Is there any need of sound card for z-5500 ?

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jassi

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hi guys,i purchase new speakers z-5500 ....i wanna use it with my amd rig with mobo crosshair iv formula ....my question is that:- is there any need of sound card like creative x-fi,asus xonar etc, or my mobo can sounds good with my speakers ?

also tell me if there is any need of sound card ? and which one to buy ?
thanks
 
Sound card is a must for those speakers, I have them myself and without the soundcard they don't come to their full potential (like 20% of there potential), with the sound card, its like awesomeeeeee..
 
^ I really dont think so, with optical outs on your MOBO doesnt make any difference. BTW,which sound card are you using and what codecs do you use.
 
If you are willing to drive it via digital inputs (coaxial/optical) and your motherboard has the digital output ports, NO you do not need one. There is no difference in the SQ if it were driven by sound cards.

On the contrary, if you are driving it via analog inputs, then the SQ perceived will make a difference with an added sound card.

HTH!
 
Gannu said:
On the contrary, if you are driving it via analog inputs, then the SQ perceived will make a difference with an added sound card.

HTH!
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sir cant i get it ...can u please explain it ....i will going to use it via analog output..then what will be the difference ?
 
jassi said:
sir cant i get it ...can u please explain it ....i will going to use it via analog output..then what will be the difference ?
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Well, you may be aware that the Z5500 accepts analog and digital inputs.

On the back of the pod, notice the green/black/orange 3.5mm TRS inputs. They are the analog inputs. Your motherboard has similar output ports. If you connect the respective ports, what you hear is the processed data from the DAC (digital-to-analog converter - audio chip) on the motherboard which does the digital signal (0s and 1s) to analog signal (current, voltage, charge) conversion.

Most motherboards employ DACs from Realtek/SoundMAX/Sigmatel etc. And there are those expensive boards that offer separate daughter cards using better DACs. The quality of the audio signal depends on the DAC other than the source used. Better the DAC, better is the SQ. Ofc there are other things that matter as well such as speaker drivers, cables etc among other things.

Your Z5500 has a DAC on the board residing inside the pod. It accepts digital signals (through the coaxial and optical ports) which are essentially untouched signals irrespective of using a sound card since the same signal is sent in the form of 0s and 1s. So it doesn't matter if you use a sound card and connect the speakers using the toslink/coaxial cable.

You can choose to connect your system through the supplied analog cables which I suppose is what you are using now OR buy a Toslink cable and connect it to the optical port on your board/pod OR a coaxial cable (composite cable) to connect it to the RCA socket on the board/pod.
 
sir .. tell me if i am predicting wrong... my motherboard is having S/PDIF Out (Optical) so means if i use optical output it will make sound quality = sound card ....but if i use analog output then sound quality is not as good as optical and i have to go for sound card if i want good sound...

so is this means that there is no need of card as my mobo is having optical output ..and can sounds good like a sound card ..
 
^Get yourself a toslink cable from ebay or your neighbourhood electronics shop and connect your PC with the speakers. That's it! :)
 
but if i use analog output then sound quality is not as good as optical and i have to go for sound card if i want good sound
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That would definately cost you a bomb on the sound card. Just get a toslink cable which comes anywhere between 500-2000 depending on the brands available. I am using a MX cable which retails for Rs.550 here in Pune.

@Gannu- BTW, what are the best toslink cables available.
 
^I use an MX make to connect the HDTV to the receiver. Costed me about 200 Rs IIRC. There are expensive ones that I wouldn't care of.
 
The purpose of a DAC (Digital Audio Converter)/ sound card is to convert digital signals as processed by a PC into an analog signal that can be played on speakers/headphones. An analog is signal is a continuous signal, and small variations in the signal while transmitting the signal can significantly affect the audio quality. That is why high end audio equipment always make it a point to advertise their Signal-to-noise ratio. An integrated sound card usually consists of "low-end" components, as a result it tends to usually have a very low Signal-to-noise ratio (typically around 80dBm) where as good DACs have much higher Signal-to-noise ratio. A digital signal consists of zeros and ones, which are represented by voltage variations. Typically 0 V represents '0' and some value like 2v represents '1'. But this is just theory, in practice there is quite a bit of leeway, anything less than 0.5v might be considered '0, and anything greater than 1.5v might be considered as '1' and the in-between values are ignored. Thus a small variation will not affect a digital signal. So as Gannu has so masterfully explained, going via the digital route effectively bypasses the sound card, and instead the digital to analog conversion is done by the inbuilt DAC of the Z5500 which is certain to be much better than the integrated sound card.
 
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1.)I don't want to steal the thread away but i figured my problem was similar to the OP so thought of getting some quick answers :ohyeah: .So i have a edifier C2 and i currently use it with my mobo's integrated sound card and i plug it into my comp by using a RCA cable(the one which has one jack to go into the rear of the pc and 2 which are red and white to go in the speakers,in my case amplifier) and i think it is analog input.and i understood what gannu said but i dont have a digital output from my mobo so the only way for me is a sound card right?

2.)what is the different in quality in using a coaxial cable with RCA connectors over TOSSLINK cables to deliver digital sound although to deliver digital sound the input and output almost always use TOSSLINK cables.

3.)unixguru so that implies that using the sound card is still slightly better because the DAC of the sound card will be better than the DAC of Z-5500?And it all boils down to how good is the DAC of whether the sound card or at the speakers end because the digital signal has to be converted to an analog one at some point to let the speakers produce the sound.I am assuming that any type of speakers in the world can't directly use digital input and it always has to be converted.
 
and gannu if the OP uses the digital output from his mobo which gives pure unadulterated sound and then the Z-5500 has an internal DAC to use, then ultimately the sound does have to go through a conversion degrading the quality?or will the DAC not be used and the Z-5500 will process the digital signals?if this is the case then why does it even have an internal DAC?
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Well (un)fortunately God/Evolution was not smart enough to design us as digital beings! Therefore, conversion will have to happen sometime or the other unless your one of the few people who can actually comprehend digital audio!

On a more serious note, speakers are electro-mechanical devices and can work only with analog signals. Therefore conversion has to happen somewhere, and the DAC on the z5500 should be much better than the integrated sound card.
 
hey unix sorry i was editing my post and i assume the post was still showing what i previously wrote and got over with it without needing any help! and i wish i could cuz that would give me the purest sound.. and in the end a sound card is the best way to go if you want the purest sound because i think the DAC of asus Xonar or creative X-Fi would beat the Z-5500's DAC anytime of the day.
 
sudhanshu123 said:
hey unix sorry i was editing my post and i assume the post was still showing what i previously wrote and got over with it without needing any help! and i wish i could cuz that would give me the purest sound.. and in the end a sound card is the best way to go if you want the purest sound because i think the DAC of asus Xonar or creative X-Fi would beat the Z-5500's DAC anytime of the day.
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I really do not know. From http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1004963, it looks like the DAC on the Z5500 is comparable to the older creative cards.
 
I've got a Z5500 connected to my old SB Audigy via analog and to my WD TV (1st gen) thru optical... After seeing this thread yesterday, I tried listening to the same album (flac) through both and I felt the sound was a fuller (lack of a better term) through the analog... your mileage may vary though
 
gevarghe said:
I've got a Z5500 connected to my old SB Audigy via analog and to my WD TV (1st gen) thru optical... After seeing this thread yesterday, I tried listening to the same album (flac) through both and I felt the sound was a fuller (lack of a better term) through the analog... your mileage may vary though
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That indicates the DAC on the SB Audigy is better than the one inside Z5500.
 
this thread make me to learn a lot regarding audio stuff..thanks to each member and mod who help me and posted in this thread ..
 
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