[genclaymore]

It also depends on the headphones you are using as different headphones have different results from the setting. So you may have to lower it or raise it based on that and your ears.  When I was running a omni thru my bifrost, I used 67% which was'nt the default setting for the SBX on the omni. But I made sure to set the windows speaker,games and program's to 5.1 so it worked correctly, because if you don't then it wont sound right.

 

[benbenkr]

^That's true.
 
67% sounded a little too congested on games in my Soundmagic HP150 versus an open can like the K712 or X1. I felt 79% on the HP150 was more in-line with how the default 67% would be on a wide open headphone.
 
It's also why not all headphones works best with a single virtual surround tech. I still believe that SBX has the best balance amongst others, at all fronts though.

 

[StudioSound]

I did a lot of testing/measurement when I got my card:

33% is the point at which the channels are most distinct with SBX Pro Studio Surround.
Higher than that starts to blend the channels together more to create a more cohesive ring of sound, reducing some of the directionality and increasing the reverb.
What you prefer probably depends on what you're using it for (music/movies/games) and the headphones you use. Even if you prefer to use something other than 33%, I wouldn't recommend going above 67%.

And if you're sending the audio to an external amp or DAC, keep the volume at or below 70%.
70% is the point at which you can send it 6 channels of 0 dBFS tones without the headphone mix clipping or being compressed.
I think it does some sort of dynamic range compression to prevent clipping, but I did not really investigate it.

 

[genclaymore]

I did a lot of testing/measurement when I got my card:

33% is the point at which the channels are most distinct with SBX Pro Studio Surround.
Higher than that starts to blend the channels together more to create a more cohesive ring of sound, reducing some of the directionality and increasing the reverb.
What you prefer probably depends on what you're using it for (music/movies/games) and the headphones you use. Even if you prefer to use something other than 33%, I wouldn't recommend going above 67%.

And if you're sending the audio to an external amp or DAC, keep the volume at or below 70%.
70% is the point at which you can send it 6 channels of 0 dBFS tones without the headphone mix clipping or being compressed.
I think it does some sort of dynamic range compression to prevent clipping, but I did not really investigate it.

I have owned 3 external dac's and I never gotten any Clipping or bering compressed issues when I ran a DG/DGX, XFI or Omni into them. I always ran them with 100% with out those problems you mention.As I would had notice if the omni was doing the compressing effect with SBX or with it.

 

[benbenkr]

I did a lot of testing/measurement when I got my card:

33% is the point at which the channels are most distinct with SBX Pro Studio Surround.
Higher than that starts to blend the channels together more to create a more cohesive ring of sound, reducing some of the directionality and increasing the reverb.
What you prefer probably depends on what you're using it for (music/movies/games) and the headphones you use. Even if you prefer to use something other than 33%, I wouldn't recommend going above 67%.

And if you're sending the audio to an external amp or DAC, keep the volume at or below 70%.
70% is the point at which you can send it 6 channels of 0 dBFS tones without the headphone mix clipping or being compressed.
I think it does some sort of dynamic range compression to prevent clipping, but I did not really investigate it.

 
I agree with 33%. But as for not going above 67%, I don't think I can agree on that anymore. I've had the ZxR for over a year now and I've always thought that going above 67% made no sense. It does when you have a closed headphone, there's no 2 roads about this. Numbers may show otherwise and obviously, not everyone will agree irregardless.
 
Interesting on that point of not going above 70% on volume though. I do seem to remember clipping on a couple of headphones at some rather high volume, will have to re-investigate this again. But thanks for bringing this up as I've forgotten about this potential issue.

 

[mccarver]

Are these new Z* comparable with Asus Xonar or Soundblaster X-Fi? How do they compare with the X-Fi family?

 

[Fegefeuer]

@67% with the HD 800 the channels are noticably easy to distinguish with my DAC/AMP. I don't mind the "lesser" blending though compared to >67% and prefer that balance. 

 

[x7007]

I found my self going crazy about the settings, I'm not sure what to use for gaming / movies / music

I have DT990 600 Ohms, I don't want EQ because we have Crystalizer which does the same just auto.

But I find myself stuck with the Surround and Crystalizer % , and should I or should I not enable Dialog Plus, cause it is auto enabled when using specific profiles, for example Driving simulation.



The other question

Do I need to change the Surround every time I play specific game , Driving , Action , Adventure ? Should I change it when watching Movie ?

Dialog Plus, Would it work well for games ? cause they suggest it with the Pre-Profile set.

It's funny , if you see the "help" when you move the mouse hover the specific option it says always about movies or movies and music. for example Crystalizer by creative is only for music and movies.
Surround is for music , movies , games. Dialog Plus - movies.


Last posts someone said Surround 33% is the best, and someone else said 60%, and someone else said 55%.

everything seems to sound fine, but I can't find the pitch perfect to really enjoy the sound, I want to have "studio" surround like I get the sound from the headphones, if we can call it like that, hard to explain xD

I'm listening to Batman OST , specific tracks I like the most

Batman Arkham City Soundtrack - 07 - I Think You Should Do A.mp3
Batman Arkham City Soundtrack - 09 - Wham. Gotcha_.mp3

And I remember how I heard them with the Xonar, it was the most enjoyable sound in-game I could experience. With some settings with the creative it really change the sound, and I don't want it to do that. EQ must be disabled, Crystalizer must be enabled cause for some reason I lose a lot of bass ( maybe because it's Mp3 and in-game was other compression sound or uncompressed ? )

 

[StudioSound]

I have owned 3 external dac's and I never gotten any Clipping or bering compressed issues when I ran a DG/DGX, XFI or Omni into them. I always ran them with 100% with out those problems you mention.As I would had notice if the omni was doing the compressing effect with SBX or with it.

 
When you downmix a 5.1 signal to stereo, you have to attenuate the signal or else it might clip when all the channels are summed together.
As long as all the channels are below a certain volume, they will mix together without clipping.

What I tested was playing 6 channels of 0 dBFS tones (100% volume) to see how SBX Pro Studio Surround handled it.
It seems to be applying some sort of dynamic volume adjustment to prevent the signal clipping.

Reducing the volume of the 5.1 device (not the S/PDIF output) to 70% allows the channels to be mixed together without clipping or triggering this dynamic volume adjustment, even if all six channels reach 0 dBFS.

I agree with 33%. But as for not going above 67%, I don't think I can agree on that anymore. I've had the ZxR for over a year now and I've always thought that going above 67% made no sense. It does when you have a closed headphone, there's no 2 roads about this. Numbers may show otherwise and obviously, not everyone will agree irregardless.

Interesting on that point of not going above 70% on volume though. I do seem to remember clipping on a couple of headphones at some rather high volume, will have to re-investigate this again. But thanks for bringing this up as I've forgotten about this potential issue.

 
My recommendation was to stay in the range of 33-67%, not to go above it. I generally leave it set to 33% for all content now.

I found my self going crazy about the settings, I'm not sure what to use for gaming / movies / music

I have DT990 600 Ohms, I don't want EQ because we have Crystalizer which does the same just auto.

But I find myself stuck with the Surround and Crystalizer % , and should I or should I not enable Dialog Plus, cause it is auto enabled when using specific profiles, for example Driving simulation.

Last posts someone said Surround 33% is the best, and someone else said 60%, and someone else said 55%.

everything seems to sound fine, but I can't find the pitch perfect to really enjoy the sound, I want to have "studio" surround like I get the sound from the headphones, if we can call it like that, hard to explain

 
In the Speakers/Headphones tab, set the output to Headphones.
In the Windows Control Panel, check that the Sound Blaster device is set to 5.1 channels.
In the SBX Pro Studio tab, only enable Surround. Choose a setting between 33-67% that you like. 33% will be the most directional. Higher settings blend the channels together more and add more reverb. It's really just personal preference though.

I wouldn't use any of the other signal processing/EQ.

 

[rudyae86]

Im currently using 67% now. I use to do 100% but now that you made it out...100% isnt ideal. I love 67% so far. I assume that depending on your headphone, the settings or percentage will vary. Closed headphones should be able to use 67% well enough. Im using a PC350 SE for gaming for now, so i can vouche that it works well. I turn off all the enhancementa anyways, they dont really do much honestly, well much in making things better on good headphones or headsets.

When i get home im going to set it to 33% and then 44%, 55%, and see how much of a difference it will make in FPS games...

I will do the same for racing games (mainly GT6 on PS3) and see how that works out as well, especially since the new update makes the sound better and slightly more real, instead of vaccum sounds and whatnot lol

 

[FrostByghte]

I'm looking for help with recommended options hooking up the ZxR.  After reading through this thread...many...many times, I finally purchased the ZxR along with some Philips Fidelio X1.  Now I also have bass shakers hooked to this setup and really love them for gaming.  The positional audio is great through the headphones and the bass shakers add a punch that make it feel like a very large speaker setup.  This is great for when I'm bugging everyone in the house with my gaming...

Now what I am after is the ability to connect a 2.1 system in with this mix while preserving the SBX positional for the headphones and the 2.1 system and allowing the bass shakers to work with all this.  Can anyone recommend some options?  Right now I just have a Y splitter running from the headphone out on the ZxR to the headphones and the amp for the shakers. So how can I get option #1: sound from headphones/shakers working and then be able to sometimes switch to option #2: desktop speakers/subwoofer/shakers working preserving the APPROPRIATE SBX for each set of speakers?  Thank you for any recommendations.
 
If you are wondering, sometimes I just don't want to wear headphones or it isn't convenient to do so...and vice versa.

 

[x7007]

  I'm looking for help with recommended options hooking up the ZxR.  After reading through this thread...many...many times, I finally purchased the ZxR along with some Philips Fidelio X1.  Now I also have bass shakers hooked to this setup and really love them for gaming.  The positional audio is great through the headphones and the bass shakers add a punch that make it feel like a very large speaker setup.  This is great for when I'm bugging everyone in the house with my gaming...

Now what I am after is the ability to connect a 2.1 system in with this mix while preserving the SBX positional for the headphones and the 2.1 system and allowing the bass shakers to work with all this.  Can anyone recommend some options?  Right now I just have a Y splitter running from the headphone out on the ZxR to the headphones and the amp for the shakers. So how can I get option #1: sound from headphones/shakers working and then be able to sometimes switch to option #2: desktop speakers/subwoofer/shakers working preserving the APPROPRIATE SBX for each set of speakers?  Thank you for any recommendations.
 
If you are wondering, sometimes I just don't want to wear headphones or it isn't convenient to do so...and vice versa.

FrostByghte, the Bass Shaker looks interesting , I always wanted to buy one, but I didn't know which, I've found a site which give 5 different Bass Shakers and the differences , but I still need AMP for them, and I've no idea which one.

 

[genclaymore]

 

 
I have owned 3 external dac's and I never gotten any Clipping or bering compressed issues when I ran a DG/DGX, XFI or Omni into them. I always ran them with 100% with out those problems you mention.As I would had notice if the omni was doing the compressing effect with SBX or with it.

 
When you downmix a 5.1 signal to stereo, you have to attenuate the signal or else it might clip when all the channels are summed together.
As long as all the channels are below a certain volume, they will mix together without clipping.

What I tested was playing 6 channels of 0 dBFS tones (100% volume) to see how SBX Pro Studio Surround handled it.
It seems to be applying some sort of dynamic volume adjustment to prevent the signal clipping.

Reducing the volume of the 5.1 device (not the S/PDIF output) to 70% allows the channels to be mixed together without clipping or triggering this dynamic volume adjustment, even if all six channels reach 0 dBFS.
 

   
I agree with 33%. But as for not going above 67%, I don't think I can agree on that anymore. I've had the ZxR for over a year now and I've always thought that going above 67% made no sense. It does when you have a closed headphone, there's no 2 roads about this. Numbers may show otherwise and obviously, not everyone will agree irregardless.
 
Interesting on that point of not going above 70% on volume though. I do seem to remember clipping on a couple of headphones at some rather high volume, will have to re-investigate this again. But thanks for bringing this up as I've forgotten about this potential issue.

 
My recommendation was to stay in the range of 33-67%, not to go above it. I generally leave it set to 33% for all content now.
 

I found my self going crazy about the settings, I'm not sure what to use for gaming / movies / music

I have DT990 600 Ohms, I don't want EQ because we have Crystalizer which does the same just auto.

But I find myself stuck with the Surround and Crystalizer % , and should I or should I not enable Dialog Plus, cause it is auto enabled when using specific profiles, for example Driving simulation.

Last posts someone said Surround 33% is the best, and someone else said 60%, and someone else said 55%.

everything seems to sound fine, but I can't find the pitch perfect to really enjoy the sound, I want to have "studio" surround like I get the sound from the headphones, if we can call it like that, hard to explain

 
In the Speakers/Headphones tab, set the output to Headphones.
In the Windows Control Panel, check that the Sound Blaster device is set to 5.1 channels.
In the SBX Pro Studio tab, only enable Surround. Choose a setting between 33-67% that you like. 33% will be the most directional. Higher settings blend the channels together more and add more reverb. It's really just personal preference though.

I wouldn't use any of the other signal processing/EQ.

As I said I did not have that issue with the sound clipping when your using 100% volume, and I know what sound clipping sound like. But I did not have it and i used 100% all the time when I sending sound card audio to a external dac using the send stereo mix to spdif option that creative sound cards have these days, Or if its a Xonar card then the pcm selection under Spdif.  Using "What u hear" to do it will cause sound clipping issues and that is the only time I used less then 70% but I don't like having to use "what U hear" so I try to avoid relying on that. As it tend to give me issues with muting the sound causing me to reboot or mess around to get it to work again.

 

[StudioSound]

As I said I did not have that issue with the sound clipping when your using 100% volume, and I know what sound clipping sound like. But I did not have it and i used 100% all the time when I sending sound card audio to a external dac using the send stereo mix to spdif option that creative sound cards have these days, Or if its a Xonar card then the pcm selection under Spdif.  Using "What u hear" to do it will cause sound clipping issues and that is the only time I used less then 70% but I don't like having to use "what U hear" so I try to avoid relying on that. As it tend to give me issues with muting the sound causing me to reboot or mess around to get it to work again.

 
As I said, it uses a dynamic volume adjustment which mostly prevents clipping.
I did have some rare occasions where the LFE channel would start clipping in a movie though.
The recommendation is more about preserving the full dynamic range of the content than avoiding clipping.

With 6 channels of 0 dBFS tones played to the 5.1 device set to 70% volume, the downmix over the S/PDIF output is 0 dBFS. (just very slightly below it, if I recall correctly)
If you reduce the volume below 70%, you see the S/PDIF output level being reduced as well.
If you raise the volume above 70% the S/PDIF output cannot get any louder, since it's already at 0 dBFS.
So a dynamic volume adjustment is used to prevent the output from clipping - which is effective at avoiding clipping most of the time, but does so by reducing your dynamic range.

Again, this is setting the 5.1 sound device to 70% volume, not the S/PDIF output (using "play stereo mix to digital output") and only when you're downmixing 5.1 to stereo using SBX Pro Studio Surround. (which, for me, is always)

You don't have to do it, but I'd recommend it if you're using the card to output a headphone mix to an Amp/DAC.

 

[FrostByghte]

  FrostByghte, the Bass Shaker looks interesting , I always wanted to buy one, but I didn't know which, I've found a site which give 5 different Bass Shakers and the differences , but I still need AMP for them, and I've no idea which one.

I use a Dayton Audio APA 150 with two AuraSound AST-2B-4 Pro Bass Shaker Tactile Transducers just attached to the bottom of my office chair. Go for mono with this setup, I  tried stereo but close placement of the transducers just cancels some things out in stereo. I love this setup for games.  Made Lichdom really come alive.  Looking forward to Elite Dangerous with it as well.  Might be good for movies as well, I haven't really watched any with it setup.  A lot of people seem to attach them to their couch.  
 
From all my research the Clark Synthesis TST429 Platinum Transducer is supposed to be the holy grail (if money is no object).
 
Now I just need to get this setup working a bit more seamlessly with what I want to do.  I've been considering just getting a receiver to switch between everything.  I want to add that I'm surprised more gamers don't jump on this type of setup.  It's a value add for me.