xfi or x-plosion

[ripken204]

http://www.auzentech.com/products_xplosion.html

someone just told me about this card
it can encode and decode dolby digital while the xfi can only decode. this means that i can play my mp3s in surround sound. i also only need a single optical cable, and b/c this card can encode, my games will be in surround sound using optical and not having to use analog.

and ive heard that the xfi 64bit drivers are pretty bad, and i use xp x64

i plan on using 5.1 and i am a huge gamer

so im just wondering if what i said was correct, since ive only read a couple of reviews, let me know what u think

[Heretic]

Huge gamer = x-fi.

[ripken204]

but will optical with encoding sound any better than analog?

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Will it sound any better? Probably not. Will it hook up a heckuva lot easier? Oh yes.

That, and I'm just sick of all of Creative's :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:. X-Plosion (or X-Raider) for me.

[Jester FPS]

computer speakers + gamer = x-fi
home theater speakers + non gamer = x-plosion

[yuckfou]

pc focused go for x-fi.
otherwise get x-plsion.

[ShazMX6]

computer speakers + gamer = x-fi
home theater speakers + non gamer = x-plosion


Put a Twist on that...

Computer Speakers + Non-Gamer = ?

Home Theater Speakers + Gamer = ?

I too am in same boat, torn between X-Plosion & X-Fi, even thinking a regular Audigy 4, currently using onboard Live! 24-bit on my mobo... in a month & half will be getting my 500watt RCA Home Theater Receiver off Lay-a-way at Walmart... & will be using that for my Game rig, Currently using a some what crappy Kawasaki 5.1 100watt receiver I got from Target a Couple years ago, sounds are "ok" from the SB Live 24 bit but could definately be better, & since I have trouble getting full 5.1 out of the reciever.. well

Anyways, I'm seriously wondering which would be better for a Home Theater to be used for Gaming...

I'm an avid PC gamer, as well as listen to my music on my PC as well, & even mess around with programs like Fruity Loops from time to time, so its not a matter of either Gamer or Music Listener... its a Combination or both...

[FragTek]

X-Plosion FTW.

I dumped my X-Fi Music for an X-Mystique and saw an instant increase in audio spectrum performance, then I upped to the X-Plosion and DTS is just fantastic with my Z-5500's!

[HermS]

I can't comment on the 64bit drivers because I don't use XP64 but I can tell you that my X-Plosion has been flawless since the day I got it. There is nowhere near the ammount of bloatware that comes with Creative cards, the mixer application is simple and effective and of course sound quality is as close to perfect as you can get. The only thing that is missing is EAX4, but to be frank I don't miss it one little bit.:cool:

[trakslacker]

X-Plosion FTW.

I dumped my X-Fi Music for an X-Mystique and saw an instant increase in audio spectrum performance, then I upped to the X-Plosion and DTS is just fantastic with my Z-5500's!

Interesting. I'm gonna be picking up the Z-5500's in the next month or so, and was planning on getting an X-Fi with it so replace my Audigy 2ZS. My usage consists of a lot of music listening, but with some gaming mixed in as well. Is the audio quality for music that much better with the X-Plosion? Also, exactly where does the X-Plosion suffer in gaming compared to the X-Fi?

[FragTek]

Interesting. I'm gonna be picking up the Z-5500's in the next month or so, and was planning on getting an X-Fi with it so replace my Audigy 2ZS. My usage consists of a lot of music listening, but with some gaming mixed in as well. Is the audio quality for music that much better with the X-Plosion? Also, exactly where does the X-Plosion suffer in gaming compared to the X-Fi?
The X-Plosion has the music audiophile in mind, you wont be dissapointed in the slightest. As far as the gaming experience I have no gripes at all either. The channels are defined and everything comes through crisp and clear. By far the best music/movie/gaming experience I've ever experienced with the X-Plosion/Z-5500 combo.

[krylon]

X-plosion has a big hit in games with FPS. The slower your proc the bigger the hit. Go with X-fi if you're a big time gamer and also want things like the latest EAX.

[Jester FPS]

X-plosion has a big hit in games with FPS. The slower your proc the bigger the hit. Go with X-fi if you're a big time gamer and also want things like the latest EAX.

qft. eax is better for gaming as eax 5.0 (exclusive to the x-fi series) supports up to 128 simultaneous voices + up to 4 effects applied to each. Creative cut off all other sound card manufacturers from using this technology, so the x-plosion only features eax 2.0 (32 simultaneous voices).

Think of it like the draw distance of audio.

[crackhead2k]

XIFI Better if your have headphones (good quality ones) and is better for majority of games....

[YanBooth]

I have the X-Fi Platinum Pro, it's a waste of money because, per has been said, no surround optical out, makes it so worthless for me. My issue is I AM a big gamer, and I fear that something that is not mainstream, and supported by games specifically could be an issue.
Anyone actually HAVE an X-Plosian that can comment?

[canislupy]

I've got an X-Plosion, and had an X-Mystique before it. I have never had problems running games, even did some bechmarks over on the [H] forums way back when. I have yet to run FEAR or Q4 on it, but I will give them a shot tonight and post my impressions. My use is for gaming & music, but mainly gaming. Based on my previous experiences, the frame rate loss due to EAX in software was no isue for me, as I was usually always running far over 60fps to begin with. With a game like FEAR, the effect may be greater, but I can't imagine it would be any worse that the VIA onboard I was using in a Shuttle SFF box to play it before (while sounding vastly better).

Anyway, I will post back my impression tonight.

[krylon]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but any updates on your testing?

[ReD.SkY]

2 days isnt an old thread lol

[ripken204]

talking about old thead, lots of new comments here for me, thx guys. so eax is the only real downpoint for getting the xplosion? is eax really that good tho? having optical surround sound would really sound nice. and about fps, my opteron 170 and 7800gt would just take that part out so i dont care about losing fps.

i am also using my onboard sound right now which ide have to guess doesnt even have eax, so if i went for the xplosion i wouldnt know what im missing, but it will still sound 100x better than my onboard.

[zabomb4163]

DTS is the new tech. once you play with it you never go back....

[ripken204]

well all i need is a better pair of speakers (logitech z5500)
im just hoping i can get enough money this summer making websites for ppl or something...

i just dont really like the xfi that much after hearing about its bad software and all the glitches/crashes it has.

[canislupy]

Sorry or the late and somewhat minor update... I forgot all about it last week, and was gone the weekend. I did get a chance to play a few games last night to try things out with the new x-plosion card.

FEAR - Awesome. Surround works perfectly... and tingles the spine with the awesome surround effects and voices. Scares the crap out of me. 64fps avg timedemo @ 1600x1200 and lots o' stuff set to maximum, 2x/8x aa/af. This was with eax enabled.

Quake 4 - Can't get surround to work, but I have not put patches on or tried to manually tweak in cfg files.

BF2 - Only limited play time, was hard to judge surround effects/movement. I have not patched to latest, so I only played locally/limited vs bots. Need to patch then play on 30+ player server to try to get a sense of surround quality.

WoW - I play this all the time, works great. It's crac..err, WoW, 'nuff said.

[nickwall]

bad choice !!!

[FragTek]

Best choice! Glad you went with the finest card on the market mate! :toast:

[HiJon89]

Nice choice, I'm loving my X-Mystique hooked up to my receiver and Polk speakers with Dolby Digital Live :D

[YanBooth]

Good choice, I am thinking of selling my X-Fi Platinum Pro and picking one of these puppies up.

[YanBooth]

any update in bf2 performance?

[ripken204]

Good choice, I am thinking of selling my X-Fi Platinum Pro and picking one of these puppies up.


any update in bf2 performance?

well if you do, plz tell me how it sounds
so you have that bf2 crackling problem or something? thats another reason why i dont want the xfi.

[YanBooth]

bf2 sound is flawless for me, even maxed, but i just wanna know how the auzentech fairs in popular, common games like bf2

[epion2985]

The part of the card that has the most if not all the effect on the quality is the DAC. If you really want quality get any card you want with a coaxial or optical out and an external DAC.

[YanBooth]

any updates from those who have it on in game performance and stuff?

[slavearm]

Glad I saw this thread... I have been holding off on a sound card purchase, because of all the driver issues with the creative cards. Thanks for the updates.

[HiJon89]

The part of the card that has the most if not all the effect on the quality is the DAC. If you really want quality get any card you want with a coaxial or optical out and an external DAC.
That's what I got going. HDA Mystique outputs Dolby Digital through optical connection to my Onkyo receiver which sends it to my home theater.

[Axylone]

Although an optical surround output would be much easier to set up, you have to remember that there will be a ~50ms delay while the sound card encodes to 5.1/6.1/7.1. I use an Audigy 2 ZS w/ 7.1 analog.

[ripken204]

Although an optical surround output would be much easier to set up, you have to remember that there will be a ~50ms delay while the sound card encodes to 5.1/6.1/7.1. I use an Audigy 2 ZS w/ 7.1 analog.
are you sure of this? and has anyone noticed this?

[odb]

just got my x-plosion today, and wow, goodbye creative! my z5500's never sounded better.

[HiJon89]

Although an optical surround output would be much easier to set up, you have to remember that there will be a ~50ms delay while the sound card encodes to 5.1/6.1/7.1. I use an Audigy 2 ZS w/ 7.1 analog.
My 5.1 setup surrounds my bed not my computer so I only use it for music and movies so I can't really tell if there is a delay. When gaming at my computer I use headphones so I change the output setting of the card to 2-channel analog.

[ripken204]

but if there really is a delay, its only half a second, so hopefully i wont notice it.

btw, nice deal over at ZZF
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=234502

ill prolly be ordering my xplosion any day now for this sweet price. now i just need to come up with money for a z5500

[slavearm]

Wow... that's a pretty amazing deal! I think I might have to jump on it.

Thanks for the link!

[Axylone]

50ms is 1/20th of a second, so it really isn't noticible

[003]

any updates from those who have it on in game performance and stuff?
The X-fi will always be faster in bf2 becsause of EAX 5.0, and the x-ram, which the x-plosion has neither of.

[JoeBar]

I don't think that EAX5.0 will give any performance increase. Actually it will put more stress on the card. Will it sound better though? Yes.

[ripken204]

well i dont really care much about eax. and its not auzentech's fault they dont have it, creative just wont let them. if the xplosion had eax5 than it would rape the xfi.

[adamwinn]

If the audio is 50ms after the video, then yes, it isn't noticible by most humans. BUT if its the video that is 50ms after the audio then the brain will notice it. In fact, the brain will recognize leading audio asynch down to about 5 or 10ms.


50ms is 1/20th of a second, so it really isn't noticible

[ferrari_freak]

Wow, I was about to get an X-Fi over the summer, glad I bumped into this thread. So it REALLY is better to get an X-Plosion for gaming rather than an X-Fi Xtreme Music for the same purpose? (comparing the two since they are the same price and that's all I'm willing to pay for sound card). Very noticeable differences or just slight difference? What can I expect by upgrading my Realtek thing to this? Thanks a lot.

Usama aka Ferrari Freak

P.S. I use Z-5500's as in sig and they sound awesome right now with Realtek stock sound

[ripken204]

well anything is better than onboard. with ur z5500 u can use a single optical cable which has no interference. for the xfi u need to use a few analog cabled which have interference... from all the reviews ive read, they all chose the xplosion b/c it just sounds more crisp.

[ripken204]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829156001

same price as zzf :)

[ferrari_freak]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829156001

same price as zzf :)

Live in Canada :( .

Usama aka Ferrari Freak

[BlackX]

Good thread. :up:
I will now choose Xplosion instead of X-fi

[ripken204]

i feel good now. everyone is getting the xplosion :)

[ScottFern]

Does anyone know if the fixes Creative has presented to solve the popping/crackling issue actually work?

[ripken204]

for most people, no.
http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=soundblaster&message.id=61926&view=by_date_ascending&page=78

check out how many people are having problems, these are just the people that even know of this forum, this issues is talked about at many different forums.

i didnt want to spend 120$ on a sound card when i would get cracking noises, just not worth it.

[BWR]

Is the X-plosion > X-fi even if you dont use 5.1 but still game?

[BlackX]

Is the X-plosion > X-fi even if you dont use 5.1 but still game?

If u dont use 5.1 then ondoard SB is just fine.

[Drunner611]

Alright, I'm also looking between a X-FI Xtrememusic or an Auzentech X-plosion for my new rig. It would be used with some Audio-Technica A500's (Gaming)and very old Technics speakers and Rotel receiver (music, 20 years old), which would be the better card? Thanks.
I looked at previous posts but foudn no decicive answer.

[dum]

I like my auzentech, using it to go out to my marantz 5500 and then to some infinity beta 20's if you get it upgrade the opamps to the burr ones great improvement to your analog output