problems with 2.1 speaker system connected via TOSLINK / coax digital audio to pc

[hrvojedbk]

Hello to everyone first!

And thank to any1 who reads this post of mine - namely, I am so desperate that I no longer know what to do!

The situation is as follows:

I'm not a "connoisseur" on this topic, I get some basics, but that's about it - a noob you could say.

I have this 2.1 speaker system:

Creative MegaWorks 250D-THX review: Creative MegaWorks 250D-THX

The Creative MegaWorks 250D-THX 2.1 speakers have been out for almost three years, and it is a testament to their quality that they hold up as the best set of 2.1 speakers on the market. You'll also like the price, which makes these speakers for gamers and picky audio types the most affordable...

www.cnet.com

and it is connected to a pc, specifically to a sound card integrated into this MSI motherboard:

MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI AMD AM4 DDR4 M.2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 HDMI ATX Gaming Motherboard

Powered by AMD Ryzen AM4 processors, the MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI offers perfect balance between appearance and performance with Wi-Fi, Extended Heatsink Design, Core boost, Pre-installed I/O Shielding and Mystic Light. Equipped with a PCI-e 4.0 slot

www.msi.com

via this digital audio coaxial cable:

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B01D5H8UTW/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

More precisely, from the soudcard, a audio tosslink cable goes to this converter:
https://www.ms-zagreb.hr/hr/proizvodi/1/50/opticki-konverter-adapteri-konektori-toslink.htm
(it is the one on the bottom of the page)
to which the digital coax cable is then connected and then it goes to the subwoofer (into which the satellites are plugged in, of course).

What is happening:

1. First - Sometimes the woofer starts to "growl" out of pure peace, sometimes quieter, sometimes louder (I read that it can be "overpowering" or "underpowering" of the amplifier)

2. The second and most annoying problem is that a loud "click" sound is often heard from the speaker, such as when you suddenly pull out the power supply from the speaker system. This happens when for example youtube is opend, or spotify started,
BUT it is not always heard.
The following example works best to "paint the picture": Let's say I start netflix or youtube and click pause, after one minute of two that "click" is heard and then it is heard again when the pause is removed, but if within that mentioned minute two the pause is removed, everything will be in ok and you won't hear that "click" sound.

To me, as a layman, it seems that after some time (a minute or two) that the signal "stops coming" to the speakers (pause, finished song, etc.), this "click" happens and then when the signal "starts" comming again to the speakers, a "click" is heard again.

I don’t know if it’s up to the aforementioned converter or something with an amplifier in the woofer or something third (speakers are no good !?).

Otherwise, when I connect the system to the TV with a digital coax cable

this is the tv:

40PFL5625H/12 Philips LCD TV 40PFL5625H 102 cm (40") Full HD 1080p digital TV with Pixel Plus HD - Philips Support

and it is connected via a hdmi cable to the pc, everything is ok more or less. Here and there as the sound comes out of the speakers you hear a slight “zigzag” in style like when a record cracks on a turntable, it’s not scary but it happens regularly.

N.B. the first mentioned "click" is also heard when, for example (when the speakers are connected to the TV), I switch the source on the TV from PC to another HDMI input.
Please if anyone knows where to start researching / repairing I would be immensely grateful !!!

It's not a cable thing because I have another cable of the same type, which came with the speakers, and the same thing happens, and everything is (almost) ok when the speakers are connected with a dig.coax cable to the TV, as I described above.

I hope I didn’t complicate the explanation of the problem too much!

Thank you all in advance!
Greeting!!

 

[ZolaIII]

Dear Hrvoje that DAC AL 11 is something I would rather skip entirely. The one on the 250D (Gypsy [connotation to Mercedes]) is old cheap AKM or Burr capable of 24 bit 96KHz PCM. The on MB one is fine but use OEM (Realtek driver's). Don't bit stream from anything to D250 and don't semple higher than 96 KHz 24 bit to it.

 

[hrvojedbk]

Dear Hrvoje that DAC AL 11 is something I would rather skip entirely. The one on the 250D (Gypsy [connotation to Mercedes]) is old cheap AKM or Burr capable of 24 bit 96KHz PCM. The on MB one is fine but use OEM (Realtek driver's). Don't bit stream from anything to D250 and don't semple higher than 96 KHz 24 bit to it.

As I stated, I'm a bit of a noob, so if you colud tell me if I got right your reply: I should ditch the converter I have and I shouldn't stream anythig to the speakers (250 D) and shouldn sample higher than 96 KHz 24 bit?

 

[ZolaIII]

Yes using it's optical input go direct from MB. TV will sample less and probably fixed 48 KHz 16 bit (and neither GPU ADC over HDMI will offer more). Bit stream in this case means legacy Dolby's (including lossy multi channel) and of course DAC on 250D don't support decoding of those so you should disable that from what ever you feed it.

 

[hrvojedbk]

Yes using it's optical input go direct from MB. TV will sample less and probably fixed 48 KHz 16 bit (and neither GPU ADC over HDMI will offer more). Bit stream in this case means legacy Dolby's (including lossy multi channel) and of course DAC on 250D don't support decoding of those so you should disable that from what ever you feed it.

The drivers of the soundcard are pretty rudimentary, as far as I can deduce, so I cannot controll the "feed" in that way. Furthermore I cannot connect the speakers directlly to the soundcard because the card has a TOSS optical OUT and the speakers have a digital audio coax IN so the converter is necessary (or it isn't, I dont know?). So if I got it right I should ditch connecting the speakers via digital audio, with the soundcard, and connect them via analog?

 

[ZolaIII]

Seams you will have to buy better converter anyway (and that won't be easy either). How bad are analog outputs on that motherboard anyway? I mean I can't advise you to buy external card that costs 150$ (or more) to fix a speaker system that costs less.

 

[hrvojedbk]

Seams you will have to buy better converter anyway (and that won't be easy either). How bad are analog outputs on that motherboard anyway? I mean I can't advise you to buy external card that costs 150$ (or more) to fix a speaker system that costs less.

I must say that I still don't understand alot of the tech talk, but I did manage to grasp that with a better converter I could stand a chance?

The analog outputs on the soundcard seem fine to me, take a look if it means something.

 

[ZolaIII]

Then just use analog input on D250.

 

[ZolaIII]

If it sounds fine analog output from MB to D250 (no funny noises or ground loops) just use it like that.

 

[hrvojedbk]

If it sounds fine analog output from MB to D250 (no funny noises or ground loops) just use it like that.

I know that is on option. The thing that I was hoping to get the "full potential" of the speakers (and the sound card)

 

[hrvojedbk]

I know that is on option. The thing that I was hoping to get the "full potential" of the speakers (and the sound card)

therefore, I would like to do all that is possible to try to get the "digital option" to work befor going to "analog"

 

[ThatM1key]

I 2nd the analog way. Gaming Motherboard analog audio has gotten pretty good for last few years. With that speaker system I don't think your gonna really notice the difference between Digital and Analog. Plus you go analog you'll probably get rid of that clicking problem.

Personally, my Yamaha A-S301 has an optical input and my cheap motherboard has a optical output but I choose to use my Topping E30 via analog.

I think the digital "click/pop" is normal, similar electronics like old Onkyo AVRs do this. If it doesn't "see" a signal it'll go idle but once it see's a "signal" it'll come on but the delay is so slow, it'll feel like its broken. Analog doesn't have this problem on these devices.

The "zipzag" is probably your TV trying to convert HDMI to Optical.

 

[hrvojedbk]

I 2nd the analog way. Gaming Motherboard analog audio has gotten pretty good for last few years. With that speaker system I don't think your gonna really notice the difference between Digital and Analog. Plus you go analog you'll probably get rid of that clicking problem.

Personally, my Yamaha A-S301 has an optical input and my cheap motherboard has a optical output but I choose to use my Topping E30 via analog.

I think the digital "click/pop" is normal, similar electronics like old Onkyo AVRs do this. If it doesn't "see" a signal it'll go idle but once it see's a "signal" it'll come on but the delay is so slow, it'll feel like its broken. Analog doesn't have this problem on these devices.

The "zipzag" is probably your TV trying to convert HDMI to Optical.

Thanks man! You are very helpfull! I should state that my primary purpose for my new HTPC is for watching movies, Blue ray when ever possible. I am even considering joining hd-torrents.org, to get access to blue ray content. I understood when on digital it is possible to experience a lot more from the blue ray movie audio-wise then when on analog - please correct me if I got it wrong

 

[ZolaIII]

And why do you think you will get anything better from old bilt in DAC in 250D? Don't get me wrong using it to fead that unit is optimal but not at the cost of bricking everything up by using bad ADC and DAC. The integrated DAC and two ADC's on materbord are fine and on a level of solid older Burr's like 1791 (about 100 dB SINAD at least if done even remotely properly). If it works stick with it analog and to be honest I hope you will retire 250D sooner than later and buy something more decent with normal infrastructure and Toslink input (have two Logitech surrounds on ceiling which refused to die).

 

[ThatM1key]

Thanks man! You are very helpfull! I should state that my primary purpose for my new HTPC is for watching movies, Blue ray when ever possible. I am even considering joining hd-torrents.org, to get access to blue ray content. I understood when on digital it is possible to experience a lot more from the blue ray movie audio-wise then when on analog - please correct me if I got it wrong

I wouldn't brag about a torrenting on here. In term's of normal AVRs yes Digital is generally better than Analog. Computer speakers when you jump from analog to digital, it doesn't make that much difference.

 

[hrvojedbk]

I wouldn't brag about a torrenting on here. In term's of normal AVRs yes Digital is generally better than Analog. Computer speakers when you jump from analog to digital, it doesn't make that much difference.

Thanx for the tip! My bad! I got it... Just as we speak the woofer started rummbling on it's own even when connected to the tv (the variant that worked without clikcing) it happened randomly for few minutes after I turned them on....the first time in the day...now it is ok... Could it be that the amp. in the woofer is bad?

 

[ThatM1key]

Thanx for the tip! My bad! I got it... Just as we speak the woofer started rummbling on it's own even when connected to the tv (the variant that worked without clikcing) it happened randomly for few minutes after I turned them on....the first time in the day...now it is ok... Could it be that the amp. in the woofer is bad?

When it comes to subwoofers, the amp "plate" dies before the woofer does.