Auzen X-Fi™ Forte 7.1
Mar 25, 2009 at 1:34 PM Post #76 of 302
Yea, I just realized that too LOL - NOOB alert
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Mar 25, 2009 at 6:18 PM Post #79 of 302
Yea, I looked over the Guru3d review too and went back over the other cards they have done. This will make comparing cards for my next buy so much easier. It would be cool if some site started doing dynamic charts for sound cards just like the one you can get for headphones at headroom.
 
Mar 26, 2009 at 4:17 AM Post #81 of 302
OMG. Wow. Tears...

SO nice. The bass hits extremely tight. I accidentally let it roll out on my Klipsch speakers before I stuck my headphones on. The song was Katy Perry's Hot N Cold. It's been so long since I had my Elite Pro, but it sure sounds less sloppy than even that. It hits, then it's gone. There's no trailing sound, just a quick, hard kick.

Continuing on through the song had me pausing and looking for my phone! There was a soft percussion that kept on during the song that I know I've never picked up on before.

Alright, Beyonce, Halo. The entire song's been made smooth. W/ the onboard Soundmax Supreme FX II 1988 ADI the clapping, soft back beat, vocals, and keyboard sort of mashed up. Now they can still mix nicely, but it's sort of like listening to my Senns for the first time. I can easily focus on one instrument and hear it wo/ losing any detail.

Katy Perry, I kissed a girl. Once again, I'm blown away by the fast bass. It's been far too long! The subtle nuances of her vocals come through much more clear while the beats just add to the overall clarity of the song. There's a part where a soft mid goes back and forth from left to right and gets balanced JUST right.

Those were the only 3 songs I listened to right before making the swap. I'm in heaven. The box was right, the sound I'm hearing's extremely real. Leona Lewis, Bleeding Love hits tight while bringing her vocals to the front. It's like lifting a towel from a speaker.
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There's definitely a lot more here than I've noticed before as well.

I just couldn't tap my foot to the Soundmax. Something always pulled me apart because it sounded so lifeless. Almost like a cheap MP3 player.

Had to swap the mini pci bracket off for the larger style and had a bit of trouble w/ one of the screws. But I fought hard enough and manage to get it threaded through. Used a pair of pliers for the hex nuts. Popped the Supreme FX II out from up top and checked that area first, but decided on putting the card just below the GPU in the 2nd PCIe slot. It's a much better arrangement as you can see.

This allows me to keep the slotted brackets above and below the GPU while the sound card's dongle hangs below and out of the way. I was concerned about it dangling in front of my PSU fan, but that wasn't an issue either! Having the dongle w/ LABELED and easily viewable colors makes connecting jacks a snap too.
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Another concern was that placing it below the GPU would cover the fan, but the small PCB only sticks out about 1/2 inch if that. The card does get warm, but it's below the circuit board of the GPU and definitely not interfering w/ the intake fan. The other hopeful benefit here's keeping the chip side of the Forte away from the GPU.
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I've only tested audio creation mode on my 580's and Klipsch, but the drivers were a snap to install and even included Alchemy. Overall, I'm just floored.
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Thanks to ROBSCIX for giving me something to read on my BB while I awaited my treasure!
 
Mar 26, 2009 at 6:40 PM Post #82 of 302
Quote:

Originally Posted by zeroibis /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Yea, I looked over the Guru3d review too and went back over the other cards they have done. This will make comparing cards for my next buy so much easier. It would be cool if some site started doing dynamic charts for sound cards just like the one you can get for headphones at headroom.


I dont see how to compare cards on these reviews,
It was the same as the Essence,
I hope the third review could be better, maybe, Mr Rob you should look a bit of "Top Gear" just for the spice..
 
Mar 26, 2009 at 7:37 PM Post #83 of 302
Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
This is one thing that worries me about PCI E cards and seems rightly so... the PCI E slots is always right next to the GPU or other units. I have my Elite PRO well away from anything else in my computer and coupled with high quality PSUs I never get hissing and such no matter what card I run
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I had my Prelude right next to my 8800GTS (and now HD4850) before I upgraded my motherboard and never had issues, now it's in the furthest slot away from the video card and it sounds exactly the same. Maybe this is an issue exclusive to the Forte, something to do with it's low profile design perhaps?
 
Mar 26, 2009 at 10:14 PM Post #84 of 302
I had the Forte sitting right next to my GFX card and had no hissing.

Many times the recording inputs get enabled and left floating which leaves a way for noise to get into the circuit. Make sure your recording inputs are muted if your card -any card has any such noise issues.
 
Mar 28, 2009 at 9:43 PM Post #86 of 302
Ugh, if I get the forte, it's going to be right under my GPU Fan. So I guess it isn't really an option anymore.

Are there any great PCI soundcards around the price of the Forte or less? $137 or under.

Here's a picture...

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Mar 28, 2009 at 11:05 PM Post #87 of 302
I have my HDAV right under my 8800GT Duorb fan and i not having any problems. it like a bit away from the fans.
 
Mar 29, 2009 at 4:33 AM Post #89 of 302
Apr 1, 2009 at 2:47 PM Post #90 of 302
sigh. I just got a Forte yesterday and I have the dreaded hiss too. During heavy Hard Drive or GPU activity I get quite a bit of hissing and static in my HD595's. This is on an Asus P5Q Deluxe motherboard. I have tried all PCIE slots and they all have the same problem...

Anyone find a way to fix this yet? My 3 year old X-Fi XtremeMusic PCI card doesnt have this problem and a card that supposedly has much better components on it does, quite disappointing.
 
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