[phalanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theBigD /img/forum/go_quote.gif well, it looks like my xfi is toast. had a friend come by who builds speakers to help be try to fix card and it seems too far gone. what is the cheapest xfi card that can be modified with good results. mine was the xfi music which is no longer in production. i saw some on ebay for $65 though. what are some other options? this time ill get my friend to do the soldering instead of trying to learn on the fly.

Why is it toast? Is there more damage then just one missing connector? If it's just that it would be a shame to toss it aside as its easily fixed. It may look bad but those legs are connected straight to one of those tiny SMD's (resistors), you just have to find which one and there arent so many options.. just see which connects. Surely someone here with an xfi and a multimeter is willing to do the measure for you.
Else if you still want a new xfi then 65$ isnt a bad deal i suppose. the other xfi's that are full-height all are more expensive then the x-music, so either grab it or wait for a better alternative. Or fix your X-fi which still doesnt look like toast to me.

 

[PPkiller]

phalanger... what's the method u used now to desolder the opamp? still side cuting?

 

[phalanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PPkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif phalanger... what's the method u used now to desolder the opamp? still side cuting?

yeah for all 5 opamps i used the precision sidecutter and cut the legs off one by one right near the PCB. you could even get away with not cleaning up the pads this way cause very little remains, but i recommend you still make them nice and shiny with solderwick before installing the new opamp. Despite some unfortunate modders problems, these connectors dont just rub off like that. Just dont take too long doing it, do it gentle and always with a well-heated iron. And don't try to pull on non-properly cut legs ofcourse, some will require a few bites to snap.

 

[Chu]

I just got my X-Mod back after sending it out to Soloz to mod. Here are my impressions after half an hour. X-Mod -> META42 -> HD600 is the chain.

First off, there definitely is a difference. The track at the top of my playlist was "Thou Shalt Kill," and my very first impression was "is there something wrong with my card?" There was a ton of background noise coming through the headphones, noise that certainly wasn't so imposing before the mod or with the onboard sound I've been listening to.

Not the card's fault though. Next track I put up was "My Name is Mud" since there is so much silence in the song. No noise where there wasn't supposed to be. So the X-Mod certainly is more revealing.

Now, the soundstage. It's been a month since I've heard my X-Fi, but I am fairly confident in saying that the soundstange has been narrowed. From my original X-Fi to onboard sound I noticed almost no change, but there does seem to be a constriction going from onboard sound to the X-Mod.

Now, the sound itself. First, the low bar. The X-Mod seems better then Onboard Sound (ASUS A8N-SLI Priemium, nForce 4 SLI) in almost every way. I don't really feel a need to qualify that further

Compared to the original X-Fi though? Well, it's been a month, and I am very very hesitant to make comparisons considering the time that has elapsed. I do feel however that there is a bit more detail now. There are details in the guitars of "Rusty Cage" that I do not remember, however I would not say that there is necessarily more transparency. Even though I feel I can hear more details, the separation between instruments on pretty much every track I have played, at best, is the same as before. My gut feeling is that it is in fact somewhat worse. I feel that the soundstage has been changed to emphasize the mids and base more, which could explain this; or that there is much more detail in the X-Mod in these regions and thus they are more prominent, which generally works against transparency. Possibly both. Again almost impossible to say, it's been too long.

So, there is my first half-hour review. Maybe something more in depth after I play around with EQ and explore some more music outside of Rock with them. I will however say that with the altered soundstage my gut feeling is that the X-Mod will pair much better with my Grado's, and I can't wait to try them. I just wanted to give a good listen in my Senns first since they are my primary computer headphones.

Now, is it worth it? If you are doing it yourself, I would say yes. If you are buying a new sound card, I would again say yes. Paying to have it done for you? Jury is still out, but a hesitant yes. Will post more after I give them a better listen

 

[theBigD]

yea, we nocked around one of those resisters with a soldering iron. so i think that may be the problem now. i actually get sound out of both channels but the left channel is very constricted and the volume on the left channel is much lower. if i adjust the balance then the right side become very congested. just doesn't sound quite right. oh and when we removed the opamp and cleaned things up on the board another trace came off, the trace on this board is very fragile. if i had a little more experience i probably would try to save this board but with so little i am probably gonna have to get another xfi music. my friend is pretty confident with the next board he'll be able to mod it without a hitch. i hope this is worth it.

 

[]|[ GorE]

Ahh,yes...now the disaster stories are coming in..I was wondering they would.the next time,try practicing on dead cards from your local pc hardware store.
And the variety of capacitor mods you guys keep coming up with is ridiculous...oh,i forgot that head-fiers are better than the multiple Electronic degrees holders at Creative.

 

[phalanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ]|[ GorE /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ahh,yes...now the disaster stories are coming in..I was wondering they would.the next time,try practicing on dead cards from your local pc hardware store. And the variety of capacitor mods you guys keep coming up with is ridiculous...oh,i forgot that head-fiers are better than the multiple Electronic degrees holders at Creative.

It would be both more enjoyable and more useful if you would add something else besides your blobs of criticism about this mod (which you did not actually perform i think) and the people who have done it.
For instance it would be nice if you would've actually told something usable about 'the capacitor creative left out' as others have also asked you. But to be honest I think you have no clue about it either.

So I kinda wonder why you keep dropping in with nothing but negative comments and without adding anything useful, about a topic which you apparantly don't have much to really say about at all.

 

[theBigD]

yes gore does seem to be the doom and gloom guy, doesn't he? it does seem like most people are satisfied with the results of this mod, and the majority of experiences doing it are positive. i definently would caution someone with little experience about doing this though because of the tiny parts and small space to deal with on this card. also it seems the trace on this card is pretty fragile.

 

[]|[ GorE]

Oh yes,i have done the capacitor mods and the opamp ones on my Audigy SE which has a similar analog output stage as that of the X-Fi.
It's just that the capacitor values and the kind of caps you guys are using are unnecessary;I'm sure no one in this thread has looked through the datasheets of the Voltage Regulators,the opamps and the DAC,coz if you had,you wouldn't be using these inane caps with their inane capacitance.

PS : I think those Onkyo cards with their loadful of caps are baloney too;products made to satisfy the gullible and undiscerning .

 

[]|[ GorE]

And yeah,those caps Creative left out are mentioned in the DAC datasheet.

 

[]|[ GorE]

do your research,i ain't handing out free food.

 

[twc5964]

I have not attacked the op amps but I did change out the one 100uf 16 volt cap(largest cap on this card) on my old Audigy 4.I used a Rubycon 470uf 50 volt za/zl and bypassed it with a poly cap. This really surprised me !

Blacker background and slightly better dynamics...especially on poor recordings.Also,used some really good contact cleaner....a definite improvement already. Thanks for this thread.My only regret is not being able to swap out the other caps. I have plenty but need a new soldering iron with a sharp tip.

Now I want the Extreme music,new iron,and opamps !

 

[phalanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ]|[ GorE /img/forum/go_quote.gif do your research,i ain't handing out free food.

Please just **** in that case then and keep your negative attitude to yourself. You just proved again you have absolutely nothing useful to add here, nobody is waiting for your arrogant you-all-suck posts, especially since they contain NO useful information. Also stop trying to cap this thread.

 

[holland]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ]|[ GorE /img/forum/go_quote.gif do your research,i ain't handing out free food.

...

Anyhow. I *think* this is the DAC from some specs I saw on the web, but I don't know as I don't have the board. Any goon can post "specs" on a web page, so take it with a grain of salt.

CS4382_F1 datasheet

As far as the missing cap, I don't know as I don't know what's there to begin with. I'd have to get my hands on a board. Check out page 12, 13, 24 and 27 of the datasheet though.

 

[turtletrax]

Hey guys. Been reading this thread for a couple days now and have done many of the mods already. I have ordered samples from National but you are only allowed 3 so I am short two. Anybody have a couple I can buy from you??

I have desldered the original opamps and it went really smooth. I used to mod xboxs so that is fairly easy soldering in comparison.

Well if anyone has a couple to spare drop me a PM and I will gladly buy them