How do I use the onboard sound on the Maximus IV Formula?

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QuadDragon

Limp Gawd
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Jun 26, 2007
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250
Hello HOCP'ers

I realize various versions of this question have been asked however i'm still a little confused :confused: I just purchased a new Asus Maximus IV Formula and a i7 3770K :) haven't had a chance to overclock it yet sadly.

However my question today is about the onboard sound for this motherboard.

I am running an Asus Nvidia 590 GTX with a DVI to HDMI cable hooked to my ONKYO 706 reciever. The ONKYO is hooked to my Samsung 55 inch TV via HDMI.

It's my understanding at this point I am not using my onboard sound at all, but am using the Nvidia HD Sound - Is this correct?

How do I get 7.1 onboard DTS connect while still using HDMI?
Am I just better off using my 7.1 Analog input from the motherboard on the ONKYO reviever? If so this would probably work great for games.
What do I do for Movies? I suppose I could use the Toss link Optical for the Movies but then I would be limited to 5.1 even if the blu ray has 7.1 sound.

Is Lucid Virtu MVP an option here to fix it so im using the onboard HDMI port for video and sound? If so will it Gimp my 590 GTX to use it that way?

All suggestions and comments welcome!
 
That Onkyo is a great receiver, the last Onkyo I owned was the Onkyo 605 and it served me well.

As far as your audio output choices, you have a few options. My setup choice would be to ignore the Maximus onboard audio and use the sound provided by your video card through HDMI.

Windows 8 Playback Devices screen

Setting up the audio this way should allow you 7.1 PCM (basically an un-encoded analog stream for each channel, instead of one encoded digital stream) for games and standard audio, and if you're playing a BluRay the receiver will then decode the DTS/DD properly.

I know this probably isn't the most clear, but let me know if you have more questions.
 
I just read that you're using a DVI to HDMI cable from the video card to the receiver. While the video portion of a DVI/HDMI cable are the same, DVI does not carry audio.

You could hit up monoprice.com for mega-cheap good quality HDMI cables that should give you the audio output you're looking for. All one cable, no mess with Toslink, etc.
 
Strangely enough the DVI to hdmi cable is carrying audio through the video card.
The Asus 590 does not have any hdmi ports , only 3 DVI ports and a display port, so if I want to use the 590 I have to use that cable or at least an dvi to hdmi adapter. Would that be preferable?

So my understanding is that for gaming the Nvidia Audio codec is going to be better than the Supreme Xfi IV onboard stuff?

And to use the Supreme Xfi IV onboard stuff I would have to use the analog ports or the onboard HDMI or SPDIF - via tosslink - Is that correct?
 
Hmm, traditionally DVI and its variants do not carry audio, but I do not doubt you and I bet that ASUS has rigged some kind of proprietary DVI to HDMI with audio by the looks of that yellow adapter. If it makes sound, so be it! However, if you went with a normal off-the-shelf DVI to HDMI cable I bet you would lose audio.

To use your motherboard audio, you could:
- HDMI out from your motherboard carrying audio only, and DVI/HDMI out from the 590GTX carrying video only (2 HDMI cables)
- Toslink out from your motherboard carrying audio only, and DVI/HDMI out from the 590GTX carrying video only (1 Toslink + 1 DVI/HDMI cable)
I can't think of a good or desirable way to use the onboard analog outputs to the receiver over your possible other options (maybe leave the motherboard audio enabled for headphone use? or disable in BIOS altogether).

As far as comparing the quality of the motherboard vs 590GTX audio, for all intents and purposes the audio coming from the toslink or HDMI out would be the same.

To minimize extra cables and multiple outputs, sticking with the 590GTX audio out is the way I would go.
 
I tried the 2 hdmi cable option but it didn't work. - I think my receiver is shot. I've ordered an Onkyo TX 809 as a replacement.

I tried the tosslink as well but all I got was loud speaker popping like when you short speaker wires, so Ive turned off the receiver for now.

Alas I guess ill have to wait for the new one to come in.
 
DVI does not carry audio, there has to be some trickery going on here. If you want to use your onboard sound, in the control pannel under sound, select your motherboards sound card as default. This way you will be getting video from your DVI to HDMI cable, and audio comming from your motherboard.
 
Devastadus said:
DVI does not carry audio, there has to be some trickery going on here. If you want to use your onboard sound, in the control pannel under sound, select your motherboards sound card as default. This way you will be getting video from your DVI to HDMI cable, and audio comming from your motherboard.
Click to expand...

Newer Nvidia cars can push audio (2 channel) over DVI using a DVI to HDMI adapter. Not sure if AMD cards can do this as well.
 
Devastadus said:
DVI does not carry audio, there has to be some trickery going on here. If you want to use your onboard sound, in the control pannel under sound, select your motherboards sound card as default. This way you will be getting video from your DVI to HDMI cable, and audio comming from your motherboard.
Click to expand...

DVI signaling can't carry audio but you can perform HDMI signaling over a DVI cable if both ends are capable of it (or one end is using a DVI -> HDMI adapter). I've never seen a DVI display that accepted HDMI signaling over DVI (theoretically they can exist), but plenty of DVI sources that can do HDMI signaling.
 
So I expect that what devman said is exactly right, I believe it is using HDMI signaling across to get sound to the TV.

That being said, I got my new Onkyo Receiver in and I managed to out sound out of the onboard HDMI port.

Currently I have the discrete graphics card (590 GTX) hooked to my Samsung 55 inch TV with the DVI to HDMI cable. I have the second hdmi cable running from my motherboard to my Onkyo receiver that shows up as a second monitor using the Intel Graphics adapter.

With this setup I am able to get sound out of the reciver but I am suck with a 2nd screen on the computer. Eairler a user mentioned using 2 hdmi cables. Was this the methoid you were talking about?

Also sound is via the Intel Display Audio which seems to have all the correct formats, Why doesn't the Realtek HDMI sound device work? Also I noticed that the realtek sound device is stuck at 2 channels and I can't seem to make the DTS connect work.

Also Lucidlogix MVP is junk, and doesn't work with the 590 GTX.

Am I really just better off using the sound card built into the Nvidia 590 GTX?
 
If you're going to use a second monitor for audio over HDMI I recommend putting it to the left of your primary display logically, that way things don't get "pushed" over to the right when you run full screen games.
 
guitarslingerchris said:
If you're going to use a second monitor for audio over HDMI I recommend putting it to the left of your primary display logically, that way things don't get "pushed" over to the right when you run full screen games.
Click to expand...

It is, and down to. I actually do have a second monitor hooked to the receiver, and its physically located there.
 
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