[genclaymore]

I think the X-Fi HD only has that option to pay Stereo mix using Digital output. Because no other X-FI chip-set card I used to own have that option not even the Old X-Fi Xtreme gamer. I just needed to keep the speakers as the Default speakers to get any sound out of Digital when I gaming. As for dolby headphone and cmss3d it usually depends on what the person prefer.

 

[Roller]

Quote:

I think the X-Fi HD only has that option to pay Stereo mix using Digital output. Because no other X-FI chip-set card I used to own have that option not even the Old X-Fi Xtreme gamer. I just needed to keep the speakers as the Default speakers to get any sound out of Digital when I gaming. As for dolby headphone and cmss3d it usually depends on what the person prefer.

 
You're not talking about audio routing from a Creative card to a DAC, are you? Because if you are, that's been available since before the Live! cards.

 

[genclaymore]

Unless the play stereo mix is the same thing as that panel I think your talking about that was its own install if i recall right And they just got it set up differently on the X-Fi HD.  But what i was saying in my post, that the Digital out passthru device in windows vista/7 that you can make the default output. Atleast for me doesn't work at all. Unless it trying to send DTS and Dolby Digital signals to my Dac amp that I had plugged into it thru Digital.  I know I do have to keep the speakers as the default device or I get low volume in my games with the passthru being set as the default. Unless it just a driver issue as it happens to me on both the X-Fi and the DG.

 

[Roller]

Oh wait, you were talking about Digital Out, so nevermind, I thought you were talking about What U Hear (not so good name for Stereo Mix).
 
Out of curiosity, which drivers are you using on both the X-Fi and the DG?

 

[genclaymore]

I was using Pax drivers for the X-FI and with the DG I using UniXonar drivers.

 

[Roller]

What do you use your DG for? UniXonar drivers do have disabled features when compared to stock drivers, which might not be relevant to you if you keep to music and movies (and software audio renderer games).
 
About PAX, I've been going back and forth for years now, and while they can be interesting up to the point I can do situational recommendations, I still hold enough value on stock drivers to use on many systems, considering they display little to no issues, driver wise. There have been quite noticeable developments for USB units, but due to several unresolved issues on multiple driver revisions that me and the developer discussed, I ended up keeping stock drivers for USB units. That situation might change with the X-Fi HD USB, though.

 

[genclaymore]

The Uni Xonar drivers has 4 options before you actually install them, So you can install them in normal which doesn't disable any thing. Low DPC which disable the asus panel and something else, C-media panel and C-media panel /w GX enabled.  I mainly use the DG as  Transport to my NFB-12 and for the Dolby headphone when I gaming. I know I will place the X-FI XG back in if asus doesn't release any windows 8 drivers, by the time windows 8 comes out. As right now I had the X-Fi XG in when I was using windows 8 beta, As when you use the existing asus/uni drivers in windows 8 beta you get no asus or c-media panel. The X-FI XG is just in the closet as a backup transport device in-case something happens to the DG. If it wasn't for me wanting the Gaming feature's on either card I would just plug my NFB-12 into my comp thru usb.

 

[Roller]

Hum, I thought C-Media panel didn't have GX working.
 
It's unlikely that Asus won't release Windows 8 drivers, they tend to have a respectable track record in that regard, especially when considering that your soundcard isn't legacy.
 
When you said Dolby Headphone for gaming, I remembered people do like that kind of virtual surround techs, as when I mentioned gaming, I was merely talking about DS3D and OpenAL support.

 

[genclaymore]

Yea I fiqure you meant DS3D and openAL support, I normally would have the X-Fi in just for that. But I don't have many games installed that are OpenAL. Then a out of a bunch a games that installed only a couple of them are DS3D, but I usually enable GX mode for them or use Alchemy when the X-Fi card is installed. Lately I haven't been caring about openAL  since they seem to keep using Xaudio2 in alot of newer games for some odd reason. I gues it just me but I don't like the way Xaudio2 sound and what it does to the game audio. I much rather they used FmodEX if they had to use something else then OpenAL.

 

[Roller]

Yeah, I was talking about audio renderers and their support.
 
XAudio2 is absolutely awful, literally one of the worst audio renderers to have hit the market.
 
I don't care much for FMOD either, but there are two custom versions, one with DS3D extensions and the other with OpenAL extensions.
 
The thing about Asus GX mode is that it makes their cards perform on a level that's between Live! and 1st gen Audigy cards, while a real X-Fi like yours is always a much better option for games. It seems you use virtual surround, so do you prefer DH over CMSS-3D, and why?

 

[genclaymore]

 I agree and GX had it good uses years ago, But now i don't use it unless I have to. I mainly use Virtual Surround for just the above and below sounds as I don't have issues with hearing my surroundings because of the good sound positional and image of the headphones i using.I generally use either one depending on what card is installed in my comp. But I do notice Dolby headphone working really nice for open back headphones that has big sound stages,but depending on which DH mode you are using. I generally use Mode 1 because its Ref and doesn't add any echo. While I use DH2 for closed back headphones. But I never will forget the great experience I had with a game while  Dolby headphone Mode 1 with the STX and AKG K702 combo I used to have a couple of years ago. It worked really well with those headphones. I remember playing a lot of Left4 Dead 2 with them. Which where i remember my good experience with Dolby headphone.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Curiosity got the better of me, and thus I bought an X-Fi Go! (SB1100) on the cheap after Roller's constant ravings about it. I'll put it to the test whenever it arrives.
 
It's not to be confused with the X-Fi Go! Pro (SB1290), which Roller hates. The obvious differences are that it lacks the 1 GB storage of the SB1100, claims to support EAX 5 instead of just EAX 4 (but we all know how that turned out with the Recon3D), and has all those "THX TruStudio" effects.
 
What isn't as obvious to me yet would be the actual hardware differences in terms of sample rate support, performance, etc.

 

[Roller]

I'm surprised
 
For a moment I thought you were talking about a different card, namely the SB1090, which is the less audiophile and more multichannel/digital format supported card.
 
And again, don't go expecting reference sound of any kind, but it works for a quick fix, and even moreso when sending its processing to an external DAC.
 
The X-Fi Go! has sample rates and bit depths from 16/44.1 to 24/48 while the X-Fi Go! Pro has 16/44.1 and 24/44.1, IIRC. The regular model works just fine while I haven't yet heard of a recall for the Pro units that had noticeable hiss on any settings.
 
In any case, I'm curious about your findings. Out of curiosity, are you going to compare it with what other audio hardware?

 

[NamelessPFG]

The short list would be the Recon3D USB and the X-Fi Titanium HD Rev. C.
 
As you know, I'm rather disappointed by the former for PC gaming, so I'm wondering if the X-Fi Go! will work out a bit better for cases where internal X-Fi cards with the EMU20K1/20K2 aren't an option. I still have this gut feeling that it's still using the software OpenAL renderer that doesn't play nicely with certain games, though.
 
I may eventually add the Xonar U3 to the list of cheap USB audio devices to review, since I'm also curious as to how well DS3DGX actually works compared to Creative's ALchemy + software OpenAL approach.
 
I also admit that I was tempted by the X-Fi Surround SB1090, but then I heard complaints about that not having 44.1 KHz support.
 
In other news, I'm on the verge of getting some Win9x-era PC parts to build a retrogaming PC around, in no small part because Aureal Vortex-based cards only have decent drivers under Win9x. I want to know what all that A3D hype was all about; I suspect that a lot of it is because they were using binaural HRTF mixing long before everyone else was, and stuff like wavetracing was icing on the cake.

 

[Roller]

While in theory there shouldn't be differences between Recon3D USB and X-Fi Go! cards, I do find the latter a bit more distinct. Obviously that neither holds a candle to the X-Fi Titanium HD, regardless of revision.
 
Now, the X-Fi Go! does have software OpenAL just like other USB cards and any internal soundcard other than non-Value Audigy and X-Fi cards that do have EMU20K1/EMU20K2, but it's mainly about the implementation that seems more solid on the X-Fi Go!. Also, do note that I'm running a newer wrapper than the latest available for the card, so that might also play a part in that.
The thing is, software OpenAL as well as X-Fi cards that lack mode switching simply can't access certain advanced audio features on some games, such as X-Fi mode on Battlefield games, hardware audio on Race Driver Grid, etc.
 
Quite a good idea. I've been tempted to assemble again a legacy PC with an AWE32, this being aside A3D and the first HW HRTF solutions that the card also supported.