Sound blaster Audigy 2zs platinum setup with creative inspire 5.1 digital 5

Question

what should the setup be for the sound blaster Audigy 2zs platinum and the reati've inspire 5. digital 5500 because with the decoder in i only get center fl fr on games. i dont get sound from the rear speakers.but when i take the decoder out and just plug the 3 leads straight into the back of my sound card i get 5. any help plz.i done a thx sound test with the decoder in it does fl i can hear it but i can hear the center as well
and no sound comes out on the 2 rear speakers when doing the test.but when puting the 3 cables straight into the back of the sound card i runed the test and i could hear all the speakers fine even the rear speakers any help plz is this ment 2 happen or do i have to change some settings thanks for any help plz help me thanks.

Answer 1

I Have had a problem for ages. I have the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum and Inspire 5. digital 5500.
I have copied the advice I received/didnt recieve from creative.
Best of luck
Dear Martin
Thanks for your reply
I am sorry for the problem you are facing.
To achieve outputs from all the speaker during speaker test, you will need to have an analog connection, or digital DIN connection.
That will be possible if you connect the three line out jacks on your soundcard, to the three audio input (analog jacks->green,black,orange) on your speaker, if it has this connection. Or, you may connect them using Digital DIN, if they have this connection.
If you are using digital connection (coaxial, optical), there will be no way to achieve sound output from all the speakers during 5. speaker test, as they carry stereo signal.
Best Regards
(Mod Note: Name Removed)
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe:
Original Message Follows:
Hi
I understand you must be busy, so no problem.
No I do not hear EAX when in Pro-logic mode. I only hear (depending on the game in question)
Half life two: front left-right and centre. NO rears
Fear: Front, left, right, & centre. No rears
Farcry Front left, right & centre. No Rears
When I run your speaker test HISSSSS, No Rears, no front left or right
Beats me?
Regards
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: CLE Customer Support [[email][email protected]]mailto:[email protected][/url]]
Sent: 24 January 2006 5:44
To: Martin
Dear Martin
I apologize for the delay on the answer.
If you select Dolby Prologic mode on the decoder, are you able to listen
the game audio, with EAX, in all of the speakers?
Regarding to the optional bay dri've, you can purchase it from ou
Best Regards
(Mod Note: Name Removed)
Original Message Follows:
Hello
Your email was helpful, unfortunately, not for my unit, you see I would
have
connected the Jack leads in by now if the inspire had Jack lead inputs
as
you describe
Please don't think I am being sarcastic, but from reading the
correspondence
below it would seem as if your department is having difficulty
understanding
my problem.
Also it would seem your department doesn't have the necessary technical
information on your very own product, so to help with your dilemma I
have
taken photos of the input/outputs on the Inspire unit.
You will clearly see the inspire has no inputs other than Coaxial and
Optic.
This leaves me back to my last post. I think the solution would be for
me to
purchase the correct processor, which would have come with the original
sound card had I not been a little tight on the money front.
I have attached a photo of the sound card with the processor, I would
love
to buy this processor but find myself unable to locate this product on
your
web site. Would you possibly be able to send me the correct link to this
item so I can buy this Processor Please?
Kind regards
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: CLE Customer Support [[email][email protected]]mailto:[email protected][/url]]
Sent: 8 January 2006 0:3
To: Martin
Subject: RE: CLE -
Dear Martin
Thanks for your reply
Your soundcard is Audigy 2 ZS
Your speaker is Creative Inspire 5. Digital 5500
You will need to have a 3:3 cable(with the color green, black, orange)
to connect your soundcard to your speaker, to achieve the 5. effects
with games.
Below is the connection:
- Connect line out jack of Audigy 2 ZS
to 'Front' of Creative Inspire 5. Digital 5500 using the green color
connection
- Connect line out 2 jack of Audigy 2 ZS
to 'Rear' of Creative Inspire 5. Digital 5500 using the black color
connection
- Connect line out 3 jack of Audigy 2 ZS
to 'Center/Subwoofer' of Creative Inspire 5. Digital 5500 using the
orange color connection
Once you have done the correct connection, play the game DOOM3.
Ensure you have selected either the EAX or surround option in the game
settings.
Does it work?
Best Regards
(Mod Note: Name Removed)
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe
Original Message Follows:
You have lost me. Your sound card clearly states that I can have EAX
surround decoding from the sound card I have purchased.
All of the games on your web site claim to give me an environmental
effect
that will blow my mind, hence EAX.
All I have done wrong is NOT buying your decoder that comes with the
sound
card. My mistake.
All I want to do is re-address this issue and buy the correct
decoder/processor.
Can you point me to the correct link on your web site so I can buy the
correct decoder/processor?
As for the PCM out of the above cables, this foxes me as my other
equipment
only use Optical cabling on my Lexicon processor and from that I have DD
7., DTS 7. and meridian 5. lossless.
My issue is more to do with NO EAX from the rear and centre channels
while
in-game.
Kind regards
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: CLE Customer Support [[email][email protected]]mailto:[email protected][/url]]
Sent: 6 January 2006 09:3
To: Martin
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request (KMM887805I6636L0KM)
Dear Martin
Thanks for your reply
All commercial digital connection eg. optical or coaxial cable will only
carry PCM stereo signal. If you want to output the signal to a surround
5. with extra EAX environment effects, it will not be possible at all
since it is only restricted to stereo channel signal.
As per current industry limitations, we are bound to follow the standard
one-signal output for all our SPDIF and Optical output jacks. This is
something that is currently shared by all vendors for all products.
Please note that all games are not dolby digital, even they are , it
will require certain motherboard to encode it to dolby digital signal,
which our soundcard does not support.
You can only use analog connections to gain true 5. surround for
gaming..
email.
Best Regards
(Mod Note: Name Removed)
Creative Customer Support Services
Creative Labs Europe
Original Message Follows:
Hi Joong
I don't fully understand your email, but I do get the gist of what
you're
saying and understand I need to connect the analogue cable to fully
appreciate the sound in EAX.
Would you be able to tell me what product I could buy from your
catalogue
which would marry up with the sound card I have, as I understand now
that
the Inspire 5. will not do the job.
Kind regards
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: CLE Customer Support [[email][email protected]]mailto:[email protected][/url]]
Sent: 6 January 2006 04:00
To: Martin
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request (KMM8875697I6636L0KM)
Dear Martin
Thank you for the reply.
Computer games written with support for 3D audio do not require a Dolby
Digital Interacti've Content Encoder (DICE) to output multichannel sound,
with no exceptions. Sound devices that support the real time encoder
technology from Dolby will simply receive the multichannel wave file
output and encode it in real time to a somewhat modified Dolby Digital
bitstream. Creative does not support the Dolby Digital Interacti've
Content Encoder on any of its sound cards.
The only difference between a Sound Blaster card and an audio card that
has a real time encoder, is that you can make a one-wire, digital
connection from your audio card to your home theater receiver and enjoy
discrete multichannel sound from the game. However there will be a
continuous, slight delay, known as "latency", as the encoder is creating
and transmitting the bitstream, and of course the compression scheme
being used is "lossy" (i.e. not bit-accurate).
If you want to enjoy 3D audio in 3D enabled PC games in multichannel
surround sound with a Sound Blaster card, it is recommended that you
connect the analog outputs of the sound card directly to the analog
inputs of the receiver. This will require 3 cables for 5. surround
sound, one for front right and left, one for rear left and right, and
another one for front center and subwoofer. Though it requires more
cables than a real time encoder system, it will not have any latency
issues. When connecting PC audio to a home theater receiver, Creative's
latest sound cards such as Sound Blaster Audigy, Sound Blaster Audigy 2
are likely to provide higher quality audio than any Dolby Digital real
time encode system available for the PC today.
Please retain all the previous correspondence when replying to this
email.
Best Regards
(Mod Note: Name Removed)
Creative Customer Support Services
Please do not use this link to submit technical queries
Original Message Follows:
Hi
One particular game which has "in-game" DD is Farcry; I used this as my
benchmark disc for DD and to push my Nvidia 7800 GTX GPU's (I have tried
it
on friend's machines and they get the full surround effect so I Know
this
version is ok. I also have ALL of the game patches & updates.
I would like to point out that while playing Doom 3, Half Life 2,Fear,
Colin
McRae rally 04,FIFA 2004,Meddle of honour pacific assault, Rome, Shadow
ops, All these games have EAX HD, which is enabled within the options
menu
"in-game", But I do not get ANY use out of the rear's and I might as
well
listen in stereo.
No, inspire 5500 does not automatically switch while "in-game" when DD
is present as you would expect, but does if it was a Movie, which makes
me
think the DD stream isn't getting to the processor.
I originally thought I could put all this to rest if I could buy the
control
panel that would have come with the Sound card if I had not tried to
save
money, but every time I search your accessories site I get completely
lost,
it really isn't user friendly, the sub-menus are very time consuming and
point you in the wrong direction because they are not categorised as Joe
public would understand
I downloaded your TEST Movies and creative demo player utility, ran it
but
still no EAX HD or DD if that were present.
I want to put this card and Processor into my boys computer (which is
the
same Spec as mine and I will update to the FX series, but I am unwilling
if
I cannot find a logical reason why this set-up cannot work first.
Would it have anything to do with the pins on the Digital out on the
sound
card plug, the one I bought and was attached to the last email? Only
sending
certain channels down to the processor?
Regards
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: CLE Customer Support [[email][email protected]]mailto:[email protected][/url]]
Sent: 5 January 2006 08:09
To: Martin
Subject: RE: CLE - Technical Support Request (KMM8868993I6636L0KM)
Dear Martin
Thanks for your reply
Your speakers are fine as you mentioned that there is sound from all the
speakers when you are playing movie.
May i know what game are you playing when there are no sound from the
rear speakers?
Have you done the appropriate settings in the game to achieve the 5.
sound?
Is there any game patches that you will need to update?
Does the Dolby Digital LED light up when you are playing the game?
Please retain all the previous correspondence when replying to this
email.
Best Regards
(Mod Note: Name Removed)
Creative Customer Support Servic
Original Message Follows:
Hi
I am sorry; I should have said the Inspire 5. was model number digital
5500
S/N SW330030026.
The inspire has these connection on the back of the processor
>From top/back of unit
Audio Outputs
Front
Rear
Centre/subwoofer
Audio inputs
Audio line in
Coaxial
Optical
DIN
The Din to a remotely located Subwoofer which has the speaker leads
inputting into it. Plus power.
Attached is the creative view of the controls menu and I have attached
the
invoice I was sent, it shows the lead I was told to fit.
As I said, I can now hear DD5. while within a movie from ALL speakers
BUT
no sound from rears during IN GAME DD5.
I do not use this PC for films only games.
Regards
Martin
If you are having a digital connection, it is normal for only get only
front left/right is you use the speaker test option.
http://us.creative.com/support/kb/article.asp?l=3&sid=4858
Speaker test only outputs from two front speakers?
You mentioned that that you are unable to get any sound from the rear
speakers when playing game right? May i know are you using a digital
connection? May i know what speaker settings have been made under
Creative Speaker settings?
Do get back to me on the above.
Thanks
Original Message Follows:
Operating System: Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Creative Model Number: SBO 350
Computer Brand/Model: home made
Processor/CPU: AMD 64
Memory: Gig DDR 4
BIOS Type/Revision: 5. 39
System Board/Chipset: ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
Detailed Problem Description:
I have the above Sound card.
I also own Inspire 5. amp/processor
I Wanted to save money by connecting above sound
card to amp/processor
Connections on sound card made life very difficult
I contacted Creative for help. you told me to buy
an RCA to mini jack cord which also has other connections, from your
web site, (I tried to find
the product number for you, but your sub-menu
system is so poor I couldn't locate the RCA/mini
3.5 /to phono link for you) this cord connects
directly into the digital in, on the sound card (3.5 Mini jack) to the
coaxial input on the
inspire 5. amp/processor.
I have enabled ALL sp-diff settings and digital in
setting on every program/utility/kitchen sink and all.
I have an SP-Diff wire from DVD burner to creative
sound card, and yes its enabled and digital only
is selected.
I can play a DVD and see the inspire 5.
automatically change from Pro-logic to Dolby
digital when it See's an AC-3 stream.
when I try and play ANY game you say has EAX
,2,3,4 I cannot get any sound from my rear
speakers (see above in Dolby Digital ALL speakers
work correctly)
when I enter the set-up menu within the creative
software you supply with the sound card and select
5. speaker, digital only, test the speakers via
the white noise function, all i hear is left and
right noise. no centre, no rears.
I phoned you tech support line, the boy on the
phone didn't have much of a clue about your
product and I had to tell him what connections sit
on the inspire 5. series amp/processor.
I want to build another PC for my son, I want to
add the FX series sound card and amp, but i am not
willing to buy anything until i feel you have
helped me to solve this problem first.
please can you help, I am at the end of my tether
with this sound card.
kind regards
Martin Waite
Message Edited by Daniel-CL on 0-28-2006 :36 PM