Auzen X-Fi™ Forte 7.1
Jun 29, 2009 at 2:14 PM Post #136 of 302
Quote:

Originally Posted by casq /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Switching op-amps seems like an interesting feature and not that difficult judging from the few videos i have seen. However i really wish forte's "stock" SQ will be a noticeable improvement over my audigy 2 zs, reading the reviews i am pretty confident the SQ will be adequate. For a moment i thought about getting the essence stx but i came to the conclusion that behringer is the most likely component to run out of SQ, so my next purchase will likely be a behringer replacement (looking at lehmann rhinelander).

To my understanding forte runs LME4972 for headphones (front left,right). For other channels its the ordinary JRC4580.


This card would be a easy improvment over the A2.
This card has great sound quality stock, you can swap out the LME49720 for something higher end.
You can also change out any of the others but they require soldering.
There is also a buffer 4580 between the output section and the discrete amplifier section. This discrete headphone amplifier section sounds very good. Gotta love discrete transistors!
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:03 PM Post #137 of 302
Ok right now i am listening to it. I have set the mode to "audio creation" i read somewhere that its the mode to use when listening to music, so for a quick start i did just that, right now dont have time to check all the menus so i just clicked that mode on and started to listen.

I listen mostly to heavy metal but there is the occasional jazz and pop song there and there. Using foobar2k, playback 24bit no ASIO or anything like that in use. I have a mild equalizer setting nothing too dramatic.

After about 30 minutes of listening i can say i am pleased, but not blown away, i hear some new stuff and on some tracks guitar has improved a lot. I am happy to own a modern soundcard with good drivers and solid sound quality. I definitely think its an improvement, from experience i know that i need some time to adjust to new sounds and after more hours its very likely that i will appreciate this soundcard even more.

Right now i am running my headphone directly from the forte, i will listen like this for a few days to get used to the sound and then switch to soundcard - behringer - k601 setup to see what happens.
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 10:13 PM Post #138 of 302
Some use Audio Creative mode for bitperfect and other use Entertainment mode.
Really your choice to find the settings and options you like.

Some might also tell you, Opamps, caps etc take awhile to burn-in and settle. -There are varying opinions on that though.
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 11:23 PM Post #139 of 302
I hate you guys, and I have a personal grudge against ROBSCIX now.

I just purchased the Forte, and I've been pretty good lately about not spending too much (although in my head-fi career, this is an average purchase...). I've also been taking a break from head-fi, since it has been a money sink for me, and two days after I log back in... bam.

I'll never escape.
 
Jun 29, 2009 at 11:30 PM Post #140 of 302
I actually should add, thanks for the in depth review ROB, I was going to spring for a used prelude, but I think the PCIe flexibility is going to be good in my new board/case. I'm still running a modded Audigy2 ZS, so I'm looking forward to instalilng the Forte.

I've been having some issues with getting my Audigy detected, anyways. I've read others have had the same problem, but I always somehow got it to work...

Now, mods... Maybe I'll leave this card alone for at least a few days/weeks before I go hacking it up
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Jun 30, 2009 at 5:18 AM Post #141 of 302
Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Some use Audio Creative mode for bitperfect and other use Entertainment mode.
Really your choice to find the settings and options you like.

Some might also tell you, Opamps, caps etc take awhile to burn-in and settle. -There are varying opinions on that though.


Yes i am aware of the burn-in required, i have read that some need days of constant playback to reach their potential. I am expecting the sound to improve, i am constantly picking up new things there and there as i am listening. Unfortunately right now i dont have time to listen as much as id like to listen.
 
Jul 1, 2009 at 5:18 AM Post #142 of 302
I dont know what part of the chain is improving/adapting/burning-in but the sound keeps getting better. Behringer sounds very veiled when compared to running K601 straight from forte. Now i just need some extra cable as K601 cable is a bit too short to be put to the back of my computer, behringer sits conveniently on the table but i dont think i will be using it for a while. I might have to get rid of it.
 
Jul 7, 2009 at 6:48 AM Post #143 of 302
Can someone confirm that CMSS-3D is in fact carried over S/PDIF for the Forte. I'm looking for a card that I can use as a transport for my in-the-works Buffalo32 DAC.

Also, I like the idea of Alchemy, even if it would only be used for that rare occasion when I'm playing Counter Strike: Source through my home theater system, but the Forte doesn't have support for that, right?

As I understand it, the Prelude has Alchemy, but doesn't support CMSS-3D over S/PDIF, so it looks like I'll have to compromise. If I had to choose, I'd take the CMSS-3D over S/PDIF and lose Alchemy.

I'd really appreciate it if someone could clear this up for me.
 
Jul 7, 2009 at 3:13 PM Post #144 of 302
Quote:

Originally Posted by GMF2010 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Can someone confirm that CMSS-3D is in fact carried over S/PDIF for the Forte. I'm looking for a card that I can use as a transport for my in-the-works Buffalo32 DAC.

Also, I like the idea of Alchemy, even if it would only be used for that rare occasion when I'm playing Counter Strike: Source through my home theater system, but the Forte doesn't have support for that, right?

As I understand it, the Prelude has Alchemy, but doesn't support CMSS-3D over S/PDIF, so it looks like I'll have to compromise. If I had to choose, I'd take the CMSS-3D over S/PDIF and lose Alchemy.

I'd really appreciate it if someone could clear this up for me.


Yes, all processing done by the Forte 7.1 is sent over the S/pdif output also.
 
Jul 28, 2009 at 8:18 PM Post #147 of 302
Thank you for the answer! And i mean the headphone jack/out/connection in the Forte. It woudnt make much sense to use Fortes headphone amp before going to another amp, right? What puzzles me though, is that the output volume seems to be pretty much the same from the line-out and the headphone-out..The card shoudnt use the amp when using analog line-out or spdif am i right?
 
Jul 30, 2009 at 2:20 AM Post #148 of 302
Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX /img/forum/go_quote.gif
This card would be a easy improvment over the A2.
This card has great sound quality stock, you can swap out the LME49720 for something higher end.
You can also change out any of the others but they require soldering.
There is also a buffer 4580 between the output section and the discrete amplifier section. This discrete headphone amplifier section sounds very good. Gotta love discrete transistors!




does anyone makes opamp+adaptor? im actually looking @ the OPA 627SM + Adaptor in their website.
 
Jul 30, 2009 at 6:23 AM Post #150 of 302
Analog out is higher quailty on these cards then digital.
 
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