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Logitech Z-680's... Digital Connection?

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Amino

Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2002
Location
Austin, Texas
Logitech Z-680's... Digital Connection? Hiss?

Hey there,

Ok, so I've got a few questions:

I'm thinking about buying those $300 Logitech Z680 speakers. The thing is I've heard some weird stuff about their connections. Main thing is that I want to know if they have digital out, i.e. fiber-optic cable compatibility (SPDIF).

Also, does anyone know if they still hiss? I've read articles about a hissing sound that comes from all of the speakers, or the center and rear speakers. I am a HUGE audiophile and can't stand hiss from speakers. Once I hear it, I never forget about it and it annoys the living crap outta me. Does anyone know if logitech has fixed this problem?

Thanks guys!!
 
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Digital out? no...it has a digital in

it also has an optical in, and it has a mini jack auxil. in (i use it for my VCR for example)

The hissing and thump is a problem of the past, i bought mine a month ago and they do neither....

Please note my sig, i'm very happy with them...very very very

**note** From what i'm told the only true 5.1 sound via optical/digital for your computer is on nforce 2 boards. From what i'm told (may not be true then..) that no sound cards that have digital or optical outs will give you 5.1 sound useing this method of connection. That does not mean that you cant hook up your DVD player or Digital TV and get 5.1 sound...just sound cards
 
Wait a minut, doesnt Audigy2 do the digital out??? From what I heard it's the only mainstream PC card that does though.
 
Most sound cards have coaxial digital (like an RCA) out but optical digital out is rare and the audigy 2 has it AFAIK, dont know if the audigy does though.
 
The audigy does have a digi out, although it's slightly different jack on the audigy than regular coax cables.

I'm running my Z680's on a digi connection from my audigy right now and it runs 5.1 just fine. (not sure if it's true digi, but it's definately a sweet setup)
 
You guys are not hearing what i'm saying...

my audigy 2 has both optical in/out and coax in/out however when i use it my computer is only at 4.1 sound and not 5.1 and from what i've been told the only chips capable of doing 5.1 sound on digital and optical interface are those on the nforce 2 boards
 
Digital out is digital out, there is no difference between 4.1, 5.1 or 8.1. If your speakers have digital in then they have a digital decoder and that decoder is what makes it 4.1 or whatever. For example if you buy an SB live 5.1 with digital out you can connect the digital out to a set of 6.1 digital speakers and get all 6.1 channels. The 5.1 in the name tells you how many analog channels the card is capable of.

If you only get 4.1 channels when you use digital out then there is a setting somewhere that needs a changin' (ie. if you get 4.1 channels while watching a DVD then there might be a setting in the DVD software, if it happens all the time then its probably in the audio card drivers).
 
@Amino:

I got an email from Logitech tech support a couple nights ago... I emailed them because I got a hissing set of speakers, I bought 'em in late January/early Feb.

Anyway, the rep said it is indeed a faulty control pod, and in mid-April they will have replacements available.

Apparently they have non-defective versions out there now, but I thought I'd let you know -- in case you do get a hissing set, they'll replace the pod.

Btw I love these speakers (apart from the hissing which will soon be gone).
 
timmyqwest said:
You guys are not hearing what i'm saying...

my audigy 2 has both optical in/out and coax in/out however when i use it my computer is only at 4.1 sound and not 5.1 and from what i've been told the only chips capable of doing 5.1 sound on digital and optical interface are those on the nforce 2 boards

Well my mbo supports 5.1, and I could have sworn that audigy's support 6.1 sound, so if they have that, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't leave out 5.1 support as well. You probably need to go into the control panel somewhere and switch a setting.
 
Amino said:


Well my mbo supports 5.1, and I could have sworn that audigy's support 6.1 sound, so if they have that, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't leave out 5.1 support as well. You probably need to go into the control panel somewhere and switch a setting.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSDLKj;

listen to me very closely ok...if you use the three regular mini jacks with any sound system on an audigy card or any other sound card you will get teh true 5.1 6.1 or 7.1 sound just so long as the media supports it

However when you use the digital or optical connection you will only get 4.1 sound
 
I have these speakers already and heres how I see it so far. The control center accepts 3 different plugs.

1. coaxial digital
2. Optical digital
3. normal RCA style 5.1

when I use the coaxial connection I only get 1 kind of effect thats Dolby digital.

when I use the optical digital I get I think a few more options

but when I use the RCA i get
PL2 Music
PL2 Movie
6 ch direct
Stereo
stereo x2

So as far as Im concerned I think the digital sounds much better. Im on a N2 board and I dont have the header for optical digital (am I supposed to on Asus A7n8x dlx????). So in order to get true 5.1 I must use the RCA. But I much rather use the Digital because its much clearer.
 
Ok well, whatever... the point is it's supported... Now I'm wondering though, do I have to hook the sub and speakers up separately? What I mean is, do I hook everything up to the control box that comes with the speakers and then the box to my computer, or do I NOT hook the sub up to it, but rather hook it up to my computer instead, and just have the speakers going into the control box? How does this work?
 
You hook up the speakers to the sub
The control center to the sub.
The power goes to the sub.
The audio outputs connect to the control center.
Got it
 
Well there's not only one connection to my soundboard. I've got the optical con, a sub con, and a rear L/R con, along with an RCA.

So what I'm asking is...

screw it, i'll just go get some and return them if I can't hook them up the way I want.
 
Amino said:
Well there's not only one connection to my soundboard. I've got the optical con, a sub con, and a rear L/R con, along with an RCA.

So what I'm asking is...

screw it, i'll just go get some and return them if I can't hook them up the way I want.

all of your speakers are hooked up to your "sub" (it's really just an amp on your sub). By hooking up speakers i mean speaker wire.

You can use whatever type of connnection you want.


If you use the anolog put the green in the green put the pink in the pink and put the black in the middle

The black isnt just your sub it's your center/sub

read the manual for both the 680's and the mobo...
 
I just ordered mine(680), should be here in 1-2 weeks, cant wait to play BF1942 with the BOOM BOOM FRIGGIN BOOM feelin :D
 
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