[krisno]

I presume the Forte and Bravura sound about the same. DAC wise I guess they are both inferior to Creative, but which one is the one to get when one consider
 
1) Drivers?
2) Sound Quality?
 
Is Bravura better SQ than Audiotrak HD2 for instance? I dont think the latter has that good sound quality, and its using the same dac chip. Its kind of bright.
 
Creative drivers can be bloated, and I hear you have to first install reference from CD then do a online update. The Bravura is a little cheaper also.
 
I am right now using Matrix m-stage and and sennheiser hd 600 but will in the end amp directly from card if possible.
 
K

 

[ear8dmg]

Bravura is not actually a 'full X-Fi'.  It's like a very high spec version of Creative's Xtreme Audio, which is effectively a rebranded Audigy SE.
 
In practice, this will make little difference unless you are a gamer, in which case the Forte has markedly superior audio processing capabilities, including processing of elevation and better positioning of sounds very close to the listener.  This only works in a limited number of games though.  
 
The Forte is capable of EAX5.  The Bravura is capable of EAX4.  So few games use EAX5 now, that it's hardly worth taking as an influence on the decision thogh.

 

[CardasHD650]

Hi there,
 
You might wanna check out: Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Vs. Creative X-Fi Titanium HD thread.
 
Cheers!

 

[StigtriX]

I can't find the thread you are referring to, CardasHD650.
It would be really nice to have detailed info for both cards and a solid comparison. I have just bought the Titanium HD because I was told it was the best card for gaming. Is the Auzentech HomeTheatre HD really better? And if it's true, is it by a long shot and easy to hear? I don't care if it is a bit better, but if it is very prominent, I'm interested.
 
I don't want answers from people who can't refer to facts or actual experience - Thanks

 

[genclaymore]

The X-FI HD would be the better choice then the Bravura. The Bravura headphone amp output is weaker then your matrix M amp. keep you Matrix M amp its much better then the bravura hp amp circuits. The bravura wouldnt beable to handle your HD 600 as it wouldnt supply the needed voltage to it that it needs.
 
The Bravura uses those stupid mode buttons for changing  its headphone amp settings and you gotta do it with the computer running.The speaker and headphone mode button settings are tied together.  The Forte and the bravura uses almost the same design and components but with some differences between each other. Besides the bravura X-FI Xtreme Audio chip. The bravura did good with games but at both price point you be better off with the X-Fi HD thats on sell on amazon for $129 the last time I check. The better route would be using a X-FI HD as the dac and source and plug its RCA outputs into your Matrix M Amp. . Yes the X-Fi HD Pcie has opamp sockets as well so you can change its opamps after you take its shield off.
 
Neither Forte and bravura is worth it now unless you must have the 5.1 outputs of either card. I had a Bravura My self and sold it because its headphone amp output was weak but it was mainy the design they decided to do with changing the headphone amp settings. While the forte uses Jumper settings.