Problem with Soundblaster external

**PootsworthIII** · 06-01-2006, 10:07 AM

Here's my setup:

Fronts: CDT HD-62 Components powered by MB Quartz RAA2400
No Rears
Sub: Dayton RSS265HO-4 10" powered by MB Quartz RAA2400 bridged

I have the Soundblaster Live! 24bit external usb sound card connected directly to my amps. I had the front output of the soundcard wired directly to the front amp via RCA. The rear output of the soundcard was wired directly to the sub amp via RCA. I did this so I could use the front and rear channel faders to better tune the sub and component volumes.

I screwed with the sound card enough to realize that I could only get output from the rear of the soundcard if I enabled the CMSS because the input is stereo. Then I noticed that my sub wasn't performing well. The volume was lower and the signal seemed off.

I plugged the sub amp into the front port of the soundcard and VIOLA!! great hard bass. Plugged the front amp into the rear port of the soundcard and got muddy sound.

I realize the rear channel is simulated from the stereo input, so I figured this is the reason.

So I use a headphone jack splitter to run both amps from the front output of the soundcard. But this must have halved the voltage b/c the same volume levels on the PC were not as loud out of the speakers as before.

Down to my questions:

Has anyone else noticed this problem?

Is there anyway to make the soundcard do quadrophonic (ie: the same exact signal for front and rear)?

Is my logic failed about the output voltage of the soundcard with the splitting?

Is there another soundcard that will give me stereo quadrophonic sound? I'm not interested in 5.1 surround or anything like that.

TIA. Sorry for the rambling.

**PootsworthIII** · 06-02-2006, 10:45 AM

I guess it was too long to read

. But I did figure something out.

The problem wasn't that I was splitting the output of the front, it was that I set the speaker config to 2 speakers. On the way home from work yesterday i goofed with it and put it back to 4 speakers, and POW! back to life.

I guess that 4/4.1 moe enables the CMSS or something. I hate that I have to rely on the all this pre-processing.

I'm gonna give Turtle Beach Roadie a whirl and see if it has better results.

Let me know what you guys think.

**mbkowns** · 06-07-2006, 03:51 AM

I think its completly pointless to run 4.1 / 5.1 / 6.1 in a car. Mp3's are stereo and aren't taking advantage of 5.1. Also even with dvds 5.1 its dumb becuase the center channel takes away from the fronts. All and all just a simple 2.1 configuration is best for car computing. I am also going to get a Turtle Beach Roadie and see how it does.

Something else you can try. If you amp as a pre-out like my jl 500/1 you can go stereo to that sub amp and then hook up your speaker amp from the preamp output. Then you won't have that volume loss.

**PootsworthIII** · 06-07-2006, 08:55 AM

Thanks for the reply.

My amp does have the preamp out that I totally forgot about. I'll hafta to try that out.

I got the Turtle Beach Roadie yesterday. I seems to sound alot better than the Soundblaster USB. But now I've picked up some alternator whine.

But that could have been there before, just the Soundblaster had some background hissing that was masking it. All in all, the Roadie sounds alot more powerful and the features of the control panel are better. I listened to the rear output vs the front output with headphones and they sound on the same level.

I still might use the rear ports to input the sub amp so I can use the rear volume control of the sound card to turn up and down my sub.

**mbkowns** · 06-07-2006, 02:58 PM

I want a external volume knob so here is what I have decided to do and its cheap!

I am going to get this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...24904?n=172282

Run just the front audio to it. It has a external line level bass volume. Then for the main speaker volume I will run this its a 2 channel volume controller and I will contact it between the boss crossover and the sound card.

http://www.davidnavone.com/linedrivers.htm

So now I will have complete control over my volume levels at the hardware level and not using software. I will prob level the volume on my computer at a fixed 75%.

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-07-2006, 03:03 PM

BOSS = CRAP

period, end of story.

**PootsworthIII** · 06-07-2006, 03:09 PM

That's too much hardware for me. I'd rather use my frontend to control the volume.

The volume knob would be good for bass, but to run it to the front of the car from my computer, then back to the amp is alot of RCA length which leaves alot of room for noise to get in.

My sub gets here tongiht, so I'll let you know.

**mbkowns** · 06-07-2006, 03:19 PM

Ya I know but I don't like how the software has been doing the volume knob and I don't like tapping my touch screen for volume. Feels like more control the hardware way. I know boss is ****ty but for 30 bucks I will try it I have JL AUDIO subs and speakers Id rather have that crossover they sell but its like 300 bucks.

**PootsworthIII** · 06-07-2006, 03:42 PM

I also have the luxury of the IBUS interface to use steering wheel controls for volume

I think the Roadie has fixed most of my problems. Just gotta get rid of the alternator whine.

Good luck with your setup.

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-07-2006, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by mbkowns

Ya I know but I don't like how the software has been doing the volume knob and I don't like tapping my touch screen for volume. Feels like more control the hardware way. I know boss is ****ty but for 30 bucks I will try it I have JL AUDIO subs and speakers Id rather have that crossover they sell but its like 300 bucks.

that's right, I forgot, it's Boss or JL Audio, those are the only two options on the market.

Why in the world would you go and buy a nice product like JL Audio, only to feed it a ****ty quality signal from a Boss unit?

that's one of the most asanine ideas I've heard in a long time.

but hey, it's your money, blow it how you want.

Just don't come crying to us here when it sounds like ****....