[RPGWiZaRD]

I'm seriously starting to wonder if some1's trying to tell me to NOT pick up this card as it's out of stock everywhere in this country and pretty much unknown when it would become available. The site I ordered from said it would have them in stock but turned out to be false and then I've contacted them through email and was offered a Creative X-Fi HD USB device and what not and didn't get any response on roughly how long it would take them to get more of them in stock and seems like I've been ignored since, oh well I ordered to pick up at store so no money spent. I've been looking at ordering from Germany perhaps. They sell them for about 125 EUR as lowest compared to 155~160 EUR or so in Finland but the shipping from Germany to Finland is usually 20 - 30 EUR or so anyway so not a huge difference. 
 
I've also concidered picking up some Asus Xonar card for comparision's sake but don't know. Right now I'm just going in circles and can't decide what to do.

 

[Roller]

Hey man, don't feel like that Being the new product that it is, it can be both because it's selling like hot cakes and the whole brand new product thing.
 
The price difference you say isn't much, but if it means availability, then it could be an option to consider, if you want to have it as soon as possible, no?

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

Hey man, don't feel like that Being the new product that it is, it can be both because it's selling like hot cakes and the whole brand new product thing.
 
The price difference you say isn't much, but if it means availability, then it could be an option to consider, if you want to have it as soon as possible, no?

 
Well ordering from Germany it would take a week or so before I'd have it from the date I ordered. I'm starting to have 2nd thoughts if I'd actually like this CMSS3D though from a few vids I've seen posted on youtube comparing CMSS3D on/off. Will it sound better with Titanium HD than the old X-Fi cards though? As I heard quite a big change in SQ / frequency response balance turning it on.
 
I hope it doesn't sound as bad as in these videos
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcB9faNrz_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976ua3TQxFE
 
Sure it results in a lot better positional sound but I couldn't probably stand getting such a SQ decrease (sounds "grainy"/ typical cheap gaming headset sound quality) though but perhaps it's just cuz of youtube or then it's improved in newer drivers or newer X-Fi cards...
 

 

[Roller]

If you can get the Titanium HD, there's no point in getting previous generation X-Fi cards, as they mostly share the tech. There are differences regarding the software suite, but the simple fact that better quality and longer lasting components are used, along with having full OpenAL hardware acceleration and all the gaming features, makes for the best gaming performance you get can.
 
It should be noted that I'm still not convinced over any current surround virtualization solution, but I have to admit I'm curious about your feedback. All surround emulation software degrades sound to my ears, and that's my own opinion. I find it so unfortunate that you're looking at CMSS3D over all the other far more important features, but I know you want that "out of head" listening experience.

 

[NamelessPFG]

*watches those YouTube CMSS-3D Headphone demonstration videos*
 
The sound definitely seems a bit muffled, but the imaging is impeccably improved. I personally wouldn't do without it...but is there any sort of HRTF filter/effect that doesn't muffle the sound quality so much? (They say you can fix it with a bit of EQ, but they don't suggest just what EQ settings to use.)
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9WUz_aFaeg (Here's another CMSS-3D Headphone demonstration video that gives you a better idea of where the sounds are supposed to be coming from relative to where you think they're coming from, but there's no on/off comparison.)
 
Of course, I don't use any HRTF filters when playing music because of the sound muffling (without any discernable imaging improvement; if anything, it actually sounds like more of a regression with stereo music files), both CMSS-3D Headphone and Dolby Headphone alike. It's just straight-up Audio Creation Mode, bit-matched, fed with ASIO.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Yea well I'm still unsure whether ASUS Xonar's Dolby Virtual speaker or what it's called or CMSS3D is more useful for gaming (I'm more interested in which ruins the sound less for that improved imaging). I saw some vids recorded with Xonar cards (also had dolby headphone activated) but the positioning sounded great then as well and the SQ wasn't THAT bad but heh he had it set to DH-2 mode while I only concider DH-1 mode worth using as DH-2 and DH-3 for Dolby Headphone results in too much added reverb IMO and impacts the SQ negatively (added "grain"/muffled sound).
 
Check this for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aXDC8iIfJQ
 
For music listening I like Dolby Headphone but only when adjusting EQ to neglect the frequency response modification Dolby Headphone adds which is about 1.5dB bass boost as well as 1.0~1.5dB or so decrease in the treble range.
 
EDIT: This is also quite interesting to compare, burning truck positioning
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTaEkePgYZc&feature=related (Creative X-Fi USB with CMSS-3D)
 
vs
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrom0r7ydEI (Xonar DX with Dolby headphone)

 

[kn19h7]

on my setup here dh2 sounds most natural to me.. dh1 reverb too much in bass while dh3 reverb in treble
..have given up listening music with surround effect nowadays and just use asio output, but dolby headphone is still very important to me for watching movie
 
i don't know which better between dh and cmss3d for gaming, but for movie watching dh is definitely better as cmss3d may get wrong possitioning on handling 5.1 audio source sometimes..

 

[Roller]

Quote:

on my setup here dh2 sounds most natural to me.. dh1 reverb too much in bass while dh3 reverb in treble
..have given up listening music with surround effect nowadays and just use asio output, but dolby headphone is still very important to me for watching movie
 
i don't know which better between dh and cmss3d for gaming, but for movie watching dh is definitely better as cmss3d may get wrong possitioning on handling 5.1 audio source sometimes..

 
Actually, for movies I really like some of the EAX effects on Entertainment Mode, and being able to adjust the intensity of the effects does help to tweak things on different content. For me, Dolby Headphone from sources such as Asus Xonar cards has nothing on EAX effects for movies, just like CMSS3D, movies can sound far better with simple low intensity EAX effects.
 
About CMSS3D and DH, I find them both to change sound in undesirable ways for my listening preferences, and sound just feels more natural with them disabled.

 

[kn19h7]

hmm wasn't really care about eax at the time as from my understanding it just adds some environment effect and doesn't concern with handling multichannel content, i prefer simple setting ==

 

[Roller]

Quote:

hmm wasn't really care about eax at the time as from my understanding it just adds some environment effect and doesn't concern with handling multichannel content, i prefer simple setting ==

That's why I said I use it exclusively for movies, not music nor games.

 

[tom2011]

well i tryed cmss 3d
 
its not that nice
 
you can try it if you had realtek
 
download moded drivers

 

[genclaymore]

You can still use the CMSS3D headphone even while using the RCA outs on the X-FI HD thats how I have connected to my Fiio E9 amp. CMSS3D headphone works best when you have the speaker settings set to 5.1 in windows control panel instead of 2 channels. as it spreads the sound out This how I have it set up and also what i used with prior x-fi cards, even with xonar's dolby headphone with games, of course i dont do this with music. If you do get a X-FI HD the first thing you should do is replace the JRc's in the I/V to something else. Also the X-FI HD buffer has two single channel LME49710NA's in them.
 
It will output to which output is pluged in the card, like if you have your amp pluged into the RCA out. it will also send the audio out that even with headphones selected in the creative launcher panel. So like I mention you can def still use CMSS3D headphone even without using the headphones out.

 

[kn19h7]

Quote:

You can still use the CMSS3D headphone even while using the RCA outs on the X-FI HD thats how I have connected to my Fiio E9 amp. CMSS3D headphone works best when you have the speaker settings set to 5.1 in windows control panel instead of 2 channels. as it spreads the sound out This how I have it set up and also what i used with prior x-fi cards, even with xonar's dolby headphone with games, of course i dont do this with music. If you do get a X-FI HD the first thing you should do is replace the JRc's in the I/V to something else. Also the X-FI HD buffer has two single channel LME49710NA's in them.
 
It will output to which output is pluged in the card, like if you have your amp pluged into the RCA out. it will also send the audio out that even with headphones selected in the creative launcher panel. So like I mention you can def still use CMSS3D headphone even without using the headphones out.

but from my experience, the output didn't sound right in this way. the output is very different from both pure stereo and cmss3d on headphone out, its very fetiguing sound.
both cmss3d headphone mode and dh don't work properly on rca lineout ime..
 

 

[genclaymore]

Thats because pure stereo out uses both I/V and buffer op-amps while Headphone out just uses the I/V op-amps but not the buffer. The I/V and buffer op-amp combos dont like certain headphones and amps that plugged to that output.It recommand to quicky changed out those JRC's.  The reason why headphone out didnt sound that way to you is because of the JRCs just being used.
 
The RCA issue you had, had nothing to do with CMSS3D headphone and had every thing to do with the JRcs and Dual LME49710NA combo not liking which ever headphones you was using. Which why I changed out those JRCs when I first got the card.  CMSS3D headphone does work right out RCA out as I been using that ever since I got the card. I dont have your sound issue with the RCA out going to my amp because I took out those JRCS and replaced them with op-amps I had at the time as I waiting for a couple to come to me in the mail.
 
If you take out those JRCs and replace them with better op-amps, then your RCA sound issue you had will go away. 
 
 
I was saying that both DH and CMSS3D headphone work best when the windows audio controll panel is set to 5.1 with Asus and Creative panel outputs set to headphones as it spreads the sound out this way.
 
But it does in fact work thru RCA  it just the JRC +LME49710NA op-amp combo sounding funky on different headphones. Until you take out those JRcs. I couldnt stand the JRCs with the LME49710NA going into my amp doing Boomy bass while every thing else was fine.So i took those jrcs out quick.Tho I still rolling op-amps atm til the ones I waiting on come in the mail.

 

[kn19h7]

^^^ so you're saying its all because the opamps? possible.. hmm the presentations were too different for me to think of that though
 
btw i can't select 5.1 speaker on x-fi hd usb which is also a stereo soundcard aimed for headphone user, so i actually expect the same goes on titanium hd. was able do that on the old x-fi surround 5.1 usb though. (or are you xp user?
..and xonar driver here simply ignore the speaker mode in windows audio panel, the control is only on the driver control panel ==