z5500 xfi questions

[shaido7]

HELLO ALL.

I have xfi sound card and logitech z5500 speakers. I know nothing at all about cables but i would like to get better sound i was thinking going digital might help so i am looking at buying a fiber optic cable(glass) but i dont know what cable i need. can anyone help me?

I also would like to know what modes on the z5500 are for what? for example when im watching movies what mode should i be in dolby dts stero etc? what are the modes for? thank you

 

[watsonrw]

the fiberoptic cable you want is a toslink cable and they can be found for cheap on ebay. in the stores they are pricey. I have this setup and i like the sound that comes from the optical. I watch my movies in the movie mode. You do not want to be in stereo but dolby. I have a hard time in getting surround sound to play in movies on my pc so maybe someone else can help you better.

 

[Criminal89]

HELLO ALL.

I have xfi sound card and logitech z5500 speakers. I know nothing at all about cables but i would like to get better sound i was thinking going digital might help so i am looking at buying a fiber optic cable(glass) but i dont know what cable i need. can anyone help me?

I also would like to know what modes on the z5500 are for what? for example when im watching movies what mode should i be in dolby dts stero etc? what are the modes for? thank you

Hi,
I have an X-Fi and the z5500 as well. Unless you have an X-Fi with an external bay, you will not be able to use a fiber optic cable to connect it and your speakers. The cable I am using can be picked up at Radio Shack (Probably somewhere else as well I am sure) for around $6. It has a 3.5mm mono connection on one end and a coaxial connection on the other. Under Windows XP I was able to get a Dolby Digital and DTS digital signal when watching movies. But now that I am using Vista, no such luck. So maybe someone has idea why I can't get a digital signal under Vista.


Here is a link to a forum concerning the cable I was telling you about:
X-Fi and z5500

 

[dj_taboo]

Your Xfi card should have the FlexJack (if you don't have the extra panel)which you can use to hook up the optical on your z5500s. Yes, like the others said you'll need the 1/8" optical adapter.

 

[Clob]

If the analog signal is noise free, then it would be just fine. The only issue is when the DAC is creating noise/distortion, then looking elsewhere to reduice noise/distortion is good.

I knoticed a reduce in signal noise when I switched from analog to digital from my onboard soundcard. But that is case specific just like everything else.