[shawly]

TL;DR need an external device (no PCIe) that can mix two digital audio sources (preferrably with Toslink inputs) in real time with DTS/DD support (for PS3).

So I am currently using a Creative X-Fi Titanium PCIe soundcard for capturing the audio of my gaming consoles in real time, so I can use the headphones of my PC to play console games on my monitor while talking to friends on Discord.

I basically use an HDMI splitter with Toslink output to extract the audio and connect it to the Toslink input on my soundcard and set the SPDIF Input device in Windows as a playback device, which works perfectly fine, the reason I have to use this specific card is that it supports DTS which is needed for the Playstation 3.

I have tried a Logilink USB Soundbox which also has a SPDIF Input and it works for every console, except the PS3 because it can't decode the DTS or Dolby Digital or whatever the PS3 outputs even though it should only output PCM.

The thing that is bothering me is that I have to use my main PC for this as it has the soundcard installed.
I hoped that I could find any other solution that would be external and not dependent on a separate PC that unnecessarily draws 80W while I'm not doing anything with it basically.

Is there something like an audio interface or any other device that can mix two digital sources in real time and output to my headphones with DTS/DD support?
I know it's a very special use case so I doubt there is something like this (except, well.. the X-Fi Titanium) but I hope someone could point me in the right direction maybe?

 

[PurpleAngel]

So your trying to listen to audio streams from your PC and the PS3, at the same time?
I believe the S/PDIF optical input on the X-Fi Titanium (non-HD) PCIe sound card is 2.0 PCM digital audio?
So would assume bitstream/encoded/compressed would not work going into the Titanium's optical port?

 

[shawly]

No the X-Fi Titanium works fine for this purpose. But I do not want a PCIe solution so I do not have to keep my PC turned on if I'm not on Discord.

The PS3 is set to only output PCM but as soon as certain games are started, it still switches to DTS or DD, so some games won't have sound with my cheap USB Sound Card. Only the X-Fi Titanium is able to decode all the audio from my PS3, but like I said, I'd prefer an external solution and not a PCIe solution.

So your trying to listen to audio streams from your PC and the PS3, at the same time?

Yes, I basically want to use my PC and all my consoles connected to my AVR via headphones. And I already can do that with the X-Fi Titanium, but my PC has to be turned on even if I just want to use my headphones.
I basically need a DAC that can mix two digital sources to output into my headphones.
The Astro Mix Amp for example would be able to, but that thing is garbage and adds background noise and it doesn't even work.

Before I got my X-Fi Titanium I used this thing: https://geizhals.eu/logilink-usb-sound-box-dolby-7-1-schwarz-ua0099-a574431.html
And it worked flawlessly for every console with digital outputs like the Xbox One, 360 and PS4 except for the PS3 because some games force the system to output some signal that the Logilink can't process. After diving deep into some forums I found someone that confirmed that the X-Fi Titanium is able to decode the stuff the PS3 is outputting so I bought one and used it until now.

Edit: Here is the thread I found: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/the-inconvenient-truth-about-spdif-input.1121367/post-19977411
They are talking about the X-Fi Titanium and that the optical input supports decoding DTS & DD. And I wonder if there is any external device on this planet that is able to do this as well. (except for the Astro MixAmp Pro since I tested it and it was horrible)