EggXpert

Gunna try and keep things short and to the point here.

I have a Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe motherboard and a Creative X-Fi Titanium. The Creative card I've had less than a year and when it works, it sounds great, but I have too many issues with it to want to keep using it.

My computer area is my sort of all-in-one area, meaning I have a 22" Samsung TV I use as a TV/Computer monitor. I have a BFG Nvidia GeForce 9600GT OC, and a DVI to HDMI cable (to a hdmi switch) to the TV. I have a PS3 also plugged into (the hdmi switch then) the TV's hdmi. I have stereo out on the TV to the line-in on the PC.

I have an old Creative Inspire 5200 5.1 computer speaker system. 

Regardless of the HDMI switch or not, when the source is my PC on the TV, I get popping noises on the TV, and all sound outputs on the TV.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE
- The popping noise to stop
- An audio solution that permits me to get 5.1 surround from an external source (i.e. my PS3 via Optical)
- A sound card that supports stereo upmixing (a nice bonus, but I think already I'm asking for too much)
- Not having to spend my life savings and minimal waste (i.e. don't want to have to replace my speaker system)

Heres a few that will.

Although you might wanna make sure your PC's CPU isn't running @ 100% and that your cables aren't running near any interference first.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829270005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829126006

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=57&page=4

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I would like some kind of clarification about your sound path.   Are you saying that your X-Fi is permanently set to play stereo line-in from TV?    Given that 9600 does not have built-in sound like 4-series ATI cards do, the sound path starts looking like this:

*some* audio device in your PC (likely the on-mobo chip) via S/PDIF to 9600 -> 9600 DVI-HDMI -> TV decodes S/PDIF to stereo analog -> line-in on X-Fi -> speakers.

If that is indeed the case, no wonder your PC sound via TV blows.   And X-Fi is basically wasted.    When PC itself is the source of sound, it should not be going though TV - it should be played straight by X-Fi to speakers.

Your X-Fi Titanium should have an optical input - so if your PS3 has an optical out, you should be able to send 5.1 DD via optical direct to PC - that should give you much better sound than what you get via TV.    Keep HDMI for video only.   If you also watch TV itself, you can either keep it hooked up via stereo to line-in, or if it has optical out, you could go PS3-(HDMI)-TV-(optical)-PC.

All sound input/output is through the X-Fi. To get sound from my PS3 and TV, I have TV Stereo out going to the Line-in on the X-Fi, which still outputs to my computer speakers. 

 Connecting the PS3 to Optical in was the initial intention for the whole card. But the card can do nothing with that optical in but either passthrough to the optical out or take only stereo, kind of defeating the purpose. 

The popping is coming from somewhere in the connection from the video card DVI to the TV HDMI.

GmsCool:

Heres a few that will.

Although you might wanna make sure your PC's CPU isn't running @ 100% and that your cables aren't running near any interference first.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132007

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829270005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829126006

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=57&page=4

 

It does not look like any of those cards have optical in. 

My CPU is fine, the popping only happens when my TV is set to display the PC.

Theres certainly plenty of room for interference in my rats nest of cables, but who doesn't have a rats nest? Also, nothing else experiences any sort of interference (including the video that the cable is supposed to be transmitting (only)). 

Didn't realize you were doing it that way.

For a setup like that optimally you would want to use a home theater setup that will centralize all your sound.

Have you tried playing with the input / output settings? if your recieving 16bit sound from a TV and have it set to recieve 24bit sound you'll have issues, might try lowering the settings and see if you gain some joy.

Might also try a new cable from the TV, you'd be surprised the difference quality cables can make. (even if you just borrow the known good cable from the PS3 for testing purposes.)

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I think you did not quite get what I said.    The sound from your PC should have zip, zero, nothing at all to do with your DVI/HDMI connection.    When your PC is playing music, movie, game, or anything else with audio, said audio should absolutely NOT go out of your 9600's DVI out to TV, only to be returned via analog stereo back to PC.  

Now, about that DVI.   A 9600 does not do sound on its own, period.   In order to provide video+audio HDMI output out of its DVI, it needs an external audio input.   Said input is accomplished via a thin cable that connects S/PDIF header on your sound card or on your mobo to the video card.   And AFAIK,  X-Fi Titanium does NOT have such header.  Asus M3A32-MVP, however, does - which means that your 9600 DVI is being fed by your mobo's integrated sound, NOT by the X-Fi.

What you really need to do is go into BIOS, and disable mobo onboard sound completely.   Then, go into control panel and make sure your X-Fi is set as default playback device.    Now, your PC sound will be done directly via X-Fi straight to speakers, without any roundabouts.   

Now, PS3.   Optical (as well as coax) S/PDIF by default is a 2-channel PCM stereo connection.   However, it can also pass multichannel encoded formats like DD5.1 and DTS.    Your X-Fi is quite capable of decoding those formats and delivering  full surround to the speakers - but PS3 must send audio encoded in this format.   I am not too familiar with PS3 - so not sure if it can send game sound encoded like that.   However, if you connect PS3 to X-Fi via optical, pop a DVD into PS3 and select DD 5.1 (or DTS) audio track,  you should get the proper 5.1 surround.   You also might need to go into PS3 settings to make sure it is set to 'Bitstream' for optical output.

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The entire DVI/HDMI 'sound via video card ' setup is for those who want to use TV speakers or home theater for sound output, as opposed to hooking speakers directly to their PC.   I.E. my HTPC has a Radeon 4670 feeding audio/video via HDMI to my 7.1 receiver.