For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard...

sapo_joe · Apr 18, 2011, 01:33 AM

Hi there folks!

I have had a Sound Blaster Live! for about 12 years and was using it on my PC until last week I realized I wanted a new soundcard, but, as many here, I was affraid the benefits of a new soundcard wouldn't be worth the U$160 the new X-Fi Titanium PCIe would cost.

The main issue I was having was the fact I have a 5.1 sound system (Edifier M3551, awesome BTW!) and was obligated to use it as a 4.1 system.

The second issue that clicked me on buyin a new card, was the games... I missed soooo much the shining hardware EAX and wanted to have it back. (Some would say 3d sound hardware is dead, but, first read the rest of this...)

So, I got the courage and ordered a X-Fi Titanium PCI-E, which would fit the requisites I was looking for... being PCI-e, it would fit my mobo and be more future-proof, and the card had a DSP, a very good one, not some C-Media crap...

Then, this Wednesday, it arrived... Well I'm a hardware and music enthusiast, and installing a shining new soundcard with such great capabilities was really a thrill!

Installation was without much trouble, in spite of a BSOD I experienced when updating the drivers from the creative website (re-did it on Safety mode and it went fine).

Then, it was time to test the thing! I was expecting something a little better than my old sb Live! with KX drivers I loved so much... I always loved how the system sounded, and it was already much better then these shitty audio DSPs integrated on motherboars... but....

I ended up being plainly AMAZED. It looked like I had bought a new speaker set! And I was still testing it in 2.1, with music. Without using any of the sound effects, is was already sounding sooo much cleaner, and detailed than the old sb live... Even with 192kb/s MP3s the sound was much better, detailed, I ended up catching instruments and effects I haven't noticed before on my music!

The card has the so called 3 modes of operation (Games, entertainment, and audio creation).

In games mode, the card creates a species of shortcut for games, re-enabling hardware acceleration access (with the aid of ALchemy, which is a cool effort from Creative, being constantly updated) and any game that is OpenAL ready shined with reverbs and effects. I remembered first time using the SB Live, on windows 98 with a creative ForPoint Surround. But this time around, it was so much better, the effects are natural, for instance, Colin McRae Dirt 2 sounded like another game! Not to mention Crysis 2, and Homefront (first using Directsound3D and the second, OpenAL with EAX5, brand new games that support hardware acceleration).

In entertainment mode, the card disables some of the 3d hardware acceleration, but the DSP starts focusing on audio quality... And it does so in a very competent fashion.
I personaly don't like effects like Crystalizer and equalizers messing with audio, but, since I have a 5.1 sound system, I was curious about CMSS 3D. I have an audigy SE and didn't like the effect much on it, since it used to eat some of the highs and lows, making the sound muffled.
But, this time around, the effect was perfected by Creative, and the sound was so well distributed that the stereo sources sounded like they where originally multichannel! Singer's voices come from center, instruments from the main speakers and ambient sounds only come from the surround speakers! AMAZING!

Then, it comes the audio mode that will interest most of you:

Audio creation mode is something like having the KX DSP again! You can re-route sound channels like in KX DSP, making a sound card like this have 3 stereo outputs, with independent controls for each, and not only for volume, but by adding effects like reverb, etc, independently for each!
And, of course, the card is capable of amazing 24-bit 96khz recording, which I will probably use to record my dad's Vinyl collection, using Flac or Apple Losless... I now realized that in years I won't be able to use all the card's resources!

The card is worth for the sound quality alone, which blew the SB Live away, but, the additional resources made it shine, and after some days playing with it, I just can say: If you're thinking of an upgrade, and have the money to do so, DO IT!

Just avoid the Extreme Audio version which lacks the DSP, and runs the efects in software (much like my Audigy SE). But for people that will use it only for music and movies, it can be a great option, because of the much better OP-Amps, if compared to older cards and onboard audio...

Of course, if someday Eugene starts developing KX drivers for the X-Fi processor, I will be downloading it first hand!!! I could only imagine such a powerful DSP and quality sound with the flexibility of KX drivers...

Cya folks, feel free to comment!

johnsmith1 · Apr 18, 2011, 10:34 PM

Can you use soundfonts with this card?

sapo_joe · Apr 20, 2011, 04:01 AM

Yes, sure, and even on windows 7, there's a soundfont loader and a midi device changer, to avoid the windows built-in midi mapper...

It comes with 3 midi sets, 2mb, 8mb and 24mb! (last sounds really nice!)

And more, it can mix midi with your recordings and even position it using EAX. So, a piano, for example, can be placed inside the song as if it were there before, repeating reverb and positioning amongst other musical instruments. COOL!!!

nakamichi · Apr 21, 2011, 02:57 AM

Sure, the X-Fi Titanium blows away the old SB Live! in the sound quality department, but if you had a better card with kX drivers (Audigy2 or Audigy4 with the P16V HQ output) + Windows 7, I don't think you would've noticed any difference.

And for soundfonts, you can always use BASSMIDIDrv:

Index of /crap/audio

BASSMIDIdrv is a freeware software synth driver that's light-years ahead of anything hardware-based:

Unlimited soundfont memory, unlimited polyphony, multiple soundfonts support (combining / instrument replacement / stacking), HQ effects, GM2,GS and XG support (including sysex), very low CPU/memory usage.
The best part: It works with *ALL* soundcards.
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit).

sapo_joe · Apr 21, 2011, 04:43 AM

So, if it works with any soundcard, it will work with the x-fi also, and with the x-fi having better op-amps and better resampling engine, it would still be better.

Also, the X-Fi is capable to position the midi sounds in space, much like a studio gear would do, and I really doubt that a 288kb software can replace a very powerful hardware for MIDI.

I could buy an audigy 4 if I could find one, but in Brazil, that's a no go. A newer X-fi, with manufacturer support seemed a better option to me.

Of course it would be nice to see KX Drivers working with the 20k2 processor... just a dream...

Max M. · Apr 21, 2011, 02:56 PM

Just a remark:

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapo_joe

Also, the X-Fi is capable to position the midi sounds in space, much like a studio gear would do

Hmm, you may wonder but even SoundBlaster AWE32 of 1994 (

) can do that (I assume by "position in space" you mean adjusting pan and reverb (or other effect) for each synth channel). I don't know why you missed that pretty much trivial thing before (well, maybe X-Fi software has some honky-tonky sliders/windows that put this feature "in your face")... but that's not really a new stuff).

vikflash · Apr 28, 2011, 08:55 AM

Well I bought this soundcard 2 or 3 years ago : X-Fi Elite Pro.
Yes it sounds good but as I said before drivers are not as flexible as KX ones and I got problems with it :

I can't manage to have both analog and digital outputs to work together.
That's what I wanted to do to get sound in a second room.
With the latest Win7 drivers, the controls (knobs) of the extension box still don't work.
Auto software update says I got no Creative product installed

It's a shame for the money spent.

sapo_joe · May 5, 2011, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max M.

Just a remark:

Hmm, you may wonder but even SoundBlaster AWE32 of 1994 (

) can do that (I assume by "position in space" you mean adjusting pan and reverb (or other effect) for each synth channel). I don't know why you missed that pretty much trivial thing before (well, maybe X-Fi software has some honky-tonky sliders/windows that put this feature "in your face")... but that's not really a new stuff).

No... Not just pan and reverb, but I can position the instrument across the 5 surround channels... AWE32 was cool (monster of a ISA card), but it was a 2.0 card.

sapo_joe · May 5, 2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikflash

Well I bought this soundcard 2 or 3 years ago : X-Fi Elite Pro.
Yes it sounds good but as I said before drivers are not as flexible as KX ones and I got problems with it :

I can't manage to have both analog and digital outputs to work together.
That's what I wanted to do to get sound in a second room.
With the latest Win7 drivers, the controls (knobs) of the extension box still don't work.
Auto software update says I got no Creative product installed

It's a shame for the money spent.

I have encountered no such problems, probably you're having compatability problems, or had the bad luck of getting a deffective card... :|

Thought about using warranty? Maybe get an X-Fi from another manufacturer (Auzen, for instance).

Max M. · May 6, 2011, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapo_joe

No... Not just pan and reverb, but I can position the instrument across the 5 surround channels... AWE32 was cool (monster of a ISA card), but it was a 2.0 card.

I see. Well, it's still panning (Technically live/audigy can do that too - but... well never mind... that's so minor feature that it is not worth even mentioning let alone discussing... Either way I'm glad that you find it useful - I just wondered to see it in "major killer features" list ;).

Caithleann · May 21, 2011, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nakamichi

And for soundfonts, you can always use this:

http://mudlord.emuxhaven.net/crap/audio/bassmididrv.exe

BASSMIDIdrv is a freeware software synth driver that's light-years ahead of anything hardware-based:

Mudlord's web site has been gutted, Nakamichi. Any other location where one can find that Soundfont loader?

Russ · May 22, 2011, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caithleann

Mudlord's web site has been gutted, Nakamichi. Any other location where one can find that Soundfont loader?

I do not know anything about it, but:

BASSMIDI MIDI synthesiser for Windows XP/Vista/7 - Hydrogenaudio Forums
https://github.com/mudlord/bassmididrv
https://github.com/downloads/mudlord...mididrv2.0.exe

Caithleann · May 23, 2011, 12:08 PM

Thanks Russ, I don't know much about it either but ostensibly it is supposed to be able to load SoundFonts of unlimited size, that is, limited only by your on-board RAM.

mrvomit · May 28, 2011, 12:17 PM

Uhm,i did take a look at those X-fi platinum...NO SPdif at all ,and no Midi connections On the drive?
PASS all the way ,to make music with that.

vikflash · May 28, 2011, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapo_joe

I have encountered no such problems, probably you're having compatability problems, or had the bad luck of getting a deffective card... :|

Thought about using warranty? Maybe get an X-Fi from another manufacturer (Auzen, for instance).

The card is not deffective. (It works on WinXP dual boot...)
but creative drivers for Win7 are...

peate · May 28, 2011, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrvomit

Uhm,i did take a look at those X-fi platinum...NO SPdif at all ,and no Midi connections On the drive?
PASS all the way ,to make music with that.

Is this the card you were looking at? It seems to have both on the front drive according to the picture.

Buy the Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum at TigerDirect.ca

Jorgo · May 28, 2011, 10:03 PM

Unrequested hardware recommendation = Paid Spam. I'd go for a Xonar as gamer/music card and for something entirely different as a musician's tool.

sjappie · May 29, 2011, 07:29 AM

Hey, it's true sb live is at it's end, for some years now.
I listened at a friend to hifi i.c.w. xf-fi bulk.
It's clean but not as raw. Almost to clean ... If it's a messy mp3 I should hear it!
I need tip for stereo setup.
What card is most cut out for stereo music & gaming?!

cheers

sapo_joe · May 31, 2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorgo

Unrequested hardware recommendation = Paid Spam. I'd go for a Xonar as gamer/music card and for something entirely different as a musician's tool.

It's not spam, I didn't send this message to your email, idiot... Spammers only create fake accounts in forums and send usually one message. See how many people I helped around here, and stop being a jerk.

I paid for the card, didn't get it free, and I'm only recomending it, BECAUSE I TESTED IT AND LIKED IT!

Be mindful of what you say about others without knowing them...

sapo_joe · May 31, 2011, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikflash

The card is not deffective. (It works on WinXP dual boot...)
but creative drivers for Win7 are...

Strange, even now I'm on windows 2008 server R2 (with W7 drivers), and loving it... The card is working flawlessly...

Jorgo · May 31, 2011, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sapo_joe

I'm only recomending it, BECAUSE I TESTED IT AND LIKED IT!

For a private individual you sure sound desperate to pass on your exaggerated enthusiasm. At the very least you're posting in the wrong forum, your post has nothing to do with kx.

***Veridian3*** · May 31, 2011, 03:29 PM

HI Jorgo, I saw Sapo_Joe's post back when he first made it and see no issues with what he has posted. In addition to that, having used the Titanium range myself I can understand his enthusiasm which is not necessarily exaggerated... the HD especially is an awesome product, one of the best I have ever tested for this site and there have been thousands.

He likes his card, accept it and be happy for him rather than suggesting that a post is spam when the member actually joined before you, over 8 years ago... that is pretty ridiculous.

Try and keep things constructive in future.

Jorgo · May 31, 2011, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veridian3

HI Jorgo, I saw Sapo_Joe's post back when he first made it and see no issues with what he has posted.

That is your prerogative. I maintain my opinion - and it's nothing more than this - based on

- unsolicited post about hardware
- in wrong forum
- 10 out of 17 of the member's posts are about that soundcard

I see no reason to make this into a discussion, but I DID see a reason to respond again to the original poster because he used abusive language several times in regard to me.

***Veridian3*** · May 31, 2011, 09:15 PM

I actually dont feel that its in the wrong forum, Sapo_Joe is clearly a KX fan and was posting his experience for other KX users who might be in the same position as him, worried about changing hardware etc and what they might end up with... while also stating that he would love KX support for his new card in the future.

Was he out of line using idiot and jerk, maybe... but no more than you have been regarding his posts. As I said before, let him enjoy his card and move along unless you have something constructive to add to the thread.

sapo_joe · Jun 4, 2011, 06:18 AM

I admit I was overreacting about the cursing I did to you Jorgo. But well, it really annoys me when someone accuses me of something I didn't do, when actually I'm trying to help.

As Veridian said, I was only sharing experiences, as, you know, discussion foruns are all about.

AND I fail to see why talking about other soundcards, specially this one, which can be useful to at least some of the current KX users, as I highlighted some of the recording/mixing capabilities of the card.

Think twice about calling someone a spammer Jorgo, as I see spamming as a true crime over Internet.

Anyway, when is next Kx Release coming?? My SB Live! Platinum is here waiting!

RPGWiZaRD · Jul 26, 2011, 06:23 PM

Today I also placed an order for the top-of-the-line Creative card Titanium HD just out of curiousity if this card can satisfy me more than Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio drivers. I want to see if it's really worth spending 150 EUR on a new top-of-the-line soundcard (cough, non-professional music creation oriented cards cough). Should be noticed I'm a headphone enthusiast that mostly keeps listening to music and gaming. While I'm a huge kX Audio fan particularly for the way the drivers are implemented and the DSP plugin system, I'm interested how up-to-date / superior hardware stacks up to inferior software setup I suppose. I doubt the Titanium HD can touch Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio in terms of bang-for-buck as I don't expect any soundcard can but for me the end result, the satisfaction is still more important.

I noticed the latest onboard Realtek chip ALC889A which is found on my motherboard stacks up quite well in terms of sound quality if we do a stock vs stock setting comparision against the Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio which was far from the case a couple of years ago so I thought if even onboard sound is starting to get close, it might be time to look into newer up-to-date hardware.

Crystallization · Jul 28, 2011, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD

Today I also placed an order for the top-of-the-line Creative card Titanium HD just out of curiousity if this card can satisfy me more than Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio drivers.

Hi RPGWiZaRD. After you test out the new card, could you please share your experience with it? I also have a Audigy 2 ZS with kX Audio drivers and I'm interested in knowing if it really is worth the upgrade. I'm particularly interested in how the Titanium HD sounds through headphones as I don't have a sophisticated sound system, yet.

By the way, seeing as you're a headphone enthusiast, could you give me some recommendations? You don't have to post it in this thread, you can send me a PM if you're willing. I'm currently using a pair of Sennheiser HD201, and they sound good but only when I press the earmuffs against my ears. Other then that, the sound, especially the bass, gets lost.

Thanks.

nakamichi · Jul 28, 2011, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD

I noticed the latest onboard Realtek chip ALC889A which is found on my motherboard stacks up quite well in terms of sound quality if we do a stock vs stock setting comparision against the Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio which was far from the case a couple of years ago so I thought if even onboard sound is starting to get close, it might be time to look into newer up-to-date hardware.

ALC889A (with the Realtek drivers) still sounds like sh!t. When connected to a stereo amp or receiver, the audio is surprisingly clean, but sterile with a lack of bass, almost no 'oomph' (transients/dynamics) and 'synthetic' highs.
An Audigy2 with the kX drivers is light years ahead in sound quality.

Moreover, the Audigy2 can drive almost any type of headphones connected directly to Line Out (without a headphone amp) at high volumes without introducing a lot of distortion or severely altering the frequency response. Audigy's line output delivers ~10 times more power than the Realtek ALC889A.

Even very low impedance (8 Ohm) headphones are no problem for this card - the sound is still great (unlike the lifeless sound of the Realtek chip)

RPGWiZaRD · Jul 29, 2011, 01:45 AM

Yea well I'm using a headphone amp whether I use Audigy 2 ZS or not so the power delivery doesn't matter, I was merely speaking the differences between the DACs themselves isn't that high and when feed through the amp the bass gets alive but yea without it it does lack oomph. Titanium HD on the other hand has got a DAC in an entire different league so I'm interesting how it performs (I still need the features of a soundcard why it had to be a soundcard)

Of course I still prefer Audigy 2 ZS over Realtek onboard but the difference isn't as huge as it used to be a couple of years ago especially if using modded X-Fi drivers for Realtek. xD Still if you're the kind of person who's recording and such as well as using all kinds of dsp plugins the kX drivers can still greatly excel but comparing stock vs stock configs, the difference is relatively small, the Audigy 2 ZS still has audible better quality but like a few years ago Realtek was still unbearable to listen to, now it's getting somewhat acceptable.

Crystallization · Jul 29, 2011, 10:37 AM

The X-Fi Titanium HD is looking pretty good according to this review: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD Sound Card Review. It scored a perfect 10.

Apr 18, 2011, 01:33 AM	#1
sapo_joe HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Hi there folks! I have had a Sound Blaster Live! for about 12 years and was using it on my PC until last week I realized I wanted a new soundcard, but, as many here, I was affraid the benefits of a new soundcard wouldn't be worth the U$160 the new X-Fi Titanium PCIe would cost. The main issue I was having was the fact I have a 5.1 sound system (Edifier M3551, awesome BTW!) and was obligated to use it as a 4.1 system. The second issue that clicked me on buyin a new card, was the games... I missed soooo much the shining hardware EAX and wanted to have it back. (Some would say 3d sound hardware is dead, but, first read the rest of this...) So, I got the courage and ordered a X-Fi Titanium PCI-E, which would fit the requisites I was looking for... being PCI-e, it would fit my mobo and be more future-proof, and the card had a DSP, a very good one, not some C-Media crap... Then, this Wednesday, it arrived... Well I'm a hardware and music enthusiast, and installing a shining new soundcard with such great capabilities was really a thrill! Installation was without much trouble, in spite of a BSOD I experienced when updating the drivers from the creative website (re-did it on Safety mode and it went fine). Then, it was time to test the thing! I was expecting something a little better than my old sb Live! with KX drivers I loved so much... I always loved how the system sounded, and it was already much better then these shitty audio DSPs integrated on motherboars... but.... I ended up being plainly AMAZED. It looked like I had bought a new speaker set! And I was still testing it in 2.1, with music. Without using any of the sound effects, is was already sounding sooo much cleaner, and detailed than the old sb live... Even with 192kb/s MP3s the sound was much better, detailed, I ended up catching instruments and effects I haven't noticed before on my music! The card has the so called 3 modes of operation (Games, entertainment, and audio creation). In games mode, the card creates a species of shortcut for games, re-enabling hardware acceleration access (with the aid of ALchemy, which is a cool effort from Creative, being constantly updated) and any game that is OpenAL ready shined with reverbs and effects. I remembered first time using the SB Live, on windows 98 with a creative ForPoint Surround. But this time around, it was so much better, the effects are natural, for instance, Colin McRae Dirt 2 sounded like another game! Not to mention Crysis 2, and Homefront (first using Directsound3D and the second, OpenAL with EAX5, brand new games that support hardware acceleration). In entertainment mode, the card disables some of the 3d hardware acceleration, but the DSP starts focusing on audio quality... And it does so in a very competent fashion. I personaly don't like effects like Crystalizer and equalizers messing with audio, but, since I have a 5.1 sound system, I was curious about CMSS 3D. I have an audigy SE and didn't like the effect much on it, since it used to eat some of the highs and lows, making the sound muffled. But, this time around, the effect was perfected by Creative, and the sound was so well distributed that the stereo sources sounded like they where originally multichannel! Singer's voices come from center, instruments from the main speakers and ambient sounds only come from the surround speakers! AMAZING! Then, it comes the audio mode that will interest most of you: Audio creation mode is something like having the KX DSP again! You can re-route sound channels like in KX DSP, making a sound card like this have 3 stereo outputs, with independent controls for each, and not only for volume, but by adding effects like reverb, etc, independently for each! And, of course, the card is capable of amazing 24-bit 96khz recording, which I will probably use to record my dad's Vinyl collection, using Flac or Apple Losless... I now realized that in years I won't be able to use all the card's resources! The card is worth for the sound quality alone, which blew the SB Live away, but, the additional resources made it shine, and after some days playing with it, I just can say: If you're thinking of an upgrade, and have the money to do so, DO IT! Just avoid the Extreme Audio version which lacks the DSP, and runs the efects in software (much like my Audigy SE). But for people that will use it only for music and movies, it can be a great option, because of the much better OP-Amps, if compared to older cards and onboard audio... Of course, if someday Eugene starts developing KX drivers for the X-Fi processor, I will be downloading it first hand!!! I could only imagine such a powerful DSP and quality sound with the flexibility of KX drivers... Cya folks, feel free to comment! __________________ Stayin' aLive! Rig#1 (Main): Phenom X4 955 BE / 4GB RAM / Asus mobo / Radeon 5670 1GB / Samsung 26'' LCD Display / 2.45 Tb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Xi-Fi Titanium / Edifier M3351 5.1 speakers / Windows 2008 Server Enterprise R2 Rig#2 (@ parents): Pentium 4 Dual Core 3.0Ghz / 3GB RAM / MSI mobo / Geforce 8600 GT 256 mb / LG 19'' LCD Display / 860 Gb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Audigy Value / Edifier RT1900 III 2.0 monitor speakers / Windows 7 Ultimate Last edited by sapo_joe; Apr 18, 2011 at 01:39 AM.

Apr 18, 2011, 10:34 PM	#2
johnsmith1 HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 20 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Can you use soundfonts with this card?

Apr 20, 2011, 04:01 AM	Thread Starter #3
sapo_joe HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Yes, sure, and even on windows 7, there's a soundfont loader and a midi device changer, to avoid the windows built-in midi mapper... It comes with 3 midi sets, 2mb, 8mb and 24mb! (last sounds really nice!) And more, it can mix midi with your recordings and even position it using EAX. So, a piano, for example, can be placed inside the song as if it were there before, repeating reverb and positioning amongst other musical instruments. COOL!!! __________________ Stayin' aLive! Rig#1 (Main): Phenom X4 955 BE / 4GB RAM / Asus mobo / Radeon 5670 1GB / Samsung 26'' LCD Display / 2.45 Tb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Xi-Fi Titanium / Edifier M3351 5.1 speakers / Windows 2008 Server Enterprise R2 Rig#2 (@ parents): Pentium 4 Dual Core 3.0Ghz / 3GB RAM / MSI mobo / Geforce 8600 GT 256 mb / LG 19'' LCD Display / 860 Gb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Audigy Value / Edifier RT1900 III 2.0 monitor speakers / Windows 7 Ultimate

Apr 21, 2011, 02:57 AM	#4
nakamichi HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 122 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Sure, the X-Fi Titanium blows away the old SB Live! in the sound quality department, but if you had a better card with kX drivers (Audigy2 or Audigy4 with the P16V HQ output) + Windows 7, I don't think you would've noticed any difference. And for soundfonts, you can always use BASSMIDIDrv: Index of /crap/audio BASSMIDIdrv is a freeware software synth driver that's light-years ahead of anything hardware-based: Unlimited soundfont memory, unlimited polyphony, multiple soundfonts support (combining / instrument replacement / stacking), HQ effects, GM2,GS and XG support (including sysex), very low CPU/memory usage. The best part: It works with ALL soundcards. Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit). Last edited by nakamichi; Sep 25, 2011 at 07:06 PM.

Apr 21, 2011, 04:43 AM	Thread Starter #5
sapo_joe HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... So, if it works with any soundcard, it will work with the x-fi also, and with the x-fi having better op-amps and better resampling engine, it would still be better. Also, the X-Fi is capable to position the midi sounds in space, much like a studio gear would do, and I really doubt that a 288kb software can replace a very powerful hardware for MIDI. I could buy an audigy 4 if I could find one, but in Brazil, that's a no go. A newer X-fi, with manufacturer support seemed a better option to me. Of course it would be nice to see KX Drivers working with the 20k2 processor... just a dream... __________________ Stayin' aLive! Rig#1 (Main): Phenom X4 955 BE / 4GB RAM / Asus mobo / Radeon 5670 1GB / Samsung 26'' LCD Display / 2.45 Tb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Xi-Fi Titanium / Edifier M3351 5.1 speakers / Windows 2008 Server Enterprise R2 Rig#2 (@ parents): Pentium 4 Dual Core 3.0Ghz / 3GB RAM / MSI mobo / Geforce 8600 GT 256 mb / LG 19'' LCD Display / 860 Gb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Audigy Value / Edifier RT1900 III 2.0 monitor speakers / Windows 7 Ultimate Last edited by sapo_joe; Apr 21, 2011 at 02:00 PM.

Apr 28, 2011, 08:55 AM	#7
vikflash HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 150 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Well I bought this soundcard 2 or 3 years ago : X-Fi Elite Pro. Yes it sounds good but as I said before drivers are not as flexible as KX ones and I got problems with it : I can't manage to have both analog and digital outputs to work together. That's what I wanted to do to get sound in a second room. With the latest Win7 drivers, the controls (knobs) of the extension box still don't work. Auto software update says I got no Creative product installed It's a shame for the money spent.

May 23, 2011, 12:08 PM	#13
Caithleann HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: California USA Posts: 47 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Thanks Russ, I don't know much about it either but ostensibly it is supposed to be able to load SoundFonts of unlimited size, that is, limited only by your on-board RAM. __________________ One cannot lie unless one knows the truth!

May 28, 2011, 12:17 PM	#14
mrvomit HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 261 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Uhm,i did take a look at those X-fi platinum...NO SPdif at all ,and no Midi connections On the drive? PASS all the way ,to make music with that. __________________ audio: Audigy 2 platinum SB0240 - amd 939 175 opty- Backup: Sblive 5.1 platinum (w.live drive) Sb060 DVDwriter : pioneer 107, nec 3540A windows XP

May 28, 2011, 10:03 PM	#17
Jorgo HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 28 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Unrequested hardware recommendation = Paid Spam. I'd go for a Xonar as gamer/music card and for something entirely different as a musician's tool.

May 29, 2011, 07:29 AM	#18
sjappie HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Hey, it's true sb live is at it's end, for some years now. I listened at a friend to hifi i.c.w. xf-fi bulk. It's clean but not as raw. Almost to clean ... If it's a messy mp3 I should hear it! I need tip for stereo setup. What card is most cut out for stereo music & gaming?! cheers

May 31, 2011, 03:29 PM	#22
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,027 Rep Power: 181	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... HI Jorgo, I saw Sapo_Joe's post back when he first made it and see no issues with what he has posted. In addition to that, having used the Titanium range myself I can understand his enthusiasm which is not necessarily exaggerated... the HD especially is an awesome product, one of the best I have ever tested for this site and there have been thousands. He likes his card, accept it and be happy for him rather than suggesting that a post is spam when the member actually joined before you, over 8 years ago... that is pretty ridiculous. Try and keep things constructive in future.

May 31, 2011, 09:15 PM	#24
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,027 Rep Power: 181	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... I actually dont feel that its in the wrong forum, Sapo_Joe is clearly a KX fan and was posting his experience for other KX users who might be in the same position as him, worried about changing hardware etc and what they might end up with... while also stating that he would love KX support for his new card in the future. Was he out of line using idiot and jerk, maybe... but no more than you have been regarding his posts. As I said before, let him enjoy his card and move along unless you have something constructive to add to the thread.

Jun 4, 2011, 06:18 AM	Thread Starter #25
sapo_joe HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 18 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... I admit I was overreacting about the cursing I did to you Jorgo. But well, it really annoys me when someone accuses me of something I didn't do, when actually I'm trying to help. As Veridian said, I was only sharing experiences, as, you know, discussion foruns are all about. AND I fail to see why talking about other soundcards, specially this one, which can be useful to at least some of the current KX users, as I highlighted some of the recording/mixing capabilities of the card. Think twice about calling someone a spammer Jorgo, as I see spamming as a true crime over Internet. Anyway, when is next Kx Release coming?? My SB Live! Platinum is here waiting! __________________ Stayin' aLive! Rig#1 (Main): Phenom X4 955 BE / 4GB RAM / Asus mobo / Radeon 5670 1GB / Samsung 26'' LCD Display / 2.45 Tb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Xi-Fi Titanium / Edifier M3351 5.1 speakers / Windows 2008 Server Enterprise R2 Rig#2 (@ parents): Pentium 4 Dual Core 3.0Ghz / 3GB RAM / MSI mobo / Geforce 8600 GT 256 mb / LG 19'' LCD Display / 860 Gb HDD Storage / Sound Blaster Audigy Value / Edifier RT1900 III 2.0 monitor speakers / Windows 7 Ultimate

Jul 26, 2011, 06:23 PM	#26
RPGWiZaRD HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 132 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Today I also placed an order for the top-of-the-line Creative card Titanium HD just out of curiousity if this card can satisfy me more than Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio drivers. I want to see if it's really worth spending 150 EUR on a new top-of-the-line soundcard (cough, non-professional music creation oriented cards cough). Should be noticed I'm a headphone enthusiast that mostly keeps listening to music and gaming. While I'm a huge kX Audio fan particularly for the way the drivers are implemented and the DSP plugin system, I'm interested how up-to-date / superior hardware stacks up to inferior software setup I suppose. I doubt the Titanium HD can touch Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio in terms of bang-for-buck as I don't expect any soundcard can but for me the end result, the satisfaction is still more important. I noticed the latest onboard Realtek chip ALC889A which is found on my motherboard stacks up quite well in terms of sound quality if we do a stock vs stock setting comparision against the Audigy 2 ZS + kX Audio which was far from the case a couple of years ago so I thought if even onboard sound is starting to get close, it might be time to look into newer up-to-date hardware. Last edited by RPGWiZaRD; Jul 26, 2011 at 06:33 PM.

Jul 29, 2011, 01:45 AM	#29
RPGWiZaRD HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 132 Rep Power: 0	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... Yea well I'm using a headphone amp whether I use Audigy 2 ZS or not so the power delivery doesn't matter, I was merely speaking the differences between the DACs themselves isn't that high and when feed through the amp the bass gets alive but yea without it it does lack oomph. Titanium HD on the other hand has got a DAC in an entire different league so I'm interesting how it performs (I still need the features of a soundcard why it had to be a soundcard) Of course I still prefer Audigy 2 ZS over Realtek onboard but the difference isn't as huge as it used to be a couple of years ago especially if using modded X-Fi drivers for Realtek. xD Still if you're the kind of person who's recording and such as well as using all kinds of dsp plugins the kX drivers can still greatly excel but comparing stock vs stock configs, the difference is relatively small, the Audigy 2 ZS still has audible better quality but like a few years ago Realtek was still unbearable to listen to, now it's getting somewhat acceptable. Last edited by RPGWiZaRD; Jul 30, 2011 at 12:20 AM.

Jul 29, 2011, 10:37 AM	#30
Crystallization HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 47 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: For those reluctant in buying a new soundcard... The X-Fi Titanium HD is looking pretty good according to this review: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD Sound Card Review. It scored a perfect 10. __________________ Check out my art thread or my deviantART gallery.