[Capunk]

Hi guys,

I'm planning to get external DAC, but it doesn't have USB connection.
Does using X-Fi as a digital transport (bit-perfect) via Coaxial is the "perfect" way to communicate with my external DAC?

Why I choose X-FI? it's because I still want to retain all gaming sound features (EAX HD, etc) but wanted to get purest possible sound (when I'm listening music). But I'm aware most soundcard is inside PC case, so I'm afraid this will introduce noise (based on my prev experience, using SC as source) later on.
Can this problem to be solved?

Would buying Auzentech Prelude to be used as transport is a waste of money?
Or should I go for optical instead of coax?

 

[slwiser]

Check out HagTech's HagUSB either coaxial or XLR.

Hagerman Technology LLC

Check out SteveN's various solutions here:

Interconnects and Cables by Empirical Audio

Steve builds a device called a pacecar that takes the USB and turns it into either I2S for those DACs that have that input or S/PDIF if you have one of those. This device is high-end stuff.

There are many others and I have the HagUSB, actually purchased three of them and now am using the XLR version.

Both of these would be used ahead of an outboard DAC and just because a DAC uses USB does not mean that it can handled it anything like the PaceCar for sure and I would also suggest the HagUSB.

 

[Capunk]

Oh I heard this before, Off-Ramp Turbo 2 - I thought it's a usb DAC before (at very expensive price level), but I just realize it's a USB transport.

 

[Capunk]

Has anyone tried this?

Trends UD-10 USB Audio Converter (RRP $89)
USB Audio Converter Description

Seems a better alternative to HagUSB (cheaper as well), and it has PSU as well. Will this become a good transport between my computer and external DAC, till I save some money to buy Off-ramp later on.

 

[kipman725]

if your XFI is outputing bit perfect these will have no effect... as bit perfect is bit perfect its been recived perfectly by your DAC so the only improvments you can make are in the DAC and amplification stages and the resolution and sample rate of the source matirial.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Just use the digital output of a X-Fi card (XtremeGamer or better). As you say, it's the only way to have EAX while using an external DAC.

Don't pay uber-bucks for a transport unless you already have an uber-DAC. Even then, many DACs have jitter reduction processes that reduce the benefit of an external reclocking device.

 

[KarateKid]

Can I get EAX (dont care about crystalizer or cmss3d) effects in audio creation mode (the one that has bitperfect playback)?

 

[j0shimi]

I'm not sure if the effects would be kept and I don't think Audio Creation mode uses the latest EAX that Gaming Mode uses.

 

[KarateKid]

I mean if you were to enable eax inside a game's settings, would audio creation mode still play the effects? Or must one always use gaming mode to get those effects? It's interesting that you said you must have gaming mode to get EAX.

 

[KarateKid]

I'm just trying to figure out what sounds good for what. For movies it seems that gaming mode makes every little footstep and background chatter and noises a lot more "immersive" (you can hear the more clearly) vs audio creation mode with bit-perfect (must be the crystalizer at work I'd imagine). When using a DAC with audio creation mode, it somehow manages to show some clipping noises I wouldn't notice, also it emphasizes more on the voices, putting them more upfront rather than having it blend into the rest of the sounds.

For games however it seems like audio creation mode works better than gaming mode. Positional sounds are very accurate, sometimes even more spot on than using gaming mode with cmss3D.

 

[b0dhi]

It will not make a shred of difference as long as you have a decent DAC.

 

[KarateKid]

I guess what' im trying to get at is audio creation mode is only needed when you really want that bit-perfect output, to avoid any coloration but sometimes coloration that gaming mode provides is actually very nice (using the x-fi's crystalizer).

The other question I have though, if my xfi is in gaming mode, is there a difference in terms of SQ IN the music of a movie using the onboard dacs or my external dac? Wouldn't the external always be better for anything music related even though you're in gaming mode and you're watching a movie (not bitperfect)?

 

[infinitesymphony]

If the external DAC sounds better than the X-Fi's DACs, then yes, it will sound better even if the output isn't bit-perfect.

All of the effects available in Gaming Mode are just psychoacoustic tricks. CMSS3D uses early reflections and reverberation to enhance spatial sound cues, and to upmix music to a higher number of channels. The Crystallizer is an aural enhancer/exciter that creates artificially-generated high and low frequencies (super/subsonic).

 

[Capunk]

I just bought Blue Jeans Cable mini to rca digital coax cable.
The build quality is very superb, two thumbs up for Blue Jeans Cable.
So right now I'm using X-FI as a transport to OMZ v4, so far with Foobar 2000 & Creative ASIO, everything works smoothly.

However, forgive my "upgrade" syndrome,
Does it worth to get Trends UD-10 or HAGusb or even Freeway 2 over my current X-FI soundcard as transport?

 

[infinitesymphony]

No... The X-Fi is already a very capable transport (all models except XtremeAudio).