For anyone considering the new X-Fi Xtreme Audio

Don't turn the Volume down and you get terrible distortion LOL! Right mark shows both having advantages and disadvantages, but you and the other guy already know that, right? But when does FACTS have to do with anything uh?

http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=4:886

http://www.guru3d.com/article/sound/265/5/

Do these tests for the Audigy 2 /2ZS and we'll see just where they fall? Since folks posting can't be trusted, tests don't lie, now do they?

 

@ALG, I should have my new OPA's tommorow. I bought 3 different types to check out. The 2134's based on qute a few recommendations. The 2107's are supposed to be as good as the 2134's with a little more bass tightness. The 2227's were said to be more analytical, I grabbed them just to check. I am still gonna buy some 4562's
I'll let you know how the listening tests go.

 

This article is WRONG in saying the Xtrme Audio is basically a rebadged Audigy SE, cause is is not. I am not talking about game performance, cause that doesn't interest me. I am talking about audio quality, and there it delivers big time! I now have the Xtrmem Audio, and the sound is waaaay better than the audigy SE , which i bought first and returned a day later. That Audigy SE sounded thin and lacklustre, my Live! was alot better. But the X-Fi sounds better than my old Live! and waaay better than that crap Audigy SE. The bass is deep and defined, the high is like glass. For everyone looking for a decent sounding card i would recommend the Xtreme Audio. If game performance is important, then go the Xtreme Gamer route.


You get what you pay for here too, it is not a waste of money at all. The audio is twice the Audgy SE price, and I tell you, it is worth in audio experience. To give you an idea what sort of audio user I am, my amp is Arcam.

 

Xtream Music

 

Sure, but that one is out of production, I looked for that one too in 5 shops, all out of stock, but only thing they had was the Gamer. Tired of that i took the Audio, and haven't regretted that one second.

 

I got one the other day (Sat)in Glasgow at Priceless Computers for £92 bundeld with the Creative Gamer headset Worth £30

Check it out here

http://www.pless.co.uk/product.php?popup=on&productid=4352&printable=y

www.pless.co.uk

 

i already posted this http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=212701

but considering there is sticky (and i was blind first and missed it ...

these who get issues with bacground noise, static and similar (not PCI latencies related cracking even it may help there too) please check this
http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=soundblaster&message.id=87066

thread about capacitator used (crappy cheap caps degrade faster, RND and are in short outrage to be used on top line cards) ...

p.s. if some users can hear difference in static (gone) then it would be very interesting to see RMAA results (prior and after caps change)...

 

YOU ARE ABSOLUTLY RIGHT JUST LUCK AT THE DRIVERS FROM THE DOWNLOADING PAGES OF CREATIVE :
The Audigy SE has no drivers for VISTA 64 !
The Xtreme Audio has no drivers for Vista 64 !

The Audigy SE has the 1_04_0065 drivers for Vista 32 !!
The Xtreme Audio has the 1_04_0065 drivers for VISTA 32 !!

I belive this is the SAME CARD just moded !!
DO NOT BUY!!

 

It's not modded, it just does all the features in software. Me and someone from my local forum tested it with Crystalizer and CMSS cranked up and without it and with all the ear candy it was using 6% CPU and without it it was using around 0-1% CPU. On my Xtreme Music i can have everything maxed out and will stay on perfect 0% all the time.

 

But still i don not trust Creative !!

 

Maybe ask JessieCreative

 

Is there any difference between them besides size and connections?

 

My observation on my Audio is this: Crystalizer consumes around 2% at most (pentium 4), but CMSS consumes 20%. Luckily i am only interested in Crystalizer.

Audio drivers will surely come for X64.

But you don't know what you're talking about, I have the Audio and i HAD the SE. A difference of day and night in sound. So maybe they are the same in having less features, but the X-Fi audio is an X-Fi in sounds, the SE is clearly NOT.

 

The Audio may have better sound than the Audigy SE but it will perform the same, that is to say zero performance improvement over onboard sound.

Oh and the drivers that nicugoalkeper posted about are identical for both cards (and yes I downloaded both and had a look at them).

 

Man! I feel screwed! Damn Creative! :bolt:
What is the cheapest TRUE X-Fi card with 64MB?
I'm planning to return my X-Audio now, since it isn't a true X-Fi.

Can the X-Audio even run EAX?? :frown:

Hmmm..... ALchemy doesn't work, telling me that i need an X-Fi card....

EDIT: I took back the X-Audio and got a Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro instead. What a difference.

EDIT2 (03-01-2008): I took back the X-Gamer Fatal Pro and got an Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1 instead. What a HUGE difference.

 

Yep, and twice the price of an Audio. Fair going here.. uke3:

 

You could have went to budget computers 4 shops down and got the extreme music with the 5.1 speaker setup for £75, like i did shortly after being in priceless who in my experience are just overpriced bumping b******s.

 

I also had the choice to go for an XtremeGamer (non Fatal1ty) which costs the same as an Xtreme Audio, but has a TRUE X-Fi chip (EMU20K). Nevertheless, i'm happy with this card. I paid 70 euro's for that crappy X-Audio and i've had to pay 100 euro's for that Fatal1ty Pro, so i think it's reasonable.

 

I see you too come from Holland, and you should know tweakers pricewatch. If you take a look there you will see that an Audio is indeed cheaper than a Gamer, and much cheaper than what you got. So I think it is not fair. If you got the choice between a gamer and audio for the same price, please do take the gamer yes.

 

What sound card should I buy? I've an audigy SE and I'm tired about the POOR and TERRIBLE driver support from CREATIVE, http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?p=2153391#post2153391 anything REALLY good for an INSPIRE 7.1 p7800 creative speaker system? over 150$??? recommend me sound card fully compatibly with vista please!