Audigy 2 vs Audigy 4

[Tahir2]

Does anyone know the difference between the Audigy 2 and Audigy 4? Creative are marketing as a new processing unit and it has higher sound to noise ratio as well as a few more advancements.

However I am not up to speed on the audio side of things.. what is the difference for a layman? For example would it be worth upgrading if someone already had an Audigy2?

Some links to the manufacturer website:
http://www.creative.com/products/pr...p;subcategory=434&product=10853&nav=2

http://www.creative.com/products/pr...mp;subcategory=204&product=4925&nav=2

 

[Sxotty]

I don't think so personally but that is just the layman talking.

It seems to me that the lack of competition in sound cards truly is stiflying innovation.

if you own any card of the Audigy series it however is not necessary to upgrade at all. The differences are so minor that from a consumers point of view you will not hear the difference. If you are in the market as a professional user and preferably need to record in high quality, well that might make a difference.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/sound/182/

 

[Tahir2]

One small thing about that review is that the reviewer states that he cannot tell the difference between a Live! and an Audigy. I have terrible hearing and even I can tell the difference on poor quality speakers between a Live! (the original 16bit version) and the Audigy series. I don't think he was the best person to review such a soundcard...

Anyone interested in doing a 'proper' review that has a popular PC hardware website here in the UK?

I am serious...

 

[Mariner]

This AnandTech article may also be of interest to you.

 

[kmolazz]

You can read a good review here:
http://www.3dsoundsurge.com/reviews/Audigy4Pro/audigy4pro.html

 

[Sxotty]

Tahir I didn't even read it, I simply wrote what I thought, then typed in googled audigy 4 review and stumbled onto that one. I figured my opinion would not be good enough for you.

 

[aaronbond]

brand new article on guru3d that came out today!

http://www.guru3d.com/article/sound/182/

 

[Tahir2]

Tahir I didn't even read it, I simply wrote what I thought, then typed in googled audigy 4 review and stumbled onto that one. I figured my opinion would not be good enough for you.

Thanks for the help Sxotty. What is your opinion of the Audigy 4 Pro?

 

[Guden Oden]

I would say the A4 is great, if you need the external breakout box. If not, then the smallest A2ZS is almost just as good.

 

[Tahir2]

The 3D Sound Surge review was really good. The A4 is not a simple incremental upgrade after all but a serious improvement. I would still love to know what happened to Audigy 3.

 

[London Geezer]

The 3D Sound Surge review was really good. The A4 is not a simple incremental upgrade after all but a serious improvement. I would still love to know what happened to Audigy 3.

Yeah i was wondering the same thing!

 

[Sxotty]

Basically I would simply say if you have a desire for one of the new features then go for it.

But I still think sound quality wise you will not be getting an increase worthy of the expense.

What kind of speakers do you have?

My sound quality increased a lot when I hooked up to an onkyo receiver instead of my pc speakers I had before, so I am just suggesting the area that needs to be upgaded may not be the soundcard. (My old soundcard sounded better on the pc speakers, but the soundstorm sounds better on higher quality audio components).

I use soundstorm and am fairly happy though I will put back in my gametheater XP soon simply b/c I want to see if it sounds good enough before I buy a new motherboard/cpu/video card in my next upgade.

 

[Chastity]

Thx for the replies on my review, guys!

I just read that review by Hilbert, and I do agree with him on one point: using regular multimedia speaker rigs on something like the A4 Pro does not do the card any justice.

I just upgraded my own personal rig from the Klipsch Quintet IIs to the Infinity Primus 150s + C25 center. This setup does the card justice. Tho, if you are hesitant to go component, since "there's always something better", it can kill your wallet fast, I suggest you really consider what you want before buying. And don't go skimpy on the receiver.

Also of note is that we just got some of those Mystique 7.1 Gold cards that do DD Live. Preliminary playing shows it's a solid performer, but drivers need some work in some areas. Hardwarewise, very nice. Funny part is the analog is also very good, so DD Live isn't a requirement like with most NF2 Realtek solutions.

Just wanted to drop in and say hi! to everyone.

Have fun!

Vicki
3DSoundSurge.com

 

[DSC]

Chastity, those Infinity Primus 150 speakers sounds rather impressive from what Stereophile says about them.

http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/404infinity/

 

[Chastity]

They don't suck.

 

[Tahir2]

Chastity what is in your mind the best onboard solution available?

I am glad you did decide to review the Audigy 4 but do you know why Creative are not being aggressive in marketing this card and where the Audigy 3 went?

Keep up the good work... I dont know any other audio websites that deal with PC hardware of your quality.

 

[jvd]

rurmor going around is that there will be another creative labs card that wont be part of the audigy brand coming end of 05 or begining of 06

 

[digitalwanderer]

Wait a tic, you mean the Audigy4 is NOT twice as good as the Audigy2? :|

I smell a marketing scam.... :?

 

[Chastity]

Chastity what is in your mind the best onboard solution available?

I am glad you did decide to review the Audigy 4 but do you know why Creative are not being aggressive in marketing this card and where the Audigy 3 went?

1) I prefer not to have onboard audio. The only one I ever purchased was a NF2 Deluxe for Soundstorm, since I was using an AV Receiver with DD Decoding. Plus it had good gaming support with hw accelleration, and the drivers do get updated. Biggest issue with onboard solutions is that you lose the audio you may like for newer mobos. Soundstorm users cried when it was dropped. Since DD Live is now available on a PCI card, SS users can upgrade.

2) I believe the A2 ZS was slated to be the A3, but the differences in the A2 and the A2 ZS didn't warrant a numeral change. Plus I also believe it involved some Asian numerology, where 4 is associated with "death", and the A4 is the last PCI card, thus killing off the Audigy line. At least that's the rumor mill.

Vicki
3DSoundSurge.com

 

[Pete]

Heh, I was wondering why they skipped 3 to jump into bad luck 4. That's a pretty good reason.

Tahir, I'd guess the Intel Azalia solutions are probably the "best" in that they offer DD encoding. I'd also guess that the Shuttle PCIe nF4 at the bottom of the page may well offer the best onboard sound when it's released, with its Envy24 chip and Wolfson DAC.