everything seems to work fine except for one problem. I can enable 5.1 or even 7.1 in games, but I'm getting no sound out of my side or rear surround speakers. I was thinking it could be a setting in my receiver (Onkyo 607), but usually the receiver switches to the correct encoding for whatever source I'm using with no problems. However in this case, it doesn't automatically switch to an encoding. It lets me cycle through listening modes (music, movie and such), but it doesn't have an auto encoding mode like it usually switches to when using my PS3 or HD Cable Box. This leads me to believe it's a problem with a setting on my computer somewhere

I tried enabling Dolby Digital Live, but then I got no sound from iTunes and I also read somewhere that Windows 7 won't use DDL anyway.

What do I do?
 
I'll check out that thread now, but I wanted to post this update before I do so.

Ok I messed with some things. First off, if I switch to DTS.. um... can't remember what it's called exactly. There is DDL and then a DTS mode. If I switch to the DTS mode and set it to 7.1 or 5.1, then the receiver clicks and says DTS on the front. When I test the speakers, the fronts, center, and side surrounds test find... but I hear nothing out of the rear surrounds. Aren't I supposed to?

What's strange is that when I set the encode to DDL or the DTS mode, not only will iTunes not get any sound, but it won't even play. I hit play, and the progress bar for the song doesn't move the slightest. It's like it locks up and won't play.

I haven't tried playing a game with the DTS mode enabled. Perhaps I can switch to that mode to play games, and then turn DD/DTS off when playing music. Seems strange that I should have to do that though.

I'm up at college right now and so I can't continue to test this till later today.
 
Ok, read your thread. I didn't mention in this thread that I'm using the optical out port on the soundcard to go into my receiver, and so I can't set the "speakers" to the default, I have to set the optical as the default.
 
I am too (using optical out to my Pioneer). I have outputs that are "x-plosion speakers" and "x-plosion digital" in windows 7

Apparently if the sound cards drivers are set to output digitally you need to set windows 7 to output to regualr speakers to let the creative software ahndle it.

I know it sounds fishy and I could not figure it out at all last night until i tried this. Every time I enter a game now my receiver correctly shows it switching and staying in DTS mode.

Try setting the windows default to "speakers" and the creative software to "digital DDL or DTS" and post back
 
Ok... now the real fun starts. I did what you said and set speakers to default and the control panel to DTS. iTunes will play now, however the sound is cutting in and out horribly.
 
Two thoughts.

1. I read somewhere about removing the on board audio through the bios, however I can not find anything audio related in the peripherals list in my bios. Is it called something weird... what's the deal?

2. I really REALLY hope the issue isn't some sort of conflict with my M-Audio Delta 66. I use that sound card for Pro Tools and there is no way I can uninstall it. I keep seeing reports all over the place of audio crackling and cutting in and out all over the internet, and so I'm sure this problem can be fixed without messing with my Delta. Right?
 
Ok a friend help me find the on board audio in the bios and it was called Azalia codec. It didn't fix the problem. Audio is still cutting out. I tried launching a game to see if maybe it was just desktop audio that was messing up but no... the game audio was cutting out as well.
 
Sorry for the late reply, but I've not been checking the audio forums lately.

Just lobbing you another option if you can support HDMI audio/video since you seem to be having lots of issues with the X-Fi with the "special" drivers. Also the audio drop out problem has been plagueing X-Fi users for years now with no definitive solution... seems to depend on motherboard and other cards in your system.

You could purchase an ATI HD5770 or HD5830 video card for ~$170 or ~$240 since they will do 5.1, 7.1 hi res audio and bitstreaming WITHOUT an extra audio card through the HDMI connector. (The fact that they're pretty kick ass gaming cards as well doesn't hurt either.) I've had no problems with my ATI HD4850 doing 7.1 uncompressed (it won't do bitstreaming though, since its an HD5xxx feature) connecting through my Onkyo 604 receiver.

Just a thought.
 
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