Help with 5.1 set up, please.

HyDa_DRUID · Sep 6, 2006, 12:12 PM

Hello All,

First off thanks for atleast reading this. My problem stems from Center channel. I am running a Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 speaker(running analog) set on a sounblaster Audigy 2 ZS. The drivers for the card im running are updated stock drivers from creative. Also the software is all from the disk. My problem is this: When I run the speakers direct, (6 channel direct is an option for the speakers) the speakers run directly off my audigy and my center channel is VERY faint, but my front and rear channels are very vibrant and crisp. I can however remedy the problem with the center channel by setting the speakers to run on the dolby digital music setting. With that setting the center channel is alive and brilliant, but the other channels are lacking and seem to suffer.

What I have noticed on my own is that when the speakers are in dolby music mode I can not manipulate the sound by changing settings in my audigy software. The only way I can manipulate them is on the control center for my Z-550 set. What I would like to do is be able to run 6 channel direct and have the center channel to be alive. No matter what i mess with in the settings I can not get the the center channel up to par.

I had this same problem with my last speaker set. It was a creative inpire 5300 5.1 set, and believe it or not it wasnt to shabby after you tweak settings hehe. Now that I look back the speakers were fine, it was the software i was runnin them on. I just thought the speakers didnt have a good center channel.

My Question folks is how do I get my center channel up to par and not have to run in dolby music mode on my speakers? what settings or whatever is it I need to do in my audigy settings? Have any of you noticed this problem?

Thank you very much

3DWizard · Sep 9, 2006, 01:51 PM

Sorry for the late reply, but I thought somebody knowing the z5500 would answer. Considering the description of your problem I would say it's all about upmixing. I guess you test your system by playing usual stereo music. As stereo says it is only 2 channel music. So if you want sound on all of your five boxes you need to upmix the stereo music. Upmixing is the process of creating the sound for your surround speakers out of 2 channel stereo music. And as you might guess there are there plenty ways to do so. So here is what you should do. First turn of any effects applied by your z5500 system. Also go to the creative cmss tab and choose no effects there. When playing music now you should only here sound from front left and front right speaker. Now it's up to you what upmixing to choose. You have the possibility to use your z5500 to do so, but I wouldn't recommend that (dolby digital pro logic 2 is in my opinion the best one the z5500 has and you wrote you activated that and you didn't like it). I would suggest using your audigy to upmix: Go to the cmss panel and choose "cmss 2" or "stereo 2x". I prefer stereo 2x. Hope this helps.

HyDa_DRUID · Sep 9, 2006, 06:47 PM

Well Sir, I thank you for the reply but... that did not solve my problem. I guess i was a little vague in my post. Let me explain:

I understand the concept that mp3's are stereo and need upmixed. when i upmix with the z-5500's, like u noticed in my post, I dont like the results. I do lol, but not totally. The center speaker sounds great but the front and rear channels are not. Even with setings on the speakers them selves I cant get them to sound how i like. BUT when i mix with my audigy using cmss or cmss 2 my center channel is very very faint with them and NOOOOO settings in the audigy or on the speakers will help it.

I would like to just use the audigy's decoder and upmix through it, i just need to know how to get the center channel up to par.

Thank You

Robert McClelland · Sep 9, 2006, 07:19 PM

Did you try used driver cleaner and uninstalled it? reinstalled sometimes that might fix it. Also did you try pax drivers by chance?

HyDa_DRUID · Sep 12, 2006, 09:32 PM

Yes, i use driver cleaner, and I tried Pax, it gave me some problems in games so i went back to stock drivers. I think its just a creative software problem

Sep 6, 2006, 12:12 PM	#1
HyDa_DRUID Combat Flight Sim Junkie Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 44 Rep Power: 0	Help with 5.1 set up, please. Hello All, First off thanks for atleast reading this. My problem stems from Center channel. I am running a Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 speaker(running analog) set on a sounblaster Audigy 2 ZS. The drivers for the card im running are updated stock drivers from creative. Also the software is all from the disk. My problem is this: When I run the speakers direct, (6 channel direct is an option for the speakers) the speakers run directly off my audigy and my center channel is VERY faint, but my front and rear channels are very vibrant and crisp. I can however remedy the problem with the center channel by setting the speakers to run on the dolby digital music setting. With that setting the center channel is alive and brilliant, but the other channels are lacking and seem to suffer. What I have noticed on my own is that when the speakers are in dolby music mode I can not manipulate the sound by changing settings in my audigy software. The only way I can manipulate them is on the control center for my Z-550 set. What I would like to do is be able to run 6 channel direct and have the center channel to be alive. No matter what i mess with in the settings I can not get the the center channel up to par. I had this same problem with my last speaker set. It was a creative inpire 5300 5.1 set, and believe it or not it wasnt to shabby after you tweak settings hehe. Now that I look back the speakers were fine, it was the software i was runnin them on. I just thought the speakers didnt have a good center channel. My Question folks is how do I get my center channel up to par and not have to run in dolby music mode on my speakers? what settings or whatever is it I need to do in my audigy settings? Have any of you noticed this problem? Thank you very much

Sep 9, 2006, 01:51 PM	#2
3DWizard DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bayreuth, Germany Posts: 21 Rep Power: 0	solution Sorry for the late reply, but I thought somebody knowing the z5500 would answer. Considering the description of your problem I would say it's all about upmixing. I guess you test your system by playing usual stereo music. As stereo says it is only 2 channel music. So if you want sound on all of your five boxes you need to upmix the stereo music. Upmixing is the process of creating the sound for your surround speakers out of 2 channel stereo music. And as you might guess there are there plenty ways to do so. So here is what you should do. First turn of any effects applied by your z5500 system. Also go to the creative cmss tab and choose no effects there. When playing music now you should only here sound from front left and front right speaker. Now it's up to you what upmixing to choose. You have the possibility to use your z5500 to do so, but I wouldn't recommend that (dolby digital pro logic 2 is in my opinion the best one the z5500 has and you wrote you activated that and you didn't like it). I would suggest using your audigy to upmix: Go to the cmss panel and choose "cmss 2" or "stereo 2x". I prefer stereo 2x. Hope this helps.

Sep 9, 2006, 07:19 PM	#4
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Somewhere in Wood County Ohio Same Town :) Posts: 10,252 Rep Power: 193 System Specs	Did you try used driver cleaner and uninstalled it? reinstalled sometimes that might fix it. Also did you try pax drivers by chance? __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun" http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=2242746

Sep 9, 2006, 06:47 PM	Thread Starter #3
HyDa_DRUID Combat Flight Sim Junkie Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 44 Rep Power: 0	Well Sir, I thank you for the reply but... that did not solve my problem. I guess i was a little vague in my post. Let me explain: I understand the concept that mp3's are stereo and need upmixed. when i upmix with the z-5500's, like u noticed in my post, I dont like the results. I do lol, but not totally. The center speaker sounds great but the front and rear channels are not. Even with setings on the speakers them selves I cant get them to sound how i like. BUT when i mix with my audigy using cmss or cmss 2 my center channel is very very faint with them and NOOOOO settings in the audigy or on the speakers will help it. I would like to just use the audigy's decoder and upmix through it, i just need to know how to get the center channel up to par. Thank You

Sep 12, 2006, 09:32 PM	Thread Starter #5
HyDa_DRUID Combat Flight Sim Junkie Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 44 Rep Power: 0	Yes, i use driver cleaner, and I tried Pax, it gave me some problems in games so i went back to stock drivers. I think its just a creative software problem