Xonar DS Problem - Please help!

[Miam]

Hi everyone

Hope someone can help me with this, long winded but here goes:

Just bought Xonar DS after having similar problem with onboard Realtek HD audio.

Basically i can't get the optical out to work to my AV reciever, specs are:

Abit AL8-V Motherboard
Pentium D 3Ghz CPU
2Gb RAM
Xonar DS sound card
Windows 7 Ultimate
Yamaha 759SE AV reciever
Sennheiser HD590 headphones

I get sound out of the other ports (As i did with the Realtek) but no optical / Spdif, even though there is a red light coming out of the other end of the cable.

I tried everything i could think of with the Realtek - older / newer drivers, fresh installation of XP and then Windows 7, downloaded AC3 filter etc. After a week of messing around and finding lots of other people have had optical issues with Realtek and Windows 7 i decided to disable the onboard sound and get the Xonar DS.

I've downloaded the latest drivers and made sure Spdif is enabled in the Xonar Audio Centre, set output to PCM 48khz but still nothing. My AV reciever auto detects other devices fine but not my PC.

One thing that does concern me is an unknown device in Device Manager. It showed up in XP also:

Unknown device on Intel(R) 82801GB/GR (ICH7 Family) LPC Interface Controller - 27B8

I've searched all over for a driver for both Windows 7 and XP but haven't found anything. Abit's site is useless.

Could this unknown device be causing the problem?
Could my optical lead be faulty even though it has a red light showing at the reciever end?

I've also checked that the default sound device is set as the Xonar. As said, the other ports work fine but i must admit the quality of sound to my headphones was not as good as expected - very tinny. Haven't played with any setttings to improve that though.

Any help would be very much appreciated. I'm pulling out what little hair i've got left.

 

[DavidX710]

Is the soundcard compatible? Maybe try another lead?

 

[Miam]

Yes it appears to be compatible. I will probably buy another lead next but it is 8m long so can't try any of my others.

 

[mosox]

Maybe you need to flip some switch on your receiver.

 

[thefivetheory]

You may need to configure Windows to output via SPDIF... check what your default playback device is.

 

[gamerk316]

Odd...make sure the default output device in the Control Panel is set to the DS's digital output port (I don't recall if this is done automatically or not through the driver control panel...).

You using Coax or Optical?

 

[Miam]

Thanks for the replies. Been working away so haven't haven't had chance to do anything further apart from:

Checked AV Reciever and made sure assignments are set right for socket i'm plugging into.

Installed Vista as this was the OS that everything last worked on a few months ago - same PC / reciever. Still no sound through optical (Toslink).

I've got spdif enabled in the Xonar Audio software. How do i enable it Windows? (To thefivetheory).

One thing i have noticed - I've made sure the Xonar digital output is set as default but under both that and Speakers i have 'No jack information available' in properties.

I'm going to order a new optical cable soon but everyone i've spoken to have said if i'm getting a red light the lead is working ok.

Thanks again
Miam

 

[gamerk316]

^^ Yeah, if you get a red light on the opposite end of the wire, the signal *should* be getting through...

Stupid question: But I know Xonars use Coax by default: are you REALLY sure you have the Coax->Optical piece in all the way? [I spent an hour fixing that once ]

Also, you can check what sound device Windows is using by going to the Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound. Make sure the Digital Output for the DS is selected when using the optical port, and NOT speakers. [Some people say Speakers works for them with Optical; I never got that to work with my D2 though...]

 

[Miam]

^^ Yeah, if you get a red light on the opposite end of the wire, the signal *should* be getting through...

Stupid question: But I know Xonars use Coax by default: are you REALLY sure you have the Coax->Optical piece in all the way? [I spent an hour fixing that once ]

Also, you can check what sound device Windows is using by going to the Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Sound. Make sure the Digital Output for the DS is selected when using the optical port, and NOT speakers. [Some people say Speakers works for them with Optical; I never got that to work with my D2 though...]

Yes it comes with an adapter which is in properly. I've tried setting both the speakers and Xonar as the default device. I get the green bars moving as if sound should be working when i test them.

 

[gamerk316]

Very odd; I can say I'm stumped at the moment...I take it you don't have anything you can directly connect to the optical ouput port (bypassing the receiver) to test with?

If you have some way of recording the input on the SPDIF input port (anyone know any programs off hand that can?), you could try looping back the signal (IE: SPDIF ouput connected to SPDIF input) and see if you manage to record the output signal. At least, this would determine if the receiver or the card is at fault...

And just to clarify: You are using the latest drivers, right? [Never hurts to ask ]

 

[Miam]

Very odd; I can say I'm stumped at the moment...I take it you don't have anything you can directly connect to the optical ouput port (bypassing the receiver) to test with?

If you have some way of recording the input on the SPDIF input port (anyone know any programs off hand that can?), you could try looping back the signal (IE: SPDIF ouput connected to SPDIF input) and see if you manage to record the output signal. At least, this would determine if the receiver or the card is at fault...

And just to clarify: You are using the latest drivers, right? [Never hurts to ask ]

Thanks gamerk

Yes i've installed the latest drivers from Asus's site and no i don't have anything else apart from a sky box which is hooked up at the other end of the room so can't move it. The toslink lead from the pc is fed under the carpet so i can't check it with anything else.

Got some time tomorrow and a spare slightly newer mainboard so gonna swap it just to make sure it isn't a compatibility problem or an issue with the unknown device i've mentioned.

Miam

 

[Miam]

I have at last fixed this issue - faulty optical (Toslink) lead! Can't believe it was something so simple. I was reluctant to order another as a: it worked perfectly a couple of months ago, b: everyone i spoke to said if i had a red light at the reciever end it meant the signal was getting through ok c: it's a 10metre lead so wasn't cheap.

I've recently had a new carpet fitted and think maybe the carpet fitter damaged it when he routed it for me.

Thanks for the other suggestions - I should have looked at the basics before thinking it was something more complex!

Miam