best 5.1 channel speakers???

[goobimama]

I don't know where this thread has reached, but if you are planning on the Z5500, DO NOT plug them into onboard sound. Intel HD audio is horrible! Not that the Audigy 2 was good, but when that got busted, I stepped down to onboard audio. Horrible. Currently getting an Auzentech X-plosion soundcard.... till then I will not watch movies...

 

[nightcrawler]

I don't know where this thread has reached, but if you are planning on the Z5500, DO NOT plug them into onboard sound. Intel HD audio is horrible! Not that the Audigy 2 was good, but when that got busted, I stepped down to onboard audio. Horrible. Currently getting an Auzentech X-plosion soundcard.... till then I will not watch movies...

Totally Agree. If you have decided to go for Z5500 you need to extend your budget by atleast 10k More for a good sound card.

 

[goobimama]

In any case, if you are going to use SPDIF for DD/DTS then the processor on the soundcard doesn't even matter. So even an Audigy 2/4 should be fine.

 

[nightcrawler]

In any case, if you are going to use SPDIF for DD/DTS then the processor on the soundcard doesn't even matter. So even an Audigy 2/4 should be fine.

I am sorry, I didn't get you on that one. Why would a dsp on sound card not matter for DD/DTS using SPDIF ? Shouldn't it matter if it supporting DTS decoding? Correct me on this one plz.

 

[goobimama]

If you are going to decode the UNTOUCHED DD/DTS signal coming through from the video, to the processor, through the SPDIF on the soundcard, to the Logitech Z5500 Control Center, then where does the DSP come into play? The signal is untouched. And if it does get decoded by the soundcard, then it no longer is digital and has to be sent via the 6-channel analog cables (in which case the soundcard's DSP would matter)

 

[pawsingh]

If you are going to decode the UNTOUCHED DD/DTS signal coming through from the video, to the processor, through the SPDIF on the soundcard, to the Logitech Z5500 Control Center, then where does the DSP come into play? The signal is untouched. And if it does get decoded by the soundcard, then it no longer is digital and has to be sent via the 6-channel analog cables (in which case the soundcard's DSP would matter)

^ I agree, and i read some where that Logitech's preamp (decoder) is very gud.

 

[goobimama]

Yep. It's decoder kicks the Audigy 2's azz any day! Especially when you put through a 1.5Mbps DTS track from an HD DVDrip source...

 

[pawsingh]

Another question for you regarding this:

Which soundcard supports SPDIF out?

 

[dOm1naTOr]

@goobimama
how bout conecting Z5500 to the optical out if there is an onboard optical out?
The decoding is done in Speaker decoder or system?

 

[goobimama]

SPDIF is either through COAX or Optical. Both are digital formats. So if your decoder is showing "Dolby Digital" or "Dts Digital", then it is being decoded by the control center and not the computer. If not, then you will see either stereox2 or ProLogic II or some other effect.

Most midrange+ soundcards support SPDIF. The low end do not support SPDIF like the Creative SB Live! series. Audigy 2 onwards are SPDIF enabled (Coaxial though, not optical).

 

[goobimama]

Hmm... I find using the logitech's decoder to be far better than the soundcard or the Cyberlink's software decoder. Much better channel separation, SNR, and LFEs..

 

[nightcrawler]

Software decoaders do nothing except add effects or mutate sound. Actuall decoading is done by the sound cards, and a dedicated high end sound card would always perform better (sounds logical as well coz its a dedicated piece of hardware designed to do what its suppose to do). Pick any high end spk setup, it would always have dedicated piece of hardware for their jobs. A DVD/HD player (or a computer) just to play the DVDs/HDs + A preamp (amplify/modify and decode, though it does a lot more than that) + spks (to give the out put). All three should be good at their respective jobs to give the perfect ballance of quality and quantity.

Finally Happy that my X-Fi Pro is of some use...goobi had be believe for a while that my sound card was just passing the signals to my speaker which were then decoding them.

 

[goobimama]

I didn't have you believe anything. I said if you are using SPDIF. If you are using the soundcard decoder, then it's your soundcard that's doing the job.

Btw, if you have 6 channel selected in PowerDVD for audio output, then it's powerDVD doing the decoding and not your soundcard....better change that to the soundcard...

 

[nightcrawler]

I didn't have you believe anything. I said if you are using SPDIF. If you are using the soundcard decoder, then it's your soundcard that's doing the job.

Btw, if you have 6 channel selected in PowerDVD for audio output, then it's powerDVD doing the decoding and not your soundcard....better change that to the soundcard...

I quoted that wrongly..I should have said what you said got me confused and then I started thinking that My card is not getting used

Anyways thanks for the suggestion will check it in PowerDVD options.

 

[goobimama]

Btw, while you are using your card, you are sure as hell not using that deadly decoder on the logitech! And I can tell you it's better than the X-Fi at decoding DD/DTS signals. Much cleaner sound. The control center is big for a reason...

 

[nightcrawler]

Hey I will try it. But how can a speaker's decoding be better than that of a dedicated sound card ? if it is then my x-fi is really of no use...at least for DD/DTS decoding

 

[goobimama]

Well you would always want your sound to be transmitted digitally, that is, with no signal loss till the very end. Now if you decode it at the soundcard level, then you transmit the audio from soundcard to logitech decoder, to the speakers. That is the sound is analog from the soundcard. But if you go through with the decoder, you are cutting off that one extra step for signal loss. Till the decoder there will be no signal loss. Only from decoder to speakers will it be analog. It is called the Z5500-D isn't it!

Also there's less cables, just one going from the soundcard to the decoder, so it becomes cleaner.

And for the last, this might be subjective, I'm no expert, but I found that the decoder gives a better channel separation, and cleaner output than the Creative decoder. Both are THX certified though so you can't really say.

Your X-Fi is not useless. For gaming, you will need the 6channel direct. It also improves the sound output of Mp3s and other audio files which are not transmitted by the SPDIF.

 

[goobimama]

SPDIF can only transmit 5.1 compressed audio in the form of a DD or DTS signal. Otherwise, for PCM, it is restricted to 2.0. So which one is it? Cause if it is decoded by the soundcard, then it CANNOT be transmitted over SPDIF in it's full 6 channels. It can only be transmitted via the analog cables (6 channel analog) in which case there is signal loss, the amount which is determined by the interconnects on the soundcard and the quality of the cables. In case of SPDIF, there is NO SIGNAL LOSS up until it is decoded.

The extra step is, when the audio is decoded in the soundcard, it is passed through analog to the logitech receiver, and then to the sub and then to the speakers. But if there is SPDIF, then it goes digitally to the receiver, from thereon to the sub to satellites.

I'm sure this extra step is not necessary in case of regular 5.1 channel speakers, where they only have 6 channel analog, but when an external decoder is involved (and cannot be bypassed in case of logitechz5500), this step becomes necessary...

 

[upendra_gp]

sorry to be off topic here but i have a sony dav dz 100 home theater. It has 5.1 output though 2 channel input! I want to connect it to my pc. But my pc too has 2 channel output! So is it possible to get a soundcard and use the speakers directly with the card i.e. can they be connected directly?

 

[divyeshashiya]

Just listened to 300(The Movie) on my z5500 and let me tell u the 1.5 mbps DTS track is one of the best things I have heard on these speakers.That too on an analog connection!!