Quick and Dirty Poll....How many PCI slots are you using in your rig?

[TriniXaeno]

And its PCIe eh!

PCIe doesn't count! lol. Only PCI

@ Phoenix...Coincidentally, I also use a Z5500. My mobo has optical out so I couldn't tell the difference from the optical out on my SB using that.

[jose]

I kno in terms of this post/ poll it does not. Thats y i said 1 PCI - TV capture card.
Just sayin i use a PCIe 56k modem. Plenty young 'uns wont even know what the 56k experience is lol

[MessiaaH]

Wyatt, i think the main reason you cant hear the diff between SB and Mobo optical out, becuase you're probably not using any of the advanced processing features of the Sound Blaster (ask berzerk what happened to his music after i finish tweak he sound blaster for him).

If you going bitperfect out to the logitech thats another story, you wont be able to hear the difference, but then the SB dacs alot better than the z5500. So all in all it sounds like you're wasting yuh SB.

[TriniXaeno]

Not wasting it, already sold in the garage sale. lol

Suppose to go by zerk one of these days to hear his audio setup. Will see if it makes a discernible difference there.

[phoenix31tt]

and i meant optical IN... not out...

my ps3 runs to sb which runs to z55 so everything coming through that

[TriniXaeno]

I use an optical switch so my Z5500 can be connected to three devices via TOSLINK instead of one.

One for the PC, One for the PS3 and one for the XBOX 360.

Thankfully the Wii doesn't use optical. lol

Might be in trouble when the Wii U comes. Let me check to see if that has optical out one time.

*edit*

Just checked, Wii U doesn't have optical out. HDMI ftw.

[MessiaaH]

Wyatt, thats not the config he talking bout.

I'm assuming you setup like this:

PS3 Optical -> Switch
Xbox Optical -> Switch
PC Optical -> Switch

Switch-> z5500

....

How i think phoenix setup is like thus:

PS3->SoundBlaster->z5500.
Thus utilizing the processing power and features of the Xfi even when playing ps3 games.
It makes a world of difference, a PS3 routed through xfi then z55, sounds alot better, than PS3 directly to z55.

[phoenix31tt]

lol... i hear you and htat works for u... me i hate manual switching, plus i could play games like fifa with my own music, not to mention sound qual.. as i not relying on ps3 for audio processing etc...

just now we go haddda get a big as receiver just for game consoles!!...

or could do all hdmi to tv then optical to ur sub/sc... i was gonna do that with my tv but the thing so cheap it dont support 5.1 through optical :S

[TriniXaeno]

Damn right @ receiver just for consoles, lol.

That's the next step.

Not a fan of manual switching myself which is why the Denon AVR 1613 is on the Christmas wishlist.

Only hope it doesn't introduce any input lag. Research says it won't but you never know until you try it yourself.

Santa, I hope you're reading this!

[MessiaaH]

Wyatt, the denon receivers pretty solid, input lag? i think not.
Right after denon, yuh looking at Athem receivers, which approaching uber high end. If you go with a solid denon, u have nothing to worry about.

My athem have 3 hdmi in-put.

[Berzerk]

Wyatt, thats not the config he talking bout.

I'm assuming you setup like this:

PS3 Optical -> Switch
Xbox Optical -> Switch
PC Optical -> Switch

Switch-> z5500

....

How i think phoenix setup is like thus:

PS3->SoundBlaster->z5500.
Thus utilizing the processing power and features of the Xfi even when playing ps3 games.
It makes a world of difference, a PS3 routed through xfi then z55, sounds alot better, than PS3 directly to z55.

Got my ps3 passing through sound card into speakers. makes a massive difference is sound power and quality.

[W1nTry]

Honestly can't rem if there is even a pci slot on my mobo... Thus none in use even if they exist

Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2

[TriniXaeno]

Wyatt, the denon receivers pretty solid, input lag? i think not.
Right after denon, yuh looking at Athem receivers, which approaching uber high end. If you go with a solid denon,

I read online that some of the high end ones introduced input lag due to some fancy on screen overlay they included.

You had to disable that feature to return to a lag free experience. Also, it has a "game mode" that you can set on channels which should also help with lag. That's comforting enough for me.

Just to get the man in red to do his part now.

It would really streamline the cabling in the living room. I hate having all those optical cables when one HDMI could do the trick.

@ Phoenix....your TV isn't lame.....99% of the TVs on the market can't passthrough 5.1 through their optical ports.

Hence the reason I've got the need to split out the optical cables myself.

If they did.....GG no RE. Z5500 + TV would be enough. No need for an AVR unless you're really an audiophile and want to drive some massive speakers.

[MessiaaH]

Eh know bout that input lag, mite be them other brands that just expensive for no reason. But what i can tell u is, Denon, and Anthem, solid. No worries.
And i have d 3rd best anthem available. isme have the best, no input lag worries atal.
No changes required either.

And i demo some denons, and do research on them, and they get highly recommended by the AV dealer, 2nd to the athems. So yuh in order.

[TriniXaeno]

nice, dazwhawetalkinbout

[TriniXaeno]

Very interesting results though, seems PCI isn't quite dead after all.

Almost half of the voters are still using it.

Carry on PCI, carry on. There is some life in the old girl yet.

[jose]

When I bought my Platinum board some years ago a fellow GATTer said a board with that many PCIe slots won't be necessary. I have a PCIe sound card and modem, but the PCI is still used for the TV card