[Svperstar]

Damn this hobby. It all started back in summer of 2004 when I bought an Audigy 2 ZS to replace my ancient Live! Value because I wanted EAX4 for Thief : Deadly Shadows.

On impulse I picked up a pair of Sennheiser 457s since I read once that Sennheiser headphones were "good". A google of Sennheiser and here we are *sigh*

Note: I tend to ramble when I write reviews, sorry, just my style

Also I just took a muscle relaxer for my back so excuse me if I am incoherant

In addition to being an "audiophile" I am also a hardcore gamer. It is my main hobby and has been for years. Anyone in my position understands the dilema. Something good for music or something for gaming? Audigy 2 to external DAC = distortion unless you resample....which eats CPU cycles. Then running 2 soundcards = driver headaches, excessive mode switching and the like.

So to me the Elite Pro seemed like the Holy Grail. The best game support money can buy + high end components on One Card

Anyway, I used the EMU0404 from March 05 till the end of this January when I finally picked up the X-Fi Elite Pro.

Initial Impressions

Damn this external box is Big. It dwarfs my Gilmore Lite, however it does make a nice headphone stand

The software installed without a hitch. I took out my A2ZS and EMU, and just installed the new card, no weird issues at all.

Having the ability to change so much from the knobs on the box is just great. In a game you can raise or lower EAX reverb effects via a simple knob, However the really dropped the ball with one thing, mode switching. Why in the world they have a 3D midi button instead of a mode switching knob I just don't understand. I doubt less than 5% of Elite Pro owners will ever use 3D midi but we all switch modes from time to time(more on modes later)

Also the small knobs bother me. The large volume knob feels solid enough but the smaller knobs feel very cheap and not something you would expect from a $400 product.

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Gaming
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First thing. I noticed no performance boost in any benchmark or game over the Audigy 2 ZS besides Battlefield 2. IMO this Xram thing is a bunch of hype. Now in BF2 it did feel a bit smoother and positioning was smoother but the extra sounds it lets you hear are mostly fluff. You get to hear things like birds chirping and more ambient wind sounds but these could potentially hurt your score if you miss out on someone creeping up on you because there are birds chirping in your ear.

Sound quality in games is better than either the Audigy 2 ZS or the EMU0404, much smoother and harsh sounds aren't quite as bright compared to the emu.

3D headphone is garbage as far as I am concerned. You can set windows and/or the game to use 5.1, then use headphone mode with 3D headphone on for a "better" 3d effect. In my experience it just adds horrible distortion to game sounds and doesn't give better 3D positioning at all, sounds are far away and muffled/flat. I leave CMSS off all the time.

SVM is an interesting feature. I played some Counter-Strike with it and it really made it easier to hear people that were walking far away. The bad part is this messes with your ability to tell how far they are. It is also debatable if this is ethical to use while playing online. I leave it off but it is fun to play around with.

Overall gaming sounds much better than on the A2 ZS and Xram may be important down the road but I am not holding my breath.

It is also nice not to have to switch from 44.1 to 48 and back for gaming like with the EMU0404/A2 combo.

The Crystalizer is ok in games but I leave it off, don't feel strongly either way.

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Music
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The 1/4" headphone jack on the external box is crap. Makes the Sennheiser 580s sound like complete crap, ruins the soundstage, just terrible. Though I doubt anyone here would use it

I have complained from time to time on this forum that the Sony MDR-SA5000s make ambient music(like Biosphere and Matthew Florianz) sounds very thin and harsh.

I realize now this was just the EMU0404. Those cans are very source dependent. The Elite Pro has a more laid back sound. It doesn't accent clicks/pops/hum in bad recordings. They are still there but they are not being stabbed into your eardrum like an icepick. This is the best selling point for me. I can still hear bad recordings but they don't make me wince.

Music also has more weight and detail. The negatives of the SA5Ks are gone for the most part now. The soundstage is on the small side still.

I have not heard a Tube amp but I have read plenty of reviews on here and from what I have read about them going from the EMU0404 to the Elite Pro is like going from SS to Tube. It is a more laid back lush sound with better bass.

The soundstage is also wider on the Elite Pro than on the EMU.

Overall sound quality is much better on the Elite Pro to my ears. There is one area where the EMU0404 may be superior, that is with acoustic guitars. On the EMU(especially paired with the SA5Ks) it is like the strings are being plucked next to your ear. The Elite Pro is more laid back in its presentation. I do kind of miss that in-your-face twang. This is preference though and I understand how someone could go either way.

The Sennheiser 580s are still fairly new and may not be burned in. I also have not heard them on the EMU0404. I did own the Senn 595s as my main can for months however and listened to it on the EMU. So I am kinda winging it based on that. They sound great on the X-Fi. Nice wide soundstage, good detail, not too bright. They still have that Sennheiser bass which I dislike. I get ear fatigue on them after a while if I listen to bassy music. I mentioned ambient music, there are several bassy ambient tracks where there is a lot of detail on the SA5Ks and Senn 457s, but when you play them on the 580s I can't hear anything except for a booming monotone bass. But anyway back to the X-Fi..

Now about the modes. The three modes are Entertainment, Audio Creation, and Gaming. One of the strengths of the X-Fi is its ability to resample with no audible distortion even though it runs at 48k instead of 44.1k in Gaming mode.

Now if you go to Audio Creation Mode you can set it to run at 44.1 with no resampling, there is also a "bit-matched" playback that disables all effects. Combined with ASIO and it is the purest output you can get from the Elite Pro.

I have used the same track I use to compare all my previous upgrades switching between this and gaming mode @ 48k and honestly I can't hear a difference at all. I have tried on all my cans, and even different tracks. I say anyone that says there is a difference is either using EQ/effects in gaming mode and not realizing it because everything is exactly the same.

If I am just going to lay in the dark and listen to music I will switch it to Audio Creation Mode just because, but 99% of the time I leave it in gaming mode.

Onto the Crystalizer. Now if ever there was a feature for a headfi'er to hate based on the description this would be it "sounds better than the original CD!!!!" -Creative Marketing

I decided to give it an honest try. You can set it between 0-100% which increases the effect. How does it actually sound?

Well it really does increase the soundstage on some songs. This is a big plus for me. However it also makes the bass very obnoxious to my ears. I don't like it for the majority of my music though it is an ok effect on some. 50% is the sweet spot for ambient music.

In rock music it just sounds unnatural. I was listening to a song with a lot of piano in it and it made the piano sound like it was coming from in front of me for some of the keys and behind me for others.

I leave it off all the times besides when I am curious how it will sound on a certain track.

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Conclusion
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Was it worth the money? If I was just a gamer, then no it wouldn't have been.

If I just wanted to listen to music, a DAC would probably be better or a nicer amp.

However for the best of gaming and music, absolutely. The good thing about getting a flagship from Creative is I know I am going to have any new gaming audio feature for the next year at the very least. For music it sounds fantastic plus I have a good solid source now if I go Tube in the (near?) future.

The expansive sound of the Elite Pro, the extra detail, and the laid back neutral presentation makes it great for any kind of music.

I really love the external box if for no other reason then it gives me a place to hang all of my headphones.

I use the crappy headphone jack to run my 580s when I am using the SA5000s so they get more burn in

I think for any headfier that is into gaming, this is the best solution out there. Is it overpriced? Yeah I think is but hey, sometimes its fun pay the premium for something you really want

Will answer any questions if there are any.

 

[lini]

Nice review, man. And a few comments: If you want to see what difference X-Ram could make, try those 3DSound tests from RightMark (http://audio.rightmark.org/index_new.shtml) - using different numbers of buffers (= voices), you can probably bench some differences in cpu usage, especially when using a lot of buffers. And yes, I wasn't too happy about the headphone out on the external box, either - it seemed rather weakish and only good with very efficient headphones to me... As for CMSS 3D Headphone in games, unlike you, I found that quite nice in its effect - but you sure are right in that the sound is altered a bit. Nevertheless, I think it still does better than Dolby Headphone, for example.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[zeth]

nice review idd. i also bought the elite pro (for the same reasons as you) two weeks ago. i'm using it with some multimedia speakers (Creative Inspire 5700) and the HD650s.
about gaming: the CMSS-3D effect is simply amazing. as an fps player (ut2004, Q3, CS:S), i can say that i never had such an experience in hearing the enemies location. not only the direction, but especially the clarity - if you have ut2004, you could try it urself: make a shock-combo somwhere far from your location, and then turn around slowly. as the explosion-effect of the combo is still going on (and fading of course), you can hear its sound crystal-clear while being able to determine the direction which its coming from.
i've owned the medusas sometime before (shame on me!), which was a pure pain in the ear (also in the ass) - the surround-effect wasn't THAT bad for games - but the terrible sound-quality destroyed this advantage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svperstar The 1/4" headphone jack on the external box is crap. Makes the Sennheiser 580s sound like complete crap, ruins the soundstage, just terrible. Though I doubt anyone here would use it

hmm.. I do

well i'm into computer hardware, but pretty unexperienced in audio-equipment - but from what i've read, the external box has much better DAC's than all the other x-fi. isn't that affecting the headphone jack or whats wrong with it?? any better suggestions? =p

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeth well i'm into computer hardware, but pretty unexperienced in audio-equipment - but from what i've read, the external box has much better DAC's than all the other x-fi. isn't that affecting the headphone jack or whats wrong with it?? any better suggestions?

Then you'd better read again - or change your sources of information!

Because the best dac section in the Elite Pro package is to be found in form of those four stereo dacs on the card itself, the dac in the box is still good, but more like the one on the other X-Fi cards. With the AKM on the card and the BurrBrowns in the box, the Elite Pro sports the better adcs as well. The BurrBrowns are usually mentioned, because the name is good for marketing purposes, so maybe that's what got you confused...

Anyway, for my taste, there's nothing wrong with the dac in the box, either - just the analogue output section is a bit wimpy and quite a bit away from being audiophile, as usual. Better alternative: Line-out on card -> nice little headphone amp.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[zeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini Then you'd better read again - or change your sources of information!

hmm its the 1st option =) - thx for clearing things up!
but the thing with the headphone jack on the external box is that it has this very nice feature of switching from speaker to headphone setup when i plug in my HD650's (and the other way round)... i guess i have to test if i can hear any differences at all compared with line-out

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini Better alternative: Line-out on card -> nice little headphone amp.

well thats what crossed my mind even before i bought the card - and i think thats gonna be my next investement.
but i have absolutely no knowledge about headphone amps. i was only able to listen to a Perreaux SXH2, combined with my 650's, and the sound was LOVELY (ye i know this description is neither accurate nor professional

).
so i was wondering what amp would be "worth the money" as an addition to my current equipment - one that would give me a real improvement in my listening experience.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini I wasn't too happy about the headphone out on the external box, either - it seemed rather weakish and only good with very efficient headphones to me...

Are you aware there is an independent headphone volume control (and the volume knob only affects master volume)? I'm sure you must be, but...?

 

[Sithuk]

Superstar,

Nice review.

I too am a hardened gamer and computer as source audiophile!

My wallet has been utterly destroyed after discovering Head-fi.org too

I originally built my PC with an Audigy 2 ZS before I knew anything about resampling etc.

I bought a set of HD600s which I am very happy with.

Then a Supermacro3 version 6 headphone amplifier which is awesome (9 week lead time on it but it was worth the wait!).

I've now ordered a Headroom MicroDAC, cardas cable upgrade for the HD600 and a Cardas 10" mini to mini connector to link the MicroDAC and Supermacro3.

Like I said, my wallet is crying

Having read your review and noticing you couldn't tell the difference between 44.1k and 48k output I see no reason to upgrade my Audigy2ZS. I'll just use the SPDIF digital out and let the MicroDAC do its magic.

I was considering an X-Fi to be able to output a 44.1k digital stream but seeing as you can't tell the difference I'm guessing the 48k digital stream of the Audigy2ZS should be fine?

Look forward to reading other responses.

My music is stored in FLAC ripped in secure mode with Exact Audio Copy.

I've bought a Seasonic S12 silent power supply and am going to watercool my rig to eliminate the internal fan noise.

Thanks,

Sithuk

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman Are you aware there is (...)

Yup. Captain Earblaster at your service...

Grinnings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[Sycraft]

The reason why there's no mode-switch dial is because it could lead to problems, possibly including bluescreens, if it was done while the card is busy playing audio. When you change modes the X-Fi actually reconfigures the devices Windows sees. This isn't a problem, Windows is made to handle this, but can be a problem if those devices are in use during the reconfiguration, espically since their capabilities change.

Thus they want to put the control somewhere that you are likely to not be going to in the middle of a game or something. Inconvenient, but understandable.

 

[Skrying]

I enjoy my X-Fi Xtreme Music an extreme amount. Much better sounding than my old Audigy 2 ZS. If my understanding is correct there is no sound difference between the XM and the Elite Pro?

 

[skyline889]

How do you think this card would compare to the 2ZS platinum pro? I was considering buying a DAC for my pp but maybe this would be a better option?

 

[Svperstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sithuk I was considering an X-Fi to be able to output a 44.1k digital stream but seeing as you can't tell the difference I'm guessing the 48k digital stream of the Audigy2ZS should be fine?

Well it sounds much much better than the Audigy 2 ZS, and part of the reason is the resampling from 44 to 48 is much better then the resampling algorithm on the audigy 2 side. Now if you are using a software resampler I don't know if it would be worth it to you or not.

 

[Svperstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skrying I enjoy my X-Fi Xtreme Music an extreme amount. Much better sounding than my old Audigy 2 ZS. If my understanding is correct there is no sound difference between the XM and the Elite Pro?

There are better DACs on the Elite Pro and components, higher SNR, lower noise floor and such. They are the same basic card though.

 

[jim580]

Svperstar,
I'm pretty new at this, but I listen to my 580's with the standard x-fi which has the same music ability. I just didn't need the extra's.
Under ent. mode, the default settings with the base and treble knobs are at 50%. TURN them both to 0%. With them on the bass on the 580's is way overwhelming. I like as true a reproduction as I can get, and this adjustment REALLY makes a difference.
Also under the THX adjustment try changing to 96 instead of 48. But I'm not really sure what this does.
Use your headphones under ent. mode with EVERYTHING shut down but the headphone setting and a little eq. if you so prefer. This also makes a huge difference.
If I listen with the gaming mode(my wife and I get pretty involved in Civ. IV hotseat games), the 580's suck for music reproduction.
I hopes this helps you some.
Please let me know.
Jim

 

[Skrying]

One thing I have to note using the CMSS3D-Headphone feature in gaming mode.

I've found it actually hurts your ability in BF2, but is a great help in CS:S. Interesting to me, I've had it off as my clan is finally making the big shift from CS:S to BF2 next CAL-I season.