[dmbr]

Title should read: Please explain how to route audio through a sound card's optical out to an external/dac

I managed to do this previously with my Xonar STX, but I can't get it to work with my new SoundBlaster Z.

Could someone please explain in detail how to do this? That is, I'd like to send audio from JRiver through my sound card to my external DAC.

Thanks in advance.

 

[yay101]

Look for a "digital" "spdif" option under output to route through optical.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Title should read: Please explain how to route audio through a sound card's optical out to an external/dac
I managed to do this previously with my Xonar STX, but I can't get it to work with my new Sound Blaster Z.
Could someone please explain in detail how to do this? That is, I'd like to send audio from JRiver through my sound card to my external DAC.
Thanks in advance.

 
Did you disable the motherboard's on-board audio, in he BIOS, before installing an add-on sound card?
Did you connect the optical cable to the SB-Z's optical port and not the motherboard's optical port?
 
The Essence STX optical port is mini-toslink (3.5mm) port, where as the SB-Z uses a regular Toslink port.
Do you think you have the correct connector for the SB-Z?
 
Does the JRiver recognize the SB-Z as the computer's audio output device?
Or is the JRiver set to the computer's default audio device (which might be the SB-Z)?
 
Make sure the SB-Z and Windows is set for 2-channel audio?

 

[obobskivich]

Set the analog/default output of the Sound Blaster Z as the output in Windows. Then go into the Z's driver control panel, go down to Advanced Features (on the left-hand menu), and select "Play stereo mix to digital output."

This is not a "Creative problem" - it's a limitation of Windows (so direct your flames at Microsoft), and that "Play stereo mix" option is Creative's workaround (and it exists on a number of cards). If you select the "digital out" in Windows' options you will give up some of the card's features, and all of the analog outputs.

 

[mindbomb]

There's two ways to do this. Normally, you select in the driver panel to enable digital output. This way, you still get to use any of the card's dsps that you want. The other way is to select digital output as your sound device - this is a direct connection to the optical transmitter and you will have no dsps in the path.

 

[dmbr]

There's two ways to do this. Normally, you select in the driver panel to enable digital output. This way, you still get to use any of the card's dsps that you want. The other way is to select digital output as your sound device - this is a direct connection to the optical transmitter and you will have no dsps in the path.

Sadly, neither of these methods give me any sound through my external DAC