[SpacemanSpiff23]

Is there some glaring problem with it that nobody is mentioning?

Also, how can I find out if it is compatible with my computer?

 

[joe_cool]

The driver support from Chaintech is not very good. Most experienced audio people use the VIA drivers.

There are only two useful features for me. The SPDIF optical output and the high-quality 2-channel DAC on rear channels (7&8).

(edit) Compatible? Do you have a PC with an available PCI slot?

 

[SpacemanSpiff23]

I wouldn't be using the optcal cable. I wanted to have my Logitech Z-5500 (I'm already using the optical cable ffor my Xbox) and a headphone amp plugged into it. Would this be ok?


Would sound come out of the speakers and headphones at the same time, and I could just turn off whatever I wasn't using, or would I have to switch between the two somehow?


I do have an availible slot, but I don't know that much about computer hardware in general.

 

[Joshatdot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe_cool /img/forum/go_quote.gif The driver support from Chaintech is not very good. Most experienced audio people use the VIA drivers. There are only two useful features for me. The SPDIF optical output and the high-quality 2-channel DAC on rear channels (7&8). (edit) Compatible? Do you have a PC with an available PCI slot?

I just ordered a 710 this weekend, what VIA drivers do you speak of? the rear channels DAC is better then the front DAC? I didnt know there was more then one DAC

 

[joe_cool]

Search is your friend.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=75454

http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx...0&SubCatID=107

 

[Gatticus]

Yea, why would they put the better DAC on the rear instead of the front channels? Doesn't make sense.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpacemanSpiff23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wanted to have my Logitech Z-5500 (I'm already using the optical cable ffor my Xbox) and a headphone amp plugged into it. Would this be ok?

There's only one front-channel output working at a time. Meaning, there's only one 1/8" plug that has the stereo signal. The only way to get the signal to two devices is to split it. So no, there's no perfect way to use both at the same time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatticus /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yea, why would they put the better DAC on the rear instead of the front channels? Doesn't make sense.

Chaintech doesn't really call it "rear output," they call it "alternate output." All of the DACs on the other channels are the same, so perhaps it was a balance issue. Either way, it would've been handy if they'd defaulted the front outputs to the Wolfson DAC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshatdot /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just ordered a 710 this weekend, what VIA drivers do you speak of? I didnt know there was more then one DAC

http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=2 for drivers. Remember that one DAC only decodes two channels (for example, left and right). So, for 5.1 surround (six speakers--two front, two rear, center, sub), you'll need three DACs.

 

[SpacemanSpiff23]

If I only wanted the DAC to work for my headphones, could I do that and have my speakers hooked up without a DAC? Or would I still need some sort of splitter?


If I did need a splitter, what would you reccomend?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Let's say you have your headphone setup connected via the alternate output (Wolfson DAC) and your computer speakers connected via the front output. Theoretically, you could open up the VIA tray panel and switch from one output to the other. However, in practice, I've found that it doesn't switch over well... There's some sort of weird phasing issue if you switch outputs on-the-fly, so you'll need to reboot the computer every time you switch from one output to the other, which of course isn't practical.

I'm not a big fan of splitters because they have the potential to ruin the impedance characteristics of a signal (at least, that's my understanding), which will worsen the sound quality. Whether or not you'll notice a difference with your system, only you can say. What you'll need is a 1/8" male stereo to 2 1/8" male stereo cable. If you can't find that, you could use a 1/8" male stereo to 2 1/8" female stereo adapter and plug your male-male cables into that.

 

[SpacemanSpiff23]

So once I got the adapter, I would plug that in and plug my headphones into 1 half, and my speakers into the other? Which speakers would I plug in(front, rear, center, sub?)?

 

[SpacemanSpiff23]

Anyone?


I still can't believe that with all those little things sticking out the back of the card, you can't have 2 outputs running simultaniously.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpacemanSpiff23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone? I still can't believe that with all those little things sticking out the back of the card, you can't have 2 outputs running simultaniously.

Use alt out for amp/headphones. Set the card up to the foobar guide with bit-perfect kernal streaming. You can't have 'computer sounds' or speakers plugged in because all the little bits are going to the headphones bit perfect output.

 

[joe_cool]

If you use foobar with ASIO you can map left, right, center, sub, l-surround and r-surround to any ports you want (at least I can with my Revo 5). It just depends which channels and ports are provided by ASIO4ALL or whatever ASIO you're using. Kernel streaming is a Microsoft work-around for k-mixer problems and doesn't always work.

 

[SpacemanSpiff23]

Wow, I have no idea what either of you just said.


I didn't think this would be this complicated.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Don't worry about it... They totally misinterpreted your question; they thought you were asking about playing back two sounds at once in Windows, which isn't possible when using a technique like Kernel Streaming.
Quote:

Originally Posted by SpacemanSpiff23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So once I got the adapter, I would plug that in and plug my headphones into 1 half, and my speakers into the other? Which speakers would I plug in(front, rear, center, sub?)?

You'd plug your headphone amplifier into one and your computer speakers into the other, yes. Whatever you plug into the sound card will be what plays back audio, so I'd suggest "front."
Quote:

Originally Posted by SpacemanSpiff23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I still can't believe that with all those little things sticking out the back of the card, you can't have 2 outputs running simultaniously.

All of those outputs are necessary for 5.1 surround, which unfortunately isn't possible with the Wolfson DAC. That's one of the caveats of this card: it's only a bargain for two-channel playback. You can't just set Foobar to output to a different jack because the Wolfson DAC is hardwired to the alternate output (black jack).