Sound Card SPDIF question...

[bobn4burton]

There are not many sound cards that have both a Toslink(optical) AND coax digital out. I was just wondering if any cards such as the Audigy 2 ZS have pins on the board that allow you to get access to the digital/SPDIF out?

Basically what I am looking at here is getting the little Biostar pci bracket from newegg that has a coax AND toslink output. It is a motherboard accessory and connects with a simple two wire jumper connector. So I was wondering if soundcards gave you access to the digital/SPDIF output via pins...

 

[SilverMK3]

Just curious why you'd need two separate digital outputs... Wouldn't the ultimate destination for all your digital audio stuff be your home theater receiver? Pretty much every modern receiver I've seen has at least 1 optical and coaxial input - thereby allowing you to connect multiple devices digitally.

 

[Mister X]

Does this image answer the question?

 

[bobn4burton]

Originally posted by SilverMK3
Just curious why you'd need two separate digital outputs... Wouldn't the ultimate destination for all your digital audio stuff be your home theater receiver? Pretty much every modern receiver I've seen has at least 1 optical and coaxial input - thereby allowing you to connect multiple devices digitally.

Yes...you're right. However, I have my computer connected to my Home Theater system via a 50 foot optical cable. So I need the optical output for that. Also I have the z-680's but I can't hook up the digital because I'm already using the optical out for my home theater.

So I was just thinking that if I could rig up that Biostar SPDIFF bracket then I'd have Toslink (for Home Theater) AND Coax for z-680's. I have a fortissimo III right now that works fine but it only has optical out. A lot of the cards out there such as the Audigy 2 ZS only have a coax output and so this little Biostar bracket would be nice cuz it has both...

 

[bobn4burton]

Originally posted by X86Dude
Does this image answer the question?

Thanks...That's exactly what I wanted to know. Is that a ZS card?

BTW...Just out of curiousity, what do you have your SPDIF out hooked to? (Assuming this is a pic of your card of course)

 

[Mister X]

Is that a ZS card?

Nope, it is a plain old Audigy 2 card.
Word is that Creative once again changed the pinouts on the onboard headers for the ZS cards. I have not yet verified this so use the information contained in the image above at your own risk.

what do you have your SPDIF out hooked to?

A POS Onkyo TX-DS838 receiver for the multichannel stuff and a Extensivly modded ART DIO for the headphone rig.

 

[Mister X]

Sorry I missed your first reply....

I have my computer connected to my Home Theater system via a 50 foot optical cable.

Damn, I bet that was a very pricey cable.
I think you would be better off with a Coax cable for a long run like that.
Optical cables tend to have problems with jitter and other phase errors when you use them for runs longer then 30 feet without a repeater.
The exact pinout for that header on a Audigy2 card goes like this.....
Audigy2 S/PDIF_IO header
1 - SPDIF#0 OUT (front left/right)
2 - SPDIF#1 OUT (rear left/right)
3 - SPDIF#0 IN (stereo)
4 - SPDIF#2 OUT (center front/rear)
5 - SPDIF#3 OUT (subwoofer)
6 - GROUND
7 - GROUND
8 - GROUND