[illram]

Had a bizarre issue recently with the X-Fi on an iPad Pro 2018 (the model with a USB-C out). When playing a downloaded movie, it would just randomly hang, like it was buffering. It would refuse to play and restarting would only let it play up to a different seemingly random spot where it would also hang. Unplugging it and using any other headset made it work.

 

[Paradigm]

I don't think he meant that there's little impact. Quoting his words below (and I do agree):


If you have the device and liked it, great!
My intention is just to provide balanced viewpoints. Some are totally fine with what Super X-Fi gives. Some, like myself, after experiencing what HeSuVi and Out of Your Head provide, hesitate to agree that Super X-Fi is the 'holy grail'.

Muddying the waters further is the fact that some reviewers get to have the personalized ear calibration profile done, while paying customers can only use the head mapping calibration, which Creative insists is '80%' of the ear calibration performance. Do be aware of this difference when reading what reviewers say.

Curious about your experience with SuperXfi in comparison to OOYH since I have been using the Fong Audio for many years now with my HD650's. I just learned about this Creative gimmick a few days ago. While I haven't tried it, I must admit I am very skeptical considering it comes from creative. Oh and I have been using a Titanium HD for my PC media/gaming since it's release and only stopped using it in the last year since creative refused to update drivers for full compatibility in Windows 10's latest builds.

 

[eliwankenobi]

For me, the more I use the Sxfi, the more I like it. The surround effects I'm getting from SXFI are more convincing, especially on the side and back surrounds. I find it also more natural now that I am used to it. If I disable it, I feel everything collapsing right next to my ears, even with the reverb and all, which I don't think about it anymore. It has actually helped me localize things better in games like APEX LEGENDS and Quake Champions.

I feel like when going from an OK pair of headphones to something very high end, it not always will feel as an instantaneous falling in love to the new headphone, but once you get used to it and you try to go back to your old ones and you start noticing all the things that you are missing. It sort of feels like that.

I really like HeSuVi. It is a very flexible application and I've been using it for some time before getting the SXfi. I would love to be able to import my HRTF from the SXFI into HeSuVi and free myself to use my nicer Pulse Infinity DAC that also has a very nice and balanced headphone amp.

But I find that the SXfi is the closest thing I've seen so far that approaches what Smyth Research is doing with the Realiser. We now know that it is possible to measure your ears and create a HRTF that would much more effective (even though properly done can be cumbersome) than HRTFs based on pictures, and I would love for Creative to have to offer an ear measurement kit and if I were to have my way, head-tracking capabilites. That would technically put the SXFI on par with the Smyth A8 and it would still be WAY more affordable. But still as it is, the Sxfi AMP is an awesome little gadget...

 

[Zenvota]

But I find that the SXfi is the closest thing I've seen so far that approaches what Smyth Research is doing with the Realiser.

O.o over OOYH which uses measurements taken using a Realiser A8?

 

[Falkentyne]

O.o over OOYH which uses measurements taken using a Realiser A8?

OOYH adds a great deal of sound latency. This has already been shown (and mentioned here) and many professional, semipro or simply competitive gamers don't want extra latency in anything, even if it doesn't affect them like input or screen latency does..
People already freak out about 4ms just on their mice, in the high end.

 

[Zenvota]

OOYH adds a great deal of sound latency. This has already been shown (and mentioned here) and many professional, semipro or simply competitive gamers don't want extra latency in anything, even if it doesn't affect them like input or screen latency does..
People already freak out about 4ms just on their mice, in the high end.

What? The comment was about approximating the Realisers. You're right... I wouldn't use OOYH for competitive gaming, but it's just not an appropriate response =/

SXfi is the closest thing I've seen so far that approaches what Smyth Research is doing with the Realiser

I get it, that's in relation to SXFIs ear mapping feature, but it's still not an accurate statement, especially when one program uses a Realisers measurements. SXFIs base HRTFs are all modeled and the ear mapping attempts to make adjustments based on sample data, but who's to say if any of that is even remotely accurate, as there's no actual in ear measurements taking place, no compensation for ear canal, channel balance, etc.. Of course having some customization is better than having none, but the key feature of the Realisers and OOYH is the measured rooms reflections making headphones sound more like loudspeakers in a room then providing low latency for competitive gaming. And OOYH still puts channels in the correct location its not like the rear left channel is in the side right position just because its someone elses head that was measured. That mostly accounts for smaller 5db colorations in the frequency response.

 

[eliwankenobi]

O.o over OOYH which uses measurements taken using a Realiser A8?

I wasn’t aware you could import ear measurements into OOYH. The thing would be getting access to someone who has the A8 (A16?)

 

[Drog]

I've ordered this amp and need a pair of headphones to go with it. I'm leaning towards the Massdrop x AKG K7XX or AudioQuest Nighthawk Carbon (I think the Nighthawks are in the lead though). Which would be a better fit for SXFI effects? I am open to other suggestions in the price range.

 

[Cevisi]

I've ordered this amp and need a pair of headphones to go with it. I'm leaning towards the Massdrop x AKG K7XX or AudioQuest Nighthawk Carbon (I think the Nighthawks are in the lead though). Which would be a better fit for SXFI effects? I am open to other suggestions in the price range.

 

[Cevisi]

I've ordered this amp and need a pair of headphones to go with it. I'm leaning towards the Massdrop x AKG K7XX or AudioQuest Nighthawk Carbon (I think the Nighthawks are in the lead though). Which would be a better fit for SXFI effects? I am open to other suggestions in the price range.

Better get one whit pre set

 

[Zenvota]

I've ordered this amp and need a pair of headphones to go with it. I'm leaning towards the Massdrop x AKG K7XX or AudioQuest Nighthawk Carbon (I think the Nighthawks are in the lead though). Which would be a better fit for SXFI effects? I am open to other suggestions in the price range.

Stick to planar magnetics when using sxfi or any other binaural renderer. Hifiman HE-400i / Massdrop Hifiman HE-4XX

 

[Cevisi]

Stick to planar magnetics when using sxfi or any other binaural renderer. Hifiman HE-400i / Massdrop Hifiman HE-4XX

Yes and it got a preset too

 

[Drog]

Stick to planar magnetics when using sxfi or any other binaural renderer. Hifiman HE-400i / Massdrop Hifiman HE-4XX

Why are planar magnetic headphones better for binaural renderers?

 

[Zenvota]

Why are planar magnetic headphones better for binaural renderers?

The transducers are more responsive and able to better render the additional information of the binaural stereo signal. I love my hd650s, theyre fantastic smooth detailed headphones with normal stereo music, but they sound like crap with ooyh compared to the planars/electrostats I have, whereas I probably prefer the hd650s with normal stereo music. Especially with lossless 7.1 surround, its a ton of information for 2 headphone drivers to attempt to play, and most dynamics cant keep up until you have special drivers like the hd800s ring radiator or utopias beryllium diaphragm.

 

[Drog]

The transducers are more responsive and able to better render the additional information of the binaural stereo signal. I love my hd650s, theyre fantastic smooth detailed headphones with normal stereo music, but they sound like **** with ooyh compared to the planars/electrostats I have, whereas I probably prefer the hd650s with normal stereo music. Especially with lossless 7.1 surround, its a ton of information for 2 headphone drivers to attempt to play, and most dynamics cant keep up until you have special drivers like the hd800s ring radiator or utopias beryllium diaphragm.

Thank's for the information. Planar magnetics it is.