Is there a MainBoard with an Optical Audio Input?

[EBLA]

Hi there
My MainBoard has an audio opyical output, but I need to plug my KORG Keyboard to an optical audio input direct to the mainboard.

Is there a MainBoard with an Optical Audio Input?
Please help!
Thanx.

[Gabriel Torres]

Hi there,

There are plenty of motherboard with optical audio input, aka SPDIF In. If you can tell us what CPU your are going to use we can recommend a couple of motherboards you could try. Here is a good example, Abit IP35 PRO:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/477/1

Scroll down and see Figure 2.

Also, here is something that can help you:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/82

Also since you are going to connect a KORG keyboard to your PC, I also suggest you to read about MIDI, even though people that has keyboards have plenty of knowledge about this subject. If you don't let me know because I can explain you a little bit about it.

Cheers,
Gabriel.

[EBLA]

Thank you Gabriel

The Articles was very useful, here are some infos about my system:
CPU: Pentium D-935+ CPU - 3.20 GHz - 2X2 MB L2 Cache - 800 MHz FSB
RAM: 2 GB of RAM
MB: GIGABITE 965P-S3

Yes, Please help me to read about MIDI, I use these softwaers to produce my music:
- Adobe Audition 1.5
- Sonar 6
- Nuendo 3
- Sony Acid Pro 5

For Now, I have Creative Audigy 2, but it produce a great crackles only in left channel while recording, and in both Channels while playing. That's why I want to obtain a mainboard with Optical input, I want to kik out the Audigy . But I'm confused, is the Abit IP35 PRO a good alternate of it? Especially about the sound quality. Audigy has 102 dB S/N ratio.
Is there other motherboards with Optical input?

Thanks again for your care.

[Gabriel Torres]

Hi,

Well if you have Audigy 2, which already features SPDIF In, why are you looking for a motherboard with on-board digital input if you are not going to use the on-board audio anyway?

You may need, however, an adapter to use your optical SPDIF In, if you don't have one yet.

For musical instruments there is two kinds of connections:

Audio: used for recording the audio produced by your instrument (just like old tape recorders).

MIDI: you will use your musical keyboard to remotely control programs and sounds present on your PC. The sound will be produced by your PC (and not by your keyboard).

Cheers,
Gabriel.

[EBLA]

Hi Gabriel

Already mentioned that My Audigy produce a noise seem like the LP cliks, only in the right channel while recording. I've recorded tow files of the same music source on Audigy and then on Realtek. Please try to listen to theme in the following links, they have a small size, about 200 KB each:

Audigy2_Cliks.mp3:
http://www.4shared.com/file/26910083...gy2_Cliks.html

Realtek_HD.mp3:
http://www.4shared.com/file/26911603...ealtek_HD.html

You'll note that the Audigy file has an Optimum quality of recorded sound, but it contain a lot of cliks I don't know Why!
And the Realtek file has no clicks, but a very bad quality of recorded sound. No Optical input here, I used the analog line-in.

You can help me as well if you can tell me about the likely causes of cliks in audigy recording. Can I solve this or not?
Also, is the sound quality of the Abit IP35 PRO is the same of My Gigabite since both of them use the Realtek HD Audio?

Thank You.

[Gabriel Torres]

Maybe your Audigy 2 is defective?

I would try installing it on a different computer to see what happens. If the clicks continue, then we can say that your sound card is defective.

If you want to go for onboard Audio, look for a solution with at least 100 dB signal-to-noise ratio for its ADC. It is important to see the SNR for the ADC (input SNR). A lot of manufacturers only post the DAC SNR (output SNR), which is usually higher.

Realtek manufactures several different codec with several different specs.

Answering your question:

Abit IP35 Pro: Realtek ALC888 codec, output = 192 KHz, 97 dB; input = 96 KHz, 90 dB.

Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3: Realtek ALC883 codec, output = 192 KHz, 95 dB; input = 96 KHz, 85 dB.

As you can see the main problem with your current motherboard is its input SNR, too low for today's standards. You will get a lot of white noise. 85 dB is the same level of old ISA cards like Sound Blaster 16. 90 dB from Abit IP35 Pro is a little better, you get the same quality of old PCI cards like Sound Blaster PCI 128. Since you seem to be very quality-oriented, I wouldn't recommend ANY on-board solution. Use an add-on sound card with at least 100 dB SNR for its input (ADC). Getting your Audigy 2 replaced seems to be the best solution in my opinion -- provided that it is the one causing the clicks.

Cheers,
Gabriel

[EBLA]

Now, my Audigy 2 is in the agency for maintainance.
Anyway, I believe that you're rghit. On-board Audio is not the right solution. I Think seriously to buy the (X-Fi Elite Pro).

You opinion was very useful.
Thank you

[Gabriel Torres]

Holy cow!

I just entered Creative's website to take a look on the specs... Gosh! 116 dB output SNR? WOW! This sound card is AMAZING.

http://www.soundblaster.com/products...&product=14064

The bummer is that Creative does not post the INPUT SNR, which is the most important factor to you.

Cheers,
Gabriel.

[EBLA]

The X-fi Elite Pro is now in my system.

It's easy to know the input S/N Ratio:
Using an audio editor (e.g. Adobe Audition) I've recorded a 10 sec. of silence from the Optical input. The recorded wave seem to be clean. Thene, by using the zoom-in vertically tool, the noise start to appear after 8 mouse click on the zoom tool.

You can see in the attached picture that the noise is about (-90.3) dB


The big bomb is what the Creative maintainance team can do for My Audigy 2 ! here the report of them master:
- I cleaned it, and I use the Contact spray.

As you use to say: May the Holy cow guard us.

Thank you Gabriel