[Solid Snake]

Hey all,

I currently have the x-fi fitality sound card and I felt that it is time for an upgrade.

I currently use my computer for everything (music, movies, and gaming)...

My main goal with either sound card is to accomplish two outputs:

rca output > ppav2 amp

optical output > 5.1 surround sound speakers

Both of these sound cards can provide me these options but the question is...which one would suit me better?

Now I have heard rumors that the rca analog on the ESI JULI does not sound great compared to some other sound cards...but this is just someones opinion. I am hoping to find one with more advantages than the other for my needs...So please throw me any suggestions...

 

[obobskivich]

well, the Onkyo SE-200 is a 7.1 capable board, which has amazing quality, but afaik the Juli@ cannot do 5.1 over optical, unless its just passthrough (which means you can't do 5.1 in games, because it isn't just a DTS soundtrack that its passing along to have decoded elsewhere)

not to mention that neither of these boards will handle gaming as gracefully as the Creative card (they'll probably be an increase in music listening quality, but a decrease in gaming capability, because they're not up to it (one of them is an entry level recording board, and one of them is kind of a music lover/audiophile/premium board, neither is really geared towards gaming))

I'd say, the Onkyo would be the better of the two, since it can do multi-channel and whatnot

you might also look at the M-Audio Delta 1010LT (not that i'll improve your situation for gaming), or Auzen X-Fi Prelude (which will maintain good SQ, and the current gaming capabilities you enjoy)

now, if you just leave EAX off and play in stereo DirectSound mode, and don't bother with any of the environmental effects, don't worry about it, and get the ESI, because its probably the least expensive, and your movies are probably coming to the table with 5.1 digital soundtracks that its passthrough will work with

 

[Solid Snake]

Some also recommended the E-MU 1212...Could this also be another good choice?

 

[obobskivich]

honestly, for what you're doing, none of the profesional or semi-professional cards being suggested to you, are a good choice, because of the gaming

while the 1212M, ESI Juli@, Delta 1010LT, etc are all great quality boards, getting them to run with things like video games is a pain, especially contrasted to something like a Creative card, which is why I suggest the X-Fi Prelude, because it'll handle the gaming, and be a good SQ card

however, given that you're using optical output, theres almost no reason to upgrade, because the D/A circuits on the card aren't being used (so theres no real quality gain in jumping from a ~$130 card to a ~$190 card, and even in comparing the D/A circuits, you'll see maybe a 2-3% quality increase, with the Auzen you can get into opamp rolling and things like that, which may give you a more dramatic difference, but overall quality wise, there is not going to be a drastic increase (it won't be night and day, I can almost gurantee it))

So while the X-Fi Prelude is a good choice, I'd just stick with what you've got, honestly, now if gaming isn't something you really do, or if you mean gaming as in card casino or whatever, then go with something that'll actually push the SQ bar a little, however if its actual video games (like Bioshock), don't bother, because theres very few upgrade paths that don't downgrade you on the H/W acceleration front (theres actually only two that I can think of, the X-Fi Elite Pro, and the X-Fi Prelude, and the difference between them is barely measurable)

 

[Solid Snake]

Thanks for your input so far...I do have the extra cash and was in the mood to do some exploring with new sound cards...

I would have to rank music as #1, gaming #2, and movies #3...

I have used an external DAC before which was the KECES 151 and I honestly did not hear a big difference between the X-Fi and the DAC...

The "EAX" feature is something I can live without in games...I thought the games still sounded great without it...

And regarding the ESI Juli...If I was to take that and output it with optical and plug it into my 5.1 surround system, you said this will not work correctly? I am still trying to understand this...Thank you so much so far!

 

[obobskivich]

the ESI Juli@ will pass 5.1 DTS/Dolby Digital signals out, which means if you take a DVD or have a ripped movie on your system, and hit play, if that media has a 5.1 soundtrack, you'll get 5.1 output (if you have it wired into something that can decode and handle this, and enough speakers, amplifier, etc) while if you go into video games and hit "5.1", it won't be 5.1, as the card isn't actually 5.1 processing capable (hope that explanation makes sense) unless the game has DTS/Dolby Digital (no game does, at least on PC)

as far as the transition to other boards, you won't notice a massive differences with the price range you're in, so you might want to consider upgrading headphones/amplification instead of your soundcard (if you want a more dramaticized difference)

and my comment on gaming, with EAX off, the ESI and Onkyo would be comparable to the Creative card (might be an FPS or two shy, but whats an FPS or two, really), just different sonic qualities, and probably a bit better for music on the whole (here's how I view it, if I was building a new system from the ground up, and had the option between the X-Fi you have, and the Onkyo, I'd take the Onkyo, if I already owned the X-Fi, I wouldn't buy the Onkyo)

like I said, you might try the X-Fi Prelude, because of the opamp rolling, and that it'll keep up with the X-Fi you've got performance wise/features wise, and bring the quality more on par with the ESI or the Onkyo, although I still wouldn't say at $170 + $40-$260 (depending on the opamp you buy), its going to be a pragmatic upgrade from what you've got, which is why I suggest headphones/amp/speakers for a more dramatic upgrade

now, if you're one of those people that can hear the voicing difference of adjusting a crossover by 1hz, or by moving a speaker a quarter inch in any direction, or by reversing the cables on a system, the change to the Onkyo or the ESI will be huge for your ears

 

[sdgserv]

The Juli@ has great analog outs and work quite well with a PPAv2..Me thinks it is not the card you need..A 5.1 card will work just fine

 

[Solid Snake]

Looks like neither of these will do...After some browsing, I like how the ASUS d2x stands out...I might just buy me one of those...