Logitech Z-5500 Digital Soundroom

[DanishDevil]

You think upgrading to an Auzentech and going Direct 5.1 is worth it for games? Because the Logitechs won't do true 5.1 through Optical for EAX games and the like, will they?

 

[asb2106]

You think upgrading to an Auzentech and going Direct 5.1 is worth it for games? Because the Logitechs won't do true 5.1 through Optical for EAX games and the like, will they?

Ive never noticed any problems. Optical 5.1 seems to work fine for me.....

 

[Mussels]

i know optical is 2.0 without say, an auzentech to encode in dolby - how about coax? i've never used it.

 

[DanishDevil]

I use it from my laptop...actually on it now. Same options as Optical. Sound clarity isn't as good, though, but you can use an old RCA Video cable (the yellow one).

 

[Mussels]

I use it from my laptop...actually on it now. Same options as Optical. Sound clarity isn't as good, though, but you can use an old RCA Video cable (the yellow one).

what i meant was, does it require encoding as well?

My onboard sound has coax, but without the encoding it wont get surround in anything without pre-encoded dolby, correct?

 

[Master_of_Time]

Well, I've always had 5.1 with optical which is connected to my m/b. I didn't tweak any settings at all, and I'm not sure that the SupremeFX II has ecoding for dolby.

 

[Mussels]

Well, I've always had 5.1 with optical which is connected to my m/b. I didn't tweak any settings at all, and I'm not sure that the SupremeFX II has ecoding for dolby.

the way i know it, is that it needed to be encoded first for it to work.

Optical is 2.0 - you CAN use upmixing on your sound unit (pro logic) to 'fake' surround sound.

Pre-encoded media (some games, DVD movies) will come out in 5.1 as it is decoded. (i recall unreal tournament 2003?/2004? had dolby digital as an audio option)

The other option is a soundcard which does encoding, which i dont think the supremeFX does either.

Coax, i have NO experience with. no idea if its like analogue, or needs encoding like optical.

 

[DanishDevil]

Coax for me right now is going off of Dolby Digital, but I'm just listening to music and shit on here. I'll have to pop a DVD in...

 

[Master_of_Time]

Yes, the SupremeFX II can't encode dolby. So it seems that the control unit of the Z-5500's is upmixing the sound to 5.1. Well, it's good enough for me that way but I'm thinking of returning to the analog wires cuz I don't hear a difference between analog or optical. Well, I still haven't tried them with coax but I don't think I will. If someone uses/has used coax please let us know how many channels of sound did you get.

 

[Mussels]

Coax for me right now is going off of Dolby Digital, but I'm just listening to music and shit on here. I'll have to pop a DVD in...

play a game or something not pre-encoded. I want to know if an 'analogue' non-dolby program, (such as CoD4 for example) will run in 5.1 without a card like an auzentech, or does it only do 5.1 with pre-encoded material.


What me and master want to know, is if coax works like analogue or optical. Does it require dolby digital/DTS to get 5.1 sound.

 

[DanishDevil]

I can't run COD4 on this laptop

I can play a DVD on it...will that work?

I'm listening to music from iTunes with it on PLII Music, and it's 5.1. Watching Lost online in PLII Movie is 5.1.

 

[Mussels]

I can't run COD4 on this laptop

I can play a DVD on it...will that work?

no because the DVD is pre encoded with dolby digital.

what we need is a 5.1 game, to be honest.

 

[DanishDevil]

No luck until I get my Intel chip in.

When I do, I'll do a direct comparison between 5.1 Analog, Coax, and Optical, all through onboard sound.

I could do all three with my SB X-Fi as well if you like...but if I do, then you have to find someone to buy my X-Fi

 

[Mussels]

No luck until I get my Intel chip in.

When I do, I'll do a direct comparison between 5.1 Analog, Coax, and Optical, all through onboard sound.

I could do all three with my SB X-Fi as well if you like...but if I do, then you have to find someone to buy my X-Fi

the main thing is, pre-encoded, post-encoded, or not at all.

The reason being the Z-5500's can decode over optical at least, so DVD movies will get surround sound where games wouldnt. post-encoding (like the auzentechs do) will add surround (the Z55s will say its dolby)

 

[Master_of_Time]

Wait, am I wrong, or the Pro logic Movie/Music is for upmixing? I think so, because when I bought those beasts I didn't have my PC which arrived a month later. I hooked them to a PIII 866Mhz on the onboard sound with only one green jack for headphones/2.0 speakers. So when I switched to Pro logic Movie/Music it upmixed the sound to 5.1... But I suppose that's fake 5.1 and it doesn't work for games.
EDIT: Ok, now I'm confused. Here's what I just did - Alice in Chains Music Bank DVD with Dolby 5.1. When I'm on 6ch Direct the base guitar is coming only from the center and the vocals and everything else is coming from the front/back. When the Z's are on Dolby Movie the vocals are coming from the center, the second vocals from the back, and everything else is on all the speakers (drums, lead and bass guitar, etc.)

 

[Mussels]

Wait, am I wrong, or the Pro logic Movie/Music is for upmixing? I think so, because when I bought those beasts I didn't have my PC which arrived a month later. I hooked them to a PIII 866Mhz on the onboard sound with only one green jack for headphones/2.0 speakers. So when I switched to Pro logic Movie/Music it upmixed the sound to 5.1... But I suppose that's fake 5.1 and it doesn't work for games.

Thats correct, its fake upmixing.

If you were to run that on a game, it would give you two sets of left and right - you'd have no REAR sound.

if you ran optical with that on, its the same as only connecting the green in analogue - lots of front audio, no rear!

 

[DanishDevil]

Damn...looks like I'm definitely gonna need me an Auzentech after all...

 

[Mussels]

Damn...looks like I'm definitely gonna need me an Auzentech after all...

And now you see why everyone cried when Nforce2 died and we had no more real time encoding!

its hard to get across to people how this works, as long as speakers make noise people assume its 5.1 sound.

 

[DanishDevil]

Yeah. Luckily I've got a buyer for my X-Fi, though. I'm definitely gonna have to pony up some extra cash to go for the Prelude, though.

When you getting your set of Z-5500 Digitals, Mussels? You've got to take a picture of your facial expression when you first hear them

 

[asb2106]

Yeah. Luckily I've got a buyer for my X-Fi, though. I'm definitely gonna have to pony up some extra cash to go for the Prelude, though.

When you getting your set of Z-5500 Digitals, Mussels? You've got to take a picture of your facial expression when you first hear them

+1, you have to take a pic of your face

Thats a great idea! You may already think you know whats coming, but when you hear it your smile will stretch from ear to ear!

 

[Master_of_Time]

The smile is going to be priceless! We really need to see a pic. When I first tested them with some true 5.1 music (Metallica Black Album DVD-Audio, 8GB FLACs, max bitrate is around 20Mbits/sec) I was just sitting in front of the desk and waiting. When "Sad but True" started I was jumping up in the air. I was more than happy.

 

[Mussels]

Yeah. Luckily I've got a buyer for my X-Fi, though. I'm definitely gonna have to pony up some extra cash to go for the Prelude, though.

When you getting your set of Z-5500 Digitals, Mussels? You've got to take a picture of your facial expression when you first hear them

they're shipping today - i had to pay extra shipping on them because they were too heavy for the regular courier to accept... may not make it in time for the weekend.

 

[DanishDevil]

I promise you, the extra money and the wait will be worth it.

Start thinking now...what is the first thing you're going to play though them?

 

[gerrynicol]

I watched the Matrix when I first got mine wow, brought that film back to life, I had goosebumps lol

 

[Mussels]

I promise you, the extra money and the wait will be worth it.

Start thinking now...what is the first thing you're going to play though them?

weeeeelll.... i do have some MP3's that might like dolby upmixing. have some anime (gundam 00, appleseed) in 5.1 as well, they might turn out shiny