[echn111]

Hello,


I've just built my Blu-Ray/HD-DVD HTPC and would like to set up my system to get high definition audio, such as Dolby TrueHD, out of it. My sound card is the Auzentech Prelude and my receiver is the Onkyo 605.


- I understand that playback software such as PowerDVD will not not downgrade high definition sound when using the analogue connectors.

- Ironically, optical cables will not deliver trueHD sound because of limited bandwidth. As for HDMI 1.3 support, it doesn't yet exist for these sound cards. So I need to avoid the digital connectors.


Therefore, from what I understand (and correct me if these assumptions are incorrect), the analogue connectors will allow me to get TrueHD from the sound card. So I need to get the appropriate "analogue" cables such as the Creative Home Theater Cable to connect my sound card to my receiver.


The problem is that I'm not US based and cannot find this cable anywhere. I'm also a bit concerned: If this is the solution to getting true high definition sound, then why isn't it a bit easier to find? (And it's rather cheap and doesn't look like such a high quality cable...) Regardless, does anyone know where I can get this in the UK or Europe or do I have to import it from the US?

 

[Storme]

the cables you want are simple 3.5mm to RCA cables.

they cost about $5



just to clarify though, PowerDVD downsamples everything before it gets sent out. so analog or not, its still downsampled.

 

[cra1g]

I don't think the Creative "Sound Blaster Home Theater Cable" would work with your card--it aggregates 8 channels (at the receiver end) into 3 plugs on the soundcard. Your card (like my Xonar) has 4 plugs for 8 outputs, which is good news for you, because stereo-3.5mm-to-2-RCA is a fairly standard cable, available just about anywhere. I can't help with finding them outside the US, but what you're looking for is four of these: http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

 

[echn111]

All I need are four 3.5mm Stereo Plug/2 RCA Plug cable's? That simple? Excellent. Thanks very much for that.

On the downscaling, I had heard that the latest versions of PowerDVD did not downscale analogue. Reading that rather long thread entitled "FACT: You cannot listen to High Resolution HD audio via PowerDVD", vcved Reply 2008/01/18 13:11 to tvsurfer on page 16 of this thread seems to support this view.


Still not completely sure because if it was that clear cut, that thread wouldn't have lasted 16 pages, but if that's the case, I'll be enjoying proper Dolby TrueHD very soon.

 

[Storme]

i think he was referring to dvd-audio.


everything else is still downsampled.

 

[echn111]

Ah - you're right. I missed the part that said:

"-BD/HD downgrade to 48 Khz."

Oh well. I suppose that downgraded Dolby TrueHD is still better than no Dolby TrueHD.


I'm hoping that Auzentech's HDMI X-Tension (1.3 HDMI), when it comes out in a couple of months or so, does allow for proper high definition sound.

 

[Storme]

that card will be able to do LPCM only I think, so downsampling from PowerDVD will still happen.


What we need is a bitstream solution, and one doesn't exist yet and god knows when it will.

 

[Favelle]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Storme /forum/post/12861433


the cables you want are simple 3.5mm to RCA cables.

they cost about $5



just to clarify though, PowerDVD downsamples everything before it gets sent out. so analog or not, its still downsampled.

The picture you posted is an RCA Y-cable, not a 3.5mm stereo to RCA cable.


THIS is the cable you want. 3 of them. One for "fronts", one for "rears" (surround), and one for "center/subwoofer":

http://www.mycableshop.ca/itemdesc.a...g&ic=255%2D037

 

[ES_Revenge]



Quote:
Originally Posted by echn111 /forum/post/12861190


Hello,


I've just built my Blu-Ray/HD-DVD HTPC and would like to set up my system to get high definition audio, such as Dolby TrueHD, out of it. My sound card is the Auzentech Prelude and my receiver is the Onkyo 605.


- I understand that playback software such as PowerDVD will not not downgrade high definition sound when using the analogue connectors.

If by "not not downgrade" (not sure if that was a typo or not) you mean it will downgrade it, then you're right (it does downgrade it by downsampling if necessary to 48kHz/16-bit before it hits the sound driver).


However 48kHz/16-bit x 6 is still far better than standard DTS at it's maximum bitrate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by echn111 /forum/post/12861190


- Ironically, optical cables will not deliver trueHD sound because of limited bandwidth.

Not sure what's "ironic" about that

Quote:
Originally Posted by echn111 /forum/post/12861190


The problem is that I'm not US based and cannot find this cable anywhere. I'm also a bit concerned: If this is the solution to getting true high definition sound, then why isn't it a bit easier to find? (And it's rather cheap and doesn't look like such a high quality cable...) Regardless, does anyone know where I can get this in the UK or Europe or do I have to import it from the US?

Y-cables are what you need (as posted by ppl above), however if you're concerned about the quality of the el-cheapo dollar-store type y-cables, you can get 3.5mm stereo to RCA stereo female adapters--either in small one-piece adapters or with short "pigtail" wires. From there you can use any sets of standard stereo RCA cables of whatever quality you like

There are some better than average y-cables out there but they are few and far between. Not even monoprice has decent quality analog y-cables--they just have the dollar store type as well it seems.

 

[467456878]



Quote:
Originally Posted by echn111 /forum/post/12861190


- Ironically, optical cables will not deliver trueHD sound because of limited bandwidth.

I have the same card. According to Auzentech's website, optical can support TrueHD:


"Optical / Coaxial COMBO Port

The SPDIF Output port has 25mbps bandwidth and supports DTS-

HD/DolbyTrue HD. It is possible to shift between Optical and Coaxial in this port."

 

[ES_Revenge]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ShagnWagn /forum/post/12864717


I have the same card. According to Auzentech's website, optical can support TrueHD:


"Optical / Coaxial COMBO Port

The SPDIF Output port has 25mbps bandwidth and supports DTS-

HD/DolbyTrue HD. It is possible to shift between Optical and Coaxial in this port."

Have you ever output TrueHD via S/PDIF; and, if you have, do you have a receiver/processor that will decode TrueHD on an S/PDIF stream?

 

[467456878]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ES_Revenge /forum/post/12864737


Have you ever output TrueHD via S/PDIF; and, if you have, do you have a receiver/processor that will decode TrueHD on an S/PDIF stream?

I have nine hi-def movies and unfortunately none of them have TrueHD. My receiver does not support TrueHD either. I've quoted the above article multiple times asking people but nobody seems to know the answer.

 

[briinthesky]

Hi echn111

I have just ordered one of the Onkyo 605 amps(hope too get it next week)

I have an auzen explosion card connected via a pioneer vsx 859 at the moment using spdif and analogue, I can get the true audio via analoge or dolby by spdif and find little difference as the analogue signal is a lot quieter than the other so you have to ramp up the volume.

I am hoping things will improve with the Onkyo!

I bought the analogue leads from richersounds they are good quality Cambridge audio, Atlantic 2ph-3.5 which where £9.99 each (2 weeks ago).

I think it will not be too long befor Auzentech come up with a propper true hd audio capable card.


Hope this helps.

Bc.

 

[echn111]

Hello,


Ok I now understand that using "3 RCA Y-cables" (analogue) to connect my system, I "will" be able to get Dolby TrueHD, albeit a downgraded to 48KHz, which is still very good. That is very clear now.


And to get the proper undowngraded version via a digital solution requires the HMDI 1.3 extension that Azentech will be releasing for the Azentech Prelude. But that's going to be in a few months, so I'm going for the downgraded version for now.


However, I was under the impression that you could not get Dolby TrueHD, even a downgraded version, via spdif, so I'm qute interested in the last few comments in this area. Can I confirm that we are able to play Dolby True HD by using an spdif from the prelude to the receivers and that it's identical to the analogue version?


If I get the same result via SPDIF or analogue, albeit downgraded to 48KHz, then I'll go SPDIF.


(My Onkyo 605 and speakers are being delivered next week, so I can't test it right now)

 

[briinthesky]

The jury is out some say you can, most say you can't

I can't confirm myself yet as my pioneer amp only says dd or dts from the digital source but its not capable of true hd(hence getting Onkyo) but I will say that the sound through spdif is much better from blu or HD dvd than a normal dvd

So lets see how we get on with things when our equipment arrives ?


Bc.

 

[stanger89]



Quote:
Originally Posted by echn111 /forum/post/12862033


Ah - you're right. I missed the part that said:

"-BD/HD downgrade to 48 Khz."

Oh well. I suppose that downgraded Dolby TrueHD is still better than no Dolby TrueHD.


I'm hoping that Auzentech's HDMI X-Tension (1.3 HDMI), when it comes out in a couple of months or so, does allow for proper high definition sound.

You might want to find a soundtrack with >48kHz audio before you complain about it.

 

[Storme]

It is not possible to send TrueHD or DTS-HD over SPDIF.


SPDIF can only send two channels of uncompressed audio. This is well known information. TrueHD requires 6 channels of uncompressed audio at the least, which SPDIF is NOT capable of.

Anything that says otherwise is wrong.

 

[echn111]



Quote:
Originally Posted by stanger89 /forum/post/12874586


You might want to find a soundtrack with >48kHz audio before you complain about it.

My motivation is, like most people here, to make sure I'm ready to get the best sound I possibly can on my home cinema equipment. And, ideally, I need to do that before I pick up my new sound system next weekend. If that's 48, then that's what I'll go with.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Storme /forum/post/12875392


It is not possible to send TrueHD or DTS-HD over SPDIF.


SPDIF can only send two channels of uncompressed audio. This is well known information. TrueHD requires 6 channels of uncompressed audio at the least, which SPDIF is NOT capable of.

Anything that says otherwise is wrong.

Thanks for clarifying. I thought that was the case, but prefer to be cautious in an area I'm not too familiar with. There is so much information out there, much of it conflicting, that I think it is sometimes best to double check, even at the risk of appearing to ask silly questions.


Therefore, "3 RCA Y-cables" is the way to go. I look forward to trying out Dolby True HD in a couple of weeks.


Thanks everyone.

 

[boblablaw]

I think the new HDMI video cards like the Nvidia 8500 and the ATI 2600XT also include HDMI audio as well. If you have the 605 you can just run this one HDMI cable from your video card to the Onkyo and you will have full HD audio and video. The cards only run around $100 so pretty cheap. This is all theory because I'm just looking into all of this myself.

 

[NaTT]



Quote:
Originally Posted by boblablaw /forum/post/12876473


I think the new HDMI video cards like the Nvidia 8500 and the ATI 2600XT also include HDMI audio as well. If you have the 605 you can just run this one HDMI cable from your video card to the Onkyo and you will have full HD audio and video. The cards only run around $100 so pretty cheap. This is all theory because I'm just looking into all of this myself.

you'll have the equivillant of SPDIF being piped down the HDMI lead, but not HD Audio