- Jul 23, 2013
- 28
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- 10,530
So I recently hooked up our old theater system that we don't use anymore to my PC. Right now I'm still using the realtek ALC1150 onbaord audio on my msi z87-g45. It's connected through optical which I know can only send 2-channel uncompressed, though I can switch on Pro Logic 2 to simulate surround sound for this 5.1 system.
Now I'm just wondering if getting a sound card would be worth it at all considering I'm only seeking the real-time encoding technology on them for my receiver.
One of the things I'm still confused about is if sound cards boost quality through an optical connection. By looking at the specs of the theater system (pages 65):
http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200911/20091106142343250/X50_ENG_CA.pdf
I see that the receiver has a S/N ratio of 65dB. So what happens if I connect it to something say like an Essence STX which has 124 dB SNR — is it pointless through optical?
Ya I've been pretty interested in that essence STX, even though I know that the card itself probably is worth more these days than this HTIB. Would I be essentially throwing money away getting this card?
So what do you guys think, should I bother with a sound card at all? I'm not really looking to upgrade my sound system seeing as how I have something that is usable and is quite an upgrade already so far as I can tell (was using a simple 2.1 setup before).
I think it's also worth noting that my receiver doesn't have HDMI input, only output.
Now I'm just wondering if getting a sound card would be worth it at all considering I'm only seeking the real-time encoding technology on them for my receiver.
One of the things I'm still confused about is if sound cards boost quality through an optical connection. By looking at the specs of the theater system (pages 65):
http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200911/20091106142343250/X50_ENG_CA.pdf
I see that the receiver has a S/N ratio of 65dB. So what happens if I connect it to something say like an Essence STX which has 124 dB SNR — is it pointless through optical?
Ya I've been pretty interested in that essence STX, even though I know that the card itself probably is worth more these days than this HTIB. Would I be essentially throwing money away getting this card?
So what do you guys think, should I bother with a sound card at all? I'm not really looking to upgrade my sound system seeing as how I have something that is usable and is quite an upgrade already so far as I can tell (was using a simple 2.1 setup before).
I think it's also worth noting that my receiver doesn't have HDMI input, only output.
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