Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Extreme

scookar

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Hello,

Have a question about this sound card and was hoping someone might be able to help.

Have been told by a sales person that I can connect it to an external amplifier using an optical cable. Wanted to verify that this is definetly the case.

Had a look at the website:-
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=14066&nav=1

and I can't really see any mention of this. It does say that it has:-

FlexiJack (Performing a 3-in-1 function, Digital I/O1 / Line In / Microphone) via 3.50mm mini jack

Is this basically saying I will be able to output the sound using a mini-TOS link cable?

Hope someone can help.
 
YOu have to get a 3.5mm - RCA converter that will plug into the back of your card. You then use a normal interconnect as a digital cable to the amp. There is no optical connection with the music card, but there is on all the higher end models in the X-Fi range
 
Remember you wont get any surround sound via digital apart from stuff thats already encoded, i.e. DVDs as the XFi doesn't encode things into DD or DTS but can send 2 channel PCM (i think) down the cable.
 
aye, with just the normal card version (no breakout box) you need to use a 3.5mm to coaxial adaptor (creative sell one for a couple quid, only takes a few days to arrive), no optical available....

the digital cable will send DD/DTS straight thru from the DVD drive so your amp can decode the channels......it will also send normal 2 channel stereo as well....

if you want surround sound from games then you need to use the analogue method, this will require for 5.1 sound three 3.5mm to stereo RCA adaptor cables.....one for front left and front right input on your surround amps 6 channel inputs (if it has them, if not then this isnt possible obviously), the second for rear left and rear right inputs on the amp, then the third for centre and subwoofer.......the 6 channel input on the amp effectively turns the amp in to just a power amp, the amp will have no ability to process the signals coming in, altho may be able to adjust individual channel volume level......if your amp has 8 channel input, then assuming the X-Fi back panel is same as Audigy/Audigy2 you can have 6.1 sound, you need two 3.5mm to stereo RCA jacks, and a third cable that is a 4-pole 3.5mm to Stereo RCA/Composite video lead (basically what most camcorders use)......this third one will carry centre, rear centre and subwoofer channels.....you put the rear centre in to the left back channel input usually, however you can use a Y adaptor RCA cable to split it so it plugs in to both left and right back channel inputs for 7.1 speaker sound, just the two rear speakers have the same signal........far as i know the Audigy2 and the X-Fi (i only have normal Audigy) can do actual 7.1 signals, rather than just 6.1.....so i dont know how they manage that, i assume there is either another 3.5mm socket on the back with 2 channels per socket or two of the sockets require 4-pole camcorder style cables.......if this is the case, be warned, you dont get much room at the back, so getting all the plugs to fit in can be difficult, especially with the 4-pole ones, make sure to buy ones that have slender casing around the plugs...i ended up shaving my JVC ones with a craft knife....lol

anyhow, hope this has been helpful and not confusing..lol
 
Knyght_byte said:
anyhow, hope this has been helpful and not confusing..lol

Thanks Knyght_byte that is actually extremely helpful indeed.

So if I understand you correctly, I should be able to get one of these:-

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=882

and one of these:-

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=638

and that should do the trick?

Also, i'm assuming because it is a digital connection, there should be no worries about loss of quality due to the length of the cable as I think I am going to need around 5m?

Thanks for your help!
 

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