[asmox]

hey,

i'm generally a big gamer, so i have an a2 zs platinum in my pc.. but i've been focusing more on my music lately, and so have been thinking of getting an e-mu 0404 to use alongside my a2. i had a few questions concerning this.

firstly, i own z680's (no bashing please :O) and i understand that there's no connecting a 5.1 system to the 0404 since it only has dual mono outputs. if i get a dual 1/4" male mono->1/8" female stereo cable, then i could hook up the 2.1 part of my z680's up to the 0404.. but then i wouldn't be able to use my headamp/headphones without either manually going back there and disconnecting the speakers and connecting the mini-RCA to my amp/hp's, or getting some kinda external switchbox to switch between the speakers and the amp/hp's.. waay too many cables everywhere. so i was wondering if a 1/8" stereo male->dual 1/8" stereo female Y adapter would work? or would it totally not work and output to both the speakers and the headphones at the same time, instead of cutting off the speakers when you plug the headphones into the other half of the adapter? if that's the case, is a switchbox the only way to go? 0404 -> switchbox -> switchable speaker mini/headphone mini? if so, where could i get a nice, cheap switchbox?

secondly, is there any way to run the speaker connections to both the 0404 and the a2, and then have software dictate where the audio processing takes place for a particular application? or will i, again, have to go back there and reconnect all the speaker connectors from one card to the other when i want to use a given card?

if that's the case, i was curious.. is it alright to have two separate speaker setups operating right next to each other? i mean, could i leave my 5.1 z680's hooked up to my a2.. and then get a 2.1 system, hook it up to the 0404, and then use the 2.1/0404 specifically for foobar/winamp output and the 5.1/a2 for all other audio out of the pc? not sure what the deal is with placing two subs so close together like that, or even sats for that matter.. would there be any major interference between the two systems?

tons of questions, i know.. but i'm trying to figure this out :O

thanks

 

[BrokenEnglish]

the e-mu 0404 is a very revealing source and cabling does matter, even more than with my sacdp: i had a hard time to chose the right ic (connected to mono->rca adaptors) out of five that i own so far to simply connect it to the headamp... a sixth cable is on its way...

so i'd recommend to use your a2 to feed the speakers and use it as standard-device under windows. the e-mu could act then as an exclusive device for quality-listening via headphones. no switching needed then, as you direct foobar's output to the e-mu, all other players/games to the a2.

if you can't part with connecting external speakers to your e-mu and a2, fiddler's quintete (www.fidaudio.com) will do a nice job as a high-quality switcher for that purpose...

 

[Asmo]

I agree with broken english, using the 0404 on your 680s is pointless.

The reason to buy a very nice card like the E-MU 1212m/0404 is to use it with a high quality 2 channel output (ie headphone amp + headphones or amp + speakers) no computer speakers are worth using on these soundcards.