Pro Logic II on sound card

[smazh]

I'm trying to build a HTPC and am now choosing a sound card to hook it up to my 5.1 receiver.

Here's my problem.

The receiver (Pioneer 859) is pre Dolby Pro Logic II so I don't have this functionality in it. Some people reakon it's good for listening to music.

I've seen on a couple of the cards, they have similar type of technolgies. CMSS on the Audigy 2 and CircleSurround II on the M-Audio Revolution 7.1.

Firstly, are 2ch to 5.1ch technologies any good?

Secondly, if I do want to listen to the music using them, can I get the card to convert the 2 channel stereo to 5.1 channel then send it out the SPDIF?

I would be listening to both MP3s and CDs.

Any other suggestion on the direction I should take are also welcome.

Thanks

 

[FLECOM]

unless im missing something mp3's and CD's are stereo anyway so who careS?

 

[Rehevkor]

I use CMSS2 on my audigy 2 zs for music, and it sounds fantastic. Don't use normal CMSS though; it just plain sucks.

 

[BO(V)BZ]

You won't be able to get it to send 5.1 out the SPDIF, only soundstorm motherboards can pull that trick off.

The 2.0 to 5.1 algo's are pretty simple, from what I hear, so the sound quality should be just fine. [At least, I know that the formula to convert 5.1 to stereo is very simple, so the reverse shouldn't be bad either]

Either way, you'll get sound to come out of all your speakers, which I think is the goal =]

 

[GodsMadClown]

Circle surround on my Revo is kinda cool to play with. Most times however, I think plain old stereo sounds better.

You won't be able to get it to send 5.1 out the SPDIF, only soundstorm motherboards can pull that trick off.

Yeah, don't worry about it. The analog output of my Revo is excellent.

 

[Auric]

I prefer my music in surround stereo. For every song that sounds good in Pro-Logic II, there are 5 others that sound like crap with it. Too situational.