The Nameless Guide To PC Gaming Audio (with binaural headphone surround sound)
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:26 PM Post #991 of 4,136
Hi,
 
I'm using Win8 Pro.
 
So far, is very fast, and no problem with any game so far (BF3, Dirt 3, F1 2012, Mirror's Edge, and some others). 
 
All drivers installing properly (CSW Wheel, n52te)...
 
Read that thread and give it a try.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:40 PM Post #992 of 4,136
Quote:
And PurpleAngel, I see no point in shortening a card's name, especially since your cards' names haven't been shortened.

Sometime when I'm listing several Xonar cards at the same time, I just use the model number.
Sometimes I will list the TiHD as the "Creative X-Fi Titanium HD", I'm not the first one to use Ti-HD & TiHD.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:41 PM Post #993 of 4,136
Quote:
Sometime when I'm listing several Xonar cards at the same time, I just use the model number.
Sometimes I will list the TiHD as the "Creative X-Fi Titanium HD", I'm not the first one to use Ti-HD & TiHD.

 
Good for you.
 
Dec 1, 2012 at 3:00 PM Post #995 of 4,136
Hey guys, back with a few more questions after a couple of days of awesome listening and tweaking :D 
I think I am all set gaming wise, figured out the ins and outs of cmss3d, windows settings and alchemy.  Been exploring more on music now.  I noticed that with CMSS enabled I get a pretty faint white noise, not noticeable on heavy stuff like dubstep, but is kinda distracting with classical / acoustic tracks.  Do you guys usually leave CMSS on for music ? Any way to get rid of the white noise? 
 
Secondly, I like how the mid range bass sounds quite a bit, but playing around with the bass boost in creative, I noticed 3-4db with a 60hz cut-off improved the 'rumble' that I love so much in older dubstep tracks from skream/benga/caspa/rusko. Question here is just that will this possibly damage anything, or is there a better way to improve the low sub-bass sound?  I have never used a headphone amplifier before, so I don't really know what the limits(volume / EQ) and tradeoffs are.
--
Cant edit my signature yet so just putting my setup here:
Beyerdynamic DT990/250ohm -> Fiio E9 -> X-fi Surround 5.1 USB -> Windows 7x64 (Intel i3570k, 16gb 1866mhz, GTX670)
 
Dec 1, 2012 at 4:01 PM Post #996 of 4,136
I personally disable almost everything (soundcard enhancements, I mean) when playing music, and certainly don't enable CMSS-3D because, just like all software surround virtualization techs, it adds an unnatural coating to sound which degrades the original signal, honestly.
 
If you were exceeding the limits of your source/DAC/headphones, you would hear audible issues. There's no problem with using bass boost, as long as it's reasonable tweaking, just like when EQing.
 
Dec 1, 2012 at 4:56 PM Post #997 of 4,136
For gaming purposes and gaming purposes alone, non X-Fi powered cards, like Creative's own Recon3D and Z series, Asus cards and all onboard audio chips, don't hold a candle to what a base X-Fi Titanium can do for games. Going further up the ladder, Auzentech's X-Fi offerings are a clear step above, only short to the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD. X-Fi powered Auzentech cards and the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD are of very high quality, being at best matched, certainly not surpassed in any way by the likes of Asus, for instance.

While games with proper audio renderers are where X-Fi cards truly shine, basic audio renderer games also sound better and more accurate on X-Fi cards, precisely due to the X-Fi specific algorithms that aren't found on any other card series.

About the superior specification hardware quality of other cards of the same price class, that only refers to lower end models, for higher end and flagship models certainly don't fall under that generalization.



Since the main consideration of your PC is gaming, then the best soundcard for that purpose currently in production is the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD, with a very high quality DAC and components, as well as full gaming audio support.

And PurpleAngel, I see no point in shortening a card's name, especially since your cards' names haven't been shortened.

So what if Asus picked shorter names for their cards, it's simply that typing "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium PCI-e Sound Card" each time is unnecessary, since people have been following along well so far. Would a rose not smell as sweet, if called by any other name?

Good for you.


Saved you the trouble of repeating yourself, in good humor :wink:
But seriously, the "true" X-Fi cards may be the only ones with "full" EAX 5.0 and OpenAL/ALchemy features, but that doesn't change the fact that OpenAL and EAX have mostly been dropped by game developers in favor of their own in-game processing. For example, has anything that's been released in the last two years featured native OpenAL support? Does Bethesda's RPGs use EAX 5.0, and not have environmental "cave-like" sounds anyway from in-game processing as an alternative? Does even Bioshock, a game with fantastic audio design from the peak era of OpenAL and EAX, have really much need for accurate height imaging? Borderlands sounds like it does without help from X-Fi "exclusive" APIs. And how much do "X-Fi Only" features help in-game cutscenes, movies, and music? Seems gamers have to go all the way back to Battlefield 2 to make the most of X-Fi.

Creative's X-Fi products are good, don't take me wrong, but their gaming superiority is only ahead by an eyebrow, and their significance diminishes as new games abandon Creative's proprietary or old APIs. Meanwhile, the more powerful amps and better SNRs of alternative cards will always be a differentiating feature. I don't see many other people or reviews taking as hard a stance on promoting the Ti HD, not even the company that created it. The Ti HD certainly didn't bring Creative back into profit margins as a "must-have" item. You may feel frustrated that I'm offering a different perspective, an unfortunate emotional side effect, but I'm only making a point that the future of gaming audio may require a reevaluation of benefits and value-return. Thanks for reading this far, I hope that you found this mildly stimulating, and realize that this post isn't a personal attack on you, but rather "will the Ti HD still be the clear choice as the gaming industry moves forward?"

Also, it's interesting to note that Creative now advertises the Ti HD with the THX TruStudio Pro processing instead of CMSS-3D. Like I've said before, TruStudio, CMSS-3D, Dolby Headphone, Etc, these days the choice between these processing techniques is mainly down to taste (and availability).
 
Dec 1, 2012 at 5:04 PM Post #998 of 4,136
Quote:
So what if Asus picked shorter names for their cards, it's simply that typing "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium PCI-e Sound Card" each time is unnecessary, since people have been following along well so far. Would a rose not smell as sweet, if called by any other name?
Saved you the trouble of repeating yourself, in good humor
wink.gif

But seriously, the "true" X-Fi cards may be the only ones with "full" EAX 5.0 and OpenAL/ALchemy features, but that doesn't change the fact that OpenAL and EAX have mostly been dropped by game developers in favor of their own in-game processing. For example, has anything that's been released in the last two years featured native OpenAL support? Does Bethesda's RPGs use EAX 5.0, and not have environmental "cave-like" sounds anyway from in-game processing as an alternative? Does even Bioshock, a game with fantastic audio design from the peak era of OpenAL and EAX, have really much need for accurate height imaging? Borderlands sounds like it does without help from X-Fi "exclusive" APIs. And how much do "X-Fi Only" features help in-game cutscenes, movies, and music? Seems gamers have to go all the way back to Battlefield 2 to make the most of X-Fi.
Creative's X-Fi products are good, don't take me wrong, but their gaming superiority is only ahead by an eyebrow, and their significance diminishes as new games abandon Creative's proprietary or old APIs. Meanwhile, the more powerful amps and better SNRs of alternative cards will always be a differentiating feature. I don't see many other people or reviews taking as hard a stance on promoting the Ti HD, not even the company that created it. The Ti HD certainly didn't bring Creative back into profit margins as a "must-have" item. You may feel frustrated that I'm offering a different perspective, an unfortunate emotional side effect, but I'm only making a point that the future of gaming audio may require a reevaluation of benefits and value-return. Thanks for reading this far, I hope that you found this mildly stimulating, and realize that this post isn't a personal attack on you, but rather "will the Ti HD still be the clear choice as the gaming industry moves forward?"
Also, it's interesting to note that Creative now advertises the Ti HD with the THX TruStudio Pro processing instead of CMSS-3D. Like I've said before, TruStudio, CMSS-3D, Dolby Headphone, Etc, these days the choice between these processing techniques is mainly down to taste (and availability).

 
What if? As interesting as it might be, Asus didn't pick such.
 
Real X-Fi cards (real, as in having the X-Fi chip and not a software based card like the XtremeAudio) not only have the entire EAX version support, hardware OpenAL, but also have X-Fi specific algorithms that work independently of audio renderers used, something that non-X-Fi cards lack.
 
Their gaming superiority has always been present and there isn't a shred of real competition to even match them, nevermind surpassing, with the only time where real competition surfaced was around the Aureal time, which ended not long after due to Creative acquiring the company. But feel free to present a single card that performs better in games, other than X-Fi based cards (such as Creative X-Fi Titanium, Auzentech X-Fi Forte and Creative X-Fi Titanium HD). Please, humor me.
 
The point being that for years, publicized features target less than ideally informed markets, with the Titanium HD having CMSS-3D where it matters, namely in games through enabling Game Mode, which then enables all hardware acceleration that works with and without proper audio renderers.
 
EDIT: Forgot to add that not only does Creative fully support EAX, but it also does it purely through hardware, which results in superior sound effects and positional cues. This is merely an addendum, mind you.
 
Also, I appreciate substantiated opinions, regardless of whether they agree or disagree with my views, as that can lead to constructive discussions :)
 
Dec 1, 2012 at 6:12 PM Post #999 of 4,136
What would be the best way to improve my laptop's sound quality in a $40 budget? I have a JVC RX700 and VSonic GR02, which I use for movies and music, respectively. I searched around and saw that the ASUS Xonar U3 had decent reviews. Would that be a big enough upgrade from my laptop's sound quality to make it worth purchasing? Or is there something better that I can get within my budget?
 
Dec 1, 2012 at 6:43 PM Post #1,000 of 4,136
Quote:
What would be the best way to improve my laptop's sound quality in a $40 budget? I have a JVC RX700 and VSonic GR02, which I use for movies and music, respectively. I searched around and saw that the ASUS Xonar U3 had decent reviews. Would that be a big enough upgrade from my laptop's sound quality to make it worth purchasing? Or is there something better that I can get within my budget?

 
No gaming done at all? Then the Asus Xonar U3 is a good option, better than your laptop's onboard audio chip. If you intended on gaming, I'd recommend the Creative X-Fi Go! over the Xonar U3. Also, both the Xonar U3 and the X-Fi Go! have processing options that can improve movies and music (if you like to adjusting sound, that is). Alternatively, you can get generic USB DACs that have no additional software features at all, but might have different connectivity options and/or different driving capabilities.
 
Dec 2, 2012 at 8:19 AM Post #1,001 of 4,136
Quote:
 
No gaming done at all? Then the Asus Xonar U3 is a good option, better than your laptop's onboard audio chip. If you intended on gaming, I'd recommend the Creative X-Fi Go! over the Xonar U3. Also, both the Xonar U3 and the X-Fi Go! have processing options that can improve movies and music (if you like to adjusting sound, that is). Alternatively, you can get generic USB DACs that have no additional software features at all, but might have different connectivity options and/or different driving capabilities.

 
Well, I play DotA but I don't really think I need a soundcard for that. 
tongue.gif

 
And could you link one of these 'generic' USB DACs? Would they be an improvement over the on-board audio?
 
Dec 2, 2012 at 12:50 PM Post #1,002 of 4,136
Anyone has any gaming experience with "DTS Ultra PC II", found on some expensive Asus motherboards (with realtek sound)? It's advertised as capable of virtual headphone surround and i'm wondering how good the effect is, compared to Dolby Headphone, for example, in modern games.
 
Dec 2, 2012 at 3:46 PM Post #1,003 of 4,136
Quote:
 
Well, I play DotA but I don't really think I need a soundcard for that. 
tongue.gif

 
And could you link one of these 'generic' USB DACs? Would they be an improvement over the on-board audio?

 
Honestly, the lowest you should aim is either the Xonar U3 or the X-Fi Go!, anything below is similar or inferior to onboard audio chips.
 
Dec 2, 2012 at 4:04 PM Post #1,005 of 4,136
Quote:
 
Okay. I guess the U3 it is then. It would make a noticeable improvement, right? Oh, and does it require a lot of resources? My laptop is a bit outdated. :p

 
It's not that outdated if you can play DotA :)
 
What are your hardware and software specs?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top