Sound card in media PC for surround processing?

tresch · 12th March 2009, 09:52 PM

http://www.diamondmm.com/XS71DDL.php

am I nuts, or could one reasonably build a media PC with something like this in it and use it as a standalone surround processor? The sound card has 8 analog audio outputs, Optical input and output, and supposedly does Dolby EX and DTS decoding in hardware.

I've been trying to figure out a decent solution for a DIY 5.1 system with home-built speakers and amps, done on the cheap. Seems like this could be a somewhat simple solution. Anybody play with this kind of stuff?

SoNic_real_one · 12th March 2009, 11:42 PM

NO sound card does DD or DTS decoding in hardware. None. Creative where the only one that did decoding, and that was done by the main CPU with the help of the drivers. Now they stopped that.
The card that you link has something else thou - it has the ability to ENCODE the 5.1 audio streams coming from a PC application in a DolbyDigital stream in real time (DolbyDigitalLive). That means that connected via audio digital to a receiver you will have surround sound. Chipset it is provideb by CMedia and does the encoding also in software mode (via drivers).
I did have a card based on a higher version of those chipsets (it was doing DDL and DTS Connect) and I wasn't happy with the sound. For games was ok, I guess... but bo Advanced EAX.

But in my opinion Dolby Digital it is NOT recomanded for music. Dynamic is somwhere around 55dB, digital signal loosy compressed, joint stereo on high frequencies...
DTS sound a little better because of a higher samplerate, but still it has a low dynamic.

tresch · 13th March 2009, 06:29 AM

for music I am perfectly happy with standard stereo. I'm specifically thinking of home theater; movies and video games.

hrumph. darn licensing fees always getting in the way of my fun.

12th March 2009, 09:52 PM	#1
tresch diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2008	Sound card in media PC for surround processing? http://www.diamondmm.com/XS71DDL.php am I nuts, or could one reasonably build a media PC with something like this in it and use it as a standalone surround processor? The sound card has 8 analog audio outputs, Optical input and output, and supposedly does Dolby EX and DTS decoding in hardware. I've been trying to figure out a decent solution for a DIY 5.1 system with home-built speakers and amps, done on the cheap. Seems like this could be a somewhat simple solution. Anybody play with this kind of stuff?

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12th March 2009, 11:42 PM	#2
SoNic_real_one diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Virginia	NO sound card does DD or DTS decoding in hardware. None. Creative where the only one that did decoding, and that was done by the main CPU with the help of the drivers. Now they stopped that. The card that you link has something else thou - it has the ability to ENCODE the 5.1 audio streams coming from a PC application in a DolbyDigital stream in real time (DolbyDigitalLive). That means that connected via audio digital to a receiver you will have surround sound. Chipset it is provideb by CMedia and does the encoding also in software mode (via drivers). I did have a card based on a higher version of those chipsets (it was doing DDL and DTS Connect) and I wasn't happy with the sound. For games was ok, I guess... but bo Advanced EAX. But in my opinion Dolby Digital it is NOT recomanded for music. Dynamic is somwhere around 55dB, digital signal loosy compressed, joint stereo on high frequencies... DTS sound a little better because of a higher samplerate, but still it has a low dynamic.

13th March 2009, 06:29 AM	#3
tresch diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2008	for music I am perfectly happy with standard stereo. I'm specifically thinking of home theater; movies and video games. hrumph. darn licensing fees always getting in the way of my fun.

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