Vista w/ Audigy using SPDIF

B

Bigbacon

Fully [H]
2FA
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
22,647
I am trying to get SPDIF to work on my audigy 1 in Vista. I can get sound output to my reciever but I do not think it is doing a pass-through.
PowerDVD is the same way, If I set it to SPDIF I get no sound, if I set my speaker setup to anything other than stereo I lose sound tracks in movies and ssuch.

Has anyone gotten this to work in Vista or is getting a newer sound card in the works? If so what would one suggest? All I need is SPDIF (not optical) that will work as a pass-through in Vista MCE where I won't get shafted like with creative cards. Some dolby output would be a plus so I can at least get my receiver to be at it's best.

This is for Movies and Games.
 
With the X-Fi cards you have to enable digital IO, I think its the same for older cards:
Go to the Control Panel, and then Hardware and Sound, click on the playback tab, select speakers, go to the custom tab and check the "enable digital IO" box.

I don't have a Vista machine in front of me right now but I think that's how you get to it.
 
I actually had this same issue in XP Pro as well.

I know I checked a box that said something like "use digital output only" but it never seems to be passthrough and powerdvd sends out ZERO signal when set to spdif.

Now, the audigy 1 doesn't really have a driver for Vista, that Daniel K guy was able to make one but I'm starting to wonder if that's even worth using anymore or they've made the setup impossible to locate.

I am seeing now that the motherboard has a SPDIF port hookup so I wonder if using the onboard would be any better.

Didn't Creative neuter a bunch of stuff in Vista also?
 
Bigbacon said:
I actually had this same issue in XP Pro as well.

Now, the audigy 1 doesn't really have a driver for Vista, that Daniel K guy was able to make one but I'm starting to wonder if that's even worth using anymore or they've made the setup impossible to locate.

I am seeing now that the motherboard has a SPDIF port hookup so I wonder if using the onboard would be any better.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the digital output from the mobo should sound fine if you can get it working. It's not like you're getting the newer EAX effects/CMSS/etc with that old Audigy card.

Realtek has decent Vista drivers out for their integrated sound, I don't know about the other types. What motherboard do you have?
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138111
Need to see if I have a SPDIF bracket laying around (I think I do) since it needs to use the little 4 prong deal thats on the board. I'm more worried about performance hits in games, but these fears may come from the fact that I've never trusted or used onboard audio ever. I just don't really want to use creative products anymore.
 
Bigbacon said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138111
Need to see if I have a SPDIF bracket laying around (I think I do) since it needs to use the little 4 prong deal thats on the board. I'm more worried about performance hits in games, but these fears may come from the fact that I've never trusted or used onboard audio ever. I just don't really want to use creative products anymore.
Click to expand...

The CPU usage should be next to nothing. It's not the best for gaming, but it should sound fine.

I'm sure someone in the computer audio section could recommend a good non-creative sound card if you want to get something better. I really don't know much about the other brands of sound cards.
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I'm sure someone in the computer audio section could recommend a good non-creative sound card if you want to get something better. I really don't know much about the other brands of sound cards.
Click to expand...


DUH.... I should have looked there.

I don't game that much on my media PC so as long as it outputs sound during the game I'll be ok.
 
After looking into this more, maybe I'm misinterpreting what the digital output on my audigy should do.
The audigy has a minijack for digital out and my reciever has the normal coaxial SPDIF connector (RCA type?)
Now I am using a normal, everyday RCA to Minijack on one end of the digital coax cable to make the connection to the sound card.

I ONLY want to do digital pass-thru so the PC doesn't need to do any encoding/decoding.

I'm wondering if the connector I used to get the caox cable to work on the sound card is the issue or if the Audigy can even output 5.1 thru it. I would think as pass-thru it really wouldnt't matter at all.
 
Bigbacon said:
After looking into this more, maybe I'm misinterpreting what the digital output on my audigy should do.
The audigy has a minijack for digital out and my reciever has the normal coaxial SPDIF connector (RCA type?)
Now I am using a normal, everyday RCA to Minijack on one end of the digital coax cable to make the connection to the sound card.

I ONLY want to do digital pass-thru so the PC doesn't need to do any encoding/decoding.
Click to expand...

That's how I have my X-Fi hooked up to my receiver.
 
now is your Digital Coax to minijack mono or stereo (on the minijack end)?
 
Bigbacon said:
now is your Digital Coax to minijack mono or stereo (on the minijack end)?
Click to expand...

It's a stereo cable (stereo minijack to two RCA plugs). I've got the white RCA plug plugged into the receiver. A mono cable would work, I just don't have any lying around.
 
Bigbacon said:
oh, I thought you were doing digital output from the sound card.
Click to expand...

I am. The stereo minijack plugs into the digital out on the X-Fi and the RCA plug goes to the digital coax in on the receiver. I'm just using a stereo cable because I had one in my big box of cables. I just leave the red RCA plug unconnected.
 
aaaa.
Ok so I ripped out the audigy and jury rigged an old SPDIF conector from an old motherbaord to fit the connector on the new board. Uninstalled all the createive junk and installed the onboard audio and now everything works 100%.

From this, I concluded now that I never had this working correctly in XP on my old media PC which sucks. Least I know now that I do have a REAL digital output that my reciever knows what to do with and I am getting REAL surround sound now.

and I dont need the minikack anymore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top