Hello
I have a tranquil pc with a DH61AG motherboard, it has a s/pdif plug on the motherboard, six pins with one missing for location. The audio at present comes through hdmi but I would like to take an output from the s/pdif pins. Would this give better quality audio and if so how to go from motherboard to socket on back of pc to preferably opticals/pdif.
Thanks
thyristor44
I have a tranquil pc with a DH61AG motherboard, it has a s/pdif plug on the motherboard, six pins with one missing for location. The audio at present comes through hdmi but I would like to take an output from the s/pdif pins. Would this give better quality audio and if so how to go from motherboard to socket on back of pc to preferably opticals/pdif.
Thanks
thyristor44
You'll get better sound quality with coax (either BNC or RCA) than with optical. Optical gives you nice isolation, but with a lot of jitter. The lack of isolation can be fixed downstream; the jitter can't.
As to whether or not the S/PDIF out is better than the HDMI, that probably depends on the motherboard. Odds probably favour the S/PDIF being better.
Cheers,
Jeff.
As to whether or not the S/PDIF out is better than the HDMI, that probably depends on the motherboard. Odds probably favour the S/PDIF being better.
Cheers,
Jeff.
I'd use coax and an isolation transformer. You can buy one or, perhaps, follow this following diy example: Improving digital coax cable by galvanic isolation.
Similar example here: Improve Your Soundcard's S/PDIF Output: 4 Steps. You also need a bracket, and space for it at the back of the PC chassis.
Similar example here: Improve Your Soundcard's S/PDIF Output: 4 Steps. You also need a bracket, and space for it at the back of the PC chassis.
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Since I disable wifi on my music computer anyway, I removed one of the wifi antenna jacks and used its bracket for the S/PDIF RCA jack. I think I had to drill it out to enlarge the hole a bit, if memory serves.
Its a very small fanless industrial pc so has no outputs on the back that I could use so I will have to drill a hole and mount an rca socket. My tv has s/pdif out so I am using that at present. This computer is realy for the tv so I can watch bbc iplayer and iptv channels so the sound is not always very good. It also gets youtube as there is lots of classical music there, some in quite good quality.
There are tonns of board like this on the net. You can hack it up and maybe screw the backplate to the side.
SPDIF signal on the motherboard is most probably 0-3.3V (TTL), and not the signal level that SPDIF is(+- 0.6V).
So if you connect it directly, the receiving device may not like it. Some will handle it as some receiver has a built in coil and will handle the 2x voltage.
On the linked board you can see 2 resistor+1cap. This is the schematic if you want it DIY.
SPDIF signal on the motherboard is most probably 0-3.3V (TTL), and not the signal level that SPDIF is(+- 0.6V).
So if you connect it directly, the receiving device may not like it. Some will handle it as some receiver has a built in coil and will handle the 2x voltage.
On the linked board you can see 2 resistor+1cap. This is the schematic if you want it DIY.
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Interesting; I bought another one of those (Gigabyte SPDIF OUT), and took it apart, and there were no active or passive components on the RCA side (only on the optical side).
Table 11. S/PDIF / DMIC Header Signal Names
36
Pin Description
1 3.3 V
2 DMIC_DATA
3 Ground
4 SPDIF_OUT/DMIC_CLK
5 Key (no pin)
6 5 V
Does this make sense.
It will be going in to an audiolab m_dac.
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Do you have a way to measure the voltage of leg 4? Scope?
There are some boards that have a normal spdif out and not the TTL spdif like I had.
So you don't need any passive components.
If it is normal spdif, then you only need a cable like JeffYoung linked.
They don't really specify it in the motherboard doc.
Strangely my DAC worked if output was on 44/16, but didn't if it was set higher on the PC. Didn't understand what is wrong with the dac. Then measured the spdif signal and saw it is not the conventional and the problem is not with the DAC at all.
There are some boards that have a normal spdif out and not the TTL spdif like I had.
So you don't need any passive components.
If it is normal spdif, then you only need a cable like JeffYoung linked.
They don't really specify it in the motherboard doc.
Strangely my DAC worked if output was on 44/16, but didn't if it was set higher on the PC. Didn't understand what is wrong with the dac. Then measured the spdif signal and saw it is not the conventional and the problem is not with the DAC at all.
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Yes I have a scope, I expect 5v signal on ttl but what would be the output if not ttl.
This pc is brand new to me so it will be some time before I contemplate removing the motherboard. I have bricked a few things in my past.
Expect 3.3V, maybe it is not TTL level, just better to describe it.
If not 0 to 3.3V, then around -0.5V to +0.5V
If you have any cable that you can connect on it, then you will not brick it.
I had some old PC speakers, cut the cable off and used if for measuring.
I only bricked a HDD before
Actually I think a S/PDIF signal should be around +/- 0.25V (the 0.5V is peak-to-peak).
A great resource on all things S/PDIF: epanorama.net/S/PDIF Interface.
A great resource on all things S/PDIF: epanorama.net/S/PDIF Interface.
I have this motherboard too no sound from s/pdif
I wanted to use the S/PDIF on the motherboard a DH61AG and I bought from Amazon this:
http://a.co/d/2s6o03j
The cable will light up RED and I can pick "Digital Audio (S/PDIF)" It will say for Jack information "Rear Panel Optical Jack" I guess that is it. But I get no sound. Can see the a sound like bar going up and down when playing sound but nothing comes out the speakers.
I have a Android box with a S/pdif out on it and I tested it in there and the sound works. Just don't know why it don't work on this motherboard.
Just don't know how to fix this. Maybe Windows 10 just don't know this is on the Motherboard. Not sure.
-Raymond Day
I wanted to use the S/PDIF on the motherboard a DH61AG and I bought from Amazon this:
http://a.co/d/2s6o03j
The cable will light up RED and I can pick "Digital Audio (S/PDIF)" It will say for Jack information "Rear Panel Optical Jack" I guess that is it. But I get no sound. Can see the a sound like bar going up and down when playing sound but nothing comes out the speakers.
I have a Android box with a S/pdif out on it and I tested it in there and the sound works. Just don't know why it don't work on this motherboard.
Just don't know how to fix this. Maybe Windows 10 just don't know this is on the Motherboard. Not sure.
-Raymond Day
Got it working by installing a driver.
Installed this driver I found out my Intel motherboard used Realtek for sound. So looked on Google to download Realtek and found this file.
0009-64bit_Win7_Win8_Win81_Win10_R282.exe
Installed it and had to reboot and Wow now s/pdif audio works! Super I sent all day yesterday trying. All devices were updated and still did not work. Nothing said I had to install audio drivers. They were all updated.
I think I downloaded it from here:
Realtek
I guess this will help others to get it working.
-Raymond Day
Installed this driver I found out my Intel motherboard used Realtek for sound. So looked on Google to download Realtek and found this file.
0009-64bit_Win7_Win8_Win81_Win10_R282.exe
Installed it and had to reboot and Wow now s/pdif audio works! Super I sent all day yesterday trying. All devices were updated and still did not work. Nothing said I had to install audio drivers. They were all updated.
I think I downloaded it from here:
Realtek
I guess this will help others to get it working.
-Raymond Day
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