Sound card creative x fi. Review of external sound card Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD
24.09.2014 17:05
The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is no longer a new product on the market, however, it is one of the bright attempts of this company to please the already completely inexperienced audiophile audience.
An external sound card is definitely a specific product. Which means it is automatically audiophile. Because an ordinary user is unlikely to bother with the search for the necessary device for playing any kind of music, and even more so for sounding acoustic scenes, for example, in computer games.
The buyer, who decides to organize a mini-studio at his workplace, approaches the choice of a device for reproducing the incoming and outgoing signal purely from subjective preferences. The technical characteristics of sound recording / playback, external ports for connecting acoustics and auxiliary devices, for example, musical instruments or a microphone, are also important here. Thus, there are a lot of subtleties in the device called an external sound card.
With factory drivers and without the use of bundled and third-party software to improve and modify sound, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD sounds really good.
The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is no longer a new product on the market, however, it is one of the bright attempts of this company to please the already completely inexperienced audiophile audience. By and large, this device is able to implement two main functions - to reproduce a very high-quality sound, as well as to record it using one input connector jack format ¼ located on the front panel black box.
The main characteristics of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD stereo card are as follows: signal-to-noise ratio - 114 dBA, the X-Fi processor already known to many (from the gaming series) is installed inside, the quality of playback and recording is 24 bit / 96 kHz, which is quite good for household needs. Headphone Amplification - 330 Ohm.
In addition to the voiced instrument jack located on the front panel of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD, there is another headphone output with exactly the same form factor. On the reverse side of the device, analog tulips(two pairs) and optical TOSLINK input and output. The sound card is connected via the connector USB 2.0... Creative has not forgotten about grounding the device, which is very nice.
True Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD Capabilities hidden in the control panel, which is installed from the disc or the manufacturer's website.
During operation, the blue diode notifies the user about the device's health. The front panel of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD also houses a volume control in the style of classic receivers. Many users criticize such, but in vain. Perhaps it is too miniature, but the device itself is quite modest in size. In any case, it is convenient to control the volume, smooth and moderately tight movement of the plastic knob was created for just this.
With factory drivers and without the use of bundled and third-party software to improve and modify sound, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD sounds really good. To be honest, after using an external Behringer U-Phoria UM2 card, no difference was noticed (as an acoustic pair, we used Dual passive speakers from Germany, connected to a Telefunken RA200 amplifier). The volume reserve is more than enough, the frequencies of all ranges are excellent.
But the true capabilities of Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD hidden in the control panel, which is installed from the disc or the manufacturer's website. It contains various EAX effects, equalizer, THX TruStudio Pro functions. The panel is not overloaded with options, which means that any user can customize the sound at his own discretion. It's really worth it. The familiar sound of your favorite songs is literally updated with every turn of the slider of one or another parameter.
The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD does not support ASIO, which means that recording, as well as the subsequent playback of the track, occurs with a significant delay.
Another weighty a plus The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD consists of a wired instrument input that lets you record sound from musical instruments such as a guitar, as well as a full microphone. The sound card copes with this task very well and at the output you get audible the quality of the track, not studio quality, of course, but sufficient for personal experiments. But there is one drawback - the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD does not support ASIO, which means that the recording, like the subsequent playback of the track, occurs with a significant delay. Thus, when overlaying one track on top of another, especially when playing the first in parallel, there can be difficulties in the workflow. This is the minus of any non-professional solution, after all, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is an amateur device.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD can be purchased for 3700 rubles and higher. By and large, this is a worthy offer for the possibilities offered to the user by the monitored device, if we are talking about non-professional external cards for the home.
Beginning musicians who want to constantly evaluate the quality of their work, as they say on tape, this unit will also work, but with the caveats described above, which are associated with a large recording delay. In any case, when recording only one track in mono or stereo mode, there are essentially no problems.
And the sound quality reproduced through the analog inputs is really excellent, without any exaggeration. You just need to acquire the appropriate speakers, preferably more powerful.
Any more or less large-budget game imposes certain requirements on the player's technique - so that the processor is more powerful, the monitor is bigger, and the acoustics are of better quality. A decent sound card is also vital. The sound codecs built into motherboards, of course, do their job, but you shouldn't expect much from them.
With sound cards in the form of separate cards, everything is dull. WITH EAX 5.0 only series cards work X-Fi from Creative, the rest can only access the outdated specification EAX 2.0... As you can see, there are no or almost no alternatives to Creative products.
For some time now entered the market of sound cards ASUS... Not so long ago, she introduced a sound card Xonar DX- with a new PCIe x1 interface, better components and support for all EAX effects. With all this, the novelty is not more expensive X-Fi Xtreme Gamer.
We have thoroughly tested the Xonar DX and compared it to. It costs significantly more than the X-Fi Xtreme Gamer, but only due to the presence of an external unit with connectors and a remote control in the delivery set, so everything is fair.
| Vocabulary |
Frequency range- the frequency band that the source can reproduce. A person hears sounds with a frequency of 20 to 22,000 Hz. Sampling- the process of converting an analog signal to digital. Sampling frequency- a parameter showing how many times a second a sound wave is read. The higher the sampling rate, the wider the range of frequencies that can be recorded. For accurate sound recording up to 22 kHz, the sampling rate must be 44.1 kHz. DAC- digital-to-analog converter, required for sound output to speakers. ADC- analog-to-digital converter , required for recording. Signal to noise ratio- the ratio of the power of the useful signal to the noise level. The higher this indicator, the less noise at the output will be. The beat in the sound- the step with which you can take the values of the sound wave. With a 16-bit processor, the wave can be split into 65536 segments, with 24 bits, into 16,777,216. |
Round 1: an inside look
By 2005, Creative lost the budget sound card market to built-in codecs. I had to come to terms with this, and as a result, the company switched to more expensive solutions. As a result of such a change of course, the X-Fi (Xtreme Fidelity) chip saw the light, in terms of power it surpassed Audigy 24 times.
X-Fi has enormous capabilities: four cores work with sound at once, they calculate flows in parallel; the number of effects and methods of processing the audio stream is more than enough; at the same time, the power of the processor allows you to do all this in real time. Especially in Creative, they are proud of the X-Fi architecture - earlier the sound was passed through a rigidly defined chain of effects, with the advent of technology Audio Ring it is sent to the bus to which only the necessary modules are connected. This approach not only relieves the processor, but also allows you to get rid of unnecessary effects.
Alas, it was not without a fly in the ointment: the sound cards of the X-Fi series use outdated chips for audio output and capture, nothing has changed since the days of the Audigy. A DAC (digital-to-analog converter) is responsible for sound output Cirrus Logic CS4382, which knows how to work with acoustics of class 5.1, but is limited to a low sampling rate (96 kHz) when using multichannel audio, and the signal-to-noise ratio is too low. The same goes for the ADC (analog to digital converter). To ensure high-quality recording, Wolfson WM8775SEDS too low indicators. Whatever one may say, but today the X-Fi line does not look so attractive.
ASUS Xonar DX is another matter. This board does not have a revolutionary processor, a solid chip from C-Media and the chip Oxygen HD CMI8788 It cannot boast of anything special - its sound passes through the classic rigid chain of effects, the delays during processing in real time are relatively high. But high-quality ADC and DAC are attached to all this. Two chips are responsible for sound output at once: two-channel Cirrus Logic CS4398 and six-channel Cirrus Logic CS4362A... Together they can work with eight-channel acoustics and in terms of quality they turn out to be a cut above the solutions from Creative. It is worth recording Cirrus Logic CS5361, which has a much wider range and significantly less noise compared to Wolfson.
The X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition board looks solid: black textolite and a glowing red logo will look good in a transparent case. The card has been assembled conscientiously, the main processor is covered with a radiator. There are enough connectors on the card: there is an AUX In input for a TV tuner and an additional 4-pin power supply (the card works without it), in the center there is a connector for computer power management, for turning on from the remote control, in addition, there are two outputs for connecting external panels from X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition and Elite Pro, but there are no standard audio connectors on the case. The I / O panel includes a game port, three speaker outputs and one Flexi Jack combining digital output and microphone input. The card is connected via a PCI interface.
The Xonar DX is very different from the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition. The board is half the size of the competitor, it is connected via the PCIe x1 interface and is compatible with low-profile cases (a special bracket is included in the package). The downside is that the chips are located on both sides of the board, which is quite expected given the limited space. The Xonar DX has slightly more connectors: there is AUX In, S / PDIF In and an output to the front panel, on the input-output panel there are four outputs for acoustics and Flexi Jack.
The minus of both cards is that the connectors for the cables are too close, it will be difficult to connect expensive wires with thick insulation. In addition, the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition and Xonar DX are equally poor: only CDs with drivers and instructions. ASUS has added a low-profile bracket, which we mentioned, and an S / PDIF adapter.
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Round 2: endless possibilities
Connecting X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition begins with installing drivers and an impressive set of software. It is nowhere easier to make the settings, the programs are all understandable and reasonably convenient. It is enough to select the mode of operation of the card (games, recording, entertainment), after which the necessary functional modules are connected.
During the installation process, so many different programs are prescribed on a computer that a separate article could be devoted to them. Let's talk about the most important ones. You have to manage the map through Creative Console... The usual mixer and equalizer are available, but there are also much more interesting tabs - for example, 24-bit Crystallizer and CMSS-3D.
Let's start with the first one. The X-Fi processor is designed to work with 24-bit audio. This is all good, but in practice no one needs it, because music is written using a 16-bit stream. To justify itself, Creative just came up with the 24-bit Crystallizer technology, which artificially expands and amplifies the frequency range, the level is set as a percentage. The idea is not new, many sound editors are able to do this. One way or another, after such processing, the bass is amplified, the highs become sharper, and the mids are denser. When listening to music, at first it seems that the sound really improves and becomes more assertive, but a little later you notice that the sound is blurred. The basses turn into a puffing mess, only the loudest tones stand out from the top, the voice fades into the background against the background of the music.
The second technology turned out to be more viable. CMSS-3D is an algorithm that produces surround sound from a conventional stereo track. When you turn it on, familiar songs are transformed, there is a complete feeling that you are in the very center of what is happening: either a guitar will sound somewhere behind, or a drummer will play from the side. Another plus of CMSS-3D is the ability to turn headphones into 7.1 acoustics.
ASUS Xonar DX software pleases with its simplicity. |
A few words about cinema: technology Dolby and DTS are fully supported under Windows XP only. Everything there works at the hardware level and does not load the processor. But drivers for Windows Vista will appear only at the end of the summer (the developers are somehow in no hurry). Creative also offers its own music player, media file organizer and even a karaoke function.
ASUS doesn't have such a variety of technologies and software, but maybe it's for the better. All settings are collected in one window, in the same place you have to choose the mode of operation of the card - music, films, games. ASUS did not reinvent the wheel and took advantage of the developments Dolby Laboratories, a recognized leader in the field of sound. I would especially like to highlight the algorithm for obtaining surround sound: if Creative's CMSS-3D is impressive, then the work of Xonar DX, coupled with Dolby ProLogic literally blows the tower down. At the first acquaintance with this technology, there is a strong desire to listen to the entire music collection. Technology has performed just as well Dolby Headphone, she easily tucked in the Creative X-Fi belt. And here's why: if the CMSS-3D overloads the headphones with low frequencies, then the ASUS sound is light, airy.
Another trump card of Xonar DX - the board is excellent at positioning the sound and masterfully moving it away. In terms of sound quality, the ASUS card turned out to be cleaner than the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition, this is especially noticeable when multi-channel acoustics are connected - honest 192 kHz make themselves felt, and much less noise. The beginner is inferior only in terms of the output signal power, headphones with an impedance of 64 ohms can be swung with difficulty, an amplifier is needed.
Round 3: how does it work?
When both cards are put into game mode, the EAX settings appear, voice control, the 24-bit Crystallizer and the equalizer are disabled for the Creative, and the function is activated for the Xonar DX. DirectSound 3d GX 2.0(more on her later).
Before the tests, let's explain why Creative has long been considered the only manufacturer of sound cards aimed at gamers. The sound in games remained in the background for a long time: the steps of the characters sounded the same both on the grass and on the asphalt, changes were not felt when moving from one room to another, the distance to the character could only be judged by the picture on the monitor. Technologies like Microsoft DirectSound and Aureal 3d only supported the reverb effect and a very small number of sound sources.
To spur interest in their cards, Creative has developed EAX technology. It allowed not only to change the sound depending on the conditions in the game, but also to calculate the distance to the sources. For the first time EAX support appeared in 1999 in the cards of the series Sound Blaster Live!- then the technology allowed processing up to 32 sources, was able to independently process the effects, thereby significantly relieving the CPU. By the time X-Fi was released, the technology had grown to version 5.0. A powerful processor was taught to work with 128 sound sources, take into account the surface of the floor, walls, ceiling, smoothly change the sound when moving from one location to another, handle the obstacles encountered, and for complete happiness added an impressive number of new effects.
On the way to popularizing EAX, one problem arose - to support the technology, one card is not enough, games need to be sharpened using EAX, and this is an additional cost. Over the past three years, a little over twenty games have appeared that are compatible with EAX 5.0 - not at all. But Creative was not upset, they are still convinced that it is impossible to play without EAX. There is some truth in this, but EAX is not a panacea, in the same Call of duty 4 dispensed with this technology, and the sound is still great. And then Windows Vista came out, in which they got rid of support for hardware sound completely, it can be implemented only through the software interface OpenAL... This move by Microsoft has significantly shaken Creative's position in the market.
In general, Creative's policy in relation to EAX is quite strict, the company, in principle, does not license older versions of the standard to third-party hardware developers. There is no trial, and ASUS chose a different path: it is clear that the processor from C-Media is not powerful enough to process EAX 5.0 instructions, but the central processor of the computer copes with this task perfectly. And here they are absolutely right - modern CPUs are powerful enough, have two, three or even four cores, which are just waiting to be loaded with something. The EAX support scheme is as follows: as soon as we launch the game, DirectSound 3D GX2.0 intercepts EAX commands, sending them for processing to the CPU, after which the calculated sound goes to the card and acoustics. Nobody talks about full support for EAX 5.0, but work with 128 sound sources and basic effects are guaranteed. The solution is not the most transparent, but it works.
Round 4: final battle
To test the sound in games, we assembled a computer based on Core 2 Duo E6300 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz, installed two memory sticks of 512 MB each and limited themselves to a video card GeForce 7800 GTX 512 MB. The shock line of games was Unreal Tournament 3, Call of duty 4 and BioShock... The main thing we were interested in was how well the Xonar DX will work with EAX and whether there will be a noticeable difference compared to the X-Fi. In order not to miss anything important, the sound of each pass of the level was recorded and compared.
First in line was BioShock. The game supports EAX 5.0 and features a variety of environments with challenging environments. The first launch took place on the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition card. To heighten the effect, we first passed the level without EAX support, after which we turned it on. The difference amazed us. The sound changes radically. If without EAX everything goes in a common flow, then when processing is turned on, transitions from one surface to another are perfectly traced, the volume of rooms is felt - for example, in large rooms, steps sound more resonant than in small ones. In rooms with carpets, sounds seem to drown, while in empty rooms, on the contrary, they are amplified. It is clearly audible whether the enemy is in the same room with you or not, the distance to the sound source is easily determined. But the CMSS-3D technology clearly fails - it is impossible to understand where the source is in the headphones.
Moving on to the Xonar DX. First of all, we checked the settings, EAX was still available. The sound from the ASUS card turned out to be completely different. While a competitor from the Creative camp crushes with bass, the Xonar DX clearly distinguishes every echo. I was especially pleased with the Dolby Headphone technology - it is clearly superior to CMSS-3D. Now about the EAX effects: there is a difference by ear. Xonar DX works with some lag, the sound passing through the wall is not audible so clearly, the transitions from one room to another are sharper, the calculation of the splash of water is slightly different. Overall impression: we cannot say that the sound of the Xonar DX is worse, it is just different.
Unreal Tournament 3 interacts with EAX much more intensely than BioShock. The results of both cards in it turned out to be approximately the same. In large spaces, when playing with headphones, the Xonar DX took the lead - thanks to more competent positioning.
We left Call of Duty 4 for dessert: there is no support for EAX, so both opponents fought on equal terms. The sound in the game often loses its dynamics and is replete with high frequencies. Thanks to the bass boost and 24-bit Crystallizer, the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition delivers a dense, live sound that is much more like what you can hear in a movie theater. Xonar DX simply didn't have the necessary filters to tighten up the sound, besides, Dolby Headphone, the main trump card of this card, refused to work in the game.
Let's draw the line
ASUS has got an excellent card, it not only does not yield to Creative products in sound, but often surpasses it. When working with music or films, high-quality technologies from Dolby are used, which easily plug all Creative developments into the belt. Most importantly, the Xonar DX really does work with EAX 5.0. Not as flawless as Creative's own cards, but in the heat of battle, you can hardly tell the difference.
The Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty has a processor that the Xonar DX has yet to grow and grow. But everything else is hopelessly outdated in three years. What looked impressive recently is now becoming history. Older ADCs / DACs are inferior to the Xonar DX in all respects.
Creative has a lot of software, but it's often useless and unstable. Over the course of our tests, we got one full Windows crash and several blue screens. In addition, X-Fi cards do not have an output to a standard soundbar on the case, there is only support for expensive proprietary expansion panels.
The situation with the recording is much more complicated. Creative has advanced software and full ASIO support. The X-Fi processor provides low latency in real-time audio processing, and external panels with a large number of connectors make it easy to connect microphones and musical instruments. You can work with several channels at once - record a voice and an instrument at the same time. But the limitation in the form of 96 kHz interferes. Xonar DX allows you to make better recordings, but you can forget about working with sound in real time.
Each sound card has its own pros and cons. If you already have an X-Fi series card installed, then you should only change it to Xonar DX if you decide to buy high-quality acoustics. But if until now you have gotten by with built-in sound and you do not need to record music, then the Xonar DX will be an excellent choice.
| Two in one | |
After installing a separate sound card, the built-in codec on the motherboard will not go anywhere. It can be turned off, but is it worth the hurry? There are several ways to use two cards at the same time. You can output different audio streams to different cards. For example, if you are watching a movie, the sound goes through a discrete card. At the same time, someone wants to listen to music with headphones, then in Winamp the audio output is set to the built-in codec, and everyone is happy. Another option is to use the main card to output sound from the game, and the second one for TeamSpeak communication via a headset. Convenient and practical. |
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Introduction
The X-Fi Surround 5.1 sound card is dressed in a nice black compact case with a large rotary handle, and a lot of interesting things are hidden inside. You should not be intimidated by the lack of control keys, since the delivery set includes a very functional remote control, which we will talk about later. The connection to the PC is carried out via the classic USB 2.0 interface, so compatibility with all modern computers can be guaranteed. Of course, taking into account the rather high requirements for the computer, especially for Vista.
| Manufacturer | Creative |
| Interface | USB 2.0 |
| Sampling frequency | 96 kHz |
| Bit depth | 24 bit |
| Inputs | |
| On the map | Linear, microphone |
| Outputs | |
| On the map | 2 "tulips" + 2 mini-jacks (5.1), 1 S / PDIF optical, 1 headphones |
| DVD and cinema | |
| Standards | S / PDIF out, Power DVD support |
| Configuration | Up to 5.1 |
| 3D sound in games | |
| Standards | EAX 4.0, OpenAL, Creative Alchemy |
| Configuration | 2 and 5.1 |
| MIDI | |
| Synthesizer | No |
| Minimum configuration | |
| Windows XP SP2 | Pentium 4 1.6 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 512 MB memory |
| Windows Vista | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz, AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core or equivalent, 1 GB memory |
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Inputs and outputs
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 sound card is clearly aimed at digital entertainment, such as listening to music and watching movies, so you have to be content with the necessary inputs and outputs for these areas. The weak point is that the inputs are limited to the usual 3.5mm mini jacks for microphone and line-in. There is no digital input. The outputs are richer, there is a 5.1 output where the left and right front speakers are connected via tulips, which will delight hi-fi lovers. There is also a 3.5mm mini-jack adapter that should suit everyone. And the rear speakers and center / subwoofer are connected via regular 3.5 mm mini-jacks. There is also a digital optical S / P DIF output that allows you to connect a receiver or home theater.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Drivers and software
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 comes with software that is well known to owners of X-Fi cards and other Creative products. Nothing new in this respect, except that some of the features of the high-end X-Fi sound cards are not available. For example, Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 works only in "Entertainment / Entertainment" mode, game and music creation modes are not available. However, audio processing functions such as X-Fi Crystalizer or CMSS3D surround sound are available that can be operated with the remote control.
The sound card mixer has been cut down, only the level can be adjusted during recording.
We found a common X-Fi card panel with access to a variety of audio processing systems.
Several options are also available for the remote control.
For configuration, you can use the Audio Console in the Windows "Control Panel".
Many features of Creative software are accessed through the volume icon in the tray.
A Media Center-style interface is available, but we weren't interested in it.
Following the tradition of the latest Creative products, you can download a PowerDVD player for free, which will decode Dolby Digital and DTS. For Vista gamers, Creative has included Alchemy, a software program that will allow you to enjoy sound effects despite the change in Windows audio processing. However, X-Fi 5.1 Surround, like all USB cards, is not aimed at gamers.
It should be noted that the sound card, like many new models, is capable of working under Windows XP or Vista without installing drivers. If you can be content with the simplest functions, you can plug in a sound card without changing anything in the system. Of course, if you want to get the most out of Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1, you'll have to install drivers and software.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Test configuration
Test configuration.
- Processor: Pentium 4 2.4 GHz;
- memory: 1 GB DDR;
- video card: nVidia GeForce Ti 4200;
- hard drive: 80 GB 7,200 rpm;
- optical drive DVD LG 16 / 48x;
- OS: XP SP3;
- DirectX version: 9.0c.
Loudspeakers.
- Creative Gigaworks S750, Logitech Z2200.
Video playback.
- Power DVD.
Measurements.
- Right Mark Audio Analyzer 6.0.6;
- sound measurement system DAAS.
The tests were conducted through record / playback (input and output were connected), and it could be expected that the recording system is of inferior quality than the playback system. Therefore, we conducted separate playback tests, where a professional sound card E-MU 1616m was used for recording.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Test results: 16 bits, 44.1 kHz
Uneven frequency response: Nearly ideal performance for these parameters.
Noise level: very low, close to the theoretical maximum you would expect at this setting.
Nonlinear distortion: very low, so no problem.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Test results: 24 bit, 48 kHz
Uneven frequency response: The frequency response goes up to 24 kHz without much attenuation. You can hardly ask for more.
Noise level: The frequency bandwidth is wider, the noise is felt more, but remains at a very low level.
Nonlinear distortion: Distortion is still very low.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Test results: 24 bit, 96 kHz
Uneven frequency response: we get 30 kHz at -0.5 dB and 40 kHz at -2 dB! You can hardly ask for more ...
Noise level: The noise level is still very low.
Nonlinear distortion: distortion is very low in practice.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Test results: 24 bit, 96 kHz (playback)
Uneven frequency response: The frequency response reaches 20 kHz with very little attenuation.
Noise level: the noise level does not exceed 100 dB, which is just great for a sound card at this price.
Nonlinear distortion: Distortion is very low.
As tests have shown, the quality of the sound card is very good, without weak points. This is not to say that it cannot be better, but X-Fi Surround 5.1 gives quite sufficient quality for all target use cases: if the quality is unsatisfactory, then other elements in the playback chain will be to blame. In practice, we were quite satisfied with our listening test equipment. The quality was not satisfactory, X-Fi processing allowed to improve the sound from most sources.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 | Conclusion
The X-Fi Surround 5.1 sound card is sold at a very affordable price of 70 euros (at the time of publication in Russia it has not yet arrived). At the same time, it provides unassuming, but high-quality surround sound, both on a laptop and on a desktop PC. Taking into account the fact that laptops are often equipped with not the highest quality integrated sound, this is a very interesting option. However, the main obstacle will be high system requirements, especially under Vista.
Advantages.
- Very good sound quality;
- works in basic mode without installing drivers;
- PowerDVD player included.
disadvantages.
- High system requirements.
Instructions for setting the maximum sound quality on a Creative X-Fi sound card.
2015-08-18T08: 43
2015-0408-18T08: 43
Audiophile "s Software
Note: The information in this article is relevant for the Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI sound card (as well as those similar to XtremeMusic, Fatality, etc.) and Windows Vista to 10 operating systems. cards. When using interfaces / devices / drivers / programs other than those specified in this article, the setting may not lead to the desired result.
Copyright (C) 2015, Taras Kovrijenko
Full or partial copying of the text is allowed.
1. Introduction
Note: since I would not like to repeat myself, and also so that you do not miss something important, I highly advise you to read this article from beginning to end.
The first thing I want to say is that a sound card is worth its money. Given its capabilities (which many probably don't know about), $ 100 is a very reasonable price. Besides, other manufacturers simply do not have analogs of this card (in terms of multimedia capabilities).
2. Preparing for installation
It means that we have, as they say, "out of the box". This is actually the sound card itself, a bunch of manuals and other waste paper, and two disks: one for Windows XP, the other for Windows Vista. "What should Windows 7 and 8 users do?" - you ask. “Take these two disks and put them neatly in the trash bin,” I will answer. Well, at least put it back in the box with the waste paper and throw it away in the closet. Simply because it won't need anything from that disk. You can, of course, install software from these disks, but the fact is that drivers, for example, will have to be installed for XP, and software for Windows Vista. In this case, you have to go to a number of tweaks (like compatibility modes, etc.). And it's not a fact that in the end all this will work properly. In addition, a lot of unnecessary garbage is installed from the disk.
Therefore, we will go the other way, downloading the latest software versions in one package, already sharpened for the new OS - say thanks to Daniel Kawakami.
3. Installing drivers and utilities
So, how everything should look initially:
Moreover, there should be nothing Creative-related in the Start-> Programs folder (and in Add / Remove Programs). If this is not the case for you, run Add / Remove Programs and clean it. After removing all software from Creative, unpack the Support Pack, go to the \ Audio \ Drivers \ SBXF subfolder and run the Setup.exe file. After selecting everything, as in the screenshot, click ok:
Having got rid of Creative software and got a device without drivers in the manager, we reboot again (just in case).
And now we go directly to the installation. It is advisable to install the following components from the X-Fi Support Pack:
- Audio Drivers - latest versions of sound card drivers;
- Audio Control Panel - provides basic options for setting up a sound card;
- Console Launcher - control center for sound card capabilities;
- Speaker Setup Console (THX) - a utility for calibrating 3D effects in accordance with the position of the listener relative to sound sources;
- Volume Panel is a handy utility that starts automatically and allows you to adjust the volume directly in the tray and launch other utilities from there;
- ALchemy is a utility that restores hardware environment effects in Windows Vista +.
We respond positively to the proposal to restart.
If everything went well, after starting the OS, a silvery icon with a volume knob will appear in the tray, and in the start you will see the Creative program group:
And, of course, at startup, the system should already make some sounds (if they are enabled).
4. Configuring Windows Mixer
As I said before, Microsoft has made the sound subsystem much more complex since Windows Vista. At the same time, not only has the functionality expanded, but also some "pitfalls" have appeared.
Well, let's try to get around these stones.
Go to Windows Control Panel-> Hardware and Sound-> Sound. This window will appear:
Disable SPDIF through the context menu (because in some cases this device is capable of switching the reference frequency of the sound card, which is undesirable), in the same way make our device (Creative SB X-Fi Speakers) the default device (if it is not is an). Then double click on the device. Now check that the settings on the tabs match the screenshots:
5. Sound card modes
In order to make the most of the X-Fi DSP resources for a wide variety of tasks, there are three modes:
- Audio Creation Mode - audio creation, and in our case, playback. Since only in this mode accurate sound output is available without unnecessary conversions.
- Entertainment Mode - the mode is mainly designed for reproduction of multichannel audio (including tracks to video films) with the imposition of various effects, channel conversion, etc.
- Game Mode - the name of the mode speaks for itself. Only here you get access to the latest Creative developments in the field of 3D sound for an unsurpassed effect of presence in modern games.
It is convenient to switch modes through the Volume Panel context menu:
The Console Launcher window appears when you double click on the Volume Panel icon in the tray.
5.1 Audio Creation and Music Playback
So, turn off all unnecessary:
Now a few words about setting up the foobar2000 player. Due to the unreliability of other interfaces (they really sometimes turn out to be not quite adequate), it is recommended to output sound through ASIO. Fortunately, this card has a full-featured ASIO 2.0 driver. All you need is to install the foo_out_asio plugin (you can download it on the foobar2000 + plugins page), add an ASIO device in the plugin settings, and select it in the output settings. Pay attention to the channel layout (useful for multi-channel systems).
Now you can enjoy clear sound, not spoiled by all sorts of "enhancers" and other nonsense.
Another nice little thing - the ASIO driver automatically switches the reference frequency of the sound card in accordance with the sampling frequency of the audio being played. For example, if you first played a track with a frequency of 44.1 kHz, and then you start a track with a frequency of 96 kHz, the reference frequency will switch, accompanied by a characteristic sound. Some people do not like this, however, this function is a significant advantage, because only if the frequency of the material and the reference frequency of the card coincide, bit-by-bit playback is possible. Plus, now you probably won't need a resampler.
But here it is necessary to make a remark - sometimes there are tracks with a sampling frequency different from those supported by the ASIO driver (remember: these are 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz). For such cases, you can add SoX Resampler mod to the DSP chain (which can be downloaded from the same page foobar2000 + plugins). It will resample all frequencies not included in the list of supported ones (we specify them in the resampler settings) to the specified frequency - to minimize quality loss, just in case, we will specify 96 kHz:
5.2 Entertainment Mode - Watching Movies
This mode opens up some interesting possibilities of the X-Fi signal processor.
Want to enjoy the 5.1 sound of your favorite movie, but don't have multichannel speakers? Not a problem! After all, a person has only two ears, which means that with the help of two sound emitters, you can recreate absolutely any virtual source at any point around the listener, so much so that it will be indistinguishable from the real one!
Using special processing algorithms, the X-Fi chip converts multichannel audio to 2.0 for acoustics or headphones (note that the algorithms for creating a surround effect in headphones and speakers are very different).
And now - about how we can take advantage of these opportunities. First of all, let's launch the Console Launcher:
Let's consider the main sections one by one.
In this section you need to choose the configuration of your speaker system, or headphones. Pressing the THX button opens the speaker calibration window. We are interested in the Speaker Position tab. The fact is that when using a two-channel speaker system (which most users have), the position of the listener relative to the sound emitters is far from always the same (worse, sometimes it is unstable, but there is nothing you can do about it). In order for the algorithms for creating the ambience effect to work, they need the correct data about the position of the listener. In this case, it is necessary to indicate the distance to each sound emitter and the angle of rotation about the central axis. If it's not clear, let me explain: I mean the angle between the two lines:
- a line connecting the listener's head to a dot directly in front of his face.
- the line between his head and the sound emitter
The angle is counted clockwise (as viewed from above), the parameter value can take negative values.
So, if you want a 3D effect - hold a ruler and go ahead - measure it;)
On this tab, you can enable the effect of the environment - an amphitheater, a concert hall, etc. In the case when selected None, the Enable EAX Effects checkbox does not affect anything, but just in case, leave this option enabled.
This option is responsible for enabling X-Fi CMSS 3D - an algorithm designed to improve the surround effect and positioning accuracy of virtual sources. This function will be useful when playing multichannel audio on 2.0 acoustics or headphones, or vice versa - for the so-called upmix - decomposing sound into several channels (for example, playing stereo recordings on a 5.1 system). If you turn it on when playing, say, stereo material through headphones, it will be of little use - except that some effect of virtual sound sources directly in front of the listener will be created, which, for example, does not sound very pleasant to my ears. But in any case, the choice is yours.
The famous (thanks to eloquent marketers from Creative) X-Fi Crystalizer - sometimes it can give expressiveness to the sound, but at the same time it inevitably introduces a significant portion of distortion. Lovers of "honest sound" are certainly not recommended. Although, by ear, it sounds very interesting when the slider is set to minimum - distortion in this case is almost invisible, but the effect is pretty good.
Smart Volume Management - to some extent - the same Advanced Limiter in foobar2000, albeit with a larger pre-buffer. Since the data on the DSP output is inevitably converted to a fixed-point format, measures must be taken to prevent clipping, which is what Creative's programmers did. When SVM sees an excess of the permissible volume in a fragment of an audio stream, it underestimates its volume. The main disadvantage is compression (the volume balance between audio fragments changes significantly). Dynamic range compression is the second purpose of SVM, though. If, for example, you want to watch a movie at low volume at night (so as not to disturb anyone), but when the volume is lowered, quiet sounds cease to be heard - this is where the compressor will help. It will increase the volume of quiet parts, bringing them to approximately the same level with the rest - and you can adjust the overall volume to the level you need.
But if there is no need for the above, I would advise when turning on the effects (and playing multichannel sound, incl.) - set the volume (Master Volume) not to maximum, but about 50% - usually this is enough to avoid distortion.
Here we see a regular 10-band equalizer with an additional level control. If not needed, turn it off.
And this is a sound card mixer. Here you can enable playback from line-in, microphone, etc. Turn off unnecessary sources (since the line input and microphone, for example, can make noise).
With a sound card, that's it. As for the player, there are also some nuances here. First, the player should output the sound "AS IS". That is, all software mixers must be turned off so that in the case of 5.1 tracks, for example, all 6 channels are directly transmitted to the sound card. For watching movies, I can recommend the MPC HomeCinema player and ffdshow audio / video filters (included in the Sam CoDec Pack). I would also like to write about their setting in detail, but it will be later in another article. Below I will give the main points of setting up sound output (player and ffdshow filter), and there - I hope you figure it out:
5.3 Game mode - surround sound in games.
Creative is without a doubt the leader in 3D audio for gaming. It was Creative programmers who created a set of extensions for DirectSound3D, the so-called. EAX. You can read about this technology in the EAX FAQ and Wikipedia.
The latest version of EAX at the moment is 5.0, but our card supports all versions up to and including the fifth.
So let's get started with the setup. Some sections of the settings overlap with the settings of the Entertainment mode, so we will not review them again.
This tab contains the basic settings - speaker configuration (which must be set in accordance with the actual configuration of your speaker), SVM, EAX on / off (meaning only environmental effects - reverberation, etc.). Mic Environment FX is a new feature that lets you apply effects to the microphone sound to match your surroundings in 3D game play.
Also, in this mode, speaker position calibration (THX) is extremely important. And I also advise you to pay attention to the Master Volume - in order to avoid distortions, it is advisable to keep this control in the position somewhere around 35-40%.
Of particular interest in this mode are the X-Fi CMSS-3D settings. When this feature is enabled (which is highly recommended for dramatically improving the 3D effect in games), two new extensions are available in EAX 5.0:
- MacroFX- the effect significantly increases the realism of sound sources located in the immediate vicinity of the ear.
- Elevation Filter- the effect significantly improves the positioning of sources along the vertical axis (above / below the listener).
Parameter value On means forcibly turning on the effect for all sound sources (for which the effect is intended). By clicking on the Test button, you can run a small test of the environment effects.
Well, we're done with setting up the sound card. The software setting remains. As I already wrote, unfortunately in Windows 7 programs do not have direct access to the hardware resources of the sound card through the DirectSound3D API. The only API that has access to hardware 3D sound is OpenAL. So, without hesitation, Creative started developing the Alchemy utility that converts DirectSound / EAX calls to OpenAL. I'll tell you about its setting now.
So, if you followed all the instructions exactly from the beginning of the article, you should already have Creative ALchemy 1.43.06 beta installed. It was not for nothing that I chose this version, since in some incomprehensible way the latest release version does not quite honestly fulfill its functions - it is obvious that EAX with its use is software, plus the MacroFX and Elevation Filter effects do not work.
So, on the left we see a list of installed games that were detected automatically. By moving the game to the right list, we automatically enable the Alchemy functionality for it.
You can also add games manually. Let's take this opportunity. Install the RightMark 3DSound program and add the address of the folder with the executable file of the RightMark 3DSound Positioning Accuracy test (RightMark3DSound.exe) utility to the Creative Alchemy list:
Let's move the added program to the right list. Now the program can be started.
The screenshot shows how you can recreate a sound source located behind an obstacle, behind, to the right of the listener.
This program is a great opportunity to try MacroFX and Elevation filter technologies. Turning these effects on and off, try to first bring the sound source in the program closer to the listener's ear, and then move it down and up along the vertical axis - you will feel the difference!
And do not be confused that the program does not include EAX 5.0 - most of the effects of this version are automatically applied to all sound sources, regardless of the version of EAX supported by the program / game.
Games are configured according to the same principle - the main thing is to add the address of the folder with the executable file of the game to Alchemy. If the game has the appropriate settings, they need to enable EAX support. If there is no such option, there is an alternative: enable multichannel sound in the game. At the same time, it will be converted to stereo by the sound card and you will get excellent positioning of sounds.
If you want to fully experience all the effects of EAX 5.0, I can recommend S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat. This game uses the OpenAL sound engine, which gives it direct access to all EAX effects (no need to use Alchemy) - you just need to enable EAX support in the game settings and select the SB X-Fi Audio device.
6. Epilogue
That's all I wanted to tell you about the X-Fi XtremeGamer setup. I hope the information in this article was useful for you and now you can unleash the full potential of your sound card. Happy listening!
14.01.2020
Andrey XIMIKATOR
GradePros: not bad sound
good amplification (my 16 ohm headphones usually work at 20-40% volume)
Cons: buggy drivers.
- the microphone is regularly bugged (in place of the sound, there is just a hiss at a wild volume, it can only be cured by restarting the PC or pulling out the plug from the sound)
- sometimes the whole sound is bugged (the sound completely disappears, it is treated by pulling out the plug from the sound)
- only 1 adapter for 3.5 minijack included
Testimonial: I use several in my home PC for games and music.
Of all the sound cards I have (ASUS D1, Asus Xonar AE, Creativ HD), this card is the most pleasant sounding without any additional settings, but it got the baggage. For 4 years now, I have it and the microphone is regularly bugged, on any Windows, any assembly, the drivers are the freshest from the site. I'm just tired of being overloaded every time to make the microphone work, and all my friends are enraged that I go into the disk drive with a wild noise instead of a voice. what I just didn’t do and installed other drivers and changed Windows and the microphone changed one figs every second boot of Windows is bugged: (I solved the problem simply - I plugged the microphone into the built-in sound system on my computer, but even so the problems did not end. so often (once a month) but disappears - I fly by plugging the USB cable ...
in general, the sound as a piece of iron is cool, but the software is still junk.
12/30/2019 Rating
Pros: Sound quality is good. Good headroom - can pump headphones with impedance up to 330 ohms
Cons: Volume control - small backlash, uncomfortable grip due to small size
Review: This thing is worth the money.
30.07.2019
Andrey G.
GradePros: Sound and more sound
Cons: Headphones sound much lower than expected. It seems that my Sennheiser HD 598 simply does not swing. When trying to digitize a record from a vinyl player, I got a lot of incomprehensible noise and interference. Disconnecting (physical or hardware) line-out helps. Those. digitization control is not possible. Well, I didn't like the quality of digitization (subjective)
Review: If you take this card for listening to music and nothing else, I recommend it. If you want something more, it is better to choose something else. I play it through a vintage SONY TA-313 on Mission 702 bookshelf speakers. The sound is just super! I mainly listen to jazz and old rock. Before it was the Adigy SE for many years, this card is much better. And of course ASIO. Previously it was not, now it is. I won't write about Fubar and HiRes, so much has been written. BUT! Without ASIO - a completely different sound, JetAudio does not roll. At all. So if you didn't start singing right away, tinker with the settings, it's worth it.
14.03.2019
Alexey Bereznikov
GradePros: Sound, compactness, design.
Cons: Drivers, lack of frequency 44100.
Feedback: With the latest win 10 updates, it was possible to install the native driver only in safe mode, it suffered all day, and only after that the native asio drivers started working. Compared to the ancient realtek, the sound has improved even by mp3. I use it in conjunction with the floor mogul and the Cambridge stereo receiver. In terms of sound, the top became clearer and brighter, the lower ones are deeper, the overall detail has increased. I set up the fubar player according to all the recommendations, but more for complacency. I think it's enough to put the ASIO driver in the aim, I did not hear the difference in the players. And if you do not suffer from audiophilism, then you can not tune anything and listen like that.
22.12.2017
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GradeCons: It breaks in about a year, two cards are already broken.
22.12.2017
Avdenin Nikolay
GradePros: Beautiful, There are optics, Good software (works under Win 10).
Cons: Not found yet
Testimonial: I bought it in order to send a digital signal to the receiver via optics and for this task it copes perfectly.
But I can also say that my JBL mini speakers with this card started playing in a new way too.
P.S. In the photo there is a card on the receiver, baby))
22.12.2017
Eremina Svetlana
GradePros: Great sound in headphones, I listen - Sennheiser HD 558.
Cons: Terrible dancing with tambourines for output in ASIO
Review: For me, this is the best option in terms of price-quality ratio.
22.12.2017
Dmitry Sedak
GradePros: Price-quality, sound for this price (the sound digital chip is not bad, maximum at 96 kHz, but this is enough with good tuning and pairing with the audio path)
Cons: there are no native drivers for Linux, but I was determined right away too, everything works
Review: A normal initial music-lover card, in terms of audio output it is only slightly higher in sound quality (or even similar) than built-in laptop realtecs and other Intel HD audio. At first, I just listened through the stereo audio output connected to the receiver, then I wanted more, read about the tweaks of this card, climbed inside, first shorted out the output electrolytes (these are SMD elements) - deeper bass appeared. And then I just connected SPDIF via the optical output - and the sound quality improved immediately by a step, now there are enough of the very lows (in frequencies, but this will be noticeable only on large speakers) and the highs, the detail has greatly increased, the feeling is similar to SD, although compare I have not tried sounding in the forehead with a normal CD player. Yes, besides, in Linux, I manually (in the terminal) increased the system sampling to 96 kHz and set the sound quality to maximum, because the processor resources for sound are not required (it turned out that by default there was something in between, where in Windows these settings are generally unknown and not available). After all that was done, I did not carry out instrumental measurements, the sound is now close or similar to the SD player. The system now has 2 cards: Creative - always works as a hi-fi player, is configured to work only through the DeaDBeeF player and the built-in audio card works simultaneously with it - it independently works for all other needs.
22.12.2017
Cherkun Julia
GradePros: Great card. SOLO 7c played just fabulous !!
Cons: I didn't notice, oh yes, the remote control would still be !!
Review: Compared with the built-in Realtek, the earth and the sky. On Windows 10, the drivers from the Of site got up without problems. After purchase, the difference in sound is audible with an unarmed ear ... I advise
22.12.2017
Shvetsov Igor
GradePros: Finally, the Pioneer HDJ-1000 headphones, which had been lying for 5 years, rejected for poor sound (I thought I bought a fake), sounded, and even like, elastic bass, amazing middle, top without enthusiasm, but very good. Conclusion, for high-impedance headphones you need an amplifier, this device has it)))
Cons: Price, but I found it on Avito for 3 thousand, so I don't care)))
Feedback: For those who are not subject to audiophile kinks, but who appreciate decent sound
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: Budget, mobile, high quality.
Cons: no mini jack adapter for female rca.
Review: Before that I listened to music, games from the built-in codec, motherboard asrock h55m-le, read reviews that why, the same thing ... started to doubt whether it was necessary? I read tests, a good chip, a headphone amplifier, an adequate price [74 euros], I have to take it, ordered it in the online store, took it, frantically unpacked it, plugged it in and ... full immersion in the ocean of sounds ... crystal clatter of highs, velvet and the depth of the lows, amazingly realistic midrange scene ... yes I listen through JVC HA-RX700 headphones, budget but not bad. games, Combat Arms, at first it was scary ... the feeling of complete presence, the explosion of a grenade ... the feeling of complete doom ... the low-frequency rumble and vibration of the whole house ... In a word, who doubts - a worthy thing.
22.12.2017
Alexey Tokarev
GradePros: 1.DAC AK 4396
2.Sound better than ALC 883
3.All the advantages of USB connection
4.Digital optical output (can be used as USB to SPDIF converter)
5. 6.3 mm headphone jack (for me personally, this is very good)
6.Amplifier for headphones with impedance up to 330 ohms (just fine)
7.Support ASIO (added all the same in the latest drivers)
Cons: 1.No support for 44.1kHz sampling rate (although I think the audio quality degrades slightly when upsampling 44.1 at 48kHz, if at all.)
2. Not very convenient "software" volume control.
located low (almost at the table surface), it is also smooth (it is impossible
what could be done with the notches so that the fingers do not slip).
Someone wrote about clicks - I don't have them.
3.All there are EAX, SBX effects, maybe not bad in some films
or games, but you don't need nafig to listen to music. Speaking of EAX: how
written on the manufacturer's "special site" supports EAX Advanced
HD 5.0. Specially installed Bioshock game which supports EAX
5.0 and compared the sound with Realtek - I did not notice the difference. All this support -
frank, sorry, bullshit. And of course, what difference can there be
if the card does not have hardware resources to support EAX in games, but software
It is simply unrealistic to process the effects in a high-quality manner, but I took the map for
music, and not for games and it didn't upset me much.
That's probably all the disadvantages.
Review: Took to listen to music with headphones. This is my first discrete ZK, so I expected more from her. Yes, overall (compared to ALC 883) sound
has changed. I will not be clever and use the phrases: "improved
scene "," the sound became not so squeezed ", etc. What I really heard -
the sound has become clearer and clearer. Difficult to quantify the change in quality
maybe 30%, maybe 50% - I can't say. Just a good sound, but with
the following conditions are met: 1. Good headphones (I myself listen to the Sennheiser HD 558) or acoustics. 2.Foobar 2000 player with ASIO plugin installed. 3. Music in flac format. In general, a good card and I think there is hardly anything better for that kind of money. The same quality - yes, but hardly better.
Total: a good ZK for those who want to improve the sound on a laptop or desktop.
computer. But is it worth paying 4 tr. you decide.
22.12.2017
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GradePros: sound
Cons: indicator color, volume control location
Feedback: The sound is good. Juicy, detailed, powerful. Foobar, resampler sox, kernel streaming output
22.12.2017
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GradePros: Not a bad, inexpensive external audio card. Except 44.1 kHz sampling rate support. The sound quality suits more than completely, since I listen not to equipment, but to music) The main thing is that it brings pleasure)
I will single out the advantages:
1) ASIO support
2) Compactness
3) Powerful amplifier
4) Auto mute line-out when headphones are connected
Cons: 44.1 kHz, you have to use a resampler
Feedback: Sound card settings (24, 48) - All enhancers are disabled. Foobar: Sox resampler (48), ASIO
22.12.2017
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GradePros: Compact size, sleek design. The presence of an optical output that allows the card to be used as a pass-through USB-SPDIF converter without internal signal processing. Application of top-end precision DAC AKM AK4396 and analog playback path similar to the professional E-MU 0404 USB.
Perhaps this is the best solution in the segment of external USB-cards, which do not have the requirements of professional sound recording, as for the aforementioned E-MU, and the main task is high-quality reproduction.
Cons: No.
Feedback: I use it as a headphone amplifier and to connect a laptop with an external DAC as part of a Harman Kardon HK990 + HD990 stereo system in two connection options:
The first is using our own DAC card for listening in headphones. Quite decent audio processing and an amplifier that easily rocks the Sennheiser HD 598.
The second is the main option for which the card was purchased, with the SPDIF output connected. The optical signal pre-tuned to 24 bit / 96 kHz is fed to the input of the Harman Kardon HD990, which is used as an external DAC with 24 bit / 384 kHz processing and then connected to the HK990 amplifier with balanced cables. The sound is mesmerizing, the depth of detail is striking. Bass, mids and highs are all in place.
In both use cases, the card demonstrates excellent stage design and overall light, transparent sound.
_
P.S. Some settings in Foobar to make the map work correctly:
1. Playback - DSP Manager: Added Resampler (SoX) with Target samplerate - 96000, Quality - Best, Passband - 99%, Allow aliasing / imaging checkbox and Phase response 50%. Also, the Advanced Limiter plug-in has been added to the DSP Manager to limit the level of the components of the audio stream, which, as a result of resampling, can turn out to be above the maximum level, causing unpleasant clicks.
2. Playback - Output: Set WASAPI (event): Speaker (USB Sound Blaster HD) when using headphones and line-out or WASAPI (event): SPDIF-Out (USB Sound Blaster HD) when using as USB-SPDIF converter.
3. Also, do not forget to set the software settings for the card itself. For Windows 8, right-click on the volume icon in the lower left corner, then "Playback devices", right-click on "SPDIF-Out (USB Sound Blaster HD", "Properties", "Advanced" tab and here set "2 channel, 24 bit, 96000 Hz (Studio recording) ". And repeat the same in" Playback devices "for" Speaker (USB Sound Blaster HD) "
22.12.2017
Zolotorevich Roman
GradePros: Sound, design, equipment.
Cons: Can't enable 96,000Hz @ 24bit on Mac.
Feedback: I use it on MacBook Pro 2012. Plug "n" play device - plugged in and forgotten, it works with a poppy, but you cannot turn on 96,000Hz at 24-bit, although the card supports this mode according to the specification.
The sound is cleaner compared to a laptop card.
The case is compact, not easily soiled, with a pleasant appearance and soft indicator light. Lightweight, but heavy enough not to fall off the table under the weight of the wires.
I do not know why the volume control is being criticized here, it is quite convenient for itself (by the way, the sound of the system changes on the makos, and not just the sound of the output stream).
Includes a trustworthy, thick-braided, anti-interference USB cable, plus a long tulip to 3.5 jack adapter.
22.12.2017
Epimakhov Nikolay
GradePros: Excellent sound, the "depth of the cloudless sky" immediately appears, in comparison with the built-in sound.
Cons: Falls off periodically. When it is turned off, after it has fallen off, it clicks loudly on the YUSB. this happens after turning on the beech from sleep.
Feedback: I listen with a Hybrid amplifier from Acousticslab on C-130 systems with speakers from Visaton. Happy as an elephant.
12/22/2017 Rating
I have been the owner of this card for several months and it seems that only now I understood all its charm. The native entertainment console (software that comes with the map) has such an effect as surround. By adjusting it to 50%, the sound actually becomes 3-dimensional. Moreover, this three-dimensionality is good not only in films and games, but also in music. Together with it, I have AKG k 701 headphones, and with this card they sound much cooler in three-dimensional sound than on the built-in one. In general, it seems to me that if you buy a card, then only for the sake of this effect. 5 out of 5 for this price.
12/22/2017 Rating
I bought a Sennheiser HD 380 Pro about a year ago. I use it to listen to music and video with pleasure, later buying studio monitors KRK RP5-G2 SE for it. I use it via foobar2000 with DSP Resempler 96000 Hz and Kernel Streaming plugin, only Lossless (FLAC, APE, WV). The sound quality is great. The volume margin is large. I realize that this "HD box" is the weakest link in my system, but I am in no hurry to take something expensive and professional, because operational amplifiers, transistors, resistors and cables are the second thing, because (ARGUMENT - http://www.youtube. com / watch? v = TgnZgGK1AJw), watch this argument on YouTube. Directly to the card, there are no complaints, people have: supposedly there is no hardware support for the sampling rate of 44100Hz - indeed, no, but this is compensated by a very high-quality hardware resampler. There is no ASIO, but bitwise output can be organized with the Kernel Streaming or WASAPI output plugin. With the right tuning, the card sings "bless you"! A good amplifier for the ears is built in. It's a pity, only that no one made measurements of the sowing device, there are no graphs anywhere. If the budget is limited, then take without a doubt, if you can spend more "babloids", then look towards the EMU, it will be better in terms of characteristics, the question is, will you understand this difference ?!
22.12.2017
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GradePros: Inexpensive. After setting up the player, you can get quite decent sound, there is a headphone amplifier and even line inputs. If you need a universal card to replace the deranged, noisy built-in sound in your laptop, or you need a digital output, then this is what you need.
Cons: Out of the box, it plays extremely mediocre, obviously not on the 3100 that were given for it. There is no hardware support for the sampling rate of 44100Hz. There is no ASIO support, that is, if the card is needed strictly for music on headphones, then you should look for something more specialized, for example http://market.yandex.ru/model.xml?modelid=7815058&hid=90554.
Requires customization.
Feedback: So, first we bleed the driver and get rid of interruptions in the sound, then we change the firmware to the last one, I found 1_0_110519, this eliminates the unpleasant clicks that sometimes appear during playback, then (for the foobar2000 player) we find the library that gives us WASAPI support, we activate it in the Output settings and turn on the DSP called Resampler (PPHS), you can use any other resampler. And so we got a decent quality of music playback. Without these manipulations, the sound does not differ much from the integrashka. If you do not have a laptop, then look for internal PCI / PCI-E cards, you will find cheaper and better ones.
22.12.2017
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GradePros: Looks, great sound, best value for money for music and movies
Cons: The freest software, did not get up right away, there were many problems with the installation
Feedback: The sound is clear, automatically turns off the headphones when you remove the plug, switches to the line-out and, by analogy, back, convenient. I've been digging for a long time with WASAPI, plug-ins for players and the like, but now I can't turn off the music! It became pleasant to sit in the headphones, the speakers began to sound with a bang, the high-quality equalizer helped a lot, which processes the sound at the output, and not in some kind of player. It's a pity it doesn't work when outputting audio via WASAPI.
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: High-quality sound, build quality, a sufficient length of usb cable (I thought it would be short), an ideal replacement for a sound card (Realtek) in my laptop and PC, the difference is huge.
Cons: No
Feedback: The sound card is connected to the receiver via an optical audio cable, 2 front Hi-Fi speakers are connected to the receiver, the sound is great, after Realtek on the PC. I only listen to Lossless (FLAC, APE, WV), and also watch Blu-ray Disc movies, if you listen to mp3, and also watch dvdrip and hdrip movies, in cheap headphones, not on optics, not through a receiver and on cheap speakers this card you don't need it.
22.12.2017
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GradePros: - sound
- full support for Linux
Cons: - I immediately want to buy good acoustics
- you begin to distinguish between flac 16/48 and 24/96, listening to mp3 is not at all interesting
Feedback: The card is revealed only when playing 24/96. The first day is complete disappointment and regret about money, then you start to twist something, read manuals, forums. And one day it starts up in the right mode!
22.12.2017
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GradePros: Naturally the price of the device
Great sound in the right hands (for the money)
Built-in headphone amp
Cons: Not revealed.
Feedback: I have been using this device for about a month. It was bought primarily for headphones because it has a built-in amplifier for them and a completely adequate price. Currently works in conjunction with Sennheiser HD 25-1-II. Some here write that they did not notice practically the difference with the built-in sound))) Well, guys ... it's not just a bear stepping on your ear ... he was still trampling it .. trampled .. trampled! The card starts playing ONLY after tuning (which the blonde can handle) and provided that the material is listened to in quality, and not compressed mp3! Purely for listening to music, this card is enough with ears. It is imperative to take it because there are no analogues for that kind of money and will not be.
22.12.2017
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GradePros: The sound is crystal clear, there is no mess, all frequencies are in place.
Cons: Problems with installation and configuration, which, however, are solved.
Feedback: I connect this card to a laptop via a "USB extension cable via twisted pair", which allows you to place the laptop at a distance of up to 100 meters from the receiver. Very comfortably:)
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: The main thing for me is that the sound has gotten better in the end. This is my first not built into my mother's audicort. And I am not disappointed with the purchase. The sound has become more .. I don't even know ... not blurry anymore, sometimes some tracks could just be viewed as a bunch of noise, everything is fine with this card, besides, a lot of possibilities in the software setting have been added, in addition to the good old equalizer, there are also settings THX, while watching movies I turn on all the functions there, everything is very worthy. Before buying, I straightened the sound with various software as best I could, so that it was more and more detailed, the best thing I found was SRS products. He really did something about what I wanted, but the details and airiness became the victim of this, that is, the sound was simply killed. As a result, I decided on; besides, 3 thousand is quite an acceptable amount for me to just spend on something new.
Cons: Low weight, for some reason I expected it to be more weighty. And the legs are not serious, they look like Velcro for chairs so that the floor does not scratch. Meager equipment. They could have made it more expensive, but put everything that might come in handy. The set included a 3.5mm jack (dad) -> two tulips. Where to stick it at all? Personally, I needed two tulips in two tulips, since I had such a house. Someone generally needs optics ... I would also not mind.
Review: All software works with Windows 8 x64, though I didn't install it from the disk, I downloaded it from the site right away. The device was generally identified without problems (the drivers, of course, were immediately replaced with branded ones). Adjusting the volume in the OS through the wheel on the device works in the same way as mute when pressed. Even a baby can figure out the settings in the software, but it is not translated into Russian. I spent 3-4 hours tuning, listening a lot to different genres to make some kind of universal settings, listened, naturally in flac, finished, was delighted, because the difference is really significant and my Sven Royal 2 played unprecedentedly cheerfully ... But then I began to listen to mp3 and realized that the media library would have to be rebuilt in a more decent quality, before the difference between compressed formats and no was not so obvious. In general, if you like to listen to music and have money - buy it! For professionals who choose a tool for work, I can not say anything, I am completely incompetent))
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: -exterior;
-small sizes;
- although the material is plastic, it looks solid;
-convenient volume control (not necessary on the laptop
poke buttons), it is also the button for the MUTE mode.
Cons: I have not found it yet, except for problems with my own firewood.
Review: I bought for Sennheiser hd 280 pro headphones and Edifier R2000 (2.0) speakers. I read the reviews and decided to start supplying firewood from the card itself in Windows 7. The sound made me very happy - the sound quality and volume in the headphones increased by a level. Then I thought of throwing firewood from the offsite and the firmware ... There was a crackle ... I returned to the first option)
22.12.2017
darkknightofofwhiteness
GradePros: price,
ease of installation and ease of use, appearance,
the sound is not bad
Cons: I don't see any
Feedback: I have been using the device for six months already. at first, the sound did not please at all, on the first day I was even going to change it, because the difference between x-fi and realtek was minimal. asio is not there, so foobar had output from the standard driver. but then I read smart people on the forums, and did this:
-updated the firmware of the card itself through the creative site
-installed the WASAPI plugin in foobar, and selected the output directly to the map
-set resampler in foobar at 48kHz
-and, OH GOD !!, she started playing! I didn't even think that there could be such a difference in learning due to different outputs and drivers! the sound has become much more lively, the constriction of the stage has disappeared, the bass is incredibly musical. now listening to Genesis - Selling England By The Pound via AKG K550 - awesome! there are no thoughts about replacing the card now! wins back 100)
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: Sound quality, design this blue button damn it I like.
Cons: There are none for me.
Testimonial: People you will never get a figure by connecting through a tulip to Microlab speakers, it will never play. Sound depends on all the components put together. Who will buy, do not install the drivers, they can generally demolish the sound if the computer detects when connected to yusbi, just hover the mouse, right-click on the volume icon in the right corner, then right-click the playback device, turn off the factory one and turn it on by default, and voila. But if you connect through a tulip, it is better not to take this card at all and not write stupid reviews, such as a bad card, I believe that hands do not grow from there. Cook, you can connect digital sound through the tulip, there the optical output is made for those who do not understand anything about the quality of music, the speakers are more important than the equalizer or the driver there.
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: Sound, appearance.
Cons: software, when I installed everything from 2 disks + started updating all software via the Internet, it happened so that my hard drive on the laptop was no longer visible ... I had to restore Windows using recovery.
Feedback: In the end it turned out: I put firewood from the site's office + Foobar2000 + WASAPI (Windows 7 64) + SoX Resampler 96000 + Microlab Pro3 = excellent sound quality! now I'm going to upgrade my speakers and amplifier.
12/22/2017 Rating
Pros: The most important thing is etovuk, price, build quality. Design is also nothing for my taste
Cons: No tactile analog volume control
Review: Thanks for the advice on tuning, the sound became "vnature nishtyak"
22.12.2017
Izmailov Ali
GradePros: - sound
- volume control
- build quality
Cons: there were software-related disadvantages, but now there are no problems.
Testimonial: I've been using the device for over a week, paired with a hi-end blaupunkt amplifier and a thoroughly redesigned Solo5. The native amplifier from the speakers has been in store for a long time =). Actually, why do I need a regulator so much. It is a pity that it does not work regardless of the software. The manufacturer updated the software, fixed compatibility bugs and added an equalizer. Someone really misses him, but I do not need it. The sound really pleases, 24/96 gives out with a bang, the sound is felt in the air. The quality of the components and workmanship is excellent too. What else is needed for high-quality sound, take it you will not regret it. But keep in mind that the card (like any expensive card) will open its full potential only with the appropriate amplifier and speakers.
22.12.2017
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GradePros: - Great sound
- Decent view
- Availability of SP / DIF optical input / output, i.e. can be used with media players as an external DAC
Cons: For this price - practically none.
Feedback: As it turned out, the quality of the DAC of the device is quite at the level, all the shortcomings are associated with confusing data transfer algorithms in drivers and players and their settings! What I had to do:
- updated the firmware of the card itself, took it from the officer. site
- installed the foobar2000 player with a special plugin Kernel Streaming support 1.2.2 - displays the data stream from the player directly to the card
- set foobar-a DSP Resempler to 48000 Hz.
AND EVERYTHING PLAYED !! those. the sound when playing flac or ape has become indistinguishable from playing CDs recorded from them, or even better due to more fine tuning of the equalizer.
Winamp, AIMP, Foobar with WASAPI or ASIO methods of sound output - nothing too, but the "volume" and "air" in the music is lost.
My audio system is YAMAHA Piano Craft (CD reseiver) + Castle Knight 1 (shelf units).
22.12.2017
Veize Mikhail
GradePros: - In my ear, a very high quality sound. No complaints.
- Lack of clicks and other noises when restarting the computer.
- Absence of any interference such as 50 Hz background.
- A good replacement for the mother sound.
- The ability to connect not instead of a mother sound, but in parallel with it (sometimes you need it: for example, if 5.1-game ears hang on the mother sound, but you also want to have a regular stereo with music through the speakers).
- Availability of different input outputs for all occasions.
Cons: - IMHO completely unnecessary and inconvenient volume control (it's good that it is a software, i.e. software-controlled volume of a Windows mixer)
Review: I use this sound device to output music from my computer to the Bose Companion 2 Series II 2.1 stereo set and Sennheiser HD 590 stereo headphones. But I also tried other speakers and ears. At the risk of sounding like a snob, I want to note right away that in order to notice the improvement in sound from the addition of this sound card, you need to use acoustics of the appropriate class - otherwise the money on the sound device will be spent in vain.
Of the effects, I liked only TruStudio Surround.
By the way, it supports the USB-Audio standard.
Those. many operating systems have a standard driver for it.
I tried it in FreeBSD 8.2 - everything is ok, there were no clicks (though I only "tried" for 10 minutes).
22.12.2017
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GradePros: If you have an old sound system in your laptop, or if the sound system is new, but you need high quality recording, then this card will be very useful to you.
Cons: The playback quality is, of course, very high, but modern laptops are already equipped with pretty good systems. To hear the difference with the built-in sound, I personally had to strain my hearing. I listened to good 2.1 speakers and expensive Sony headphones, on a VAIO laptop. The difference in loudness is audible right away, there are no questions, but about the quality, it seems to be better, but it seems to be about the same. The built-in card at the laptop is something like Realtek HD. Compared for a long time, and I will say so. There may be a difference, but it is not striking. And then there's the problem. The microphone input on the front panel, hike, only stereo (and should be mono), because of this, the microphone is heard only in one ear. So far I have not been able to configure it. I will sort this out. I hope you won't have to solder :) And more. The sound through the microphone slows down a little, like a small echo. On a stationary computer, it seems not, but on a laptop there is, although they are almost the same in power. This is pretty critical for recording music. You have to drag the vocal tracks back about half a second.
Pros: I completely agree with the previous review written.
Amazing sound through your headphones.
Cons: Really too light, at the beginning I thought looking at the picture that it was made of solid aluminum, but this is just a cheap plastic.
Feedback: Top tip:
1. I immediately disassembled the sound in spite of the warranty, replaced the op-amp (operational amplifier) in the LPF (low pass filter) low-pass filter, installed after the DAC, on the AD8066, the sound became really better, as if listening from a CD deck. To make it easier to understand this, two microcircuits with 8 legs surrounded by blue squares.
2. I bought a 50cm USB cable at the F-center with gold-plated contacts and two ring rings.
3. I made the card heavier by gluing an iron plate to the top (from the inside) of the case, gluing it with an automobile vibration isolation (foil with resin).
The rest of the "Tweak" in the form of replacing capacitors with more expensive ones and replacing all op amps, gives a significant difference.
22.12.2017
Krylov Mikhail
GradePros: clean, high-quality, deep spatial sound. Feeling of three-dimensional sound.
Nice appearance. Pleased with the build quality.
Cons: There is no on / off button (increasing the volume is a button, but it's unclear what this button is responsible for - when pressed, the indicator starts blinking and that's it). There is not enough weight - high-quality thick cords pull the device off the table ...
Review: I took it to replace the built-in sound of a laptop with the further prospect of connecting to a hi-fi amplifier and passive acoustics. While working in conjunction with Mikrolab SOLO 7C. The sound is simply amazing. I heard all my favorite songs in a new way! I haven't used headphones yet - they write on the forums - the sound is even better than with speakers. I highly recommend it to those who are looking for external sound for listening to music in good quality and, possibly, watching HD movies and do not want to overpay for unnecessary gadgets for ordinary people, such as recording music / voice, connecting guitars, etc.!
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