2 drives - what to do with audio cable?

[David Besack]

I have a PC with a combo drive and the audio cable is hooked up to the
only audio-input on my mobo. I'm installing a DVD-R drive. Do I need
to worry about the audio cable for that? And if so, what's the setup?

It's my understanding that those cables are only for sending audio
directly from the drive to the speakers, or something like that. I'm
not sure I ever needed the *first* cable.

Anyway, I have on-board 5.1 audio and plan on getting a 5.1 speaker set.
I'd like to be able to hear everything properly no matter what drive I
stick something into.

Thanks.

 

[Manny]

I believe that you don't need the audio cable connected to the drives since
both data and audio is transfered through the ide cable. I know that my dvd
rom and dvd burner are just connected through the ide cables and they both
work and sound great.

 

[David Besack]

I believe that you don't need the audio cable connected to the drives since
both data and audio is transfered through the ide cable. I know that my dvd
rom and dvd burner are just connected through the ide cables and they both
work and sound great.

I figured as much. Thanks.

 

[Neil Postance]

I believe that you don't need the audio cable connected to the drives since
both data and audio is transfered through the ide cable. I know that my dvd
rom and dvd burner are just connected through the ide cables and they both
work and sound great.

Is the audio cable now defunct in most systems then? was it infact ever
used?

Neil Postance

 

[DaveW]

If you are using Windows XP, the audio signal is sent over the data ribbon
cable, so you don't need the audio cable. The audio out on optical drives
is for older systems.

 

[Richard Dower]

If you are using Windows XP, the audio signal is sent over the data ribbon
cable, so you don't need the audio cable. The audio out on optical drives
is for older systems.

My Audigy 2 ZS is connected to the SPDIF and Analog cables still...guess
it's a legacy thing. I just hooked them up for the sake of it.....but nice
to know i don't need them.

 

[flap flop]

I believe that you don't need the audio cable connected to the drives since
both data and audio is transfered through the ide cable. I know that my dvd
rom and dvd burner are just connected through the ide cables and they both
work and sound great.

This means no more than that you're not loading your PC too much. The
analog cable is meant to save your digital data bus from having to
transport all the audio data, so it can be used for the other data
transports. If you start loading your PC with a lot of running
applications, then what happens without analog connection from CD player
to sound board, is that hick-ups in the sound will appear. The analog
cable prevents this as it transports the sound directly fom CD to sound
board.

Flip

[snip>