Gaming sound card question (hardware processing)

I don't see why not. You should be getting the same sounds you do through analog, even CMSS-3D Headphone processing if desired. I believe the main complaint people had with PC sound cards and S/PDIF in the past was the lack of surround sound, and that's due to how most PC games work with uncompressed PCM channels, not Dolby Digital or DTS.

That said, I don't have an external audio DAC to use with my X-Fi cards to actually verify that. (I'm holding off on that until later. DACs with S/PDIF input regularly go for $300 or more, and I can't justify that right now.)

I believe when you use the digital output (optical or coaxial) you are bypassing the audio processing of the sound card.

So EAX, OpenAL, CMSS3D, etc. can not be passed through the digital output.

Dolby Digital and DTS can be sent through the digital connection.

The sound processing of CMSS-3D and more ARE output through digital lines.  You can check the Titanium HD review on guru3d.com for reassurance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fomoz 
Hello,
I have an X-Fi Titanium HD. My question is the following. If I'm playing a game and my sound card is using hardware processing (EAX or other), can I output this via optical (Toslink) S/PDIF to an external DAC (such as a Schiit Bifrost) and have it do the D/A conversion?
Thanks!

My two cents.

The X-Fi Titanium HD comes with a built in headphone amplifier, sometimes they go on sale and with a mail in rebate.

Simpler (and cheaper) just to plug your headphones straight in to the Titanium HD,

You can even spend another $35 on really nice op-amps (operational amplifiers) for the Titanium HD.

and make a few dollars selling your Titanium (non HD).

Cheaper then spending all that money on that beautiful Schiit Bifrost.
 

According to ROBSCIX from Guru3d, they do not have a build in amp circuit.  That isn't to say that the card isn't worth it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coupe 

The sound processing of CMSS-3D and more ARE output through digital lines.  You can check the Titanium HD review on guru3d.com for reassurance.

Guess I need to get caught up on my Titanium HD reviews.

Also the review said there is no headphone amplifier on the Titanium HD.

But the Titanium has some nice op-amps (LME49710)

My Titanium Fatal1ty Pro does NOT pass EAX, CMSS-3D, or the Crystalizer through optical.  Not sure if the HD will.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shilent 

My Titanium Fatal1ty Pro does NOT pass EAX, CMSS-3D, or the Crystalizer through optical.  Not sure if the HD will.

Are you certain about that?

Go install RightMark 3DSound, make sure to copy the ALchemy dsound.dll and dsound.ini files to its installation folder, and use its Positioning Accuracy Test to verify EAX effect support and imaging with CMSS-3D Headphone. I find it hard to believe that such a card would not process the S/PDIF signal at all, even raw stereo PCM.

Times like this make me wish I had a DAC so I could answer for certain, at least with the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude and Forte. Can't speak for other X-Fi cards.

I have the Auzentech Forte and I can totally use the cmss-3d and other audio processing from my sound card for my games through my optical cable to my external dac/amp.. If I want to bypass my soundcard for music I'll simply open J River Media Center and use the s/pdif option under WASAPI. Best of the two worlds

I use my old X-Fi Gamer and connect it through optical to an external Dac and amp. Works great.