IMPORTANT!
The S/PDIF out only sends PCM data not audio. It is up to your Receiver
to decode the data and send it to the correct speaker not the Sound Card.
There are no Dolby Digital / DTS Decoders on the card, so it cannot decode
an incoming signal. If you have Decoding Software from your DVD etc.
installed, then the signal will go out *decoded*. Otherwise, it will be
PCM DATA.
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Full Duplex Card?
The digital out is not Full Duplex. When the Digital In is selected,
the digital out is not available.
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Recording Analog at 16 bit not 24?
Q: I am now realizing this card doesn't record at 24 bits 96 kHz through
the Mic and Line input does it? Please verify.
A: You are absolutely correct. The analog jacks record at 16 bit.
24/96 is only available on the digital jacks:
http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/soundcards/catalina/
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Resampling:
Q: Can you confirm whether any resampling will take place when playing back
audio and whether a 16bit 48kHz wav file will play back successfully.
A: The Catalina does not resample on the digital output. It is a "bit
perfect" transfer. If your recording software can record and playback /
decode Dolby Digital (AC-3) or DTS raw data then it should work with
Catalina. "Adobe Audition" for example, is capable of recording AC3 audio.
One would need to record at 48kHz, 16bit stereo, save the file in PCM
(RAW) format and then use a hex editor to align the file to the start of
a frame.
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"Enable Multiple Wave Output Devices" option:
Q: The Santa Cruz has a "Enable Multiple Wave Output Devices" option to allow
the card to be used as 4 discrete stereo pairs. Does the Catalina also
have this option?
A: The Catalina does not have the "Enable Multiple Wave Output Devices"
feature.
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ADAT:
Q: On the Catalina soundcard, will the digital input work with an ADAT
digital output? The unit desired to be used with this product is the
Behringer ULTRAGAIN PRO-8 DIGITAL ADA8000.
http://www.behringer.com/ADA8000/index.cfm?lang=ENG
I mean for starters it's the same optical connection. It has a digital
ADAT in and out and with the card I would assume it would rely on the
software to understand the signal.....
A: The Catalina is a consumer level audio card. The digital input will
accept a signal in PCM and AC-3 formats. The card may not be suitable
for use with ADAT "lightpipe" format, as ADAT divides and might be
streaming multiple channels concurrently. It might be able to read
2 Channels though (Stereo).
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Speakers Compatibility:
Q: Will your Catalina sound card be compatible with my Logitech Z-5500
speaker system?
A: Although we are not familiar with this particular Speaker system
(there are plenty out there) and we do not make any warranties about
other manufacturers products, they should work fine. The Catalina has
an optical digital out jack.
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Headphones/Speaker Switch:
Q: I recently upgraded a 2nd PC to a Catalina SC due to the excellence of
the Santa Cruz card I have in my 1st PC. On my Santa Cruz card I have
the option of hooking up both a 2 speaker w/sub and headphones and can
switch between them with the control panel software. Is this an option
with the Catalina?
A: This isn't an option on this card. You can choose 4 speaker mode and
connect your front speakers to the green jack and the headphones to
the black jack.
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Bitrate of stereo:
Q: My receiver does 192 kHz and 24bit on stereo. Will the Catalina card
use that?
A: According to the product Specs, the digital output on the Catalina can be
set to 96kHz 24bit out. It will not support any rates higher than the
specified 96kHz rate.
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PlayStation2?
Q: If I were to plug in for example my PlayStaion2 into the Digital input,
would I be able to hear the sound from through my 5.1 PC speakers plugged
into the Catalina?
A: The Catalina will pass through any digital information received from the
digital input to the digital output. Whatever the information is (stereo,
4 channel, 5.1), this info would still need to be decoded either by your
speakers or by a separate stand alone decoder.
If you are looking for something to encode 5.1 "on the fly" to send to
your 5.1 speaker setup (again, there would need to be a decoder between
the card and the speakers if the speakers do not have a built in decoder)
then you would be better served by the Montego DDL.
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