quick question, i have a 7.1 tritton ax 720 pro headset, but my pc can only play mono sound through usb, if if got a 7.1 sound card with optical output will i be able to get 7.1 through my headset?
I don't know much about the 7.1 tritton ax 720 pro headset but I can assure you that SPDIF over optic will only bitstream up to 5.1
HDMI is the only way to send 7.1 via bitstream or PCM liner
if its true audio your looking for then my real advice is dont wast your money on sound cards unless your doing the digital to analog conversion Internaly.
If not get your self a good DAC or a good receive and run the HDMI out of ya graphics card
personaly I run HDM out of my GTX 570 (sli) to a onkyo TX-805.
Please the best audio comes from a quality sound card or DAC. For sound cards the entire Asus Xonar line is really good or a DAC basically just hunt around for reviews on a DAC in your price range www.head-fi.org is a great place to start. And USB headsets aren't very good in comparison to decent headphones with a sound card so do yourself a favor and look at reviews and get some decent analog headphones.
Let me be clear, All Asus equipment is just Chinese junk defiantly not high end equipment especially not audiophile quality. But if its price your more concerned about then go right ahead. But was to choose one id go the ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.3 which supports Dolby HD and DTS-MA which any modern graphics card supports anyway over HDMI. As i mentioned before SPDIF will only support up to Dolby digital and DTS 5.1
If its real sound you want you need real speakers not PC speakers. A sound card is only needed when running PC speakers out of the sound card itself, so it needs to do the conversion itself. That’s the only time you need a sound card.
IF it’s a DAC you’re after i really recommend the Chord QuteHD, I’ve heard nothing but good reviews over this or if ya got the money go for a Bryston BDA-1. If you still want to fall for marketing logos then the Asus Xonar Essence One is there but it still not up to scratch to what’s out there. But as all DAC's you need amplification so then you need a good headphone amp such as a Sennheiser HDVD 800 or a Lehmannaudio Linear SE. Although I don’t recommend the HDVD 800 being that my brother works for Sennhieser and he doesn’t even recommend them lol
But if its 7.1 output you want the a USB DAC is not the answer you need a real Dolby and DTS processor so a AV receiver is pretty much your only option. I find a Receiver is the best option being that they are a DAC and Amp all in one so there’s no need for interconnecting and they make for very good and powerful headphone amps.
Have had a bit more look at the 7.1 tritton ax 720 pro headset
Although it clams its 7.1, its only got a Dolby Digital processor not Dolby True HD. So for what i can see its not a True 7.1 sound. It also has Pro Logic IIx which turns 2 channel stereo to 5.1. 6.1 and 7.1. But agen its not a True 7.1
So your answer is you just need a 2 channel stereo output. The Processor will do the rest.
Thanks for the help/advice.
They do have an anolog cable, however i dont use that because when the mic is pluged in a get a lot of background noise through the headset, i plug the headset into a mixed amp which has usb and optical outputs/inputs. But thanks anyway, i think im just going to get a new sound card and even if it doesnt get my surround sound it will still be better than the output from my motherboard.