Recommended sound card for HTPC, two zones?

[hookabrotherup]

Can you help me decide which sound card to purchase (which will help determine the receiver I purchase)? I'm about to buy all new audio components and I want to make sure I buy the right receiver for my HTPC system; but I need to get media from the PC to this new, unpurchased system effectively.

 

So my question - which sound card(s) can send two digital zones (preferably optical) to my receiver? The least expensive option w/o compromising data quality would be great. DAC will be in receiver.

 

My system

• HTPC - XBMC Gotham
  
• Two speaker zones - 5.1 + 10 pair around the house (all wired).
  
• To be purchased - 5.1 speakers, 10 pair speakers, receiver with two optical inputs (similar to Denon AVR-X3000)...and sound card(s)
  
• Receiver will be 7.1. It'll run 5.1 for TV, then another channel for the 10 pair
  

 

I'd love to know your receiver recommendations once I know how to best get the data off my PC.

 

Thanks,

 

-R

[hookabrotherup]

Alternatively, could HDMI from my video card (GeForce GT 740) supply the two audio zones to the receiver?

-R

[LocutusEstBorg]

Each "Playback Device" in Windows is effectively one zone. You can either search for a rare sound card that has two SPDIF playback devices or just buy two sound cards - it makes no difference. In your playback software you need to assign each zone to one playback device.

 

If your playback software support ASIO, you can buy a multi-channel ASIO interface and assign different channels to each zone.

 

You can use HDMI but you'll need to plug two HDMI cables into your AVR and "clone" the displays. Each HDMI cable will appear as a single playback device in Windows. Even if you do this, your AVR should support treating a HDMI input as a secondary zone. Normally only analog or SPDIF inputs are usable as a secondary zone.

[hookabrotherup]

Thank you for the reply. Are there minimum requirements that you'd recommend for the sound cards if I'm only using them as pass-through to the AVR? I'm thinking optical, but I could do HDMI.

[LocutusEstBorg]

Two video connections are problematic, though it can be made to work. If your HTPC is already connected via HDMI, you can use HDMI for bitstreaming and 7.1 PCM and SPDIF from your motherboard or sound card for the second zone.

 

Any sound card or on-board is fine.