Sound Card to Home Theater 6 CH Input

[scottrwn98]

I recently purchased a Sound Blaster Audigy ZS Platinum sound card for my computer. It has the typical three outputs (Green, Yellow and Black) that connects to my 5 speaker (and sub) setup. I am configured for 5.1 sound.

I then recently purchased a Sound Blaster Home Theatre Cable that converts the three 3.5mm mini plugs to 8 RCA plugs.


This way I can hook my sound card up to my Yamaha HTR-5830's 6 Channel Input.



Now when I attached everything, I get this HUM sound. Not only that, but every channel (not including the LFE) has no bass. Usually when you have a DVD with Dolby Digital (AC3) the left and right will have some bass.

I'm a filmmaker who uses Vegas 6.0 to edit my audio in 5.1. I currently use my 5.1 speaker setup to mix. But I wanted to hear my mix through a REAL home theater receiver.

What is causing this problem? Why is there a hum? Is it my receiver or is it my sound card / cable?

[axlish]

It sounds like you are not grounded somewhere, either on the pc or the receiver.

[scottrwn98]

See that's what I thought, but I don't know where. I know the Receiver is only two-prong, I'm not sure about the sub. All is plugged in a power strip.

[guns1inger]

Either that, or one of the 3.5mm is in a port which thinks it is an input (mic etc). Are these dedicated outputs, or auto-selected ?

[scottrwn98]

Each RCA Cable is marked (e.g. Side Left, Center, LFE) And Each 3.5mm jack is color coded for the specific input of the sound card.

[cowgoo]

for the humming, how well shielded are the cables, and do they come close to something that could cause interference ( monitor, sat reciever, etc..). Another option to try is if you can to move the sound card to a different slot, maybe somethings not playing nice with it.

[Cornucopia]

Why are you going to all this trouble?

According to Creative Labs, the Audigy2ZS has an SPDIF Coaxial output,
and your picture shows that your Yamaha amp has Coaxial input.

Just get 1 RCA cable (rated for Coaxial Digital) and connect between the 2, and you're DONE.

Scott

[scottrwn98]

The received is on top of our projection TV, but I've hooked up my iPod with a 3.5mm to two RCA (y splitter) and got the hum too. Then hooked up the y splitter to the CD and VCR stereo inputs, and no hum. I then hooked up the Theater cable to the VCR or CD and both hummed.

I don't think that cable is shielded.

I wish I could configure Vegas 6.0 to used my SPDIF output (on my breakout box) instead of the three 3.5mm jacks.

[scottrwn98]

Why are you going to all this trouble?

According to Creative Labs, the Audigy2ZS has an SPDIF Coaxial output,
and your picture shows that your Yamaha amp has Coaxial input.

Just get 1 RCA cable (rated for Coaxial Digital) and connect between the 2, and you're DONE.

Scott

It actually has one SPDIF (coaxel) and one Optical. Both will work, but I only get Pro Logic. Vegas 6.0's audio setup is configured for three outputs (left/right, center/LFE, etc).

I would love to configure it to JUST use the coaxel out and get 5.1.

[Cornucopia]

Do me a favor and play a DVD from that computer, using WinDVD/PowerDVD/etc. It should have a way to output audio direct to SPDIF as a un-decoded data stream. This should then get decoded at your amp. That's how lots of users do it.

Assuming that works, the problem is actually more about Vegas and/or Windows mixer routing and/or driver usage. IOW, it's the software, not the hardware.

I'd check on some of the other forums: Doom9, Rarewares, etc. I bet this has been covered before.

Scott

[jg0001]

I know EXACTLY the issue you are having -- I had the same problem when i connected my SB 5.1 outputs (analog) to my receiver many years ago and it drove me nuts.

Now, while he CAN run a DIGITAL signal to his receiver, SOUNDBLASTERS are NOT capable of ENCODING sound that it creates (from a game for example) into 5.1 or 7.1 digital signals. It CAN PASS THROUGH such a signal, but for gaming, he is stuck with analog from a SB card. (Many newer Motherboards have built in audio that IS encoded as DD 5.1-7.1 sound.)

The problem is a GROUND LOOP. It occurs when you have two DIFFERENT ground levels, usually one from inside your home and one from outside (like your cable line).

Your PC is grounded (3 prong). Your RECEIVER is NOT grounded, nor is your TV, but your CABLE BOX has a LINE IN from the cable company that IS grounded. Disconnect the cable line in from the cable box and if the problem goes away or rapidly diminishes, you know the source.

There are FOUR solutions to this problem:

(1) buy a ground loop isolator for your audio lines, a pair for every pair of connections from your PC ($16.99 per pair)
This was actually the LAST step I ended up trying, but it worked the BEST BY FAR.
http://www.radioshack.com/sm-see-all-needs-and-wants--pi-2062214.html
You simply plug these in in-line between each audio channel. THEY WORK WONDERS!!!
If you are cautious about this, buy only ONE pair and try it out (only connect one set of inputs). Trust me they WORK and you'll be running back to the store to buy 3 more sets soon after.

(2) buy a ground loop isolator for your CABLE line -- (didn't help my problem very much at all, forgot who I bought it from, but cost about $50-$75) -- for me, this only dampened the problem, but didn't squash it.

(3) buy a HIGH QUALITY power strip with filtering.... I have a MONSTER POWER STRIP -- the 'big' one that has 12 jacks and handles 3 sets of COAX inputs. Yes it is expensive ($250 or so). It also worked wonders for me and was my primary solution until I found (1) above.

(4) run a FIBER OPTIC LINE from your SB card to the receiver for the receiver to decode the signal (only good for STEREO audio OR for 5.1/7.1 PASS THRU signals (from a DVD for example)).
-- IT MUST BE OPTICAL since there is then NO electrical connection and NO ground connection from the PC to the receiver-- a regular coaxial digital cable MAY solve part of your problem, but will likely STILL carry over the noisy ground. If your PC is in anyway still connected without a ground shield to your receiver, you will continue to have a hum, often even if your PC isn't selected as the source.

[scottrwn98]

Do me a favor and play a DVD from that computer, using WinDVD/PowerDVD/etc.

I'm sorry, I should have mentioned this ... I did actually set up my sound card to use the Hardware decoder for a DVD and ran the SPDIF cable out of my breakout box into my home theater system and received 5.1 with no problem. Vegas is my problem now.

... and ...

I know EXACTLY the issue you are having -- I had the same problem when i connected my SB 5.1 outputs (analog) to my receiver many years ago and it drove me nuts.

I'll show my buddy's I work with at the TV studio, who are Audio Buffs, this list and see what they say ... most of what they do are Music Mixing / Recording.

SO BASICALLY you are telling my that with the three 3.5mm to 8 RCA will only give me a direct analog signal and not a REAL 5.1?

The closest I've gotten is with my gaming speakers (THX Dell Altec Lansing 5.1 setup) Vegas sounds very close to my AC3 Encodes (As I play the Burned DVD on my computer) ... they are pretty close.

Now a DVD with the Home Theatre sounds better, but the 3.5mm to 8 RCA cables from Vegas don't carry bass from all channels (minus LFE)

Should I just stick with my gaming speakers and just mount them farther apart in my editing room? or Keep at this cable stuff? And like I said, the Creative Cable I bought doesn't carry Bass when I use them for 6CH Input (only the LFE).