Sound card 5.1 to 7.1 optical out

[bernard1991]

Hey guys I have a dell t7400 workstation and I’m hunting down a good sound card for it
I have plenty of spare pci x slots that I can install pci cards into

I just need a sound card that can supply me with 5.1 and 7.1 optical audio (should I ever upgrade my surround sound DVD player from 5.1), is a pci slot and have a audio and mic jack so I can use my turtle beach headset with microphone

I’m not after spending too much just a list of good cards I can look at and decide on

Thanks
Bernie

 

[gamerk316]

Optical is limited to three audio formats:

-) 2.0 PCM
-) 5.1 Dolby Digital
-) 5.1 DTS

Most PC audio is not in Dolby/DTS formats, and you'll need a soundcard that supports realtime encoding to one of the two (Dolby Digital Live or DTS-Connect).

Also, when using optical you aren't using your soundcards DAC; if all you want is optical output you may as well just purchase a cheap USB to Optical cable rather then a dedicated soundcard.

There is no way to get 7.1 out of optical.

 

[bernard1991]

.

7.1 isn’t that important anyway would require a lot of wiring in my room

It’s to get my turtle beach to work on my pc as my current jacks do not work

Which of them you suggested would give me surround sound?

 

[mozga628]

here we are at the end of 2021 and there is still a niche market for this.
in my case (a multi media pc), 7.1 (or 5.1) fiber optic out to a bose soundbar where the sub and satalite speakers are connected wirelessly.
i know this can be done, i did it back in a windows 7 era with fiber optics to my home stereo.
now, on an asus x570 tuf board, the only solutions i can find is an unsigned driver (not an option/risk i am willing to accept).
there must be a sound card out there that can show me all 7.1 speakers in setup via fiber optic. perhaps if RTX3000 series supports hdmi ARC?