Audigy 2 ZS platinum pro ... very loud static interference.

I have setup and installed the above card in my PC running XP SP3, using Creative Update Service to ensure I am using the latest drivers etc.
My problem is an unacceptable level of static noise on the stereo outputs, of -20 dB or more. ?This is definitely a problem affecting only the analogue output and stays ?at a constant level independent of any mixer settings, even if all mixers are muted. ?Using an oscilloscope shows only a lot of hash of about 00 mV pp plus periodic spikes of slightly higher amplitude
If I monitor the record noise level using Cool Edit Pro, it is about -80 dB, so this high noise must only be appearing on the output side of things.
I cannot find a block diagram of the card to make any definite pronouncements, but I assume the mixing is done after D to A conversion, so if this noise was some kind of digital artifact, it should be affected by the mixer control settings, ?but as I say, is not.
I have tried two cards in two different PCs (the other PC with older drivers) with similar results and am completely at a loss here.
This noise looks for all the world like external interference from a noisy PC environment, but how can it be so severe in two perfectly standard and rather outdated PCs ?

@? Have you changed your power supply? It sounds to me like it is shot. I had a modular power supply from OCZ that always made a constant buzzing through my speakers whenever I played a game. Nothing else. But when I used an OPENGL screensaver (which activates the acceleration on my video card, and thus causes it to run under heavier load) the noise returned. Can you swap power supplies for another, higher wattage or better shielded unit's? Also be sure that your card is not crooked in the PCI slot. Sometimes your motherboard is placed in the case slightly askew. Even if your PC was manufactured by Compaq, Gateway, Dell, etc. there may not be enough clearance between it and the back of your case of your card is not seated tightly, and thus you get the constant sound when it is drawing down....Just my thoughts on the matter. I changed my power supply from a 500 Watt to a newer Thermaltake, and I have no more problems.

Similar Messages

Microphone connection problems with SB audigy 2 ZX platinum pro

I am using an old SB audigy 2 ZX platinum pro purchased back in 2004. It is installed on a PC that I stopped using it in 2005. The pc has no problems and I have started using it again.My problem is that I cannot connect the microphone. Everything was working fine at the time I was this pc including the microphone.At that time I had installed win xp pro( no service packs were available). But after I had to move physically in another location(connection and disconnections etc)and a pc format I cannot use the microphone again. I am trying to connect it to the front panel and to the appropriate places as indicated in the user manual but nothing is happening. I have connected properly the sound cart and all other components are working fine. I checked whether the microphone is checked to silent mode and all other software/di'vers nonetheless everything is working fine. I am now using Win xp pro sp3. I have contacted Creative and they told me to check the mic boost option. But there is no mic boost option now. I clearly recall that there was one when I was using this pc in 2004 under win xp pro(again no service packs were available at that time).One solution I could think is to format again and install some old version of win xp pro (say 2003 or so) and then update to current. But I do not want to format again since I do not have that version of windows available(copyright issues may also raise) plus for some other reasons I do not think I should mention them on an Internet forum. I also tried to download the latest drivers ans apps form creative ,clean installation from the orginal cd including Daniel_K pack and everything someone could think without solving the issue.Creative during our last communication in a very polite way told me to stop emailing them and try to solve the issue on my own as this product is no longer supported. One thing I neglected to mention above is that the mic boost option is available in the motherboard sound chipset. I checked it in one of my attempts to solve the problem. But it disappears when installing the SB driver. I know that if I manage to configure mic boost in the driver settings I will solve the problem.But once again there is no such option. Could you please provide with some suggestions and solutions on how to solve this?. Thank you very in advance for any suggestion and help

Anybody?

HELP! Hey, (Yeah YOU!) I need some HELP with an OEM Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro SB0360 installat

Hi Everyone.
I'm new here so I'll try to be kind and make lots of helpful friends, especially folks at CL.
Do you like a challenge?
Try this on for size.
My problem.
I'm working on a PC for a doctor friend. It's a Gateway P4 dual 3.0 gHz "Media Center" unit.
He let the antivirus proggie lapse and it was full of spybots, trojans and some missing stuff his kids (he says) had done (little kids like to click on stuff and he has 4 kids under 6 years old...).
Anyway, I needed to re-install the whole system back to the original state. GW2K docs seemed to make that a piece of cake.
Everything went well until the turkeys at GW2K threw me a curve - their CD re-install system just stinks. The CDs don't seem to AUTOSTART very well, the OS looks different than original (fo example - just plain ole XP Home instead of the neat-looking "Media Center" branding on the startup splash page), and then I got to a real problem.
The SB0360 Audigy 2 ZS (Platinum Pro, I think) driver from GW2K installed OK, but the associated apps CD keeps spitting back that it doesn't find a "Sound Blaster" card.
The Device Manager says its a Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS.
I've tried to use updates from CL but they also spit at me - "No Sound Blaster found, Exiting".
It seems that the Plug and Play only likes the GW2K driver, but the Apps CD don't like the "Creative" part, and so it balks. The CL drivers give the same message.
GW2K tells me to contact Creative Labs or (haaaa) SAM'S, the purchasing store.
Talk about the royal runaround...
Anyway, anyone got any good ideas?
I can't seem to find anything on the net to help.
I'm about Google-ed out.
Thanks in advance!
P.S.
I do have sound, Music CDs play fine and Windows sounds work OK.
I just need to install those Audigy Apps from the GW2K CD...
Message Edited by GrimWeeper on 2-02-2004 03:0 AM

Anybody wants to help me ?I wait your answer for my question...!
Thanks

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro Ad_link Cable

Hi,? I have the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro and my Ad_Link cable has been damaged. I have contacted every on line auction house and everyone in and out of the United States and no one has this cable available. What I am looking for now is one of 2 things;? the specs of this cable (which is not listed in any of the documentation that came with the product, nor is it on the web-site, nor does Customer Support seem to have this information), or a comparable cable that will work in it's place.
Thanks for any help that anyone can offer.
A very frustrated,
Jody

Hi Joko,
Please check your private message.

Help Needed : Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro Hub doesn't w

Hi all,
I got a wierd problem with my SB Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro. The external Hub is VERY unstable, I mean that I own my SB card for two weeks now and I have the following behaviour:
* Midi IN on external HUb doesn't works. "SB Audigy 2 ZS MIDI IO 2" is not visible on all MIDI applications (but "SB Audigy 2 ZS" yes!)
* CMSS light on external Hub doesn't turn green when I turn CMSS on
* OSD doesn't show and sound volume does not change when I change volume from the external Hub button.
* Remote control doesn't works but red light flash on the external Hub when I press a button on the remote control.
* FYI the optical out is always red which seems to say that the optical out is working correctly (but I haven't tested it because I have nothing to connect on it)
For complexifying the problem I succeed in making all this stuff works only TWO times (in tow weeks) by reinstalling drivers and NOT restarting the computer. In this configuration, all the previous points works. I means that I can connect my midi keyboard to the Hub and play music thought the MIDI IO (and "SB Audigy 2 ZS MIDI IO 2" is available when everything works), I can use the remote control, OSD is showing etc ...
I have really no idea why it was working only two times during these two weeks and I reinstalled the drivers and all softwares at least 5 times, rebooted the PC 30 times, etc ...
Does anybody encoutered and solved the same problem ? Does my Hub must be changed.
For your information, I have checked the internal configuration of my soundcard and everything seems to be correctly connected (including alim). I have also connected correctly the Two AD_Link cables. I have Windows XP SP2 on Intel 3Ghz with GB memory on Soltek QBIC system. No antivirus loaded.
Please help.
Thanks in advance.
UPDATE :
I had the support by phone yesterday and for the moment they have no explanation on what's going on ! I will try to phone again to the support tomorrow for advancing. For information they proposed me to do the following tests:
- Does the optical out light is red when my hub doesn't work - the response is yes
2- Does I have installed correctly the Hub alim - the response is yes
3- Does I have installed correctly the connection cables between hub and card - The response is yes
For information my analysis is that is doesn't comes from the software as when the hub work the CMSS light turn green during the boot of windows XP, moreover in computer science the behavious is most of the time reproductible. So from my mind it could comes from the following point:
a- PC Alim not powerful enouth
b- bad connection cables
c- hub is not working and need to be changed

Jminardi,
I think I am in agreement with conclusion b or c. Although there are a couple things to check, first off go to Device Manager and go to view/resources by type. In here look and see what the IRQ assigned to the Audigy 2 ZS is and see if it is sharing with anything important like the video card. If so you might try another PCI slot just to sure there aren't difficulties caused by this. If everything checks out you might want to call tech support back and try to arrange a repair on the external box and cables.
Jeremy

AUDIGY 2 ZS PLATINUM PRO : 8-Channel (7.1) Playback in WINDVD 6 Platinum doesn't work proper

Ok here's the deal.
I have a Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Furthermore I own WINDVD 6 PLATINUM (incl. Booster pack) which supports 8 channel audio.
My speaker system is an analog one. The 8 speaker Creative Inspiron one.. don't know the exact name.
I just did a clean installation of Windows.
I am running windows XP Home SP2 with all latest updates.
Furthermore I installed all Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro updates there are.
Anyways..
Whenever I switch to 8 channel (7.) playback from within WinDVD only the center and the 2 front channels work. The side (surround) and rear channels aren't working at all!
I get the same problem when I switch to 7 channel (6.) from within WinDVD.
When I click on test (in WinDVD) to see if the channels are working.. the test noise only appears in the front and center channels. However once it gets to the rear channel there's nothing.. and at the side left channel there's this quiet odd noise.
If I switch to 5. (from within WinDVD) mode.. everything is working perfectly... but 5. only..
I want to take full advantage of my soundcard.. and even though WinDVD supports this soundcard.. it doesn't seem to work.
Any other application... CUBASE SX2 or games such as Call of Duty work perfectly fine with all channels.
Can anyone help me?
Can you recommend any other 8 channel software DVD playback software?
Thanks
- Ben
[email protected]

first of all your questions ain't stupid...you got to learn/understand once right?
**bleep** 3 yrs ago i thought i knew digital audio (mp3/wave on PC and Philips DCC recorder) but then came Dolby Digital & hardwaredecoding...LOL... Lots of differences in channelprocessing & so misconfiguration possible.
Well I hope you didn't uninstall your dvd player software... I mean software audiodecoding like matrixmixer(that you can find in codecpacks, all **bleep** that uses directx this because most of it is max 6bit LOL) ..your talking about all your extra dvd software.(but you don't need their extra audio playing features). Just select the sp-dif audio in WinDVd PowerDVD or NVDVD whateverDVD and then go check the creative soundcard speakersetup(not the windows speakersetup , but prefer to use the creative surroundmixer (click the THX logo/icon under in the creative mixer, and calibrate analog speaker output) etc.
You only need the player 4 dvd playing acces. (DVD-V DVD-A) (prefer the dvd-player for dvd-A in sp-dif mode because then you'll see that some dvd-A's have some videoclips or images. and do check the site of www.slysoft.com and score it in any way )
.. by the way don't forget this about your analog output 3.5mm jacks on the back og the card:
first channel = 3.5mm 3-pole jack (stereo)
second and third channel = 3.5mm 4-pole jack (stereo portable camera cable works (3xrca).
so don't use stereo jacks on the 2nd & 3th channel...
You can use a portable stereo camera cable because the've on one side 3xrca(yellow/white/red) and on the other side a plastic 4-pole minijack (plastic=preferred because you probably need to make the 4-pole jack smaller with a metal file (be careful not to harm the cable) these cable's are standard and so very cheap. standard meter long.
Final joke: It's nice to have THX@Soundcard + THC@head greetings from a late in the evening Amsterdam NL.Message Edited by www_96KHz_tk on 05-24-2005 08:20 AM

Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro + Xbox 360

#Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro + Xbox 360? My xbox360 audio setup:
Xbox360 - Optical audio out - Dolby Digital 5. / Dolby Digital with WMA / Digital Stereo
Cable - Meter Fiber Optic cable audio Cable
Input - SPDIF/Optical-IN on Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro External Dri've
Decoder - Creative Built-in Dolby Digital/DTS SPDIF-In Decode @ 48/96KHz
Speakers - Creative Inspire T7700 7.
OS: Windows XP/Vista with Latest Creative drivers.
Concern:
1 - Whenever Xbox starts up - i have to remove the cable and replug it in for the sound to start coming.
2 - If i play any video or movie - there is no audio heard and after the movie ends - i have to reconnect the audio cable for the system sounds to return. (this does not apply to in-game FMV)
3 - Sound breaks and cracks in some games during multiple loud audio scenes. Such as in Forza3 - a car crash would cause cracking/breaking sound.
Overall most games run fine - I just dont know why no audio is heard when a movie is played! I've tried all different audio setups on the 360 but nothing works (WMA makes cracking worse)
Whats the cause and cure?

Problem solved.
Uninstall/Reinstall SP3 did the job
Pan

Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro and Inspire T7700 does not recognize Mic on Audio Control

Hi folks,
I decided to hook up my headphone and mic sets to the Audio Control Pod for the first time recently to chat online. I'm not sure if I ever tried this when I bought the Inspire T7700 speaker system, but I cannot seem to get any voice to come through in Windows' Sound Recorder (the headphones work fine). I'm hoping that someone here can help...otherwise, I suppose I'll have to find an alternate solution than using my soundcard system.
Here are some specs:
OS: Windows XP SP2 and all current updates
Soundcard: Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Speakers: Inspire T7700 with Audio Control Pod (contains the headphone and mic jack)
Here's what I have tried:
. Updated drivers to: SBAX_WBUP2_LB_2_09_006.exe
2. Tested headsets and mics out on another one of my computers with a SoundBlaster Li've. They work fine.
3. Set each audio source with full volume in the Recording Control window as the source while recording in Windows' Sound Recorder (I know some of these aren't right, but I tried them all nonetheless):
- MIDI Synth
- Line-In 3
- Line-In /Mic (this should be the one, I think)
- S/PDIF-In
- Auxiliary (this might be the one for the Audio Control Pod)
- "What U Hear"
- Line-In 2
- CD Digital
- Wave
4. Installed the Creative software from the official CD to manage the audio and speaker settings. Retested the same as item 3 above within this software. Same results.
5. Disconnected the external I/O hub (since I am connecting to the Audio Control Pod, which connects to the speaker system and then my sound card). Interestingly, the Line-In /Mic input disappeared. All that I saw for an input (I believe) was Auxiliary. I tried even that as noted in item 3, but nothing.
Has anyone had any luck in getting a mic from a headphone set to work with the Audio Control Pod for the Inspire T7700 speaker system along with the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro?
Thanks in advance for the help!

Read the FAQ on top of the soundcard forum concerning SPDIF and digital out. The reason is very easy to find out if you read that. In short: the digital out can only send out a PCM stereo signal (which is why you only get FL/FR sound) and an encoded AC-3 signal.

Headphone jack dead on Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro front pa

I have the Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro running on a 2.4 GHz, Gb PC?with XP Pro. Everything was running perfectly yesterday evening. I went away for about one hour, came back to listen to some music and couldn't hear anything in my headphones. I hadn't made any hardware or software changes since I last used them. The headphones are plugged into the large (6.5mm) jack on the external front panel. The system is recognising them because the speakers mute?when they are plugged in, but no sound comes out. (If I plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack on the little volume control handset coming from the woofer, they work fine). I've tried two sets of headphones and I know that they are OK. In summary:- No sound from front panel 6.5mm headphone jack.- Sound connections and volumes seem to be OK, because speakers and woofer volume control headphone jack work fine.- Headphones are not the problem.- Speakers are muted when headphones are plugged in, but still no sound from 6.5mm jack.- No hardware or software changes since they were last working. HELP PLEASE!

OK problem solved. The flat connector on the card at the back of the computer was very slightly loose on one side only. I could only tell when I actually tried to move it myself - it certainly looked OK. Strange that the audio made it to the speakers OK but not to the headphones!

Home studio - Having Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro do I need a mixer for professional recordi

<SPAN class=postbody>Hi, I've got Shure PG 58 (dynamic mic) and Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro. Is there any sense to buy any mixer or preamp to make the quality better? Do I feel a difference using mixer/preamp ? I really don't know what is the role of the external box of AUDIGY 2 PLATINUM PRO (is it a substitute of mixer/preamp ?) Thank you in advance skorp

it depends on who you ask, but the preferable way for most people is to use a high quality outboard mic preamp and send that into the line in. This is because the mic preamps in most consumer cards are considered cheesy. So boosting the mic up with a preamp gives you the advantage of being able to use the line input with your mic which is generally better quality sound.
As i said tho, it depends on who you ask. I have a shure Beta 57 which is an industry standard for pro sound microphones. Not a $5000 recording mic. But a very good general purpose mic. I go into the audigy 2ZS's mic input. However, to do so you need a impedence transformer (about $20) and you need to wire a stereo mini plug so that it bypasses the power that the jack supplies for PC mics which require it. In any case, i do this because i'm not a subscriber to the "use a preamp into the line in" club. Yes, it will produce better tone, but the question is how much better and how much of that improvment will actually make it to your ear? Personally i have tried both ways and find the difference tobe negligable. I'm sure that could change to some extent with a different card or mic or some other difference. But for me with an audigy 2 and the shure mic with an impedence transformer i get what i feel is very good sound the way i do it. So i really don't care what some may say. (many will insist you're stupid for doing it any other way than a preamp) I've been a musician for over 3 decades now and i know the difference between good and bad sound. And what i get from this setup is very good sound to my ear. Maybe not the best, but it's no slouch !
By the way, the creative box as far as the inputs is just basically an extention of the rear panel to make for the convenience of having your connections up front.

No Power to Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro I/O

Hi,
I've just installed an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro in my computer.
I have the sound card and software functioning fine from what I can tell, but there is no power to the I/O Hub.
I have connected the I/O Hub to the sound card using the AD_Link cable. The two connections on each end of the cable are secure in the ports of the I/O Hub and the sound card.
Does the I/O Hub only turn on by using the remote control? The remote does not turn on the I/O Hub. The battery is properly installed in the remote.
I don't know if the remote or battery is bad, the I/O Hub is defecti've or I've done something wrong in the installation.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Message Edited by bassballz on 09-27-2008 2:37 AMMessage Edited by bassballz on 09-27-2008 2:38 AM

Hi,
I had one of those a couple of years ago, so I don't remeber very well how it works... Just a few things from the back of my mind to see if I can help you...
I remember that the I/O bay and the card connected with 2 cables. The falt cable and the SPDIF IO cable. I see only one cable mentioned in your post, so it might be that.
As far as turning the hub on, no, it isn't turned on by the remote. It should be fully powered and on as soon as your PC boots the sound card.
But anyway, my bet is that you are missing a cable. You need it with the Audigy 2 but it isn't necessary if you plug the I/O bay to an x-fi.
Hope this helps?

Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro and Gigaworks speakers

Greetings All. I was just wondering how the card and speakers connect. Does the optical on the breakout box get used or do you use the plugs on the actual card?
Also
What functions and imputs etc. does the gigaworks speakers have? Do they have an optical imput etc? A basic description would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

Cafuddled wrote:
I have just reinstalled my OS and have updated everything but have noticed the drivers off the website don?t give me the THX Console and a lot of other things that it did have with the drivers off the disc.
I have lost the install disc that came with the card so now I need to find some other way to get all the programs. I have tried the THX Console update file but that just spits out an error saying cannot find relati've components.
So does anyone know where I can get this program or anything that will do it'ss job because I really need to configure my 7. system as you can notice the difference when 7. is not properly configured in movies and games.
Specs:
Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro + 7. Gigaworks speakers
Windows XP SP2
http://badboy.filefront.com/
jutapa

Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro Application

I have a problem regarding the application softwares from my Audigy 2 ZS platinum pro.. I'm having a problem reinstalling it coz my brother accidentally broke the Application CD.. Is there anyway guys wherein I could get the original application softwares again? Please help me.. I don't have any sound at all w/out these files.. I'll be very eager to hear from you guys... Thank you very much...

I have the very same problem, I lost my cd and can't find the drivers... Someone help us!

Analog inputs no longer working on Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro's external dr

I have an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro. After two years of use without problems, the analog inputs on the external dri've have stopped working. I get no signal from them, not even noise. All 3 inputs are silent, Line in / Mic and Line 2 in the front, and Line 3 in the back. Otherwise the dri've appears to function normally - I get output from the headphone jack, and the volume control knob works. I have not tested digital inputs or outputs, as I currently have no digital devices to connect to them.
I had made no major changes to my computer - software or hardware - when the problems began. I recently added a new SATA hard dri've, but the Audigy dri've did work after that.
I've taken steps suggested in another thread on this forum and uninstalled all Creative software and drivers, used the latest driver package's uninstall program as well as Driver Cleaner, and finally manually deleted everything related to Creative and Audigy from the system registry (and rebooted quite a few times in between). I then installed the original drivers from the CD that came with the sound card (a setup that has worked before), but still the problem persists.
Any ideas on where to even begin looking for a solution? I find it hard to believe that it's a hardware problem, since three inputs suddenly went silent at the same time, and no other connections were affected. Yet I've done as clean a reinstall as possible, and that hasn't solved the problem.
My current computer configuration:
OS: Windows XP Pro (SP2 and all latest updates)
CPU: Athlon XP 500+
RAM: 2x 52 MB
Motherboard: Abit AN7 (integrated sound chip disabled)
Video card: Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro
Network card: D-Link DFE-530TX
Hard dri've : Seagate ST320026A, 20 GB IDE
Hard dri've 2: Maxtor 6L080J4, 80 GB IDE
Hard dri've 3: Seagate ST330083, 300 GB SATA-II

I don't have a Platinum Pro or the dri've, but a general hardware troubleshooting step I would take would be to remove the soundcard and either move it to another slot or re-seat it. Also, I'd disconnnect and reconnect all cables to and from the card and the dri've. If I had another machine I could try the card or dri've in, I'd do that. If I could borrow another dri've or even another card, I'd test those too. (Swapping parts is often the simplest diagnostic.) Yeah, maybe it's not a hardware problem, but I'd take these steps just to rule out some possibilities.
Edit: And if you can remove or disconnect the SATA dri've and restore the system to the condition before you installed it, that's another good test.Message Edited by Katman on 2-8-2005 2:56 AM

Need help connecting Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro to ATI All-in-wonder 9600XT to get sound from tv tu

Recently purchased an Audigy 2 ZS?Platinum?Pro sound card. I need help figuring out how to get sound when I us the tv tuner for my?All-In-Wonder?9600XT video card. The audio output on the video card needs an audio input to connect on the sound card, but this sound card?does not appear have one.
Does anyone know how I can connect the video card to sound card so I get sound when using tv tuner? Where is the micro In line?I have it on the front panel on the external unit!!? But I would don't use this In line for this application!On my old sound card SB Li've! Platinum, I had a line at the rear PCI card (Line In & Micro Line In) and I had two others Line In on the Front Panel, It's the best, but this old card work only with Win 98 or Win 2000.... ? My new system have WinXP Pro!!!!I buy a new SB card (Audigy 2 ZS Platinum pro), but How to get sound fromo the TV tuner and what's the best setup for my micro (for MSN, Skype) ??Help will be greatly appreciated.

Anybody wants to help me ?I wait your answer for my question...!
Thanks

Audigy 2 ZS platinum pro ... very loud static interference.

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