db

In PC World today a bloke told me that the SB Pro Live 1024 Voice sound card does not support dolby digital 5.1. I would have to purchase the SB Pro Live Dolby 5.1 card which obviously does support 5.1 channels.

On my DELL PC I am ordering, DELL allow you to choose the 1024 sound card and the Altec Lansing ADA 885 DD5.1 speaker package. Surely these two are incompatible with each other and I would have redundant rear speakers?

As per my other post, the other sound card option is the Santa Cruz card that does support 5.1.

I would like to stick with SB cards.

Are my assumptions correct, that there is no point choosing the SB sound card if I want 5.1 surround, would I be better buying the sound card seperately and still ordering the top of the range speaker package?

Or, am I waisting my money? Do games support 5.1 these days? The other speaker option is the Harman Kardon 695 speakers, these are two sattelite and a sub. These have a virtual rear speaker function.

The altec speakers are an extra £75.

What would you do?

thanks

db

suba

what does the SB pro 1024 spec say (on the box at PC World or at creative website)? does it support 5.1 or not?

have a look at the sound card reviews on online computer magazines like pcmag, pcw, etc.

Mr Footlong

iTrader: (7)

There are 2 main variants of the Live! series:

The standard Live! cards support 4 channel speaker support.
This includes the Standard, old platinum, Value and (most/all of the)1024 series

The Live! 5.1 series support Dolby Digital.
Nowadays, I would go for an Audigy soundcard then one of the older series, but the older series are probably fairly cheaper now....

Cheers,

Nick

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

I picked up a SB Live Platinum card recently for £50

Great card, but I mainly bought it for the Live Drive front panel.

Scotty Boy

check out Creative site

Sound Blaster Live spec.
Experience real-time digital audio and effects with head-turning 3D positional audio from the EMU10K1™ Digital Signal Processor
Create CD quality MP3 or WMA files with a 320kbps encoder and up to 9X encoding acceleration
Surround yourself with theater-like Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio in movies
Easily connect to Cambridge SoundWorks® DTT3500, DTT2200, and other Dolby Digital-ready 5.1 home theater systems
The Sound Blaster® Live!™ brings cinema quality sound to your movies, music, and games with digital 5.1 clarity. Driven by the powerful EMU10K1™ Digital Signal Processor, you will experience the highest quality sound reproduction with real-time audio and effects. The Sound Blaster Live! includes Creative PlayCenter™ with a full 320kbps encoder and 9X MP3 acceleration, making it fast and easy to create, customize and listen to quality MP3/WMA files. With the ability to connect to Dolby® Digital and multi-channel digital speaker systems or analog audio devices, you can experience true 5.1 surround sound with all PC audio entertainment. Creative Multi-Speaker Surround™ (CMSS) mode lets you experience 5.1 audio from a stereo signal, or enjoy movies in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio when connected to digital 6-channel speakers or analog Dolby Digital-ready home stereo receivers.

For riveting movies, music, and games with digital 5.1 audio quality – take advantage of the Sound Blaster Live!

Sound Blaster Live Platinum 5.1 spec
Experience crystal-clear Dolby® Digital 5.1 surround sound in music, movies and games
Take advantage of the digital connection to Cambridge SoundWorks DeskTop Theater™ 5.1 DTT3500 Digital speakers and the analog connection to Dolby Digital-ready home theater systems
Tap into the most powerful integrated effects engine with EAX™ for true-to-life audio environments and more
Expand your interests with the included Dolby Digital decoder, MP3 and WMA digital audio encoder, music composition software, and four full EAX-enhanced game titles
Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1 provides the best Dolby Digital 5.1 audio entertainment on your PC for movies, music, and games. You can enjoy engulfing 5.1 surround sound by connecting digital multi-channel speakers or an analog Dolby Digital-ready home stereo system to your Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1 sound card... so there’s no need to purchase a Dolby Digital decoder. With the front panel connectors of the innovative Live!Drive IR, you can easily attach MIDI instruments, MiniDiscs, and other digital audio devices, headphones and much more. Also control your audio entertainment with the easy navigation and convenience of the included wireless remote. And, because the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1 is powered by the EMU10K1 audio processor, you will experience real-time audio and effects for true-to-life action in every audio application.

When it comes to quality, power and fun on your PC, the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1 delivers! It’s the most advanced 5.1 audio solution for enjoying incredible sound in movies, composing music, listening to crystal-clear music, creating and organizing MP3 files, and playing today’s hottest games.

i could not find a Sound Blaster Pro Live series but the above two both seem to support 5.1

hope this helps, but you are right to clarify this before you buy the sound card

scott


[Edited by Scotty Boy - 6/9/2002 6:43:23 PM]