[RamGuy]

Hi,

I could need a little help with deciding which one of the Asus Xonar D2X and the Auzentech Prelude is the best audio card?

Actually I currently got a Prelude card, but was shocked when I experienced that the mic-in is simply ruined? After a quick google search and a short e-mail to Auzen it seems like this mic-in issue is a well-know problem not being solved?!

I'm quite pleased with my Prelude card, but because of this mic-in issue I have to consider RMA it and get me another card!


But is there really any better card out there?
Perhaps the Asus Xonar D2X might be that superior card?

I'm running a 7.1 analouge speaker system, as well as a pair of Sennheiser PC 350 headset! So I guess there is no real reason for paying more for the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe compared with the D2X as the entire HDMI input / output is something I'll never use?

So how is the Xonar D2X compared with the Auzentech Prelude?
After reading some reviews on the web, my impression is that the Xonar D2X got overall better sound qualitiy and simply is superior in almost every way beside of gaming? Is this correct? I guess this is because of the C-Media Oxygen HD audio processor being superior to the Creative X-Fi audio processor? Besides the lack of EAX5.0 which makes the Prelude superior when it comes to gaming?

But lately the Xonar D2X also got EAX5.0 through the Asus DS3D GX emulation?
I read a review that compared the DS3D GX 2.0 and EAX5.0, and it seems like the Xonar D2X is indeed getting the same benefits and matching the X-Fi in gaming? Now we've even got DS3D GX 2.5, which I guess makes the emulation on the Xonar card even better? And as Vista is kinda destroying the whole EAX thing, I guess that EAX is not really that much of a benefit for the X-Fi anymore? At least not when the Xonar D2X seems to be emulating the EAX5.0 features perfectly, and that's without the need for that crappy Creative Alchemy thing?!


Does this mean that Xonar D2X is more or less on-pair with the X-Fi cards like the Prelude even when it comes to gaming? Is there any reason left to pick the Prelude then?

There are a few more differences than just EAX, we've got things like CMSS-3D, 32 bit crystalizer and X-RAM?

Well, Asus Xonar D2X got Dolby Headphones, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Virtual Speaker and stuff like that? How is those features compared with what the X-Fi and Prelude has to offer?

After what I've heared CMSS-3D is perfered when it comes to gaming over Dolby Headphones? On the other hand Dolby Headphones is perferd when it comes to movies? This makes me wonder whether it really was the CMSS-3D feature itself being superior to the Dolby Headphones in gaming, or if it was because of EAX5.0 CMSS-3D feels better? All cards supporting CMSS-3D also got EAX5.0, so I guess all people using CMSS-3D got EAX5.0 activated, which might explain the superior feeling when playing games compared with Dolby Headphones? Might it be that CMSS-3D without EAX isn't that much better than Dolby Headphones in gaming? Might Dolby Headphones even be better than CMSS-3D if you deactivate EAX? What about Dolby Headphones with DS3D GX 2.5 running? Might it be on-pair or even better than CMSS-3D with EAX?

I also guess that Dolby Pro Logic IIx is a massive benefit for me running 7.1 speakers? As it's really the only decent working upmix feature for fixing 2.0 / 2.1 / 5.1 sources into 7.1? CMSS-3D doesn't work for this at all! Isn't that right?



So what do you think is the best choice between the Asus Xonar D2X (C-Media Oxygen HD) and Auzentech Prelude (X-Fi)? Which got the best features and best sound quality? And now that Asus have managed to emulate EAX5.0 within their drivers, is there really anything that is superior with the Prelude compared to the Xonar D2X?
What about CMSS-3D versus Dolby Headphones? The benefit of Dolby Pro Logic IIx etcc..?

 

[obobskivich]

first of all, the Xonar D2X uses the Asus AV200, not the C-Media CMI8788, there are some very minor differences

second of all, holy batman bad grammar


third of all, neither card is going to be head and shoulders better, there are differences between them, yes indeed
honestly I would suggest keeping the X-Fi as you can get the replacement board from Auzen, while the Xonar may offer some slight improvements in audio quality, without knowing a thing about your setup (great block of worthless advertisement rambling though), who knows if you'd actually hear it

 

[Shahrose]

i owned 2 Oxygen HD cards and the prelude. the high-end Oxygen HD cards easily beat the Prelude in most aspects of sound quality...and they all had a working mic input, unlike the Prelude.

 

[jenneth]

My experience is a little different than that of Shahrose. IMO, the difference between a Prelude and an Oxygen HD based card is quite small. One is warmer, the other is maybe a little sterile, but still quite good.

 

[obobskivich]

i'm not sure what this mic issue is with the prelude

again, i'm probably the only living person (especially on head-fi) thats never had a creative card perform any other way than its marketed to

 

[RamGuy]

Well, I kinda need to get my microphone working!
Then I got two options?

RMA the Prelude and grab a D2X?
Or get some sort of external-dac for my mic or something?

Any recommendation on this matter?
No comment on the Dolby Pro Logic IIx?

(sorry for my bad grammar..)

 

[ROBSCIX]

Option 3
Enable you onboard and use that for your mic input...That is, if you can use your onboard.

 

[RamGuy]

Hmm.. Is it possible to use the Prelude along with the SoundMax X-Fi supplied with my Rampage II Extreme at once?

 

[ROBSCIX]

Should be able to...

 

[umeng2002]

I'm not really convinced "chips" sound better than one another as long as they have similar performance (16 bit, 24 bit, 44.1Hz, 48Hz, 96Hz, etc). The analog section of the card is what generates the sound.

So when you say "does the X-Fi sound better than x?," that doesn't make too much sense as X-Fi based cards have varying degrees of analog section quality. That's why the Prelude sounds better than other X-Fi cards. If you are using kernel streaming or exclusive mode, chip feature matter even less.

Now chips do have vastly different features. Go back and read the original reviews of the first X-Fi cards. They generally really explain how the X-Fi handles sound (like in Entertainment mode, the X-Fi uses most of it's processing power for signal rate conversion).

I really like CMSS Headphone over Dolby Headphone. Dolby tries to simulate a room with speakers. CMSS tries to just add more clear directionality to the audio. I found that if you add reverb effect to CMSS headphone, it sounds almost exactly like Dolby Headphone (even with movies). The technology between the two is different though.

 

[RamGuy]

Well, the store I bought the Auzentech Prelude from has offered me to RMA it and get either a new Prelude which we hope doesn't have this "barley any sound through the microphone connection bug", or a Auzentech X-Fi Forte or I can actually decide to wait for the Auzentech X-Fi Home Theater HD and get that one for free as a replacement card?

What do you guys think about that?
Pros and cons between these three cards when it comes to 7.1 analogue speakers and a pair of Sennheiser PC 350 headphones?

Is the Forte known for low microphone sound?
Any other benefits with this card compared to the Prelude? Perhaps some downsides? What about the Home Theater HD? Worth waiting for?

 

[ear8dmg]

I have a Xonar D2 and have just ordered a Prelude. Love the Xonar for music but a few gaming issues have been bugging me.

Should be able to give some impressions once it's turned up.