SPDIF-Out vs Speaker

[usernamed]

Hey!

I've got a question regarding playback devices under Windows 10. I use Creative X-FI Surround 5.1 Pro USB soundcard for my laptop, and under Playback devices it offers either SPDIF-Out and Speaker. Either one is working, but they do have a little difference in sound quality. Both have been configured to use 24 bit 96 kHz, and under Creative Audio Control i have "Headphones" selected, because i use stereo headphones as my main listening device.

Now i would like to know why SPDIF is making any sound at all when no optical cable has been connected to the external sound card? It's just connected via USB. And which selection would be a more reasonable choice for use with stereo headphones? I notice that when i do the sound test for both devices under Playback, only the "Speaker" one does 5.1 channels test, while the SPDIF goes through only 2 channel test. Why is that?

Thanks for helping me out.

 

[Lutfij]

It'd serve us both if we knew what sort of an audio equipment is paired with your external sound card since there are a lot of headphones that support both virtual or true surround sound. You did state your primary device for listening are your headphones so what is your secondary listening device? According to your product manual, the device does support 5.1 both through optical and analog connections but since you're connected to your sound card via a stereo headset the optical will only produce the audio as stereo output or so it seems to be or else there is a problem with your drivers. Have you made sure to uninstall and reinstall your drivers only in compatibility mode?

Right click installer>Properties>Compatibility Tab>Windows 7/8 [from drop down menu]

In the meantime, you may want to see if your chipset drivers and BIOS are up to date. Since you're on Windows 10, it'd be a good idea to disable automatic device drivers update feature before uninstalling and reinstalling your drivers.

Same brand but not the same soundcard, but some food for thought.