[timmyGCSE]

I bought a pair of JVC RX700's today for my home PC which will come in a few days, so I thought well need a new soundcard now!
So as a stopgap I rememberd my dad had an old PC in the cupboard that had a Soundblaster Audigy Platinum EX in it, quite the top of the range card in its day (early 2000's). So I stuck it in and it sounds pretty damn good actually..zero hiss with my 13's and made them feel ever so slightly smoother than out of my X.
So the question is, just for pure music listening and nothing else, do the current crop of cards really bring anything else extra to the table? if I'm happy with this card and JH13's surely it will suffice for RX700's right?

 

[maKe]

I don't know bout your Platinum audigy, but I have the ghetto Audigy SE (5-6yr old) on my $3.5k 2ch system and it sounds pure sh**. Even my friend onboard realtek (very new high-end lga1366 mobo) sounds sooo much better. Thats why I bought a Musiland 02 and now waiting for it to arrive!

 

[DaveBSC]

I'm using an HT Omega Claro+ in my PC which I'm very happy with. I've always hated Creative because of their awful drivers, and annoying restrictions.

 

[timmyGCSE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maKe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't know bout your Platinum audigy, but I have the ghetto Audigy SE (5-6yr old) on my $3.5k 2ch system and it sounds pure sh**. Even my friend onboard realtek (very new high-end lga1366 mobo) sounds sooo much better. Thats why I bought a Musiland 02 and now waiting for it to arrive!

Ah haha I remember the ghetto Audigy SE. Well apparently
Quote:

The Audigy SE and Audigy Value are stripped down models, with a less expensive CA-0106 audio-controller in place of the EMU10k2. With the CA-0106, the SE/Value are limited to software-based EAX 3.0 (upgraded to software-based EAX 4.0 with a driver update), no advanced resolution DVD-Audio Playback, and no Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Digital EX 6.1 playback. With these cards only one of the mic, line in, or AUX sources may be unmuted at a time.

I listened to the onboard audio (Realtek ALC662) with my JH13's and it was terrible and the hiss was abysmal, with the SB AP EX it was comparable to my X so I guess it must be a step up

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveBSC /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm using an HT Omega Claro+ in my PC which I'm very happy with. I've always hated Creative because of their awful drivers, and annoying restrictions.

doesn't seem like they are for sale in the UK.
Well even though this card is like perhaps 8 years old, Creative released drivers for it latter part of last year

 

[forciano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyGCSE /img/forum/go_quote.gif I bought a pair of JVC RX700's today for my home PC which will come in a few days, so I thought well need a new soundcard now! So as a stopgap I rememberd my dad had an old PC in the cupboard that had a Soundblaster Audigy Platinum EX in it, quite the top of the range card in its day (early 2000's). So I stuck it in and it sounds pretty damn good actually..zero hiss with my 13's and made them feel ever so slightly smoother than out of my X. So the question is, just for pure music listening and nothing else, do the current crop of cards really bring anything else extra to the table? if I'm happy with this card and JH13's surely it will suffice for RX700's right?

Of course there is better cards out there that have better sound quality, still if you are happy with what you have that is all that matters really.

 

[timmyGCSE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by forciano /img/forum/go_quote.gif Of course there is better cards out there that have better sound quality, still if you are happy with what you have that is all that matters really.

but how much better? I am happy but then of course I would be happier if it sounded better still! The Audigy Platinum EX is not a true 24-bit card, big difference? most of my music (well all actually) is 320Kbs MP3

 

[forciano]

I can only tell you about my personal experience with the soundcards i have owned.

I actually owned a audigy card at some point, then bought an x-fi elite pro sound card and then my last card is an asus essence st.

To my ears each one has been an improvement over the other, and im really happy with my new sound card for music listening, for gaming my old x-fi was still better with headphones.

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyGCSE /img/forum/go_quote.gif doesn't seem like they are for sale in the UK. Well even though this card is like perhaps 8 years old, Creative released drivers for it latter part of last year

The HT Omega is one of many C-Media Oxygen HD CMI8788 based sound cards. You can pretty much buy any one you want. What I like is that they are all based on reference drivers from C-media, so you don't have to depend on a particular sound card company to get around to doing driver updates. The ref drivers are extremely lightweight and work very well. I still have nightmares over dealing with 500MB creative drivers that crash every 10 minutes.

Asus uses basically the same chip in their Xonars, but they require proprietary software which isn't nearly as good.

 

[sonci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyGCSE /img/forum/go_quote.gif but then of course I would be happier if it sounded better still! The Audigy Platinum EX is not a true 24-bit card, big difference? most of my music (well all actually) is 320Kbs MP3

This forum is not the best to discuss about Creative cards, regardless their quality,
It all depends on the output lol,
I dont think there`s much difference, especially on those headphones,
however the latest cards comes with headphones amplifiers, which in fact can make a difference especially if you upgrade those cans..

 

[eneloquent]

I'm pretty much in the same situation as you. I was getting ready to get an Auzen Forte or a Xonar (probably Auzen,) and I remembered I had an Audigy 2 plat eX sitting in a box. I hooked it up, and it's surprisingly... not bad. The drivers are mild mannered under Win7 (the latest beta rev) and on a pair of modded Senn PC350s the sound is a little plain, but clear - and the stage has been great for games.

What I can't get any good detail on is what's going on in that breakout box. I'm positive that there's a separate DAC/opAmp setup in there, and I suspect there's a (probably mediocre) amp for the mic and the headphone jacks.

But what they are, and if they can be easily soldered off and upgraded, remains a mystery. If anyone can shed some light on this, it'd be much obliged - as I'm having to choose between the collectors edition of Bioshock 2 or a new sound card, and.. well, I'm still weeping over missing out on the first's collectors ed with the Big Daddy statue.

 

[Onza]

I also have an Audigy Platinum Ex on my custom PC. I find the sound from it to be adequate and a definite step up from my onboard set (which are some 5.1 affair but I can't recall the name at the moment).

At the moment I hook the Audigy's directly to my cans (SR60s) and my IEMs (IE8) and the sound is better than my IEMs straight out of my Iphone 3GS. Interested to see what other people suggest as a worthwhile upgrade in terms of soundcards, but I'm tempted to stick with my current soundcard and add a dac and a headphone amp to the chain...

P.s. @eneloquent and @timmgcse have either of you managed to get the breakout box to work under Windows 7? If so what drivers are you using? cheers

 

[eneloquent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Onza /img/forum/go_quote.gif P.s. @eneloquent and @timmgcse have either of you managed to get the breakout box to work under Windows 7? If so what drivers are you using? cheers

It just... worked? What driver rev are you using? I went with the beta rev from the creative site, and I'm on Win7 64-bit. Are you not able to get the headphone jack to work?

When I get a chance later I can take SS and post my step by step.

 

[timmyGCSE]

cheers, yea tbh I was watching an x-fi xtrememusic on ebay but then thought meh I'm only using it with RX700's so its gonna be fine.
I don't have the breakout box, the card was OEM and supplied in my dad's PC originally without the box.
And Windows XP on my home PC

Windows 7 at work

 

[eneloquent]

If you have the card with the firewire and ad_link ports on the back, I'd recommend trying to track down the break out box if at all possible.

Or I would, if anyone could help me dig up some real specs on what's going on in there. It seems to sound better than taking my phones right off line out 1. But that could also be my imagination.

 

[moonshake]

I upgraded from an Audigy 2 to an Asus Xonar D2. The D2 sound quality is hands down better than the old Sound Blaster. The difference is really big, even when connected to a receiver - speakers.