[AMD] True Audio Technology

[Beepok]

Will I get to enjoy true 3d audio from my Tonga-based GPU if I plug my 3.5mm headphone jack into the front panel input of my pc case? Or do I need to somehow connect the headphone directly to my GPU?

 

[Felfirez]

Let me google that for you

 

[Beepok]

Let me google that for you

first link reply...what does it mean? Too chim, I cannot understand. So is can use 3.5mm hole on the casing and get trueaudio anot?!?!

Video cards have had primitive onboard Audio codecs for quite some time, but I must stress the word primitive. Their sole purpose has been to encode audio streams onto HDMI, they do not provide many mechanisms to modify the audio itself, just transport it. Audio signal processing must still be done in software or through the GPU's stream processors. TrueAudio embeds several full featured audio DSPs onto the R9-290 and R9-290X. This allows audio processing to be done in hardware on the GPU without bogging down the CPU or the GPU's stream processors.

The difficulty here is that using the TrueAudio DSPs requires appropriate supporting software. Most game developers use middleware to perform functions such as this.

Thanks to some quality control issues on the part of Audio vendors, Microsoft rewrote the Windows audio stack in Windows Vista and deliberately removed any direct path between the DirectSound library and the driver, preventing hardware extensions from being used in any way. This resolved a significant number of BSODs, but disabled the use of hardware acceleration when DirectSound is the audio API of choice.

Creative Lab's EAX is a good example of this. EAX is a set of hardware accelerated functions which enhance the fidelity of environmental audio, not a whole lot unlike TrueAudio is capable of doing. Many older games (Thief, F.E.A.R, and Diablo 2 come to mind) implemented it through DirectSound before support for hardware acceleration was dropped in Windows Vista. By default, attempting to enable "environmental audio" will be grayed out in these games unless a workaround is used through Creative Lab's Alchemy which restores support on a title-by-title basis. Modern games wishing to employ these extensions must use an alternative to DirectSound such as OpenAL or some proprietary middleware.

The takeaway here is that absent express use of the DSP functions of your discrete sound card through OpenAL, it acts as little more than a mixer and filter. The real benefit of using a discrete card over an onboard card is the much higher signal to noise ratio and output bandwidth, but this is only really applicable to the endpoint that converts the digital samples into an analogue waveform destined for a headset or speakers. When you use a digital transport such as S/PDIF or HDMI the onus for conversion is shifted to the external amplifier, which is often better than even the best discrete cards.

If you're using an external amplifier with an HDMI input I would forego using your discrete soundcard at all unless you're playing games that support features found on that card. The quality of the audio will be the same, regardless of whether it comes from an optical connection from your discrete card, or an HDMI connection from your video card.

If you want the best of both worlds, you may wish to look into an audio bridge cable which connects discrete sound card output to the HDMI output of most video cards. I've never looked into this myself, but I've heard a bit about it.

As for connection, take HDMI from your PC to your amplifier, and then use a passive HDMI to DVI converter to bring it to your display. HDMI and Single-Link DVI-D are electrically identical, with HDMI just having some newer features. It should work just fine.

As a side node, I would advise against using Dolby Digital Live. It's a lossy compression format. I used it for a while and was not very impressed with it at all. I fell back to good old 3.5mm jacks for my headphones and an HDMI cable for my surround system. I simply switch audio devices based on where I want the audio to go.

 

[lukart]

Still not seen much use for this... good on paper

 

[Beepok]

Still not seen much use for this... good on paper

hmmm....sian, I bought 285 over 280x because of trueaudio

 

[xLegendary]

Me too! But its always good future wise

 

[ClementChong]

Buy PS4 instead, you will have TrueAudio in PS4 games (Audio output definitely from AMD's Audio DSP since console has no analog audio output).

 

[Goodshot]

hmmm....sian, I bought 285 over 280x because of trueaudio

I also sianz , waste $200 upgrade 770 from 280x . No improvement at all

 

[Elijahonli]

true audio only works on the hdmi out on the GPU

 

[Beepok]

I also sianz , waste $200 upgrade 770 from 280x . No improvement at all

770 stil very high end...to 280x considered upgrade meh zzz

 

[Beepok]

true audio only works on the hdmi out on the GPU

thanks. Just what I asked for. Learn from this dude Felfirez.
Then bro, do u have any idea how to use earphones to enjoy trueaudio? Would this work? HDMI -> TV -> earphone. As in, earphone plug into TV. I dont think so right? Need to get some adaptors or something to enjoy trueaudio?

 

[shadow84]

thanks. Just what I asked for. Learn from this dude Felfirez.
Then bro, do u have any idea how to use earphones to enjoy trueaudio? Would this work? HDMI -> TV -> earphone. As in, earphone plug into TV. I dont think so right? Need to get some adaptors or something to enjoy trueaudio?

Sound output frm tv will b crappy. Best is if u can get avr.

Gpu to avr via hdmi for sound, den frm avr to earpiece. Can also hdmi out to monitor.

 

[royfrosty]

TrueAudio do not work for headphones. It should go via HDMI.

And it does not work to plug in a 3.5mm headphone jacks nor going 1 big round of connections and final connections thru the tv is still a 3.5mm jack. That wont work 1 bit.

It will work IF you have a AV Receiver to output discrete channels to all your surround speakers.

 

[Elijahonli]

thanks. Just what I asked for. Learn from this dude Felfirez.
Then bro, do u have any idea how to use earphones to enjoy trueaudio? Would this work? HDMI -> TV -> earphone. As in, earphone plug into TV. I dont think so right? Need to get some adaptors or something to enjoy trueaudio?

looks like i have to correct myself... Trueaudio is a technology that helps to offload certain and supported audio processes from the CPU and onto the GPU onboard DSP(just like Creative's EAX)...so meaning it should work on your primary audio device i guess. but its only for supported games

 

[royfrosty]

looks like i have to correct myself... Trueaudio is a technology that helps to offload certain and supported audio processes from the CPU and onto the GPU onboard DSP...so meaning it will work on your primary audio device i guess. but its only for supported games

To add on, it does work via their software to mimic the sound if HDMI is not the main audio output.

But the sound will be quite crappy to mimic a virtual surround.

 

[Elijahonli]

To add on, it does work via their software to mimic the sound if HDMI is not the main audio output.

But the sound will be quite crappy to mimic a virtual surround.

yea, if its me, i wont bother much about trueaudio... it seems its geared more for game developers, which will help them have a dedicated inbuild dsp in their gpu to do more intense audio creation i guess? if your main purpose is to have a better audio/gaming/music experience, a DAC/high end sound card is what you should be investing in

 

[Beepok]

Lol sian, I thought I could make use of the 3d surround sound. Watched some videos on YouTube like damn shiok the feeling. Really feels like someone is talking behind you. Sian la, should have got the 280x for usd139 instead of 169 for the 285. And what's more the 280x is sapphire vs the one i got HIS

 

[shadow84]

Lol sian, I thought I could make use of the 3d surround sound. Watched some videos on YouTube like damn shiok the feeling. Really feels like someone is talking behind you. Sian la, should have got the 280x for usd139 instead of 169 for the 285. And what's more the 280x is sapphire vs the one i got HIS

HIS or sapphire makes not much diff since both no local warranty... Its just the cooler nia.

 

[royfrosty]

Lol sian, I thought I could make use of the 3d surround sound. Watched some videos on YouTube like damn shiok the feeling. Really feels like someone is talking behind you. Sian la, should have got the 280x for usd139 instead of 169 for the 285. And what's more the 280x is sapphire vs the one i got HIS

Dont think its not a good money to spent on. It is ok to get the 285. New architecture, and furthermore the only mid tier card that is able to use all the new technology of what AMD introduce on the r9 290 and 290x.

Any way dont bother with TrueAudio, like what elijahonli mentioned. Want good surround go for proper 5.1 setup. Not headphones.

 

[Beepok]

HIS or sapphire makes not much diff since both no local warranty... Its just the cooler nia.

Always feel that sapphire products are higher quality as they are the evga of amd....hehehe placebo effect bah