EAX likely will never see the light of day again, due to Microsoft's massive changes to how Windows handles audio, so I wouldn't at all worry about EAX support, I'd worry about OpenAL acceleration (if you're worried about tomorrow), which both Creative and Asus have in spades

if EAX is something you really want, an X-Fi is a good choice, I would suggest the Prelude (call me biased)

The new Auzentech Forte is a good choice too IMO.

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EAX effects can be offered through a different API's. In XP we had the Direct Sound API offering EAX effects.
In Vista the DS HAL is removed so they have to use the OpenAL API, which can still offer EAX effects. The Creative Cards and Auzentech cards have OpenAL acceleration. The Xonars do not provide hardware acceleration as they use the host CPU.
The common misconception is EAX is dead. Not so, EAX is alive and well just running through the OpenAL API now.

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If you want the best cards for gaming, those are the Prelude 7.1 and newly released Forte 7.1. You can go with a CL based card but the Auzentech cards offer better sound quality and better components. You can also improve the sound quality or tune it more to your liking of both cards with simple opamps upgrades.

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According to Creative's OpenAL 1.1 specification, EAX should be considered deprecated. New development should use OpenAL's EFX interface, which is more tightly coupled with the overall OpenAL framework.

KTHX

and yes I used wikipedia, because I'm kind of tired of your one-sided rants

EAX *is* dead, and the world is moving on (not that EAX ever saw "massive" mainstream support, yes, many titles support EAX 2 or 3, but EAX 4/5 are relatively rare by comparison)

Asus is also claiming that Xonar offers "full hardware accelerated DirectX, EAX, and DSD3D GX support" and C-Media made/makes similar claims on the hardware that acts as the basis for Xonar (in other words, you're the only person I've ever heard claim such a thing, and the performance benchmarks, and information from the vendors entirely disagrees)

Rants? -I thought I was very polite. Just fixing your misconceptions before they spread to others.
Wikki, is a common source of incorrect information.
You can think whatever you want, The way you put out the information is incorrect. EAX is not like direct sound or OpenAL it is not a API "entity" within itself.
The EAX effects are extension that run within a API. The EAX effects can run perfectly fine within OpenAL.
The world is moving on to what? -OpenAL? -Again, the effects are run within OpenAL.
The game houses may be moving to OpenAL but this doesn't mean they are moving away from EAX. There are many other effect extension
avialable for use also, from MS and others.

As for the ASUS cards. That is another subject within itself.
GX is a emulation driver which uses the Host CPU.
Lets not ruin the thread, the guys is asking about gaming cards, not the finer points of gaming effects. If you want to continue our discussion use the PM.

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Are you picking on Rob?
The posts in the Xonar Essence STX are more reasonable discusions than just bump posts without actual stands.
The listed values from Rob are also found in the Audio Precision test reports as bundled with the card, which, according to the various RMAA tests found online also found it close to the report.
So unless you want challange the credibility of AP, or you want to challange all the media reviewers, I say most people are happy that there is finally a good piece of soundcard out there now.

It's nothing about fanboy posts, but reasonable discussions.

I'm actually in the same boat as the OP. I'm looking for a new sound card and I've had my eye on the HT omega claro halo, the Asus Xonar Essence STX and the auzentech forte.

Although the Asus Xonar might be better in terms of SQ, I'm leaning towards the Omega Claro Halo because it has optical in/out. I need/want optical because I have speakers that have digital input. Besides that, I really don't know anything else that will separate the 3 cards listed.

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All your listed cards offer optical output aswell as Coax. The STX and the Forte offer optical outputs using a small plug in adapter that allow you to connect the fibre cable.
I tested the Forte and STX on digital studio reference monitors to look for glitches or drop outs and both offer perfect optical output. To note, The STX offers Dolby Digital Live only and the Forte 7.1 offer both Dolby Digital Live and DTS if those encoder routines are something your after.

Just to throw in my 0.02, isn't Bioshock an EAX5, OpenAL game?

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EAX4 if I recall correctly, I know it does have an excellent EAX mix as they go (EAX5 is rare, as it wasn't out long before Vista came along and depricated EAX)

at rob, I never said EAX was an API, its an extension library that you can implement in DirectX or OpenAL, and Creative themselves are stating it to be depricated (attack me personally all you want, I don't care), suggesting that developers instead move to EFX within OpenAL, or otherwise work with the OpenAL API (do you really wanna have a flame war just because you wanted to be all high and mighty with "I'm trying to save users from you"? really? I suggest you look up my posting history, because I'll take this to 20 pages if you're that much of an *******)

and you can believe whatever YOU want to about Asus' cards, but quite simply put, Asus themselves are stating the card is hardware accelerated, that doesn't mean ZERO CPU load, it means h/w offload of various processing aspects (just like a GPU doesn't mean ZERO CPU load for 3D processing )

twhtpclover:
ignored (forever), trolling is a waste of my time

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Just out of curiosity, why is there no love on this message board for the high-end Creative cards, like the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty? I would think these would be near top-of-the-line in sound cards.

Also, excuse my ignorance, but I see that AuzenTech has these Prelude and Forte cards also labelled with "X-Fi". Is this the same X-Fi as in the Creative cards? What is the difference between AuzenTech's and Creative's X-Fi cards in terms of quality?

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In gaming maybe, not in the Audiophile world they're not

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Drivers. Creative drivers are bloatware crap. Read up on X-Fi crackling and disappearing problems with Creative do not acknowledge. Also the debacle with Creative disabling X-Fi features on Vista drivers, and a bloke who released own hacked drivers re-enabling those features.

Creative are scum. Take this from Creative owner going back to Soundblastter ISA 8 bit, I won't be buying another Creative card.

@obobskivich, If you want to keep up your rude and ignorent posting style, seriously go and bother sombody else. I am aware of your posting history and have viewed the "contributions" you post and I am really surprised you haven't been banned yet. If you think you are right, hey that is all that matters. Please do not bother me anymore, I have no time for forum trolls such as you.

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let me try to slip in here before the flood of hate posts, and please realize I'm not 100% objective (but I'll try to be as objective and honest as I can)

yes, it is the same X-Fi (EMU20k1) processor that Creative puts on its boards, its licenced to Auzen (exclusively to Auzen I might add, which made quite a ruckus a few years ago when Prelude was new news) for resale and whatnot, but the drivers are more or less identical to that of Creative (they are different, and its more than slight cosmetic changes, the Auzen cards will not identify to the system as "Genuine Creative Hardware" in some cases, and the Auzen drivers offered DDL from day one, and I think there may be some variances in DTS support (DTS has never been "big" on the PC though (aside from passthrough))

as far as "why are Creative cards hated", the top reasons I've seen (and I basically gave up trying to convince people othewrise):

* percieved lower quality components
* percieved lower quality build
* generally poor tech support (if you've ever had to call or e-mail Creative, you don't question this one)
* initially high pricing (we're talking 2005 prices were "high", and this stigma has never left Creative)
* Creative is generally hated on head-fi (and in most audiophile snob communities), reasons include:

* misunderstanding of the SRC bug
* misrepresentation of various technologies to the public (Creative will design or implement a function, lets say Crystalizer, and is very dodgy in releasing what the technology does, aside from saying "its better, use it!")
* stigma associated with older products (SB Live and earlier)
* stigma associated with internal cards in general, reasons include:

* RFI/EMI myth/rants
* perception of internal cards as low quality due to lower pricing
* stigma of opening the computer
* bad experiences had by some users (which can usually be attributed to components other than the power supply, that the user is unwilling to fix)
* popular opinion leans towards external solutions (becuase its trendy)


basically Creative is just the ugly duckling, I'd honestly venture that 30-40% of their poor rap is well earned, their customer service and technical support are among the worst in the industry (computer/IT, not audio equipment, and thats one thing you MUST understand, Creative is NOT in the business of audio equipment, they're in the business of computer accessories), and they love to milk SRP's far higher than most users deem fair (although this has changed dramatically in the last 2 years)

as far as "Creative cards should be among the best", in 2005-2006 when X-Fi was brand new, there was nothing on the market capable of competing, at least thats noteworthy (the X-Meridian had more or less come and gone by that point, Sondigo was a flash in the pan, and the AV710 was already on the way out, Asus wouldn't enter the market for another year or two), and you have to consider that Creative hasn't changed or upgraded its hardware in any meaningful way in that many years (yet users still love to rail them for being somewhat behind the Asus boards (which are years newer)), whether this is a fault to ding them for or not, I'm not really going to get into that

now, as far as Creative boards that do recieve high praise, E-MU Systems is part of Creative, and relies exclusively on Creative designed processors (don't care what the fanboys say, its the truth), and those cards consistently recieve high praise (but its always the external units, are you noticing the trend yet?), as far as actual Creative Labs branded products, the X-Fi Elite Pro offers excellent analog and digital quality, but the price is usually never at a reasonable level ($299 is ridiculous, although it was available for $125 some time ago, shame nobody was up to it), and the extra features range from "useful but unncessary" to "gimmicky" (for example having a phono preamp, its nice, but who is going to really utilize it? having "EAX" buttons on the break-out box on the other hand, it just serves to add things that "light up and blink")

in all honest reality, I would bill Creative boards in the top running, I'm probably one of two members that actually give the brand a chance, and I'm sure I'm probably the only one who will say much more than "creative sucks dude, get something else, get Xonar Essence STX!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (or some rant about USB audio)

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I love you, you love me, we're a happy family!

and I believe the word you're looking for is "ignorant"

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Many have had trouble with the driver personally or are scared off by stories of driver troubles. You would think they would be top of the line cards but when looking at the components, they leave alot to be desired. Various reasons from people.
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Auzentech has a license to use the X-fi processor.
There is quite a bit of difference in many cases, Auzen uses higher quality DAC's, ADC's, Filters, Opamps and just overall board design.
The Auzentech X-fi's sound noticably better then Creative's X-fi's.