Luda

I am going to be feeding my audio from my sig rig to my new Pioneer receiver over HDMI [along with video] and from there feeding video to the 28" monitor that should be showing up in the next few days.

My question to OCN is do i need a soundcard upgrade or will integrated work fine for HDMI pass through.

I know i dont NEED an upgraded sound card, but will it improve the audio quality.

From everything i understand the soundcard doesnt do much when passing through to HDMI, it just takes the audio from the source and passes it along to the device at the other end of the HDMI cable. if thats the case then ill be just fine with integrated audio.

i dont really care about the sound quality of the analog jacks since ill just have my 5.1 headset hooked up for twilight gaming and lan parties.

I listen to a large amount of music, watch all my movies on my computer, including a large assortment of Blu Ray stuff, as well as gaming. and ive noticed the Horns on the Klipsch pick up some intermittent over the analog outputs, hence my curiosity about the HDMI pass through.

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wixdfast

No, I don't think so. Unless you're an absolute audiophile, the S/PDIF header on your motherboard to your GPU is going to give you pretty great sound. I've been doing the same thing with my GTX280 going to my TV for 5 months now and it sounds amazing.

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ImmortalKenny

You won't need a sound for the HDMI bit, but I would use the analog out on your sound card to go to the receiver.

And please, trash the 5.1 headset

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Luda

well i have to keep the 5.1 headset around, mainly for the positional audio in games when i can crank up the 5.1.

and why would you go analog over HDMI to the receiver?

HDMI seems like the perfect solution to my dual device conundrum, but im always open to suggestions.

I do have optical and coax inputs on the receiver as well, in case that would be a better solution.

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Darren9

Onboards do "pass through" much the same as a sound card so it would seem pointless, if your watching a lot of blue-ray though SPDIF can't handle the full HD Audio (only DDL or DTS) although it would depend on your receiver/speakers as to whether you'd benefit from a soundcard that could.

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ImmortalKenny

Stereo headphones > Surround headsets

This has been proven MANY times.

The whole point of your sound card is to convert the digital sound coming from your computer to an analog signal. If you're using any digital out on your computer, you're pretty much bypassing the sound card (IIRC) and only using it for its software and effects. Yeah, HDMI is more convenient, but I prefer the true sound of analog.

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grip_racer

HDMI-inputs on receivers are a gimmick to get you to buy a new receiver. The manufacturers make you think you need them. Not so; as long as you have a receiver with a digital input (coaxial or optical), it's essentially future proof.

So,

1. Don't worry about running audio over HDMI, just run a digital S/PDIF coaxial or optical cable from your computer to the reciever for sound.

2. A digital signal is a digital signal. Sound cards don't change a digital signal, they pass it along. So no, one sound card won't sound better than another if you're just running a digital signal.

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Audio System:
Cigar Box CS4397 DAC (direct-out) ->
1. Dual-Mono Gainclone Amplifier -> Celestion F15 / Pinnacle AC400 / Advent AS2 / Bose 301 Series II (depending on the day )
2. 100w RMS Plate Amp, C/O @ 80hz -> Elemental Designs 9Kv.2 (vented, 23hz tuning)

grip_racer

Your statement, "I prefer the true sound of analog" in this context is ripe with misunderstanding on your part, and could be very misleading to someone who who is new to this stuff.

Sometimes, a receiver will have better digital processor, DAC chip, and output stage than your sound card does. Also, in a lot of cases, letting your receiver handle the digital side of things keeps the final output less noisy. Running analog signals from your computer to your receiver can carry a lot of noise. Also, a digital signal to a good receiver carries more information than just audio. It also carries channel information as well as mode-switching cues.

__________________
Audio System:
Cigar Box CS4397 DAC (direct-out) ->
1. Dual-Mono Gainclone Amplifier -> Celestion F15 / Pinnacle AC400 / Advent AS2 / Bose 301 Series II (depending on the day )
2. 100w RMS Plate Amp, C/O @ 80hz -> Elemental Designs 9Kv.2 (vented, 23hz tuning)

soloz2

No, you do NEED HDMI for some applications such as SACD DSD, which cannot be output via regular digital coax or optical. Also, HDMI is required for the new lossless codecs, neither coax or optical can handle the bandwith required for 8 channels of lossless audio. Not to mention, no non-HDMI receiver/processor will be able to decode the lossless codecs.

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grip_racer

I wasn't aware of this. Send me some links, I'd like to learn more.

__________________
Audio System:
Cigar Box CS4397 DAC (direct-out) ->
1. Dual-Mono Gainclone Amplifier -> Celestion F15 / Pinnacle AC400 / Advent AS2 / Bose 301 Series II (depending on the day )
2. 100w RMS Plate Amp, C/O @ 80hz -> Elemental Designs 9Kv.2 (vented, 23hz tuning)