[Evshrug]

AvroArrow,
It was only a month after getting the Q701 that I decided the AD700 was over-tight on bass (and sub bass was hard to hear in a mix), that's why I think a little boomy ness from slightly suboptimal impedance mismatching could actually relax the stiff posture of the AD700 and make for good synergy. Also, I heard about wrapping the pads with Saran/cling-wrap/plastic-wrap alters the sound after I sold my AD700 earlier this year, I am curious what a ring sealing the outer-face of the pads would do to the sound.

Hopefully the E09k satisfies you, although I'm confident it would resell well if necessary.

Q701 + virtual surround + movies = clearer and more realistic sound and immersion than even at the movie theater. I LOVE it. And I am definitely going to enjoy either some movies or games today my day off, once I stop luxuriating over being lazy in bed. Been on my feet and getting too little sleep lately, but I also have gained an owned-game backlog in the past year, for the first time in my life.

 

[NamelessPFG]

As the good chaps on VOGONS noticed, Creative Labs' Connect developer website is down.
 
This is the official statement on said site being taken down.
 
Thankfully, this is where Web page archival sites come in really handy...but the developer site, something that has little value to the end user, being down isn't the real problem.
 
The real problem is that Creative allowed it to become so neglected and just cast it aside like an afterthought. They've given up on making use of their 3D audio technologies despite holding them in their iron grasp, and isn't really doing anything to help developers utilize them. No wonder PC gaming audio is in the sorry state it is now.
 
Someone needs to buy out all their 3D audio-related technology, especially the stuff they took from Aureal, and do something with it, just so it won't go to waste. It could make for a killer audio middleware that blows away FMOD and Wwise, along with an application along the lines of Razer Surround to provide headphone surround to any audio device, even USB DACs.

 

[Fegefeuer]

Check this out Nameless:
 
http://www.nvidia.com/content/GTC-2010/pdfs/2042_GTC2010.pdf 
 
It's quite interesting. Seeing that the PS4 was born for compute tasks (and given that it is much better equipped than the Xbox One in that regard) I'm curious to see what the new consoles could provoke for the PC. On the other hand the audio chip on the Xbox One is pretty powerful.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Check this out Nameless:
 
http://www.nvidia.com/content/GTC-2010/pdfs/2042_GTC2010.pdf 
 
It's quite interesting. Seeing that the PS4 was born for compute tasks (and given that it is much better equipped than the Xbox One in that regard) I'm curious to see what the new consoles could provoke for the PC. On the other hand the audio chip on the Xbox One is pretty powerful.

 
That link gave me a 404, but I'm pretty sure I read it before at some point, using the GPU for sound processing.
 
It doesn't really surprise me, given that when I heard about GPGPU designs being used for raytracing years ago, I naturally thought "If we can trace rays of light with these modern GPUs, how about tracing sound waves like Aureal did a decade ago with much slower CPUs and fixed-function GPUs?"

 

[DJINFERNO806]

  As the good chaps on VOGONS noticed, Creative Labs' Connect developer website is down.
 
This is the official statement on said site being taken down.
 
Thankfully, this is where Web page archival sites come in really handy...but the developer site, something that has little value to the end user, being down isn't the real problem.
 
The real problem is that Creative allowed it to become so neglected and just cast it aside like an afterthought. They've given up on making use of their 3D audio technologies despite holding them in their iron grasp, and isn't really doing anything to help developers utilize them. No wonder PC gaming audio is in the sorry state it is now.
 
Someone needs to buy out all their 3D audio-related technology, especially the stuff they took from Aureal, and do something with it, just so it won't go to waste. It could make for a killer audio middleware that blows away FMOD and Wwise, along with an application along the lines of Razer Surround to provide headphone surround to any audio device, even USB DACs.

 
Im surprised there hasnt been a kickstarter yet for this reason exactly?  However there is no guarantee that Creative would sell it even if the money was raised.  And who know how much the buy out would have to be anyway.  
 
 

   
That link gave me a 404, but I'm pretty sure I read it before at some point, using the GPU for sound processing.
 
It doesn't really surprise me, given that when I heard about GPGPU designs being used for raytracing years ago, I naturally thought "If we can trace rays of light with these modern GPUs, how about tracing sound waves like Aureal did a decade ago with much slower CPUs and fixed-function GPUs?"

 
You know this might sound like conspiracy theory info but I was thinking.  So the Xbox One has a dedicated sound processor right?  
 
Rumour has it that Microsoft is developing a new audio API to go along with this.  I highly doubt that Xaudio2 will be back for the new console.  Maybe we will see Xaudio3 or something else.  Regardless lets assume this API would allow hardware acceleration in order to use the sound processor.  
 
Now I will assume they will make this API available in newer Direct X revisions for PC as they did with Xaudio2.  
 
So is this a coincidence with Windows 8 bringing back hardware audio? Imagine bypassing the WASAPI and going straight to the driver using a new API.
 
The only thing that doesnt make sense is who would make hardware for this new API to run in hardware mode?  Creative? Or maybe Nvidia/AMD? What about all 3?  Maybe it will be universal and vendors can add their own features and such.  There was a recent announcement of Nvidia releasing something  new and not a GPU either.  
 
Like I said conspiracy theory stuff eh? lol
 
One can only hope.
 
 
P.S. 
 
Would you want to update the OP with SBX surround option under Binaural Tech?  Just an idea so the main ones used nowadays are all there.

 

[Fegefeuer]

New Soundblaster cards with CMSS-3D, albeit lesser models.
 
One external device with up to 600 Ohm.
 
http://www.techpowerup.com/190126/creative-announces-the-sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1-usb-sound-card.html

 

[DJINFERNO806]

Audigy Rx,
 
Seems like its aimed at recording from the creative page.  And the CMSS/3D looks like its just for upmixing stereo content to multichannel stereo....
 
There isnt one mention of gaming or anything.
 
Audigy Fx,
 
It uses SBX pro surround like the Z series.  Seems its just a direct competitor to ASUS' line of cheap headphone amp cards.  DGX?

 

[Evshrug]

New Soundblaster cards with CMSS-3D, albeit lesser models.

One external device with up to 600 Ohm.

http://www.techpowerup.com/190126/creative-announces-the-sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1-usb-sound-card.html

The omni is too close to the recon3D to NOT be the successor to the Recon3D USB that Creative hinted to me. A shame, because it looks like a nice unit, but no optical-in for console surround. Unless I still had a laptop, I'd rather just buy the Z card for my windows computer... and I'm just not ready to drop the cash when the Recon3D USB meets my needs satisfactorily (just a few more features and refinements would make it awesome).

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Audigy Rx,
Seems like its aimed at recording from the creative page.  And the CMSS/3D looks like its just for upmixing stereo content to multichannel stereo....
There isnt one mention of gaming or anything.
Audigy Fx,
It uses SBX pro surround like the Z series.  Seems its just a direct competitor to ASUS' line of cheap headphone amp cards.  DGX?

The Audigy Rx is the Audigy 4 (same CA10300 audio processor) with a cheap headphone amplifier and SBX Studio Pro software drivers added.

 

[DJINFERNO806]

Ya the boards look awefully similar too with the placement of the chip slightly off.

My question is why keep using that chip. They make it sound like only it can do EAX processing.

 

[Fegefeuer]

The omni is too close to the recon3D to NOT be the successor to the Recon3D USB that Creative hinted to me. A shame, because it looks like a nice unit, but no optical-in for console surround. Unless I still had a laptop, I'd rather just buy the Z card for my windows computer... and I'm just not ready to drop the cash when the Recon3D USB meets my needs satisfactorily (just a few more features and refinements would make it awesome).

 
Yeah, it was the first thing I checked. "Please be an external SBX device, also for consoles" :[

 

[DJINFERNO806]

Ya its unfortunate there's no optical...

The recon3d would be perfect if it was upgraded to use sbx instead of thx and they upped the headphone amp and DAC to that of the z's quality. I tried using it for my Xbox but the hissing was too much and a lack of power for those harder to use headphones.

I think with that it would take down the mixamp as the go to device for hrtf on consoles.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Ya the boards look awefully similar too with the placement of the chip slightly off.
My question is why keep using that chip. They make it sound like only it can do EAX processing.

I'm guessing cost, I'm assuming the CA10300 audio processor (Audigy 4) is cheaper to manufacture then the current SoundCore3D.

 

[DJINFERNO806]

Makes sense especially if they have a surplus of them stored away.

 

[Evshrug]

Ya its unfortunate there's no optical...

The recon3d would be perfect if it was upgraded to use sbx instead of thx and they upped the headphone amp and DAC to that of the z's quality. I tried using it for my Xbox but the hissing was too much and a lack of power for those harder to use headphones.

I think with that it would take down the mixamp as the go to device for hrtf on consoles.

It does have an optical OUT. But no innie. From all reports/reviews I've read comparing, the Recon3D USB has a cleaner line-out signal than the Astro Mixamp for double-amping (and I know myself it's superior over the DSS), so I'd take an educated guess that the DAC and amp are superior to the Mixamp's. ONLY THING the Recon3D lacks to the Mixamp is chat volume control, and even that only on consoles (much more control than a Mixamp at it's best when the Recon3D is connected to a PC).

You got hissing when connecting your Z to the Xbox? Via Optical? That'd be real bad news bears. Sure you used the two-channel output from the Xbox (since internal cards don't support DDL input)?