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Old 07-08-2021, 08:04 PM   #1
Les_Garten
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Help me pick PCIe or USB Sound Card


I would like to capture from SPDIF IN and stream to icecast or shoutcast

Needs:
PCIe or USB high quality
Line IN/Outs and SPDIF IN/out

SPDIF loopback would be nice

I am looking for a Soundcard to work with Kubuntu or Manjaro. I need to be able to use SPDIF inputs and outputs. Line out as well.

My dream card would be HT Omega Fenix. Has all the ports I need and I've used them in the past.

Can't find info where anyone has used that card and whether they could use all the ports.

Last edited by Les_Garten; 07-08-2021 at 08:48 PM.
 
Old 07-08-2021, 09:28 PM   #2
jefro
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Kernels and drivers support hardware.

If your choice is a CM8888 chipset then it is reported to be in kernel's 3+

https://linux-hardware.org/?view=search
 
Old 07-09-2021, 02:27 AM   #3
obobskivich
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Creative's SoundCore-based cards work well IME (and have documented support). I think all of them offer the port configuration you're after as well (not sure on SPDIF loopback but they do have I/O).
 
Old 07-09-2021, 03:26 AM   #4
Les_Garten
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After doing some reading it looks like I may be better off getting a Sound Blaster X G6.

Seems like there is info out there about it. HT Omega is lesser known and used.

I need to capture from SPDIF IN for streaming

and output to SPDIF output to speakers

If anybody haves any other suggestions, I'm game for suggestions.

Would be nice if I could make the Sound Card work with a MACOS VM for bonus points!
 
Old 07-09-2021, 03:30 PM   #5
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Les_Garten View Post
After doing some reading it looks like I may be better off getting a Sound Blaster X G6.
That's a USB device - I don't know what the current state of Creative's USB offerings is, but many of their older USB devices are not class-compliant (which means they will not 'just work' as USB audio devices), and all of their 'functionality' is likely the result of Windows-only drivers. This situation may have changed, I'm just sharing what I know of the past.

Quote:
Seems like there is info out there about it. HT Omega is lesser known and used.
HT Omega, from what I can gather, is just another C-Media 'pop up' kind of thing - they're taking C-Media designs and selling them. Just like Sondigo, Auzen, Asus, etc have done. If the chipset is listed as compatible it should work just fine, but some of the newer C-Media 'chipsets' are actually USB solutions masquerading as add-in cards, and I'm not sure how well those work.

Quote:
I need to capture from SPDIF IN for streaming

and output to SPDIF output to speakers

If anybody haves any other suggestions, I'm game for suggestions.
Any of the C-Media PCI or PCIe chipsets should work, ditto for SoundCore-based cards. There's also a lot of generic USB devices that use chipsets like PCM2702 that should have SPDIF and analog I/O (I have one that says 'ADS' on the box - very plain, cheap as chips, and as I said, generic).

Quote:
Would be nice if I could make the Sound Card work with a MACOS VM for bonus points!
That should be a function of software - like any other VM. If you're running macOS on non-Apple hardware you're well into Hackintosh territory, so you'd probably want to check on forums devoted to that for information about what software the VM will need loaded for audio to work.
 
Old 07-09-2021, 07:11 PM   #6
Les_Garten
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post

Any of the C-Media PCI or PCIe chipsets should work, ditto for SoundCore-based cards.
Sound Core?

Would this be one?

https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Perfo...009ISU33E?th=1
 
Old 07-09-2021, 09:33 PM   #7
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Les_Garten View Post
Yes it is. You can see the little 'can' over the codec ('SoundCore 3D'). The other series that uses this chipset are called Recon3D.
 
Old 07-09-2021, 09:52 PM   #8
Les_Garten
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post
Yes it is. You can see the little 'can' over the codec ('SoundCore 3D'). The other series that uses this chipset are called Recon3D.
I saw that one as well.

So most likely I would be able to use SPDIF IN for Capture you think?

When not streaming, use SPDIF OUT for Music or game output?

I started using Linux back in the mid 90's, sound has always been a challenge IME and something to be looked at ahead of time if it is important to you.
 
Old 07-09-2021, 10:28 PM   #9
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Les_Garten View Post
I saw that one as well.

So most likely I would be able to use SPDIF IN for Capture you think?

When not streaming, use SPDIF OUT for Music or game output?
I have had no issues with SPDIF out on either of the SoundCore cards I have (ZxR and Recon3D), and I've tried the SPDIF input on the ZxR and it works with PCM audio. I've never really investigated Icecast or similar though, but I would think it should work (as in, it accepts the input, so it should be possible).

Quote:
I started using Linux back in the mid 90's, sound has always been a challenge IME and something to be looked at ahead of time if it is important to you.
I certainly understand that - I was surprised to find out the ZxR would work in linux, honestly, but it's worked very well for a couple of years through various distros. I know it requires a relatively newer kernel to support (it was one of the last, if not the last, of the newer Sound Blaster cards that was supported by the driver module). See the Phoronix article here: https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...ster-ZxR-Linux

If your system can accept PCI cards this gets a lot easier, because there's a lot of good PCI boards that can usually be had for peanuts these days, but I assume a big reason for that is because so few systems can use them these days.
 
Old 07-10-2021, 08:01 AM   #10
Les_Garten
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post
I certainly understand that - I was surprised to find out the ZxR would work in linux, honestly, but it's worked very well for a couple of years through various distros. I know it requires a relatively newer kernel to support (it was one of the last, if not the last, of the newer Sound Blaster cards that was supported by the driver module). See the Phoronix article here: https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...ster-ZxR-Linux

If your system can accept PCI cards this gets a lot easier, because there's a lot of good PCI boards that can usually be had for peanuts these days, but I assume a big reason for that is because so few systems can use them these days.
Very interesting, thanx for that. The MB is PCIe so that's where i'll have to go on that. The PC used parts market is crazy right now, hopefully will let up in a bit.
 
Old 07-10-2021, 04:33 PM   #11
lovemeslk
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You know you can go either way. But some turtle beach head sets that have
there own usb sound cards part of them. Also give you the SPDIF
extensions and cords.
Most of the earforce 21 did.

I liked that I had a great head set and soundcard with good boost and the extensions.
There are many SPDIF cards out there most are Linux friendly.

I maintain a private build of MIXXX so I understand what your trying to do.
Use them all jack2 and sync with pulseaudio.
This allows me to DJ and party and live stream to youtube twitch also.
Allows people in real time to call on phone skype etc and be heard making requests.
Or just chatting.
 
Old 07-11-2021, 05:45 AM   #12
Les_Garten
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lovemeslk View Post
You know you can go either way. But some turtle beach head sets that have
there own usb sound cards part of them. Also give you the SPDIF
extensions and cords.
Most of the earforce 21 did.

I liked that I had a great head set and soundcard with good boost and the extensions.
There are many SPDIF cards out there most are Linux friendly.

I maintain a private build of MIXXX so I understand what your trying to do.
Use them all jack2 and sync with pulseaudio.
This allows me to DJ and party and live stream to youtube twitch also.
Allows people in real time to call on phone skype etc and be heard making requests.
Or just chatting.
Who would have thought! I am only streaming TV audio so that I can listen to a favorite station while out and about. No interaction with a mic or headset ever, just need digital input for the set top box. Just basically audio capture and stream, also local powered speakers that take digital inputs(JBL LSR4328P + LSR4312)
 
Old 07-11-2021, 11:48 AM   #13
obobskivich
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Probably stating the obvious but: make sure you can force the set top box's output to PCM/2ch - very few soundcards that I've ever encountered will deal with AC-3/DTS as an input, and none in linux thus far.
 
Old 07-11-2021, 02:55 PM   #14
Les_Garten
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post
Probably stating the obvious but: make sure you can force the set top box's output to PCM/2ch - very few soundcards that I've ever encountered will deal with AC-3/DTS as an input, and none in linux thus far.

Thanx! I'll look at that.

p.s. just checked it, you can force it to PCM. Good call there. It is set to Dolby.

Last edited by Les_Garten; 07-11-2021 at 02:57 PM.
 
Old 07-15-2021, 07:18 AM   #15
business_kid
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I'm personally surprised to see so much praise of Creative Sound Blasters.

Way back in time I had aCreative sound blaster live(?) using the es1371 module. It had a document in the kernel docs from the maintainer telling you exactly how much it sucked, and the design limitations inherent in their asic. It was indeed pretty poor. I've been buying 'anything but <followed by a short list>' since that time.

Have Creative picked their game up or suddenly started to cooperate more with linux?
 
  


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