Creative's New X-Fi Audio Processor

[ANova]

Oh, puh-leese! Let's just stop this Bose shite, ok? I like the little Bose setup in my bedroom, you think Bose is crap, so what? Breathe...relax...

His calling in life is to belittle anyone who thinks Bose is decent.

 

[MasterBaiter]

Hmmm considering Creative has poor drivers and there have been a lot of issues with Audigy cards (I have a 2 ZS) in some of the games I play I have to ask "Why?". I can honestly say the last sound card I was happy with for gaming was the MX300 from DiamonMultimedia and it had a A3D chip in it. I turn EAX on in BF:V and it totally lags out and the sound is extremely delayed.

I really wish there was some competition for Creative in the PC gaming audio market. It is nice that integrated sound has improved so much, but I would really like to get some nice audio advancements... maybe someone will bundle a PPU with a killer wave tracing sound chip?

/ducks

Hehe, no reason to duck as far as I can see... My last really good 3D sound card was an Aureal, so I think we're on the same page (my soundstorm wasn't too bad either actually). I'm using a ZS card as well, and the drivers IMHO could probably be qualified as "okay" at this point. I wouldn't tag Creative with all of the sound issues (but it could be their problem...) with BF: Vietnam. It's been ages since I've had that loaded up, but there were massive problems with BF: 1942 as well and they are very much kissing cousins AFA engine goes. After about 3-5 patches they kinda dialed it in, but I still get looping sound lockup with it. :? It's uncommon now, so I don't dwell on it.

I would love to see the return of wavetracing (EAX 5 very well may have it), but I do think that the 128 3D voices is significant if anyone offers it in their game... I would think this would be great for games that have large environments, and lots of action. I think a PPU/Soundchip would be a great idea as well, but I'm not going to hold my breath on someone offering that anytime soon (maybe 3 years from now).

 

[swaaye]

My Audigy2 ZS has been the best sounding and performing sound card I've ever owned. I run 4.1 speakers with it (Klipsch Promedia 2.1 in front and Logitech Z340 2.1 in back) and it sounds awesome for tunes with CMSS1 enabled (SurroundMix or whatever it's called is really cool too). Positional audio in games is very clear and precise, and EAX can really add to the immersion believe it or not. It doesn't have goofy-ass issues like the AC97 chips usually do cuz their drivers and capabilities suck, and it sounds noticeably better in every way than the Live! I replaced with it. And I got it in the Audigy 2 ZS Gamer Pack for $50 after rebate at Best Buy (A2ZS with 5 nice games). AND its firewire port works very well with my drive enclosure.

The MX300 was good in its day but it pales in comparison to an Audigy simply on the angle of audio quality. The MX300 has horrible analog signal quality. Too bad Aureal died off cuz otherwise I imagine we'd have some cool stuff. I have about 20 sound cards ranging from SB16 to A2ZS. I have 2 Aureal cards (MX300 and a Turtle Beach A3DXstream Vortex1). They worked pretty good. But they sure have their quirks, and midi support sucks completely. Live! (EMU10K1) really was a vastly more powerful DSP than the ASIC used by Aureal though, at least if gaming itsn't your only priority. Hell, EMU10Kx series chips are still in use today!

Aureal had execution problems and lacked business saavy, and Creative defeated them just like they've defeated many audio companies. They are a crazy bunch of Singaporeans for sure. But, guess what, they aren't all that bad if you can get past the lame underdog-loving BS.


BTW, I can't get over this Bose BS. Who the fuck cares! The speakers sound good. They are mid-high range for sure. They don't win against the top top speakers that only 1 in 1000 people give a shit about. So what? OMG! Extremists! My mother used to own a sweet '99 Audi A6 with a Bose system. It rocked for a stock system. It sounded good, get it? Lol. Too bad a drunk driver totaled that car. BAD experience there.

 

[Reznor007]

BTW, I can't get over this Bose BS. Who the fuck cares! The speakers sound good. They are mid-high range for sure. They don't win against the top top speakers that only 1 in 1000 people give a shit about. So what? OMG! Extremists! My mother used to own a sweet '99 Audi A6 with a Bose system. It rocked for a stock system. It sounded good, get it? Lol. Too bad a drunk driver totaled that car. BAD experience there.

Minor correction, they are low end speakers with a high end price tag.

 

[swaaye]

lol. I guess I'll go with some Labtecs instead of Bose then.

 

[AlNom]

**** it, I'll just make my own ********* speakers!

Question: I'm using an Audigy 2 ZS. Is it better to enable EAX in Max Payne 2 or leave it? (CPU utilization) i.e. is there more or less CPU used with EAX enabled?

 

[MasterBaiter]

**** it, I'll just make my own ********* speakers!

Question: I'm using an Audigy 2 ZS. Is it better to enable EAX in Max Payne 2 or leave it? (CPU utilization) i.e. is there more or less CPU used with EAX enabled?

I"m in the process of making some now actually!

RE: Max Payne 2... there should be less CPU usage with EAX (or DirectSound for that matter) than if sound was being done in software. Of course the one way to find out is the run it with , and without, then log your cpu usage to file or just use FRAPS.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

Hehe,

I am in the process of making a test line array of (24) 4" drivers per 8' tall speaker and a 15" sub in a concrete box. =)

 

[_xxx_]

...and a 15" sub in a concrete box. =)

 

[AlNom]

RE: Max Payne 2... there should be less CPU usage with EAX (or DirectSound for that matter) than if sound was being done in software. Of course the one way to find out is the run it with , and without, then log your cpu usage to file or just use FRAPS. Smile

Ah, thanks. I'm at work right now, and I couldn't wait to just go home and try. Thanks again.

...and a 15" sub in a concrete box. =)

Just remember folks: the heavier the speaker, the better it is! Quality components!

Although I have to wonder if using such a material for a subwoofer creates a better boom effect.... Maybe if the cone was encased in concrete too.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

All,

Box loss is called Q loss. Speaker builders use MDF and bracing to make a stiffer box. I thought about it, and I think I might have found a bit stiffer box material and at the same time cheap. =p

 

[MPI]

Heh, making concrete speakers is in again? It was all the rage 15 years ago...

A buddy of mine made some that weighed 95kg ...a piece!! And then he asked us to help him move, the bastard.

 

[Moloch]

Oh, puh-leese! Let's just stop this Bose shite, ok? I like the little Bose setup in my bedroom, you think Bose is crap, so what? Breathe...relax...

His calling in life is to belittle anyone who thinks Bose is decent.

Maybe if it was an entry level system, but it isn't, and if you can't see that, and just think we're assholes, too bad.

 

[007]

My Audigy2 ZS has been the best sounding and performing sound card I've ever owned. I run 4.1 speakers with it (Klipsch Promedia 2.1 in front and Logitech Z340 2.1 in back) and it sounds awesome for tunes with CMSS1 enabled (SurroundMix or whatever it's called is really cool too). Positional audio in games is very clear and precise, and EAX can really add to the immersion believe it or not. It doesn't have goofy-ass issues like the AC97 chips usually do cuz their drivers and capabilities suck, and it sounds noticeably better in every way than the Live! I replaced with it. And I got it in the Audigy 2 ZS Gamer Pack for $50 after rebate at Best Buy (A2ZS with 5 nice games). AND its firewire port works very well with my drive enclosure.

The MX300 was good in its day but it pales in comparison to an Audigy simply on the angle of audio quality. The MX300 has horrible analog signal quality. Too bad Aureal died off cuz otherwise I imagine we'd have some cool stuff. I have about 20 sound cards ranging from SB16 to A2ZS. I have 2 Aureal cards (MX300 and a Turtle Beach A3DXstream Vortex1). They worked pretty good. But they sure have their quirks, and midi support sucks completely. Live! (EMU10K1) really was a vastly more powerful DSP than the ASIC used by Aureal though, at least if gaming itsn't your only priority. Hell, EMU10Kx series chips are still in use today!

Aureal had execution problems and lacked business saavy, and Creative defeated them just like they've defeated many audio companies. They are a crazy bunch of Singaporeans for sure. But, guess what, they aren't all that bad if you can get past the lame underdog-loving BS.


BTW, I can't get over this Bose BS. Who the fuck cares! The speakers sound good. They are mid-high range for sure. They don't win against the top top speakers that only 1 in 1000 people give a shit about. So what? OMG! Extremists! My mother used to own a sweet '99 Audi A6 with a Bose system. It rocked for a stock system. It sounded good, get it? Lol. Too bad a drunk driver totaled that car. BAD experience there.

I'm not sure what is worse, running a pair of Klipsch speakers with Logitech speakers, or running a pair of Klipsch speakers with CMMS enabled. If cmss is on, the surround sound for games is ruined! it will overwrite data to all channels!

 

[swaaye]

If CMSS 1 or 2 (Creative Multi-Speaker Surround) isn't on, HRTF is disabled in games and for music it will only play on the front channel. Stereo Surround mode is the 3rd option and is ok but lacks a lot of bass response and is not what I want for games. I've spent about 6 months with this A2ZS and I THINK I know which settings I like best. I switch between CMSS1 and Stereo Surround for music, and just use CMSS1 or 2 for games (CMSS2 is sweet for Diablo2). And, BTW, CMSS1 is the default setting on install. CMSS on A2 is not like CMSS on Live!. I believe Live! is always in Stereo Surround mode by default. I never used CMSS on Live! cuz you had to use their goofy media player, and it sounded pretty bad.

[edit: The link died. You can go to Creative's Support Area and their Knowledge base, and the article is named as below]
Sound Blaster Audio Technologies Glossary
go to Audio Playback Technologies

The Logitechs sorta suck but they were $50 and sound fine with the Klipsch in front. I've been putting 2.1's in front and back forever primarily cuz it's cost effective (was in college). Twin subs is sorta neat too. In fact, those little Logitechs have a sub that is pretty damned impressive.

Everything is subjective people. I'd rather spend my money on other things besides speakers. These logitechs may sound better to ME than some $10,000 ultra-speakers (doubtful, lol) and sure as hell are more reasonably priced and sized. If speakers are your hobby, great! But don't try to enforce it lol. This is turning into something on the level of a dumb ass Mac vs PC debate. Go make a thread about the perfect speaker please and let us discuss this new DSP instead.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

new info on the X-Fi

1. INTRODUCTION (Page 1 of 3)


As mentioned previously in other Creative X-Fi technology information, this new processor has the equivalent audio processing power as 24 Sound Blaster Audigy chips! That allows us to deliver a whole host of new features that were previously just not possible due to restricted processing capabilities.

One of the critical design elements for the Creative X-Fi Audio Processor was to be able to deliver the best gaming performance ever seen. Most importantly was the fact that we wanted to provide this additional gaming performance while simultaneously delivering an enhanced audio experience - a feat never before achieved!

We are therefore pleased to be able to provide a sneak preview of some early test results that prove that we have achieved what we set out to do. Now you will be able to enjoy real-time 24-bit re-sampled & re-mastered gaming audio plus the most accurate surround-sound over headphones or multi-speakers as well as full EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 enhancements all while enjoying a performance boost in your games! (In the future this will also be applicable to EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 supported game titles)

Read on to see the details

link

I despise their first chart, but the performance looks good non the less.

 

[Dr. Ffreeze]

swaaye,

If CMSS 1 or 2 (Creative Multi-Speaker Surround) isn't on, HRTF is disabled in games and for music it will only play on the front channel

That didn't sound right so I did some checking. I would guess that you are using a digital audio out? If so, then you would have to use CMSS to upmix to AC3. I just use RCA outs and have no problems with HRTF in games with no CMSS enabled on my Audigy 2 ZS.

Okay, we're assuming I understand the basics of home theater hookup.

Currently I am able to play and hear DVD's on my computer with my sb audigy hooked into my receiver through the SPDIF out w/miniplug/RCA converter and a digital coax cable. AC3 decoding is turned off in the software, and receiver correctly identifies all channels. Sounds great! Now, how the heck do I get games to do the same thing? For example Doom 3 has a surround option, but I get only sound out of the front channels. I've tried pro logic, and the center channel kicks in, but no rear sounds. Help! I am thinking it has something to do with the CMSS option

MusicMan,

In a nutshell, this is normal. An optical or coaxial SPDIF connection can only pass over a single stereo signal or an encoded stream (AC3). Sound from games would be split into several stereo signals, you will only get one of these through to your speakers, as the connection cannot pass all of them over.

This knowledgebase case should have more detailed information:

Sound From Front Speakers Only In A Multichannel Receiver

 

[Chastity]

"If so, then you would have to use CMSS to upmix to AC3."

CMSS doesn't upmix to AC3. AC3 is a proprietary format of Dolby Digital which would require encoding and compression.

Also, in gaming, CMSS smooths out the transitions of spatial cues so they sound better. Otherwise, you have a more abrupt left/right effect.

 

[suryad]

Nice. I am looking forward for this bad boy to come out...I am in need of some serious sound and visual processing power.

 

[gokickrocks]

I'd be curious to see what E-mu does with this as well.. From what I understand they will be releasing their product based off of the new chipset
later than Creative. Maybe an announcement on their product @ NAMM in July?

e-mu announced their 1616 and 1616m pcmcia soundcards (in fact, its out now, im using the 1616m for my laptop with the breakout box paired to some genelec studio monitors...was going to go with an rme hammerfall but i hate the dongle they use) and midi controllers