SBLive, 5.1 And Headaches

Hi there,

It's been a while since I bought a SBLive! 5.1 sound card, and a couple of weeks ago I acquired a Creative Inspire 5500 Digital speaker set.

For my surprise, when I set them up, I was not able to hear 5.1 sound in Windows, and I only enjoyed my system when playing a DVD.

I have readed tons of forums, followed manuals, and did some other things, like these:
- Tried KX drivers
- Tried the soft-mod drivers that allow you to install Audigy 2 drivers/software on an SBLive
- Tried using digital output
- Tried using analog output

The ONLY way I was able to hear 5.1 in Windows (this is, playing mp3, games, etc.) was with analog output (plugging the rear, front and center/sw cables in the card directly) and with the Audigy 2 drivers. With its control panels I could adjust rear and front speaker volumes, but I was not able to switch to "digital only", because my central and subwoofer speakers made a terribly loud sound, and it did not sound very "normal" (like going to exploder or something).


So basically I'm desperate, hopeless and frustrated. I don't know what to do, and even though on buying an Hercules or any other card that plays REAL 5.1.

If I use my digital output I don't hear 5.1 in Windows, if I use analog I can't use the digital dolby decoder included in the system, AND ALSO I can't control the volume with my decoder... I have to set it with Windows (the volume control works fine when in Digital mode).

So... any advices? Any ideas? I really don't know what else to try... Well I though on something, but maybe not a real good idea:

Buy some cables so I can plug both digital and analog, duplicating cables and outputs/inputs so I can switch on or another. Anyway I'm afraid that I will get that "explode" sound from my woofer so don't want to try strange things.
Well... a new card? Should I forget about digital output? Should I install other drivers?

PD: And I really dont' understand yet why those Audigy drivers got so much options like CMSS etc., and the SBLive does not, when the sblive hardware supports them all too...

Thanks in advance for any help.
Regards.

This is because when you switch to digital output only, the sound card them treats that output as a coax digital output, not an analog sub/center out any longer.

I have both a Live 5.1 and Audigy 2. I did not like the "changes" they made in the Audigy drivers that affected my Live 5.1. So I resorted back to a previous upgrade I still had for the Live 5.1 and all is well again.

The Digital out is used for just that. Digital output. Via fiber optic cable or a single coax output (which the sub/cen channel turns into then). That output then goes to a decoder (My Live 5.1 uses the fiber optic out to a Midiland 8200 (v1, darn)). Here is a site that may help explain what that output is for. URL

Good luck...

The SBLive 5.1 Ships with a program called Creative PlayCenter.

Open up PlayCenter, goto settings>Change Skin, select an ACUPunch skin, hit ok. Then, click the button at the top of the player that looks like an arrow pointing at a rectangle. Your window will now change to the skin. When in this skin, youll see an arrowheat pointing down at the bottom in the grey area. Click that, and your controls will slide out. to the left you will see "cmss" Click that and select "on" You have now activated the 5.1 separation in windows. you can close the program and the surround will remain on. to disable it, open the program, goto cmss and select off.

I know thats a lot of crap to go through, but thats the only way i can get mine on and off. Lots of people have problems with this. I was somewhat deterred by the complaints about SBLive 5.1 cards but when i got mine and figured this out, i cant see myself buying a new card anytime soon.

Hope this helps.