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View Full Version : What have I been missing?

ArcturusVi
11-08-09, 03:46 PM
Finally got around to rearranging my entertainment area, and now finally have my PC alongside my HDTV and surround sound receiver. Plugged in my X-Fi into my receiver via optical and good lord.

I don't have high end equipmnt by any means. My receiver is a decent mid range Yamaha from the early 2000's, bookshelves are just some SONY jobs. Sub is a small Polk10.

However, this is the same equipment I had media stream onto my 360 with, or my PS3. Neither sounded this good.

Can crank it much higher volume wise with better sound, don't even need to crank it to get uncomfortably loud.

I knew it'd be an improvement of sorts, just not this much.
petteyg359
11-08-09, 05:53 PM
Using optical, the sound card doesn't do DAC, the receiver does it instead. DAC on generic embedded sound cards (like that of an Xbox) are simply nowhere near the quality of even low-range home theater equipment.
ArcturusVi
11-08-09, 11:32 PM
I haven't tried it with the analog inputs yet. I just have them hooked up to my headphones for skype and such.
jhanby
11-09-09, 02:13 AM
You can get your PS3 to output optical as well (maybe your 360 too, but I've no idea about that).
ArcturusVi
11-09-09, 06:07 PM
You can get your PS3 to output optical as well (maybe your 360 too, but I've no idea about that).

I used optical for both. The PS3 was better than the 360, but both, music wise, are lower than the x-Fi. I didn't even think it'd be a difference, but it's there. Placebo effect maybe? :(
Sir Barton
11-09-09, 06:30 PM
I used optical for both. The PS3 was better than the 360, but both, music wise, are lower than the x-Fi. I didn't even think it'd be a difference, but it's there. Placebo effect maybe? :(

Im not sure if its placebo, but the 360, PS3, and PC should all sound identical since the same DAC is being used for playback. My stereo sounds the same regardless if I plug in my laptop, desktop, or Squeezebox, because my outboard DAC is doing all the decoding.
petteyg359
11-09-09, 07:11 PM
What are you playing from the PC, versus the consoles? Game audio is rarely of the quality movies and CD audio are. No DAC can restore quality to an MP3 that's been crunched into 128Kbps.
ArcturusVi
11-09-09, 08:26 PM
What are you playing from the PC, versus the consoles? Game audio is rarely of the quality movies and CD audio are. No DAC can restore quality to an MP3 that's been crunched into 128Kbps.

Most mp3's are 320KBs. I streamed the media to the 360 and PS3, if that makes a difference.
petteyg359
11-09-09, 09:14 PM
Most mp3's are 320KBs. I streamed the media to the 360 and PS3, if that makes a difference.

No such thing as a 320KBps mp3. 320Kbps, maybe :)
ArcturusVi
11-09-09, 09:21 PM
No such thing as a 320KBps mp3. 320Kbps, maybe :)

Semantics, =P

I do have all features turned off on the control panel. Just stereo. I don't use enough PC games with surround sound to warrant the use of it.