Can anyone help with my sound card problem please?

BarGin

I've just put a new sound card in my Dell pc. It's a Creative X-fi Xtreme Audio. I have connected it to my Sony RHT-G800 speaker stand with an optical cable but I'm not getting any sound through at all.

I've run the Creative diagnostics program and that tells me all is fine. The only thing I can think of is I've been sold a dodgy optical cable (Toslink to 3.5 Mini Jack).

Can anyone offer any other suggestions please?

fwor

It's very unlikely to be a problem with the Toslink cable, as they are very simple in construction. If you unplug the cable from your Sony kit, do you see a red light? Toslink uses visible LEDs, not lasers, so it's not dangerous to your eyes.

If not, either the drivers for the soundcard are not properly installed, or you need to turn on the digital output through Control Panel, Sounds & Audio Devices (or the Creative control panel if one is loaded).

BarGin

There was no light coming through the cable from the soundcard. I have plugged the cable into my TV and there is a red light. So I assume the cable is OK and the sound card is not working properly.

I have re-installed the drivers and selected digital output only but still nothing.

Any more suggestions please?

PS. The card works fine in analogue stereo mode.

fwor

One possibility - that card has an optional digital I/O module, which presumably you don't have. Can you check to see if there is an onboard jumper which selects either module or straight digital out?

Otherwise, looks like a call to Creative customer support seems to be the way forward.