The Logitech Z-5500 Connection

[BudgetGamer2006]

Hey guys, i'm new to using these forums but have been visiting Toms for years and years now.

I was hoping to enlist the experience you all here.

I'm currently looking to buy some logitech z-5500 speakers, but am at a crossroads afa how to connect the devils. I currently only have a Soundblaster Live! 24-bit sound card which i am using instead of onboard audio. I also have a rather primative onboard codec on my Asus A7V8X-X mobo, which has Sp/dif out (coax i think?).

So my question is...what would be the superior way to connect the speakers out of these 2 options? Can i hook the speakers up with the sp/dif? Would that pass a digital signal to the pod's encoder? Or should I stick with the connections provided by the SB Live! 24-bit (analog connections?).

Thanks for reading that all if you have made it here, hehe

 

[BudgetGamer2006]

bump

 

[ellover009]

Save yourself a lot of trouble take the sound card out, the hit it with a hammer. Hard part outta the way, you can find an audigy 2zs for around $40-50 on sale or used, and a x-fi music for $80 on sale. it's half of 2006 there should not be any excuses to own a sound blaster live. Good luck

 

[-Dctrprks-]

Yes if you repent imediatly we'll pretend that you didn't say that you owned a sb live..............Thank you very much

 

[BudgetGamer2006]

So aside from that.. should i use my onboard then and pass a digital signal from the sp/dif to the pod?

If i got a x-fi board, what sort of connection would i get? Digital out?

Thanks.

 

[AC3STAR]

I'm not sure about all the connections on your Live card but if you have a digital out on the card you can use a mono 3.5mm to RCA (spdif) adapter to pass the signal to the box (cheap $2 part at Radio Shack). But you will probably be fine too with using the onboard sound to pass the digital signal, the control pod does a very good job if you just pass the digital signal to it either way.

X-Fi boards have many different digital out connections depending on what version you get. The lowest most definitely has a digital out but it will probably be in 3.5mm (headphone jack) flavour. Other higher end versions have SPDIF and optical plus a good number of different inputs.

TH

 

[BudgetGamer2006]

Ok, i've picked up the 5500s, and the verdict is they kick some serious phanny!

At the moment i'm using the Digital Coax connection from my mobo (Asus A7V8X-X) to the pod, which im hoping is upmixing the sounds for me.

One problem however is that I get the odd crackle when listening to mp3s (128 kbps quality), I checked the company who developed the codec and they said to disable bass boost, I did, crackling still remains.

Is this static from the mobo cause it's onboard? Is it jus tthe mp3s? The Speakers? (i doubt this one).

Would i be better off using a soundblaster card for a digital passthrough rather than the onboard, and in doing so would I still get EAX effects when playing games, even though im passing it through??

Thanks a bunch guys.

-BG