Guys,
As you know, after starting with a budget of 10k, I ended up buying the Logitech Z 5500 speakers
hyeah: Though their feedback at this forum is controversial to say the least, but the speakers are as per my expectations (they rock!).
However having said that, I am having a NIGHTMARE configuring these speakers and need to understand my soundcard/decoder configuration to set them up perfectly. This is where I need your EXPERT opinion.
Please read through below and give me suggestions:
1) Logitech Z5500 has its own Dolby Digital and DTS decoders. The Dolby Digital setting works only with a co-axial input and the DTS setting works only with optical input.
For this setting to work you need to use the digital out of the Creative soundcard and set the decoder options to S/PDIF passthrough.
^^ I got the above setting to work, but this means rendering my Soundcard useless. In addition this requires a player like Power DVD to enable S/PDIF passthrough, as with MCE media player it still shows the output as PCM as opposed to dolby digital.
Since my soundcard has DTS and DD and can transport these signals over analog Front, Rear, Sub thus I went to option number 2.
2) With option number 2, I am using my analog connections and not using my Logitech Decoder, rather I am using my creative DD and DTS decoder. I did not notice an appreciable gain by using the Logitech Decoder over creatives but in here lies few questions/scenarios that I am facing:
a) For DVD, I use the PureVideo decoder from Nvidia. I have got 5.1 sound to work in Dolby Digital using this decoder and DVD.
^^
In Nvidia settings I have selected 5.1 speaker setup and in sound effect type I have selected S/PDIF (I hope this means that Nvidia doesnt software decode the movie and the decoding is done by my soundcard)
b) For HD trailers that are .mov files, it uses FFDshow Audio filter and I get true 5.1. sound. Wherein the sound comes from the front speaker and effects come from the surround speakers. (no problems here).
c) For AC3 avi files, I was initially using the AC3 codec pack. It was sending the same signal through all five speakers. No dolby digital.
^^
Can anyone tell me the setting to enable dolby digital using AC3 codec pack? I see dolby digital movie output as an option (but wont this mean that I am using the software decoder of the AC3 as opposed to the hardware decoder of my soundcard?) In anycase, that setting doesnt work.
^^ As a workaround I have selected FFDShow to decode Audio for AC3 codec, and I have selected S/PDIF as the codec to decode AC3. This gives me 5.1 sound... but does this mean by soundcard is not doing any decoding?
I am a little lost and need to optimize these settings to get the max out of my soundcard and speakers.
As you know, after starting with a budget of 10k, I ended up buying the Logitech Z 5500 speakers
hyeah: Though their feedback at this forum is controversial to say the least, but the speakers are as per my expectations (they rock!). However having said that, I am having a NIGHTMARE configuring these speakers and need to understand my soundcard/decoder configuration to set them up perfectly. This is where I need your EXPERT opinion.
Please read through below and give me suggestions:
1) Logitech Z5500 has its own Dolby Digital and DTS decoders. The Dolby Digital setting works only with a co-axial input and the DTS setting works only with optical input.
For this setting to work you need to use the digital out of the Creative soundcard and set the decoder options to S/PDIF passthrough.
^^ I got the above setting to work, but this means rendering my Soundcard useless. In addition this requires a player like Power DVD to enable S/PDIF passthrough, as with MCE media player it still shows the output as PCM as opposed to dolby digital.
Since my soundcard has DTS and DD and can transport these signals over analog Front, Rear, Sub thus I went to option number 2.
2) With option number 2, I am using my analog connections and not using my Logitech Decoder, rather I am using my creative DD and DTS decoder. I did not notice an appreciable gain by using the Logitech Decoder over creatives but in here lies few questions/scenarios that I am facing:
a) For DVD, I use the PureVideo decoder from Nvidia. I have got 5.1 sound to work in Dolby Digital using this decoder and DVD.
^^
In Nvidia settings I have selected 5.1 speaker setup and in sound effect type I have selected S/PDIF (I hope this means that Nvidia doesnt software decode the movie and the decoding is done by my soundcard)
b) For HD trailers that are .mov files, it uses FFDshow Audio filter and I get true 5.1. sound. Wherein the sound comes from the front speaker and effects come from the surround speakers. (no problems here).
c) For AC3 avi files, I was initially using the AC3 codec pack. It was sending the same signal through all five speakers. No dolby digital.
^^
Can anyone tell me the setting to enable dolby digital using AC3 codec pack? I see dolby digital movie output as an option (but wont this mean that I am using the software decoder of the AC3 as opposed to the hardware decoder of my soundcard?) In anycase, that setting doesnt work.
^^ As a workaround I have selected FFDShow to decode Audio for AC3 codec, and I have selected S/PDIF as the codec to decode AC3. This gives me 5.1 sound... but does this mean by soundcard is not doing any decoding?
I am a little lost and need to optimize these settings to get the max out of my soundcard and speakers.
