[TiTaN]

Hey guys, I currently own the Fatal1ty X-Fi card and was wondering if the E-Mu 1212M is a better card. The only problem is I really only have one PCI slot available so would I NEED to use the 0202 daughter I/O card? Thanks guys, just a little confused on the specs.

 

[JaGWiRE]

E-mu and x-fi is different. It is a shame you don't have the elite pro, it is certainly worth the extra money over the fatal1ty as the card itself is an improvement over the standard x-fi card on the xtreemusic, platnium and fatal1ty, and the breakout box is really nice.

 

[lator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TiTaN The only problem is I really only have one PCI slot available so would I NEED to use the 0202 daughter I/O card?

The daughter card holds all the analog inputs and outputs. I personally don't have it even plugged in as I use external dac, so for me it is not needed. If you are taking analog sound straight out of your computer then you will need the 0202.

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaGWiRE It is a shame you don't have the elite pro, it is certainly worth the extra money over the fatal1ty

No it's not. Yes it does have better sound quality, but not enough to justify the price. An ESI Juli@, M-Audio Audiophile 192, E-MU 0404 and E-Mu 1212m will all tear down the elite pro in terms of quality. If you dont have room for the two cards, look into the other ones I listed (in no particular order, btw).

 

[JaGWiRE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 No it's not. Yes it does have better sound quality, but not enough to justify the price. An ESI Juli@, M-Audio Audiophile 192, E-MU 0404 and E-Mu 1212m will all tear down the elite pro in terms of quality. If you dont have room for the two cards, look into the other ones I listed (in no particular order, btw).

Just a quick question, have you compared any of them? I had an m-audio revolution (not as good as the above listed cards from my understanding) and the x-fi rips it apart and eats it for a midnight snack. If you haven't compared both, I don't really think you should say that. If you have, and that is what you think, then okay, it is very much so possible. The e-mu and julia have troubel passing DD and DTS, and probably completely suck for gaming like my old m-audio, so I stayed away from them.

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaGWiRE Just a quick question, have you compared any of them? I had an m-audio revolution (not as good as the above listed cards from my understanding) and the x-fi rips it apart and eats it for a midnight snack. If you haven't compared both, I don't really think you should say that. If you have, and that is what you think, then okay, it is very much so possible. The e-mu and julia have troubel passing DD and DTS, and probably completely suck for gaming like my old m-audio, so I stayed away from them.

Yes, I have compared an X-fi xtrememusic, an elite pro, and my Juli@. The Juli@ is the clear winner. I can not speak for the other cards -- but since they are on the same level as the Juli@ I would assume they are also a significant improvement.

As for gaming, my Juli@ is just fine. Sure, there won't be EAX, but then again, I have a K1000

Using quake 3, I can easily pinpoint where every sound comes from, above, below, side to side, front and back, and everything in between

 

[Asmo]

I've compared my 1212m analoge outputs vs the xtrememusic and it was not in the same league.

I only now use my 1212m 1010 card for digital output.

There are no real gaming issues having a non creative card, unless you are a huge gamer and want that extra little bit of performance, or multi channel gaming.

 

[maarek99]

Elite Pro has the same dacs and opamps as the 1212m.

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maarek99 Elite Pro has the same dacs and opamps as the 1212m.

This shouldn't be taken to mean they'll sound the same. They still use different caps and a different circuit.

 

[Asmo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak This shouldn't be taken to mean they'll sound the same. They still use different caps and a different circuit.

And different power filtering, better components all around, specific dac / opamps dont' mean it will sound good, you can put the best dacs and op amps into a bad design and it will sound like crap, where a better implimented board with average dacs will blow it away.

 

[maarek99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asmo And different power filtering, better components all around, specific dac / opamps dont' mean it will sound good, you can put the best dacs and op amps into a bad design and it will sound like crap, where a better implimented board with average dacs will blow it away.

But Creative/Emu are basically the same and the X-fi has that Emu layout to its looks.

 

[SprySpectre]

The 1212 is definitely the better card for sound quality. If gaming is an issue, stick with the X-Fi, as it's not THAT much of an improvement. The games will sound kind of blah with anything that doesn't support beyond EAX 2.0, which the 1212 doesn't. The way I look at it, you'll notice more of a de-provement in games than improvement in overall sound quality.

You can't beat EAX these days since Creative bought Aureal...I think they finally started utilizing the technology in the latest flavor of EAX. Of course, Creative also bought EMu, so they may have introduced some of that technology in the X-Fi as well...but I don't know for sure.

 

[davve]

are the EMU 1212M and M-audio audiophile 192 in same league?

 

[neonextgenazn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davve are the EMU 1212M and M-audio audiophile 192 in same legue?

I'd like to know how these cards compare.