Noob Needs Advice.

[B HIZZLE]

Hey guys,
I dont know too much about sound :S so dont flame me or anything.
My current pc set up consists of the following:
Windows xp sp 3
Audigy 2 zs
Gigaworks s750
DDTS-100 Decoder (not connected)
Im thinking about purchasing the budget asus xonar soundcard (DS) and connecting it via the digital out to the DDTS 100.
Would there be a vast improvement? Or should i sell the decoder and get one of the higher end asus soundcards?
My friend tells me that if i use the decoder, all sound will be in pro logic....games, films and music. No more cmss 3d sh!te as he gently put it.
I use the audio for games, music and films....hd...dvd...divx etc
I really hate arsing about with codecs aswell, my friend recommends that i buy the budget asus sound card and connect it to the decoder, he says it will be very similar to owning a high end sound card, without actually buying one.....what do you guys recommend?
Thank you.

[ecc83]

Hmm?
Games, movies and such not really my thing, but if I understand you correctly you want a soundcard that will drive a surround decoder?

I have used (but not for SSnd) the Trust Optical Expert card £19.59 on the "river" . Seemed very stable and gives a choice of optical or co ax digital connections.

And ANYTHING that rids you of an Audigy/Creative/soundblaster card has GOT to be good! Tip...

Use a driver cleanup program and Revounistaller and Ccleaner to remove the last vestiges of S(of a)B . Disable the computers' On board Sound, in BIOS if you can.

Dave.

[B HIZZLE]

Thanks for the advice, im looking forward to trying a new soundcard...the amounts of problems ive had with the audigy over the years are untrue....applications disappearing, drivers not working properley, error messages.....i must've re-installed the drivers hundreds of times over the years.
I think that i will put the extra twenty quid and get the xonar ds as it has a few nice features for games and a DTS chip :D...it has a digital spdif out...i presume this is what i need to conncet to my decoder? and it comes with a "cable" but im not sure which one :S......here is a list of the cards features:

192k/24bit True PC Hi-Fi Enjoyment
Xonar DS’s 192kHz/24bit playback support let you enjoy all music files converted at highest quality without any sample rate downgrade.

Bring the Hi-Fi Theater to your desktop
Consisting of DTS Neo: PC™ and DTS Interactive™ technologies, DTS Connect brings the world’s most welcomed Hi-Fi surround sound to your PC and turns it into a powerful multi-media center and game console.

Surrounded all the time - DTS Neo: PC™
Converts any stereo signals into 7.1 channel – get the most out of your multi-channel speaker setup!

World's most welcomed surround audio at your service - DTS Interactive™
Turns every audio into sensational 7.1 DTS Digital surround via S/PDIF output – feed your AV receiver the best surround sound available!!

The Spirit of Hi-Fi System
Tune up your own sound with ease – Swappable OPamp socket
The design once only seen on hi-end audio equipment is now presented in Xonar DS. Swappable OPamp socket allows you to customize your sound solderlessly and create your favorite listening experience with ease.

Best Flexibility and Connectivity
Auto-detect front-panel
Intel HDA compatible front-panel header automatically switches output from back-panel to front once plugged in.


Specifications
Audio Performance
Output Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted):
Up to 107 dB
Input Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted):
100 dB
Output THD+N at 1kHz:
Up to 0.0017% (-95dB)
Input THD+N at 1kHz:
Up to 0.0017% (-95dB)
Frequency Response (-3dB, 24-bit/96kHz input):
<10Hz to 48kHz
Output/Input Full-Scale Voltage
1 Vrms (3Vp-p)
Sample Rate Conversion Quality:
Almost lossless, high-fidelity floating-point filters, with:
-140dB THD+N (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)
145dB Dynamic Range (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)

Main Chipset
Audio Processor:
ASUS AV200 High-Performance Sound Processor (Max. 192KHz/24bit)
24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources:
Wolfson WM8776* 1 (108dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) / Wolfson WM8766*1 (103dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit)
24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs:
Wolfson WM8776* 1 (102dB SNR, Max. 96kHz/24bit)

Sample Rate and Resolution

Analog Playback Sample Rate and Resolution:
44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit for all channels
Analog Recording Sample Rate and Resolution:
44.1K/48K/96KHz @ 16/24bit
S/PDIF Digital Output:
44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit, Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA-Pro
ASIO 2.0 Driver Support:
44.1K/48K/96K/192KHz @ 16/24bit

I/O Ports
Analog Output Jack:
3.50mm mini jack *4 (Front/Side/Center-Subwoofer/Back)
Analog Input Jack:
3.50mm mini jack *1 (Line-In/Mic-In)
Other line-level analog input (for CD-IN/TV Tuner):
Aux-In (4-pin header on the card)
Digital S/PDIF Output:
High-bandwidth Optical Connector supports 192KHz/24bit (shared with Back surround output jack)
Front-Panel Header:
Intel HDA front-panel compatible and supports HP jack-detection and automatically switch audio output from back-panel to front
S/PDIF Header:
Additional SPDIF-out header for connecting graphics card with HDMI audio output

Driver Features
Operation System:
Windows Vista/XP(32/64bit)/MCE2005
DTS® Technologies:
DTS® Connect (DTS Interactive Encoder and DTS Neo:PC) for both XP and Vista
-DTS Interactive encodes any 3D gaming audio into true-to-live 5.1 DTS Digital Surround sound experience
-DTS Neo:PC could expand any stereo music to 7.1 surround sounds
Smart Volume Normalizer™:
Normalizes the volume of all audio sources into a constant level and also enhances your 3D sound listening range and advantages in gaming
Xear 3D™ Virtual Speaker Shifter:
Adjustable virtual 7.1-speaker positioning
Karaoke Functions:
Music Pitch-Shifting, Vocal Cancellation, and Microphone Echo effects with Stereo Mix recording (Wave and Mic-in) for online Karaoke or online DJ applications
FlexBass™:
Professional Bass Management/Enhancement system
Other Effects:
10-band Equalier/27 Environment Effects
3D Sound Engines/APIs:
Vista: DirectSound3D® GX 2.5, EAX®2.0&1.0, DirectSound® HW, DirectSound SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds processing capability
XP: DirectSound3D® GX 2.5, EAX®2.0&1.0, DirectSound® HW, DirectSound SW, A3D®1.0, OpenAL generic modes, 128 3D sounds processing capability
VocalFX™:
The latest vocal effect technologies for gaming and VoIP, including:
- VoiceEX: produces vivid environmental reverberation for your voice in EAX games
- ChatEX: emulates different background environment effects when you chat online

[Bops2000]

I think Terratek has some surround cards as well, however, I have not employed them.

[ecc83]

"-140dB THD+N (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)
145dB Dynamic Range (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)"

^^^^THAT, castes doubt for me on the rest of the specification!

Bopps: I had a Terratec "Fun 5.1" for a while before I discovered the unflappable 2496, it was ok but T'tec were total 'holes to get replacement software from.

Dave.

[Bops2000]

Agreed dave, on the terrateks, however, they do work.
I once got an actual response from them, almost like
"girly man should know audio" deal.

[B HIZZLE]

"-140dB THD+N (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)
145dB Dynamic Range (typical value for 44.1K->48KHz, 24bit)"

^^^^THAT, castes doubt for me on the rest of the specification!

Is that good or bad lol????

[ecc83]

B HIZZLE asks.
Is that good or bad lol????

Well, the first line, to explain, refers to Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise.

Now to measure distortion you need a source with very low self distortion and it is not possible to get within a lightyear of -140dB! The self noise of a theoretically perfect 200Ohm resistor is about -130dBu at 20dgrC.

What they have in fact done is take the "calculated" dynamic range of 24bit DIGITAL systems and simple tacked it onto an analogue spec'.

This tells me that they are either incompetents or rotters!

Dave.