Logitech Z680 Digital SOund

[Judson]

I have an Audigy II and just got some Logitech Z680's and I am trying to get them hooked up digitally. I tried a digital coaxial cable with RCA ends and put a 1/8" mono plug on one end and went from the digital out on the card to the coaxial digital in on the decoder pod. No sound from rear speakers. If I get the break out box from the platinum and go from it's optical out to the optical in on the decoder pod, will I get digital sound in all speakers?

Judson

[funkeh]

i have the same prob,does any1 know what cable we need?????

[Judson]

OK, here is what I did and as far as I know this is the only way to get true digital sound out of all speakers.
Get the AUdigy II PLantinum that has the break out box front plate. I only had the Audigy II so I bought the break out box on Ebay. Then hook the optical out on the box to the optical in on the ddecoder pod for your logitechs. You use an optical cord you can get at any computer or music place. Then click your input on your decoder pod to optical, it will detect it. Set your card to digital output only, and uncheck AC3 since your pod decodes for you. Then presto, true digital sound in all speakers and the best sound money can buy! Better than any Klipsch!

Judson

[funkeh]

cant find a breakout box for sale anywhere
Surely there is a cable that would do the job?
plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Judson]

For digital;
Like I said you can go RCA male to 1/4" mono minijack but you won't get rear speakers.
Or you go look for the mythical 4 post minijack to RCA males which is harder to find than the Holy Grail.
It's crap that they need a cord that basically doesn't exist.
Go get the plantinum or settle for analog is what it boils down to.

Judson

[wallie_x]

Did you enable digital output by the software via the SB sound mixer? (Turn off the Dolby mixer from the sound card though; the Z 680's have their own Dolby mixer in the amp.) You also have to set the speakers to both 5.1 within the Audigy mixer software and WMP (if that's what you're using). Also WMP 9 is the only one with 24bit encoding for an Audigy's 24 bit output. I get 5.1 with my Audigy and Z 680's when playing music on: Input: 'COAX' with the 'Effect' set to 'Dolby PL2 Music' but do not get 5.1 when testing the speakers in the SB mixer panel. Also, you need to turn the surround sound (via that funny looking pod) almost all the way to the '+' side to even hear the back speakers. When I first got these speakers I was disappointed. They sounded crummy, hissed and did all sorts of thing I did'nt like. After playing with the numerous tweaks I finally got them to sound better than my former Z 560's. I am now impressed with, and thoroughly enjoy their sound. It's just that they are very tempermental to software changes. I'd play with the system before I bought any 'out box front plate'. I really don't think it's neceassry.

[Bizkitkid2001]

Does teh audigy 2 have a digital coaxol output or a fiber optic output? If it does, just buy a digital coaxol cable, or a fiber optic cable, and you don't need to buy a digital box or anything. And you only need one cable to hook them up.

[Judson]

The regular Audigy II has a SPDIF digital out that takes a 3.5" minijack or your regular analog outs. You have to get the Platinum version to get the break out box wich is loaded with extra connections including the fiber optical in and outs.
Audigy will be selling them sold seperately soon.
I just got the black face plate conversion kit from Audigy today.

Judson

[Harv]

For digital;
Like I said you can go RCA male to 1/4" mono minijack but you won't get rear speakers.
Or you go look for the mythical 4 post minijack to RCA males which is harder to find than the Holy Grail.
It's crap that they need a cord that basically doesn't exist.
Go get the plantinum or settle for analog is what it boils down to.

Not true. I have a standard Audigy 2 card without the Platinum breakout box and a set of Z-680's. Yesterday I went to Radio Shack and picked up what they call a "6' Shielded Audio Cable" - a 3.5mm (1/8", not 1/4") mono minijack to male RCA. They advertise it on their webpage - click here.

The 3.5mm end goes into the digital out on the soundcard. The RCA end goes into the Digital Coax in on the Z-680's control pod.

In Windows, open up the AudioHQ control panel and double click on "device controls". Turn off the Audigy's decoder by selecting "SPDIF Passthrough".

Now configure your speakers from the speaker settings control panel. Select 5.1 as your speaker selection and check "digital output only".

Reboot your machine and you'll have glorious 5.1 digital/dolby surround on DVDs, DVD audio and games that support 5.1.

[cpudoctor23]

Im still not really clear about how to get the true 5.1 sound. All you really have to do is get that one cable? That's it?