Digital Processing options with 5.1 - Page 2

RedGTiVR6 · 02-23-2005, 07:04 AM

aighty - so get a new card or don't use the optical on the audigy.....=]

wysocki · 02-23-2005, 11:03 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Red GTi VR6

so get a new card or don't use the optical on the audigy...

As Squid said, it's not just the Toslink, the line-in does the same thing. I'd like to get a new soundcard (actually I could just use the one onboard the Epia M10000 if it sounds ok) but I want/need a processor to do EQ and DSP to create some signal to my rears and provide a mono output for my center/subs. The Alpine sounds perfect because it does the eq/dsp but it is PRICEY with the control unit just to get dsp. Are there any other units you'd recommend to do the eq and feed my amps?

cletus323 · 02-23-2005, 11:36 AM

I asked this same question in another thread BEFORE buying the NX. So that's why I ordered an Extigy

Guess what it does.....Upmixes ALL of the inputs!! Why...because it was designed by Creative to also work as a standalone decoder (ie, not attached to your pc). I can also personally attest to the fact that there is a definite sound quality increase when switching from the RCA out on the XM Direct to the optical. Look around on these forums and on the xmfan forums and you will find that the poor analog out quality is due to a cheap DA decoder.

I agree completely though, Creative sucks for doing this. They have always screwed up the inputs. Back when I had an SB Live Platinum, I had my PS2 hooked up to the optical input and I had to call Creative to find out that it didn't do dolby digital decoding from the external inputs. At least they have fixed that now

But seriosly, who wants to be listening to mp3's through all 4 speakers and the subs and then switch to XM and only hear it through the front left and right speaker?? FM radio is only 2 channel but i still hear it out of all 6 speakers in my car. Why is that so hard to understand?

Squid · 02-23-2005, 12:27 PM

Oh so the Extigy works huh?? saweet...

hmm...

Weird decision... do I want to "downgrade" my soundcard to get more robust functionality LOL

wysocki · 02-23-2005, 12:36 PM

Cletus:
Do you know how's the sound of the Extigy compared to the Audigy?
Does it have separate lineIn / MicIn volume controls?
Is it 6vdc 1.5a like the Audigy?
I assume it has the same eq/dsp as the Audigy, and you're saying these control your Xm as well????

cletus323 · 02-23-2005, 01:57 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by wysocki

Cletus:
Do you know how's the sound of the Extigy compared to the Audigy?
Does it have separate lineIn / MicIn volume controls?
Is it 6vdc 1.5a like the Audigy?
I assume it has the same eq/dsp as the Audigy, and you're saying these control your Xm as well????

I haven't used the audigys so I can't tell you for sure, but the extigy sounds pretty awesome. I believe they both have the same quality DACs though.

It isn't 5vdc, it's 12vdc.

I'm not sure about the seperate linein/micin, i know it has seperate inputs and a volume control knob on the front for the mic input, here's a picture:

RedGTiVR6 · 02-23-2005, 04:25 PM

well...I do know that my NX PCMCIA card works fine for it, and it's optical, but then again, that's all it's got on it...lol

I get a good front stage and bass as well

=]

we shall see what the judges think next weekend about how it sounds....lol

Squid · 02-23-2005, 04:38 PM

It does? I asked you about the PCMCIA NX awhile ago and never got an answer because you didn't try it yet...

So you can input a 2 channel source (line-in or optical-in) and it comes out all 6 channels on the card?

I thought maybe that it would, since it is more connected to your pc than just a usb 2.0 connection...
but your the first I've seen with that card...

Thanks for any info...

RedGTiVR6 · 02-23-2005, 05:09 PM

well, I don't know about all 6 channels...since I'm using only a front stage and subs - but it's coming out just fine here...

but I am running it into the alpine processor, which will do 5.1, but I'm not using it for that....

works great - for some reason I thought I had started a thread about how it worked because I had quite a few people ask me about it.....leme check, and if I didn't I guess I had better do that!

Squid · 02-23-2005, 05:37 PM

So your only outputting toslink to the alpine processor. So that is doing the upmixing
and bass redirection probably. So there is no proof that the PCMCIA version will do
what we need it to do then

...I'm sad again

Unless you really are using multiple channels out of the card, but it don't seem
like you are. (I looked at your build pictures)

Thanks for the info!

RedGTiVR6 · 02-23-2005, 05:53 PM

the alpine is set on 2-channel input selection, so when playing a CD (which only has l/r output) it all works fine

yes, the alpine unit has 3 different sets of RCAs running to it currently, 2 for the 4 channel amplifier, and one for hte sub amp...

wysocki · 02-24-2005, 11:09 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by cletus323

So that's why I ordered an Extigy

Guess what it does.....Upmixes ALL of the inputs!!

I hope you're right, because I just called Creative and the tech there said Creative no longer produces the Extigy but that the Extigy would NOT upmix the Toslink in either since it uses the same "routing cirtcuitry" that the Audigy does. And the Audigy is the best of their optical processors.

I hope he's wrong because I just ordered an Extigy.

Squid · 02-24-2005, 12:50 PM

Well consider yourself our guinea pig!!

Please make sure you tell us every detail of how the extigy functions...
Cause I was looking at the refurbed creative auctions on ebay yesterday... heh

cletus323 · 02-24-2005, 03:01 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by wysocki

I hope you're right, because I just called Creative and the tech there said Creative no longer produces the Extigy but that the Extigy would NOT upmix the Toslink in either since it uses the same "routing cirtcuitry" that the Audigy does. And the Audigy is the best of their optical processors.

I hope he's wrong because I just ordered an Extigy.

Yeah I asked creative before too and for some reason the support people don't have a whole lot of knowledge or faith in the audigy product line (including the extigy). It's a fact though that the audigy's do software Dolby decoding and the extigy does it in hardware.

It will work! Thanks for the faith though, haha

wysocki · 02-24-2005, 07:52 PM

I guess I'll have to wait a few days to get the answer on this. I bought one on eBay (probably one Squid was looking at) for $51 "slightly used" so it'll probably come in next week. I'll post a full review / comparison to the Audigy then. One bonus is that the Extigy is 12v so I don't have to have a klutzy 6v power adapter just for it.

It's just amazing to me that Creative or some other tech company doesn't do more with audio for pc's. Like why is there only ONE line-in? Why would Creative tie the line-in and mic-in volume controls together? Why is mic-in only monophonic? With the huge movement to htpc, I'd think someone would build a sound processor that truly takes advantage of PC based control.