Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (REFURB)

azraelissime

Got an Audigy 2 for 49.90€.

http://ie.europe.creative.com/estore/product.asp?prod=642

unkel

Wow that is cheap

Cheapest I had seen so far was on special from Komplett at the start of the year for €75 plus shipping of course. The €49.90 from creative.ie includes shipping!!

Have had this card since it came out and can recommend to anyone especially for that price

RicardoSmith

Good price. What drivers are you using?

azraelissime

I'm using the Creative drivers. Never tryed the KxProject's one.

Makaveli

I got mine today, but I have a problem.
There's no where to plug in the audio cable. I can plug into the TAD and CD In but that's it.
Is there supposed to be a connection for the other cable?

RicardoSmith

If you mean the audio from the optical drive then I think in XP/W2K thats got from the IDE/SATA cable. You don't need an audio cable anymore. I think.

azraelissime

You're right RicardoSmith.
With todays computers, no need of those grey cables. Everything's goind straight through the IDE cable. CPUs are able to handle this transfer.

Makaveli, what audio cable are you trying to plug in?

Makaveli

This would be easier if I had my digital camera.

Anyway, right there's a headphone jack at the front of my tower. (Comp is a Dell Dimension 4300). Inside the tower there's a circuit board here with an audio cable (it's labled audio cable on the board), this was connected into my old card, Soundblaster Live!. The other connections are the TAD and CD_IN.

On the audigy, all I have connected to it are the TAD and CD_IN. Do I need to connect something else too? The computer is recognising the Audigy and there are no problems with it but I have no sound. Except from the modem when it dials up.

Am I supposed to plug an IDE cable in somewhere? What IDE cable?

secret_squirrel

Isnt there an option in WinXP somewhere to the effect of use digital audio??? (ie through the ide cable/pci bus) sorry its so vague. Try control panel then Sound and Audio devices maybe.

Edit : what do the kxproject drivers do? and your link seems broken atm although you can still get there from the refurbs section of the website.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by Makaveli
This would be easier if I had my digital camera.

Anyway, right there's a headphone jack at the front of my tower. (Comp is a Dell Dimension 4300). Inside the tower there's a circuit board here with an audio cable (it's labled audio cable on the board), this was connected into my old card, Soundblaster Live!. The other connections are the TAD and CD_IN.

On the audigy, all I have connected to it are the TAD and CD_IN. Do I need to connect something else too? The computer is recognising the Audigy and there are no problems with it but I have no sound. Except from the modem when it dials up.

Am I supposed to plug an IDE cable in somewhere? What IDE cable?

Ok you're getting confused.

There used to be an audio cable (can be either a thin 2pin or 4 pin cable) between the CDROM/DVD and the sound card on older computers. This was to get sound from the CDROM (A music CD for example)to the sound card and thus to the sound out on the back of the sound card. Sound that comes from within the OS (Like a MP3) and not from a CDROM doesn't need any cables. With Windows XP and Windows 2000 the audio cable from the CDROM is no longer required as the OS can pull the sound from the CDROM/DVD via the IDE cable. The IDE cable is the flat cable that hooks up to the CDROM and theres an identical one going to the Hard disk.

The TAD connector is for pulling sound from your modem to your audio card. Ignore it.
The CD_IN is where the cable from the CDROM/DVD would go, but as we've already said its not needed anymore if you are using XP or W2K.

What you need is an Audio OUT from the sound card to the front panel. So look for Audio Out on the sound card somewhere and plug the cable from the headphone socket on the front of the PC in there.

But Dell often have slightly different cables and connectors so the cable may not fit or there may be no Audio Out on the sound card. Theres no way of knowing unless you actually are looking at the card & cable.

Hopefully that might be helpful.

Col_Loki

Must say thats cheap for a quality card. Got mine from hitide (€82 at the min), and ive never looked back really happy with it!!

Makaveli

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
Ok you're getting confused.

There used to be an audio cable (can be either a thin 2pin or 4 pin cable) between the CDROM/DVD and the sound card on older computers. This was to get sound from the CDROM (A music CD for example)to the sound card and thus to the sound out on the back of the sound card. Sound that comes from within the OS (Like a MP3) and not from a CDROM doesn't need any cables. With Windows XP and Windows 2000 the audio cable from the CDROM is no longer required as the OS can pull the sound from the CDROM/DVD via the IDE cable. The IDE cable is the flat cable that hooks up to the CDROM and theres an identical one going to the Hard disk.

The TAD connector is for pulling sound from your modem to your audio card. Ignore it.
The CD_IN is where the cable from the CDROM/DVD would go, but as we've already said its not needed anymore if you are using XP or W2K.

What you need is an Audio OUT from the sound card to the front panel. So look for Audio Out on the sound card somewhere and plug the cable from the headphone socket on the front of the PC in there.

But Dell often have slightly different cables and connectors so the cable may not fit or there may be no Audio Out on the sound card. Theres no way of knowing unless you actually are looking at the card & cable.

Hopefully that might be helpful.

Thanks, yeah I was quite confused.
Ok, so from what you have said, I cant use the card because there is nowhere to plug that wire into the Audigy. On the SB Live! card it's beside the TAD connection, and on the Audigy there's a space for it but nothing there to plug it into.
God, I love Dell computers. :mad:

RicardoSmith

Exactly.

However You could just get a cable from maplins that extends the earphone cable and plug it in the back of the Audigy. You don't really need to use the one on the front of the case. Thats what I've done for years. The sound quality from the Audigy should be better than from the Live card. Though you'll be limited by the quality of your earphones.

savemejebus

forgive my ignorance, but this looks like a very good bargain and i was wondering is there a difference between the card mentioned in this thread and this card?

xzodia

Got my card delievered today from creative hopefully will be able to fully test it tonight and see how good UT2004 sounds

azraelissime

savemejebus:

ES card is the Bulk version of the LS (same as Audigy 1).
Audigy 2 is the second generation of the card 2ZS third generation.
As far as I know, ES/LS is 5.1, Audugy 2 is 6.1 and ZS is 7.1

secret_squirrel:

If I'm right, kxproject are drivers from creative that has been cracked by that team of developpers. Originaly, sb live had a E-MU chip onboard so it is possible to use asio drivers but creative never designed those drivers. That team has made that possible. What I've heard from friend (music players) is that the kxproject drivers are better than the Creative ones. I'm just watching dvds so I don't realy need that.

Makaveli:

Dell has it's own model of sound card designed specialy for them (as all assembling companies) which means that if you want to use the all functionalities of your pc, you'll need to buy upgrades from them...

Makaveli

Which is exactly why I'm saving up for a new rig.

xzodia

well tested out my card over the weekend and man the quality is exceptional out of this card

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by xzodia
well tested out my card over the weekend and man the quality is exceptional out of this card

What speakers are you putting it through?