Anyone here use 5.1 sound?

If so, what usb sound card do you use and how do you like it? I can't decide on a nice new 2.1 system or to go back to my thx logitech 5.1 system I used for a few months before my tower died.

Any suggestions?

 

X-FI USB

 

Thats exactly what I'm looking at. I keep reading mixed reviews on it though. How do you like it?

 

I like it fine. Windows sucks at 5.1 management though. What I'd do to simply get 5 Channel Stereo. Argh.

99% of everything is in 2.1.

 

Post edited because I almost forgot about analog connections (+rep to RacingGun).

I use 7.1 sound on my laptop through HDMI all the time. Windows manages it quite well, it even has some built-in speaker and bass management functionality.

Do you have the X-Fi connected with the Optical Digital connection? Optical digital output is limited in it's 5.1 capability, as it only has enough bandwidth for uncompressed 2.1 channel audio. You can get 5.1 out of a optical digital connection ONLY if you use Dolby Digital or DTS compression. So 5.1 audio should work just fine for DVDs/movies encoded with Dolby Digital (the item description even mentions that 5.1/DD/DTS only works when using the PowerDVD software [look at the chart]), but you can't get 5.1 with the 99% of games out there that use uncompressed 5.1 audio, for which you'd need to use individual analog connections for each speaker (which the X-Fi does have). Windows likely doesn't recognize the USB X-Fi device as being 5.1 capable when connecting with optical digital, which it technically isn't, which may be why you think Windows doesn't manage it correctly.

As RacingGun mentions below, if you connect with the analog outputs (assuming the Logitech speakers have the multiple analog inputs), surround should work just fine, but you don't need the X-Fi device to do that as your laptop already has that capability.

 

The Studio XPS 16 has 5.1 output build in... I've used it before and it works well. The 2 headphone jacks and the 1 microphone jack can be configured to be the outputs for 5.1 surround... obviously this is the "old school" analog style, but it works.

 

So wait, will I not get 5.1 in my games with this freakin thing?

 

You will if you use the analog connections (the 3.5mm jacks). Also, your XPS 17 has 5.1 sound with very good quality (those DACs are almost as good as this X-Fi Surround card, maybe you won't even notice the difference).

You can plug-in your Logitechs right into your laptop's audio connections and get 5.1 audio right away. Also I think you have the X-Fi MB software, so you even have the Crystalizer, EQ and CMSS (features that X-Fi Surround card has too and they're quite useful if you play mp3s and youtube videos on your 5.1 audio system).

Personally I wouldn't buy the X-Fi Surround card.

 

So how would I connect my 5.1 speakers to my XPS?

 

Do your speakers have the analog inputs (3 different headphone jacks, 1x for L/R, 1x for surround L/R and 1x for center/sub)? Plug one into headphone 1, the next into headphone 2, and the 3rd into the mike jack on your laptop (the laptop manual will tell you which plug goes to which jack). If your speakers only have the optical digital (S/PDIF) port, then you can't play games in 5.1 on them period (except console games which are configured to use Dolby Digital).

 

Had no idea! Wow.

And for those wondering, I have the Logitech Z-5300 system.

The X-Fi won't even get opened now that I know this. If I'm unable to get the type of quality I want out of the XPS, I'll be buying the Companion 3 system because of it's Onboard DSP. I had been thinking about picking a set up for a while. I've gone and listened to them several times in the last week and they just blow me away..

 

The Z-5300 will work 5.1 with just your base laptop just fine with the green/black/orange analog inputs on the back of the subwoofer, so no need for anything else.

 

Looks like I just saved 64.99 thanks to you guys!

How does the on board audio compare to dedicated X-Fi cards?

 

I like to know how do the cards compare too