Audigy 2 Platinum eX

[daniel1113]

Hey guys,

I purchased an Audigy 2 Platinum eX for my new system. I chose the eX over the regular Audigy 2 because I was hoping to do some basic recording along with the games I play and DVDs I watch on a regular basis. However, upon receiving my eX, I noticed that the card does not have an internal SPDIF connection for digital CD/DVD audio. Is this true or have I missed something? Also, how much of a difference in quality should there be between a digital audio connection and the regular analog connection on my motherboard? Thanks!

- Daniel (daniel1113@attbi.com)

 

[r2k]

Hi Daniel. I think you missed the CD_SPDIF Digital input on your sound card! It's a 2-pin Molex connector located next to the AUX_in (Auxiliary input) on my plain vanilla Audigy (they're labeled, also check the documentation). On your eX, there's also an internal Firewire (SB1394) port between the two.

Don't worry though. If you enable digital CD playback in Windows, everything will be treated digitally just like any other kind of data (the data will be transferred via the IDE cable, the FSB, etc). So you don't even need a cable this way.

And, yes, if you insist on using the cables connecting the drive to the sound card and not use the DAE method I mentioned above, there will be a difference. If you use analog, it will be the (supposedly inferior) Digital to Analog Converter of the drive that reproduces the sound. In case of a digital connection, the data will be transferred digitally to the sound card and the card will do the D/A conversion with its (supposedly much better) DA chip. Audigy2 has an excellent DAC and thus, the digital path would be better.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by r2k on 05/07/03 12:19 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[daniel1113]

Hey r2k,

Thanks for the information. I am not a professional, but I am positive that there are no internal connections on my eX card except for the joystick controller. However, if what you say is true about running everything digitally through the ide cables, I should have no problem. Here is my only other question: should I even connect the analog audio connectors to my motherboard? Thanks!

- Daniel (daniel1113@attbi.com)

 

[confoundicator]

r2k, you are thinking of the Audigy 2 Platinum. It's the one with the breakout box. He has the Audigy 2 Platinum Ex, with the external connection box.

Daniel, I think you're talking about the internal connection between the DVD drive and the sound card, the 2 pin Molex like r2k said (there should also be a 4 pin connector for CD audio, shouldn't there?). Check this link from <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=connectors" target="_new">Newegg</A>, it's the second item in the list.

<font color=blue>-Any tool dropped while repairing a car will roll under the car to the exact middle.</font color=blue>

 

[daniel1113]

Hey confoundicator,

Yes, the two pin connector is the one I am talking about. From what I understand, it is a SPDIF digital audio connection from a cd/dvd drive to the sound card. However, my Audigy 2 Platinum eX doesn't have one of these. Should this matter at all, or will the audio through the IDE cable sound the same? Thanks

- Daniel (daniel1113@attbi.com)

 

[daniel1113]

Hey guys,

I figured it out. I was unaware of this, but Windows XP runs digital audio through the PCI bus now. The less wire the better

- Daniel (daniel1113@attbi.com)

 

[Traqr]

...and that's new how, exactly? I've been doing that since Win98, at least. (I don't think Win95 did it, but I could be mistaken). The advantage of having a dedicated digital link (S/PDIF) is that traffic on the busses (IDE &PCI) can't affect playback quality.

<font color=blue>Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make them all yourself.</font color=blue><font color=green>
<i>Canadian Flight Safety periodical, ~1987</i></font color=green>

 

[confoundicator]

Hey r2k, just re-read your post and realized I was wrong about you confusing the Platinum and Platinum Ex. Thanks for not flaming me for it though. :lol:

<font color=blue>-Any tool dropped while repairing a car will roll under the car to the exact middle.</font color=blue>

 

[daniel1113]

Hey Tragr,

It's new to me. I just always assumed the external SPDIF or analog connector was necessary. However, that they aren't needed does make sense. my guess is that it wasn't the OS that couldn't do it, but the hardware 5 years ago.

- Daniel (daniel1113@attbi.com)

 

[r2k]

I have been doing it the DAE way since Windows 95 on a P120 with a Yamaha OPL-3SAx ISA sound card and a Panasonic 8x CD reader. But my drive was one of the few that could do it then (1996). I remember I told everyone around me about this but many of my friends with Acer and Goldstar (now LG) drives couldn't do it. Their optical drive didn't support DAE back then.