Any time a digital signal is converted from one format to another there is some opportunity for audio loss / colouring. As such, a coaxial (it's not technically RCA) digital connection has two less conversions, being electrical digital - optical digital then optical digital - electrical digital.

Regardless, the loss/colouring will be absolutely minimal and most likely inaudible.

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[COLOR=Black]Liberty GT Spec B tuned 240 HP & 372 Nm at the hubs.[/COLOR] "Instead of banning high performance cars - ban low performance drivers"

do these statements make sense.

"if you decide to upgrade your sound card to a decent card, perhaps an Asus Xonar DX or similar, and then use the analogue outputs you may get an increase in quality"

"Because the assumption (and it's not an unreasonable one) is that the aftermarket soundcard - which will provide the signal, will be better than the soundcard in your Z5500 unit. Provided it can accept analogue.

You need to get past the idea digital is 'better' - it's not. It's just 1s and 0s and data. The conversion from digital to analogue (so your speakers can play it - because all speakers are analogue) is the important thing, as is the quality of speakers. "

Yes Tim - the above is very correct unless your using a high end amplifier with exceptional DA convertors. The DA conversion is where the "sound" is recreated from the "1 and 0s". The advantage of digital is that the opportunity for transimission loss / colouring is diminished as the audio signal is not an analogue wave it's a square wave. The recreation of the sound is by the DA convertors.

From Wikipedia:

A DAC converts an abstract finite-precision number (usually a fixed-point binary number) into a concrete physical quantity (e.g., a voltage or a pressure). In particular, DACs are often used to convert finite-precision time series data to a continually varying physical signal.

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[COLOR=Black]Liberty GT Spec B tuned 240 HP & 372 Nm at the hubs.[/COLOR] "Instead of banning high performance cars - ban low performance drivers"

Tim... trust us not a "sales" person.

What motherboard do you have?

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TEAM オレンジ

Dyno queen

If you are using a digital signal from the sound card to an external amp with decent DAs there is no need for a "great sound card". You get a great sound card when you want to utilise the DA convertors to output an analouge signal (stereo signal via RCAs) to an amp/speakers etc.

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[COLOR=Black]Liberty GT Spec B tuned 240 HP & 372 Nm at the hubs.[/COLOR] "Instead of banning high performance cars - ban low performance drivers"

I cant remember what model my gigabyte board is. I will have a look later today and post it up. See what Audio chip my board is currently running.



It's funny both my PC wholesalers i buy through for work, are trying to sell me the creative card haha.

I used to be a fan of creative... until the last couple of years where their products became more about the sales and less about the development of their devices.

__________________

TEAM オレンジ

Dyno queen

GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 775 - GA-P35-DS3P (rev. 2.1)
My mother board

GA-P35-DS3P

Realtek ALC889A codec
High Definition Audio
2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
Support for S/PDIF In/Out
Support for CD In

I'm probably due for an upgrade soon.. Was looking at the 1155 socket with x68 or something. but heard there is a new one coming ?

but picking mother boards was driving me crazy to many to pick from .