[Anarion]

The point is, I can't use x1_2 slot because it's blocked by main GPU. PCIEX16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCI-E 1x slots and ASMedia SATA controller (which I use at the moment). PCIEX16_3 slot is blocked pretty badly by cables and other crap so I can't really fit anything there. I also have esata & usb panel there (the slot is not in use).

I too have the issue that windows reverts to 5.1 when using headphone port. I don't think that it will do hurt anything if you do not use the SBX stuff though. In stereo mode it doesn't revert to 5.1. By the way, for headphone mode this might be working workaround:

and then select full range speakers form the next page. I haven't tested but I think those settings won't revert.

 

[Axaion]

The point is, I can't use x1_2 slot because it's blocked by main GPU. PCIEX16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCI-E 1x slots and ASMedia SATA controller (which I use at the moment). PCIEX16_3 slot is blocked pretty badly by cables and other crap so I can't really fit anything there. I also have esata & usb panel there (the slot is not in use).

I too have the issue that windows reverts to 5.1 when using headphone port. I don't think that it will do hurt anything if you do not use the SBX stuff though. In stereo mode it doesn't revert to 5.1. By the way, for headphone mode this might be working workaround:

and then select full range speakers form the next page. I haven't tested but I think those settings won't revert.

tried that, you dont get vocals in movies most of the time :\

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

tried that, you dont get vocals in movies most of the time :\

 
I've yet to hear any missing sounds in movies, gaming or music listening when using 5.1 speakers, try ticking center and rear channels then. Just to see what happens in case the movie processes the vocals for those channels.

 

[Axaion]

I've yet to hear any missing sounds in movies, gaming or music listening when using 5.1 speakers, try ticking center and rear channels then. Just to see what happens in case the movie processes the vocals for those channels.

Seems it does, god damn it, lol.
Edit; If i disable everything in SB control panel, it has sounds, but oh god the massive bass, if i enable the bass there, nobass
Edit2; Its still massive surround when you disable everything though.. so no dice there
Which compoments do you keep when installing the drivers though?, all of em?

 

[Anarion]

You have surround processing stuff always on? Weird... I'd try removing everything. Uninstall all creative related and then delete the leftover folders.

 

[Axaion]

You have surround processing stuff always on? Weird... I'd try removing everything. Uninstall all creative related and then delete the leftover folders.

Actually i never have that on.. ever

 

[SoFGR]

ok guys, plz give  these settings a shot and post back !  they're supposed give very good positioning, ever better  than this  video 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu4MPJ08w1k&src_vid=3HHKHJmTytQ&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_75563
 
 
game  "5.1" 
windows "5.1"
creative control panel "headphones"
cinematic -> dts -> dts neo pc -> cinema mode ( http://postimg.org/image/mdb8nud1p/ ) 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

ok guys, plz give  these settings a shot and post back !  they're supposed give very good positioning, ever better  than this  video 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu4MPJ08w1k&src_vid=3HHKHJmTytQ&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_75563
 
 
game  "5.1" 
windows "5.1"
creative control panel "headphones"
cinematic -> dts -> dts neo pc -> cinema mode ( http://postimg.org/image/mdb8nud1p/ ) 

 
Hmm... I guess it's worth a try possibly as there seems to be no european customers around to buy my ZxR so might give it a 2nd shot. I hope it works for headphone port too and not just spdif.
 
Where did you read? Just curious for more info/feedback.

EDIT: Seems Neo DTSC converts stereo sources up to 5.1 or 7.1.. sounds interesting if Creative's speaker config then manages to make use of it as "headphones" output. The interesting thing is what happens between that upmixing -> Creative cpanel "headphone" speaker processing, the signal is tweaked to virtual upmix but then back into stereo.

 

[SoFGR]

Quote:

 
Hmm... I guess it's worth a try possibly as there seems to be no european customers around to buy my ZxR so might give it a 2nd shot. I hope it works for headphone port too and not just spdif.
 
Where did you read? Just curious for more info/feedback.

EDIT: Seems Neo DTSC converts stereo sources up to 5.1 or 7.1.. sounds interesting if Creative's speaker config then manages to make use of it as "headphones" output. The interesting thing is what happens between that upmixing -> Creative cpanel "headphone" speaker processing, the signal is tweaked to virtual upmix but then back into stereo.

well i got a steam friend with a  sound blaster Z, so i use him as my guinea pig  I tell him to try different settings, watch videos  etc  
 
I know that dts neo pc  upmixes your sound source instead of  downmixing it, but he told  that his sound positioning was "cheat-like" when he tried this setting  on top of the usual  "5.1-to-headphones"  trick , he tried sbx surround 50% as well but he didn't like it  ALL ! 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

well i got a steam friend with a  sound blaster Z, so i use him as my guinea pig  I tell him to try different settings, watch videos  etc  
 
I know that dts neo pc  upmixes your sound source instead of  downmixing it, but he told  that his sound positioning was "cheat-like" when he tried this setting  on top of the usual  "5.1-to-headphones"  trick , he tried sbx surround 50% as well but he didn't like it  ALL ! 

 
OK, I quite enjoyed SBX surround with windows control panel set to stereo, do note with stereo only. It worked much less great with 5.1 set there and the ideal surround setting with 5.1 was the standard value (67% or something like that, don't remember) but even then sounded not quite ideal. So you can tell him to try stereo speakers in cpanel and Surround for me sounded best at exactly 91%, 90 or 92% was worse already, 91% setting for me was perfect.
 
I'm sure it doesn't beat the DTS config though but it should be noticeably better than using 5.1. It's great in the sense it barely affects SQ whatsoever, even music sounded quite nice with it. Since I prefer a solution where 5.1 speakers is used because I'm too lazy to start swapping around config when not playing certain games that demand 5.1 to sound properly I will definitely check out the DTS stuff but I hope it also sounds okay with music though. I'm still angry that I cannot select speakers in creative console when using headphone port :<

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

OK I've played around with the DTS setting and I'm glad I decided to give it a retry as this DTS thing works pretty good. I actually prefer the music mode for both gaming AND music listening, it sounds good with music as well (very subtle change and gives you a more "surround" experience but without any typically added SQ hits at all!). The best width setting when using music mode for me is 2nd highest step to the right of the slider (narrow).
 
However the claustrophobic sound still remains no matter how I set it up from speakers to headphone to everything disabled to all kinds of surround settings enabled etc it feels so weird playing games like UT3 like I've played like over 3000 hrs and now how it sounds on the ALC889A when using 5.1 speakers which just sounds way more open and the positioning is excellent too.

 

[xnor]

I have some questions about the Z model. Sorry if this has been answered before.
 
1) How is the driver stability with Windows 7, 64 bit? What about Windows 8?
2) Is the front panel hp/mic the same as the rear hp/mic (in terms of amplification, output impedance)?
3) Output impedance of the Z is  about 20 Ohm, ZxR about 40 Ohm, what about the Zx (is this basically a Z with the little desktop controller?)?
 
 
edit: 3) the Zx card is said to be identical to the Z card.

 

[kenammo]

Bump.
 
Still enjoying my ZXR immensely. Rock-solid performance and perfectly stable in my Win 8 64 system.

 

[Evshrug]

Does anybody know, if I put this in my Mac Pro, will the computer still boot and run this card with generic drivers?

 

[watsaname]

Quote:

I have some questions about the Z model. Sorry if this has been answered before.
 
1) How is the driver stability with Windows 7, 64 bit? What about Windows 8?
2) Is the front panel hp/mic the same as the rear hp/mic (in terms of amplification, output impedance)?
3) Output impedance of the Z is  about 20 Ohm, ZxR about 40 Ohm, what about the Zx (is this basically a Z with the little desktop controller?)?
 
 
edit: 3) the Zx card is said to be identical to the Z card.

1) Driver stablility is pretty great. I am running it on my Windows 7 machine without much of a hitch. The only thing is that sometimes the sound blaster control panel refuses to open for a while like 10 minutes. It is weird and if I don't have that kind of patience I will restart and it will open completely fine. I have a feeling that it is due to some application taking control of it and not wanting to let go of it or something like that.
 
2)As far as I am aware, the front panel is not the same in terms of amplification. The back headphone port has an actual headphone amp that is hardwired into it.