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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 1 Registered: Mar-04 | Recently I purchased this card after fussing and searching for a digital out for HTPC. To summarize I found out using a phono to RCA mono radioshack cable from the card to my NAD 752 works just fine with digital pass through and SPDIF pass through set on Intervideo DVD software. Then reading the archives here I noticed mention of the voltages. Usual coax TRUE spif is 75 ohm and 0.5V. The output from the card is 100 ohm and 5V to 12V. Ouch! I had not cranked on the sound so I was lucky. The specs are from Creative. Apparently this was desgined to work with their speakers despite the box advertising otherwise. The alternative is to get the platinum at $249 or go with the m-audio revolution at $95. SB was not clear on this on their box and they have a potential recall/mass problem IMO. |
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Bronze Member Username: LandrovalPost Number: 43 Registered: Feb-04 | Dont you have an optical out from the ZS? I have been using the digital out from my Live! and Audigy2 cards for several years and it have had no effect to my receiver, everything works fine. |
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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 2 Registered: Mar-04 | Landroval Thanks for the reply. The ZS only has a mini jack plug for the digital out. The platinum has the optical out. With the optical out there will no voltage mismatch. Are you referring to the digital optical out when you mention the digital connections? |
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Bronze Member Username: LandrovalPost Number: 44 Registered: Feb-04 | Yeah, I remembered that Creative bunbled a separate "slot cover" with optical in and out with the ZS but maybe they changed plans or something. I've used the coaxial digital outs from both the Live! and Audigy2 and there have never been a problem. My receiver is an oldish Sony DE635 and it doesn't seem to care what kind of voltage it gets. I was warned about the voltage difference long time ago, but I have never heard that anyone would have broken their hardware with that. And I am definitely not the only one who uses it that way. |
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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 3 Registered: Mar-04 | The Live and Audigy! sound like they had the coax connectors. The problem arises from the mini jack connector on the card. It is designed to feed the Creative blasters speakers with current. If they had a coax out there would be no problem. Hence the Platinum package and m-audio suggestions which have the coax out connectors, one being cheaper than the other. |
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Bronze Member Username: Vulture99Post Number: 16 Registered: Feb-04 | If you don't find a solution, you might also consider the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card. I am using the SPDIF coax out on the 2496 card to connect to my NAD T763. Works great. The 2496 card runs about $150 at newegg.com. I'm using it on Linux with no problems, and it works well on Windows, too. |
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Bronze Member Username: LandrovalPost Number: 45 Registered: Feb-04 | The Live and Audigy! sound like they had the coax connectors. The problem arises from the mini jack connector on the card. It is designed to feed the Creative blasters speakers with current. If they had a coax out there would be no problem. You didn't get me right. The Live! and Audigy2 non-ZS has also an ordinary 3,5mm minijack/miniplug connector for the electric digital out. And they are line-level outputs, there is no such thing as amplified digital out. I have a mono cable with minijack and RCA plugs and it goes directly from the soundcard to the receiver. And there is absolutely no difference on Audigy2 and Audigy2 ZS digital outs on the hardware (or in any) level. I dont say you should give it a try, but I'm 99% sure that it will work no problem. |
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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 4 Registered: Mar-04 | landroval Creative told me of the varied volatage i.e. you are feeding 5 to 12V to your receiver according to them. Apparently some Yamahas have burnt out. I will contact NAD and see what they have to say. Mike The Revolution from m-audio is what I am going to try it is only $95 versus the Professional version you are using. I figured I did not need it that sophistimocated! |
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Bronze Member Username: LandrovalPost Number: 46 Registered: Feb-04 | One thing you could use is a coaxial -> optical adapter. They are cheap and will do the thing. |
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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 5 Registered: Mar-04 | Thanks for the tip, I had not considered that option! |
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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 6 Registered: Mar-04 | Ok the reason for the difference boils to a different SPDIF standard from the computer board manufacturers. Creative probably does have line level out despite what the tech I spoke with said but it is TTL SPDIF. NAD directs me to their dealerships who are not familiar with TTL or computer digital sound. If TTL is 5V then the converter to optical SPDIF will not correctly register the sound. So if you crank on it with a system without a clipping circuit it may be a problem. Coax Digital standard -- Many companies utilize the Coax Digital I/O standard. The connectors for coax are RCA (phono, or Cinch) type jacks. The S/PDIF digital data is carried electrically on a coaxial cable (a cable with an active center conductor and an outer-grounded shield). Coaxial cable is the same as regular 75-ohm RCA or phono cable. Coax's electrical standards are +/-500mVp-p (milliVolts peak-to-peak). This means the digital ZEROES are represented as -500mV while the digital ONES are represented as +500mV. TTL S/PDIF standard -- TTL stands for Transistor-Transistor Logic. TTL S/PDIF is most commonly found on computer CD-ROM drives that are equipped with a digital audio output. Some inexpensive PC soundcards also have a TTL S/PDIF input and output. The connector type used is most commonly a 2-pin header. It is similar to Coax in that the S/PDIF data is transmitted electrically, however, where it differs is in its voltage levels. TTL digital ZEROES are represented as 0V, while TTL digital ONES are represented as +5V. |
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A77 Unregistered guest | Creative sells a daughter board for use with Live and Live Value cards. It provides standard coax and Toslink digital connections, in and out. Don't know if it's applicable to the Audigy, but it was between $50 and $80. Hoontech and some other brands also offer similar daughter boards to connect with CD, DAT or MD machines. |
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Bronze Member Username: LandrovalPost Number: 55 Registered: Feb-04 | This is the hoontech version of the daugterboard: http://www.hoontech.com/english/products/sbdb3/info.html |
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Unregistered guest | I have also had a problem with the Audigy 2 ZS digital output. I have the digital out going to my Pioneer Elite CD recorder for my DAC, then to my Nakamichi RE10. When I listen to instrumental music at high volumes, it damages the speakers (PSB Image 2B) I have had them replaced twice already and I have had them less than a year. Is the 5v to 12v only the digital out, or are the analog outs screwed up too? |
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New member Username: FrogsroqPost Number: 7 Registered: Mar-04 | DaDragon TTL SPDIF is only on the digital. The analog out should be a minimal voltage but I am not 100% sure but I would guess the analogs would be fine with the computer master volume at half way or below and the Nakamichi amping the volume. The only way is to call their Tech support, since I am no longer using this card I cannot help more in terms of testing any idea out. A77 thanks for the info. Instead of paying a total of about $200 an m-audio card is accessible at half the price. landroval, thanks for the link. I will check it out. Good listening! |