360 digital audio help

[Spybreak8]

Well I've got the vga cable for my 360 to my LCD widescreen monitor and I'm enjoying digital HD dispays with my 360 for some time now but I want to get digital 5.1 audio to help out with movies as well as games. I've got 5.1 speakers with an Audigy 2 ZS sound card so I'm piping the audio into my sound card and all is well. I've heard that if you want to get pure quality digital audio you need to use fiber optic cables. I picked up a 6ft fiber optic audio cable with fancy connectors (from monoprice.com) and I need an adapter to hook up the fiber optic audio to the audio cables that are on the vga cable. I'm pretty sure I need a TOSlink adapter.

Is this the adapter I need, and if so do I need two or can I get two audio cable (white and red from the 360 vga cable) to plug into this.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_i d=2947&style=&seq=1&format=1#largeimage (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_id=2947&style=&seq=1&format=1#largeimage)

Right now I'm using the audio cables (red and white) into a joiner which is plugged into my sound card (2 to 1). So is there another adapter for the optic cable to my pc?! I hope this all gives me digital suround sound. I don't know much about the high end audio department, any help would be appreciated and all of this would still be cheaper than those high end sound systems.:roll:

[CokeCola]

Right now I'm using the audio cables (red and white) into a joiner which is plugged into my sound card (2 to 1). So is there another adapter for the optic cable to my pc?! I hope this all gives me digital suround sound. I don't know much about the high end audio department, any help would be appreciated and all of this would still be cheaper than those high end sound systems.:roll:
I don't think so. The drive bay that comes with the Platinum version would work, but you can't buy it separately. This (http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=13&subcategory=55&product=1780) is what you really want, but apparently it doesn't work with the ZS. Confronted with the same decision, I bought the DTS-100 (http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=13&subcategory=58&product=9468), which is just a receiver with pass-through for your PC. It makes everything simple, but it kind of negates the fancy sound card (unless you play games).

[Spybreak8]

Ok thanks, I'm ordering the I/O Module and I'm wondering if I need an adapter for the fiber optic cable to hook into the 360 audio cables (red and white).

[CokeCola]

Um... might want to cancel that order.
Works with the following Sound Blaster cards:
Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio
Sound Blaster Audigy 4
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value
Sound Blaster Audigy SE
Sound Blaster Live! 24 bit

The optical cable itself should plug into the base of the Xbox 360 VGA cable. If it doesn't have the port (you didn't buy the official VGA cable), you need a different cable.

[D4rkN1ght]

where can you get the optical cable?

[Mad-B-Man]

http://www.monoprice.com/

[D4rkN1ght]

http://www.monoprice.com/

do u know which one it is?

[Spybreak8]

Yea I bought the 6ft Toslink Optic Audio Cable (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022901&p_id=2764&seq=1&format=2&style=) and I do have the VGA cable (didnt see the available port on the back but read up on xbox.com and then smacked myself in the face). Now my problem is I have the new Toslink cable hooked up through the back of the VGA cable but I can't hook it up to my sound card. I bought the module (http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=13&subcategory=55&product=1780) to be the adapter for my sound card b(Audigy 2ZS Gamer) but I'm not getting any sound right now. I'm calling creative tech support tomorrow.

By the way monoprice was super cheap and really fast shipping.

[CokeCola]

I tell you, the Optical I/O Module is not not NOT compatible with the Audigy 2ZS.

[D4rkN1ght]

how bout the XFI ?

[Spybreak8]

I tell you, the Optical I/O Module is not not NOT compatible with the Audigy 2ZS.

K, well that sucks. Right now I have simulated 5.1 as I'm piping my audio into my sound card which my pc outputs all my sound to my 5.1 speakers. Just wanted to know if there was better quality but hey maybe there is a slight difference. Maybe after Christmas when I get some money I might upgrade my card.

Knight, did ya look at the list lol they're pretty much all XFIs, depends on what model you have I believe.