[_Spanky_]

I have a X-Fi (see sig) and I enjoy gaming with it. I was thinking about what I could do to upgrade my setup. I saw the Zero DAC on ebay a while back and liked it. I have a few questions though:

Would this:
Amazon.com: Toslink To Optical Mini Adapter: Electronics
and this:
Amazon.com: 12 FT Digital Audio Optical TOSLink Cable Optic 12ft: Electronics
Allow me to hook the two together?

Hooking the Zero up to my X-Fi, will I still get EAX and all the gaming goodies? That's the only reason why I would go that route rather than using a USB thingie

I might have more but it's 2am and I can't really think

 

[Ben Diss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Spanky- /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hooking the Zero up to my X-Fi, will I still get EAX and all the gaming goodies? That's the only reason why I would go that route rather than using a USB thingie

Yes, you would retain the EAX and all the other features of the X-Fi. I know this because I only use my Zero for music and had to turn all this off to get good music.

You really don't need to go optical. The Zero has a coax digital input jack, so you could go from the digital out jack of the X-Fi to the Zero. I bought a cable from Blue Jeans for this.

 

[_Spanky_]

I thought you could connect the two using a mini-coax but I wasn't sure. I would be tempted to make a cable, anyone know how it would be wired?

Is the Zero DAC a good option for my setup?

 

[DaLiu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Diss /img/forum/go_quote.gif You really don't need to go optical. The Zero has a coax digital input jack, so you could go from the digital out jack of the X-Fi to the Zero. I bought a cable from Blue Jeans for this.

What kind of cable did you buy, can you give me a full name of the cable or a direct link from Blue Jeans site, i was looking for a cable on the site but i cant figure out which one is the good one.

 

[hohum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Diss /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, you would retain the EAX and all the other features of the X-Fi.

Depends on the model of the card. I have an X-Fi XtremeGamer (SB0770), and it's not possible to get _any_ audio effects over digital out (unless you purchase and use the DDL pack, which is useless for a stereo DAC that doesn't support Dolby Digital). Indeed, as soon as I choose to use SPDIF out on the card, it disables the use of any post-processing effects - no crystaliser, EQ, or EAX. And with OpenAL content, I can't get any audible sound over digital out whatsoever. All of the above are available if I use the analogue outputs though.

Apparently this isn't a problem on Titanium X-Fi cards, as they have an option to 'play stereo mix over digital out' in the control panel. Unfortunately no such option exists for my card variant, so it wasn't that a great a choice for gaming as it turns out.

Edit: Here's the quote from article #54538 on Creative's support section:
Quote:

What is "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output" in Windows Vista? Digital Output Signals are Stereo PCM Signals usually without any effects. This option allows the user to apply all the effects and also down mix to a stereo PCM stream for digital output.

 

[blue_lammer]

If you are considering upgrading to a Zero you might hold off until the Head-Fi inspired "Zero" is finished. Audio-GD is building a superior version called the Compass and will be finished in a month or two.

 

[Mellow Mushroom]

Zero DAC I heard, and it is sad to say that they are overrated...

 

[moonboy403]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mellow Mushroom /img/forum/go_quote.gif Zero DAC I heard, and it is sad to say that they are overrated...

In comparison to?