Modded x-fi xtrememusic to x-fi prelude. Worth it?

[soloz2]

Yes, the Auzen goes one step further and is DDL capable

 

[Brando]

So an x-fi to a dac is the best of both worlds? Hardware acceleration plus external dac sound quality? Awesome! Is there a difference between the sound of different audio processors (x-fi chip vs dsp's in expensive recievers\cd players) or is all the difference in the dacs\amps\phones etc?

 

[Bones13]

Aye, best of both worlds IF you want to do multichannel EAX for gaming. If you leave the XFi in SPDIF mode through your DAC full time (non directional EAX sounds are awesome this way) then any SPDIF device works fine for "audiophile" listening only.

The real magic of using an XFi is to swap the mode from a gaming to audio-creation, and have a multi-channel speaker set up for gaming, and a nice DAC/AMP/headphone set up for listening to music.

I don't use EAX for gaming, so I have skipped the EAX/multichannel setup.

 

[Thrillo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gautama /img/forum/go_quote.gif X-Fi has SPDIF via coax cable from the flexijack right?

The XtremeMusic doesn't, but the more expensive models do.
The XtremeMusic only has optical-out.

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thrillo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The XtremeMusic doesn't, but the more expensive models do. The XtremeMusic only has optical-out.

XtremeMusic is the one I have, it does have digital coax via the flexijack.

 

[Brando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bones13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aye, best of both worlds IF you want to do multichannel EAX for gaming. If you leave the XFi in SPDIF mode through your DAC full time (non directional EAX sounds are awesome this way) then any SPDIF device works fine for "audiophile" listening only. The real magic of using an XFi is to swap the mode from a gaming to audio-creation, and have a multi-channel speaker set up for gaming, and a nice DAC/AMP/headphone set up for listening to music. I don't use EAX for gaming, so I have skipped the EAX/multichannel setup.

But x-fi spdif out to a dac\amp will do stereo right? I only ask because when I first hooked my dvd player to my reciever and watched a movie with 2 speakers I couldn't hear the voices when people talked until I went into my dvd player menu and told it to output pcm (i think thats what it was called). After that all the sounds mixed together through my 2 speakers rather than playing part of the soundtrack through rear\center speakers that don't exist.

 

[hadouken]

I moved from the XtremeMusic (vanilla) to the X-Fi Prelude, it was well worth it from an audio quality point of view, I have also swapped the opamps out with the much better OPA627SM+.

But with your card already having the LM4562 which is what the X-Fi prelude comes bundled with, I can see the improvement for you being negligable at best.

Of course you get all the benefits of the Creative chipset such as EAX5.0 (rivals can get EAX2.0 at best seeing as Creative wont release the specs - they're great at that

), CMSS, Crystalizer, ASIO with some improvements from Auzentech such as DDL. All of this coupled with Auzens superior design and focus on sound quality, you get a great all rounder for music/games/movies etc.

One thing you should be aware of is that I dont think EAX is transported over S/PDIF using Vista drivers, afaik this is a fault in the Auzentech software and not hardware. I might be wrong as I dont use S/PDIF but worth looking into if you wanna use EAX.

Have you considered getting something like the EMU 0404 for the sound quality? A lot of the X-Fi features such as Crystalizer and CMSS can be emulated using software solutions instead.

 

[Redo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadouken /img/forum/go_quote.gif One thing you should be aware of is that I dont think EAX is transported over S/PDIF using Vista drivers, afaik this is a fault in the Auzentech software and not hardware. I might be wrong as I dont use S/PDIF but worth looking into if you wanna use EAX.

Everything that is transmitted to the analog outs are transmitted via the digital outputs (2 channel that is). With Vista, Vista disallows hardware acceleration of DirectSound, only OpenAL. In order to get any acceleration in Vista on a non-OpenAL game, you have to use Creative Alchemy to bypass Vista and get hardware acceleration. This will enable EAX in non-OpenAL games again.

 

[Brando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadouken /img/forum/go_quote.gif I moved from the XtremeMusic (vanilla) to the X-Fi Prelude, it was well worth it from an audio quality point of view, I have also swapped the opamps out with the much better OPA627SM+. But with your card already having the LM4562 which is what the X-Fi prelude comes bundled with, I can see the improvement for you being negligable at best. Of course you get all the benefits of the Creative chipset such as EAX5.0 (rivals can get EAX2.0 at best seeing as Creative wont release the specs - they're great at that ), CMSS, Crystalizer, ASIO with some improvements from Auzentech such as DDL. All of this coupled with Auzens superior design and focus on sound quality, you get a great all rounder for music/games/movies etc. One thing you should be aware of is that I dont think EAX is transported over S/PDIF using Vista drivers, afaik this is a fault in the Auzentech software and not hardware. I might be wrong as I dont use S/PDIF but worth looking into if you wanna use EAX. Have you considered getting something like the EMU 0404 for the sound quality? A lot of the X-Fi features such as Crystalizer and CMSS can be emulated using software solutions instead.

Yeah I thought about a dac. I'm weighing my options right now. I'm starting to think maybe a good budget amp\dac combo might be good. I was reading about the zero and the octavart and they seem nice but I'm still trying to get a handle on what really works.

 

[Brando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadouken /img/forum/go_quote.gif I moved from the XtremeMusic (vanilla) to the X-Fi Prelude, it was well worth it from an audio quality point of view, I have also swapped the opamps out with the much better OPA627SM+. But with your card already having the LM4562 which is what the X-Fi prelude comes bundled with, I can see the improvement for you being negligable at best. Of course you get all the benefits of the Creative chipset such as EAX5.0 (rivals can get EAX2.0 at best seeing as Creative wont release the specs - they're great at that ), CMSS, Crystalizer, ASIO with some improvements from Auzentech such as DDL. All of this coupled with Auzens superior design and focus on sound quality, you get a great all rounder for music/games/movies etc. One thing you should be aware of is that I dont think EAX is transported over S/PDIF using Vista drivers, afaik this is a fault in the Auzentech software and not hardware. I might be wrong as I dont use S/PDIF but worth looking into if you wanna use EAX. Have you considered getting something like the EMU 0404 for the sound quality? A lot of the X-Fi features such as Crystalizer and CMSS can be emulated using software solutions instead.

I think someone else said something about the e-mu 0404 but I dismissed it when I looked up the specs and saw (I think) 20mw output on the headphone jack. But, I saw another post by a guy who said it has plenty of power for any phone which I didn't get at the time. Then I realized there are 2 versions of the 0404. Are you talking about the card or the separate external usb one? Does the card have more output power than the usb version?

 

[hadouken]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm starting to think maybe a good budget amp\dac combo might be good. I was reading about the zero and the octavart and they seem nice but I'm still trying to get a handle on what really works.

Before I got my PL 2500's I was looking into the Keces DA-151 DAC and LittleDot MK V SS amp, seemed like an excellent combo for my kind of music, also very reasonable on the wallet as well. I also considered the Meier Opera too, bit on the pricey side though, guess it all depends on your budget.

Quote:

Are you talking about the card or the separate external usb one? Does the card have more output power than the usb version?

Yup, I was talking about the external USB version, which apparently is the better version (not surprising). Not too sure about which provides the most power as I havent really looked into it. I would presume the USB version will be slightly more powerful but you would need to search the forums for more opinion.

With my PL 2500's, I think I may just stick with the Prelude as it seems to do a very good job in powering them. Its all subjective of course. If you're really serious about audio quality then maybe a dac/amp is indeed your best option though.

 

[Brando]

I decided to kick myself in the butt and do this the right way, even if it takes longer. I'm going with a gilmore lite amp first. As I learn more from this site I'll try to form an opinion on whether buying a dac will be an improvement to my modded x-fi, and possibly save up for one that's truly great.

 

[cotdt]

it's a minor upgrade. a high-end external DAC would be a major upgrade.

 

[Brando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif it's a minor upgrade. a high-end external DAC would be a major upgrade.

Is there a dac\amp combo you know of that would fit the bill? I was considering that route too but I'm confused by what seem to be conflicting opinions on the subject. I'd really like to upgrade the amp and dac, I just have to be able to afford something that doesn't compromise either aspect. I don't want to go with something that's skimpy on power. I know AT's are supposed to be easy to drive but they really do sound much better coming from my receiver which I assume has more power than the front l\r jack on my sound card. If I need to I'll just get a used gilmore lite and a used separate dac. But, I'm definitley open to suggestions that will save me money without sacrificing quality (dac\amp combo?).

 

[soloz2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brando /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there a dac\amp combo you know of that would fit the bill? I was considering that route too but I'm confused by what seem to be conflicting opinions on the subject. I'd really like to upgrade the amp and dac, I just have to be able to afford something that doesn't compromise either aspect.

buffalo and millet max!