[x7007]

Did anyone had weird high pitch noise when he talked ever on skype on random ? on Headphones connection straight to the card, while talking in skype in middle or at the very start. It makes all the sound go muddy,noisy,electric,pitchy. at the moment it happens people say they hear you weird, means its something on the whole card not just headphones amp. You hear them and everything else, music,sounds, very muddy and like really bad headphones, if you try to listen to music or something randomly there will be terrible non stop high pitch sound like really dead cat trying to sing but even worse.
 
DT 990 600 ohm.
It never happened with Xonar Phoebus
Card is not sharing IRQ with anything
It happened with non MSI mode and MSI enabled  
Windows 7 x64 SP1
DPC never went higher than 700 us and not even close when the noise happened
 
I tried to change from 600 ohm to 32 ohm on the creative settings, it didn't change anything.
I tried to change to Speakers and back to Headphones, it didn't change anything.
Only Restart fix it.
 
I don't know if it's something with the card, cause it's 2nd time it happened.
I don't think it's bad card, cause it happens very randomly and always when Skype is opened or when I started a chat with someone. Never in Movies or games if I remember.
 
Drivers or something else ?

 

[quantum27]

 
I plugged my 42-Ohm Audio Technica ATH-A900Xs into the SB-Z's headphone jack (22-Ohms) and to me the combo worked well enough.
I've never heard of Audio Technica putting an "Impedance controller" in the A900X's headphones, so I would assume the MA900 would not have a noticeable issue with the SB-Z.
 
You could up your budget a little and get an Asus Xonar DX sound card, used $60 and a FiiO E11K headphone amplifier, $60.
The FiiO E11K's headphone output impedance is less then 1-Ohm

 


Hey PurpleAngel,

Would the FiiO E11K be a good choice with the Sound Blaster Z? I saw someone else recommend a Dragonfly 1.2 DAC but I like the fact that I could also use the FiiO with a portable device if I wanted. The reason for the Sound Blaster (instead of an Asus card) is I want the various effects for gaming.

 

[Anarion]

Something to consider: http://www.techpowerup.com/204717/creative-unveils-the-sound-blaster-e5-usb-dac-and-headphone-amplifier.html

 

[NCSUZoSo]

For that much money I would go with what I already have, the Aune T1.  Easy to modify and does an insane job for $200.  The most expensive part of the T1 is figuring out which tube you want to run 

 

[stvn758]

I have an X-FI Titanium Champion series card in my PC, I was wondering if anyone uses the Optical S/PDIF In jack on their card for anything.  When you connect something, how do you hear it - I can't hear anything, the device I tried to connect is my TV Sky+ box which has a Toslink out. I have the Win7 Sound Settings and SoundBlaster, anything I need to switch on or configure, I'm stuck. 
 
I can hear the sound when I connect it to my MDAC via a Toslink to Coax converter box, it cuts out every so often though. The two Toslink inputs on my MDAC are taken up by my CD players, so all I have is USB and two Coax.
 
Thanks.

 

[alv4426]

You have to go into settings in the creative software (I forget the name) and click on input choose hear this or something like that. I know for sure it works though since I do use the optical input.
Edit:somehow missed the fact that you are not talking about a z series card that may be different on yours

 

[x7007]

Does anyone use Crossover Frequency when using headphones and 5.1 speakers ? I don't know how the bass should be . DT 990 600ohm / Logitech 5500
Zxr . but it looks like using 120 hz makes some sound disappear so I guess 80 hz default should be selected.

 

[Evshrug]

^Crossover settings are for what frequencies to start sending audio to the subwoofer. If your sub has troubles producing higher frequency sounds, then yes you should lower the crossover point.

I use the crossover with headphones too, of course the headphones all just use one driver (no separate sub), but it lets me target the bass boost slider to just boost the low sub bass frequencies

 

[stvn758]

You have to go into settings in the creative software (I forget the name) and click on input choose hear this or something like that. I know for sure it works though since I do use the optical input.
Edit:somehow missed the fact that you are not talking about a z series card that may be different on yours

Thanks, all the connections are the same I definitely have a what you hear box in the menu somewhere, assumed it was for a microphone. My instruction manual is very basic - even their latest cards make little mention of how to use it other than a diagram of a DAT player or PS4 plugged in to it.

 

[benbenkr]

I put my bass crossover frequency for my X1 at 20hz, simply because the X1 doesn't really extend that low (most of its bass derive from the 50-75hz region). That extra bit of sub-bass seriously makes the X1 sounds like a baby D7000, but with the wider soundstage advantage.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I just found out the Z series offers a software emulation of EAX 5.0.
Did the Z series always offer EAX 5.0 (software emulation) or was this something that Creative add sometime after the Z series come out?

I'm I right to assume the Z series EAX 5.0 is not intended for newer games, just for the older games?

 

[AUserName501]

  I just found out the Z series offers a software emulation of EAX 5.0.
Did the Z series always offer EAX 5.0 (software emulation) or was this something that Creative add sometime after the Z series come out?

I'm I right to assume the Z series EAX 5.0 is not intended for newer games, just for the older games?

 
EAX has been dead for a long time and so is OpenAL.
 
Sound processing hasn't been done on a sound card for a long time. It is all done on the CPU now.

 

[goyetus]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help me please -  No PCM with spdif out ?¿?¿?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I have a few questions about my Sound Blaster Z.    I have readed all search for "PCM" in this thread,  but I have not seen what im looking for.......
 
Previous,  I was using a Asus D2 soundcard  connected with Optical Passthrought to a Pionner 819k Decoder.  All fine at this point......
If I select "PCM" in asus panel,  the pionner displays "PCM 48"  or "PCM 96" ...........  and it remains displaying "PCM" all the time meanwhile im playing "music" or "sound"........
 
Problem:
In my new Sound Blaster Z ,   DTS works fine ,  it displays DTS in my external decoder.   Dolby great too......    but no way to send untouched PCM to my decoder  (For example,  a FLAC or Mp3) 
I can only see "PCM" in my pionner  if  I test "48 khz , 96 khz" or similar  in  the Windows Speaker configuration   using the "TEST" button......
 
Im not able to get PCM XXX in my pionner using  different software....
Tryed:  FLAC  +  MPCH     FLAC+VLC    FLAC+FOOBAR   .......
Tryed:  Speaker out mode and Spdif mode 
All the SBX or effects are mutted down also.
 
I only want "pure PCM" with spdif untouched by SoundBlaster Z"   cause  im procesing it  with a external A/V 819k pionner decoder.......
 
Any suggestions???????
 
Thanks from the deep of my heart!!!

 

[genclaymore]

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help me please -  No PCM with spdif out ?¿?¿?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I have a few questions about my Sound Blaster Z.    I have readed all search for "PCM" in this thread,  but I have not seen what im looking for.......
 
Previous,  I was using a Asus D2 soundcard  connected with Optical Passthrought to a Pionner 819k Decoder.  All fine at this point......
If I select "PCM" in asus panel,  the pionner displays "PCM 48"  or "PCM 96" ...........  and it remains displaying "PCM" all the time meanwhile im playing "music" or "sound"........
 
Problem:
In my new Sound Blaster Z ,   DTS works fine ,  it displays DTS in my external decoder.   Dolby great too......    but no way to send untouched PCM to my decoder  (For example,  a FLAC or Mp3) 
I can only see "PCM" in my pionner  if  I test "48 khz , 96 khz" or similar  in  the Windows Speaker configuration   using the "TEST" button......
 
Im not able to get PCM XXX in my pionner using  different software....
Tryed:  FLAC  +  MPCH     FLAC+VLC    FLAC+FOOBAR   .......
Tryed:  Speaker out mode and Spdif mode 
All the SBX or effects are mutted down also.
 
I only want "pure PCM" with spdif untouched by SoundBlaster Z"   cause  im procesing it  with a external A/V 819k pionner decoder.......
 
Any suggestions???????
 
Thanks from the deep of my heart!!!

The option to send PCM stereo mix thru Spdif out is in the advance Features tab of the sound blaster Z panel.

 

[goyetus]

Thanks genclaymore  ,  I also tryed the stereo mix feature under the Sound Blaster Z  advanced options.......   no luck .
 
My pionner only displays "PCM"  when testing sound  in "windows volume mixer >  SPDIF > Compatible Formats > Bitstream Speed > (44,1 , 48, 88,2 , 96) +   TEST BUTTON
 
The rest of the time,  I really dont know if im getting pure PCM unprocessed  like any normal  spdif passtrough.........
 
Also I have double checked all my pionner manual from start to end last 1,5 hours........   All is correct at Direct stream in  Optical channel 1 .......   (getting DTS, Dolby, DDL, etc  from Sound Blaster Z) .....  All is fine except for PCM......
 
Thanks for your help!   Im really anoyed about this. 

 
 
EDIT:
 
Tomorrow I will test  with more time  ASIO and WASAPI  with foobar  and other music software.......  this starts to angry me!!!   (I know It must be sending PCM ,  but,  why with xonar d2  it displays correct in my Pionner decoder,  and not with SBZ......  big treasure hunter)