[jivex5k]

Originally Posted by katsuru Remember guys, I do not have a desktop setup where I could put a sound card in. I am thinking of getting rid of the z5500, since the ps3 is now more of a media center for music and movies. Are there any soundcards I could use directly on the ps3 ?

No.

The only way to get around the PS3 DAC is using optical which you are doing already.

It's gonna be hard to get better audio out of your system without a serious investment in some studio quality equipment.

I don't understand why your z5500 sounds bad though, because your running the digital signal to it. Unless the z5500 has a crappy DAC, which I couldn't imagine it does considering the cost of the system. Maybe your speakers are going bad?

But your culprit for bad sound is likely the source you are using. What are you trying to play that it sounds bad? Is it everything, or just that one movie or song?
How do your ps3 games sound?
What samplerate is your optical output set to, and can you increase it on your soundcard?

[katsuru]

Originally Posted by jivex5k No. The only way to get around the PS3 DAC is using optical which you are doing already. It's gonna be hard to get better audio out of your system without a serious investment in some studio quality equipment. I don't understand why your z5500 sounds bad though, because your running the digital signal to it. Unless the z5500 has a crappy DAC, which I couldn't imagine it does considering the cost of the system. Maybe your speakers are going bad? But your culprit for bad sound is likely the source you are using. What are you trying to play that it sounds bad? Is it everything, or just that one movie or song? How do your ps3 games sound? What samplerate is your optical output set to, and can you increase it on your soundcard?

If I connect them to my laptops external soundcard I get all that boom they always gave me, on the ps3, movies and gaming sounds OK for that system, the muffed audio was there since the beginning, but hey no one expects the z5500 to perform as good a an onkyo would right ?

Now the "problem" is playing music, the ps3 just can't deliver that boom effect somehow that my soundcard does.

I will get rid of them and get myself an onkyo

[jivex5k]

Well if some stuff sounds better than other stuff, but you didn't change the audio signal path it means some of your source material is lower fidelity than the rest.
Upgrading the equipment won't fix the problem, you need higher fidelity source material.

IF they are MP3s, make sure they are 192kbit and up.
Or better yet encoded with FLAC and not MP3 at all. I don't know if the PS3 media software can decode flac files though.

[katsuru]

Originally Posted by jivex5k Well if some stuff sounds better than other stuff, but you didn't change the audio signal path it means some of your source material is lower fidelity than the rest. Upgrading the equipment won't fix the problem, you need higher fidelity source material. IF they are MP3s, make sure they are 192kbit and up. Or better yet encoded with FLAC and not MP3 at all. I don't know if the PS3 media software can decode flac files though.

Movies are played in DTS, and Games mostly in Dolby, mp3 will be played Stereo. I just think changing the receiver to something that has better and powerful sounds processing will make everything sound better...

The z5500 are nothing more than a PC speaker system, and you get what you pay for..