[hypr]

Okay so I used to have a 5 year old computer that had a terratec dmx6 fire soundcard in it. I bought it back then for music. Back in October I built myself a brand new complete computer, and went with a creative x-fi platinum due to a great deal i got. Now I dont know if im being crazy, but the audio sounds somehow inferior to me. Things don't seem as sharp and the volume is a lot lower. I use grado 250s and sony v6. I assumed that after 5 years that this creative would be just as good as my old soundcard, was I wrong?

 

[smeggy]

Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you

 

[hypr]

hahahaha

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Many of the most popular DACs still being used in current day equipment are around that age, 5 years old. Audio quality doesn't seem to improve as linearly as say, computer processing speed, which is why you can find vintage equipment that still sound so damn good.

 

[Azultra]

Owned!

 

[milesbeyondjazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean they're not out to get you

Damn!You beat me to it.I love that quote.

 

[hypr]

So im guessing the 6fire is better than the x-fi? So what should I do. Should I stick the dmx 6fire 24/96 in my new computer and run both soundcards?

Whats a good audiophile soundcard these days?

 

[hypr]

bump, anyone?

 

[Poboy]

i used to own a terratec back then too... right now i have the audigy 4 pro and the difference is a lot between the the two ( audigy being much better )
i am not sure how an xfi can be inferior to a terratec. maybe you need to get someone else to test the 2 cards out with you and ask their opinions also... something is not right either with your system ( possibly driver issues ) or your ears ... hmmmmm

 

[Azultra]

..

 

[Azultra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypr /img/forum/go_quote.gif So im guessing the 6fire is better than the x-fi? So what should I do. Should I stick the dmx 6fire 24/96 in my new computer and run both soundcards? Whats a good audiophile soundcard these days?

Cheap option : M-Audio Revolution 5.1

 

[Gonz]

You didn't say whether you bought the X-Fi card "upgrade" because you:

A.) Now have an interest in gaming, or other capabilities offered by X-Fi.

B.) Just wanted to upgrade, looking for improvement over "old" card.

This makes a difference to me.

Scenario 1.) Creative's products are truly multi-media devices... surround output, EAX, etc... necessary? No, but if you want that for movies and gaming, then Creative is the best choice.

Therefore, you would at this point just add an external DAC. Then you can keep all the nice features, but improve on the sound quality.

For example, I have an Audigy and a AV-710. I decided to add this because I would expect nice synergy with AT's ATH-A900 cans.

There are *many* DAC options available to you. The Trends is an affordable and versatile example... but really, theres alot of choices so it depends on needs and budget.



Scenario 2.) You may wish to get into a card more geared for audio only. Like the one you upgraded from.

Before I did that, I'd be trying one of these. They seem well rounded but with the emphasis on music use.

Onkyo SE-200PCI HD PCI Digital Audio Board $199.00 USD
Onkyo SE-150PCI PC Digital Audio Board $179.00 USD
The above offer 7.1ch out, the below is straight 2ch.
Onkyo SE-90PCI PCI Digital Audio Board $129.00 USD

 

[Redo]

Are you running in Audio Creation mode with bit patched enabled? Are you using foobar2000 or winamp setup properly for ASIO playback? Were you used to EQ'ing on your old card?


I don't know how your old card sounded, and it could very well have been better for music (or it was tweaked to your ears). But the X-Fi setup properly sound pretty good out of the analog outputs, nothing too special.

 

[hypr]

yea I have to check it out more to see what's up. The DAC option sounds promising. I am mainly comparing the front bay of the two sound cards, since this is where I have been plugging in my headphones. It does really sound much better on the terratec. I'm gonna go try to see if I can tweak the x-fi a little and see where I get.

 

[hypr]

Also, it's true, when I bought the terratec I was only concerned with audio quality. I acutally researched it a lot, and I remember buying it because someone on these forums had recommended it. When I bought the x-fi, I figured id get something that would be good for everything....and also i got a good deal on the platinum since I picked it up for about $110. I had just assumed that since 5 years had passed this new "multimedia" soundcard's audio would be as good as my old terratec...which I was very happy with audio-wise