Intel DG965WH audio - mic & 5.1 speakers

marco75 User 9 posts Posted: 25/10/2011 9:10 PM

My computer is based on the intel DG965WH motherboard. OS is Windows XP. I'm using an optical fibre cable to connect the S/PDIF output from the motherboard to my Dolby 5.1 DTS amplifier. I also have AC'97 front panel audio connectors plugged into the motherboard. The old Sigmatel driver that came on the installation CD could be configured using Intel Audio Studio. It produced good surround sound, but the microphone from the front panel connector was not supported. The new IDT driver supports the AC'97 front panel, but now I can't get 5.1 sound from the S/PDIF output. The IDT audio control panel app switches it to 7.1. In the Speakers setup box (audio plug icon) it allows Jack Configuration = 5.1 surround, but the diagram in the middle does not display any speakers. As a result, my 5.1 Kenwood receiver detects the S/PDIF output as "Pro-Logic" instead of "dts". I can't get correct surround sound in games that way. How can I have both headphone/mic (front panel) and dolby 5.1 (S/PDIF) with the same driver? How do I get it to accept the 5.1 speaker setting? ===== This post recommends installing the IDT driver: http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=196069

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ss-rotel User 674 posts Posted: 25/10/2011 11:10 PM

the correct answer is you can't. Technically, XP does NOT support 5.1 channel Digtal Audio via S/PDIF either via coax or optical. infact, WINDOWS in general does not support direct 5.1 audio via S/PDIF, 7, vista or XP. they way you get around it is via a decent sound card, that literally converts the anologue 5.1 chanel audio to digital to send to your amplifier. MOST cheap motherboard do not run a sound card with an A/D converter, or in your case, your sound card does not have the power to convert 5.1channel to S/PDIF, and run a mic/front audio. One driver givses you one option, and the other one gives you another. my Asus P5G31 motherboard will only do stereo optical out, my Striker Formula 2 will do 5.1 optical out, my Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H board only does stereo optical out... i get around this with a Asus Xonar D2 or DX, (i have both), and an XFI extreme music, (co-ax digital connect). I have a Sony K1600 amp running my 5.1 sound, so am pretty much in the same boat as you. Hence my swag of sound cards. i AM a bit of an audiophile, and i can tell you, there is a HUGE difference between the cards. My fav is still the XFI, but i just dont want to use co-ax cable. it will end up in my carPC more than likely :) anyway Xonar D1, (pci), or DX, (pci-e) would be the pick, and go for about $100. (MOST cheap XFI cards DO NOT support more than stereo Optical out, and only support 5.1 over co-ax)

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marco75 User 9 posts Posted: 28/10/2011 8:10 PM

Really? If Windows XP does not support digital audio, and that optic fibre (TOSLINK) is the only connection between my computer and my digital receiver, how come I can hear sound coming out of my speakers? Are you telling me the sound travelling through the optical fibre is analog? I don't believe it! :-O Consider that * I get surround sound on many games, such as Doom3, Source and Skulltag. * I can test each speaker individually in Intel Audio Studio, and it is set to Dolby Digital mode * I have played a test .AC3 from Media Player, and each of the announcements ("left front, right front, centre") is heard coming out of the corresponding speaker My complaint was that although I can do all these things with the original driver provided with the mobo, when I switch to analog headphone mode, I cannot use my headphones. On the rear of my system, the audio ports on my motherboard are as follows: S/PDIF Digital (Optical) Center + Subwoofer (Orange) Surround L + R (Black) Mic In (Pink) Line Out (Green) Side Surround L + R (Blue) Except for S/PDIF, all the jacks are for 3.5 mm plugs, and carry an analog signal. So one can have an analog 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup via 3 or 4 thin 3.5 mm cables, OR a digital 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup via 1 TOSLINK cable. But analog and digital applications are not supported in the same driver, not even via a mode switch, even though the taskbar apps (intel audio studio/IDT audio control panel) have a button for it. Apparently, if my case had front panel headers of type HD instead of AC'97, I would not have this problem.

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