[Bluestreak]

I'm curious as to why the Audigys have such a bad reputation here. I've been scouring the Net for reviews on the M-Audio Revolution cards to see how they compare to the Audigy 2 lines, and the general consensus is that for music and DVD movies, there's relatively little difference in the sound quality between the Revo and the Audigy 2. For gaming, Creative wins handily simply because they have better support (and use hardware processing instead of software for 3D positioning)

I'm not much of a gamer, but from time to time I go into gaming mode where I do nothing BUT game, so in this sense the Audigy would be ideal. On the other hand, I'd hate to think that I'm missing out on superior DVD movie/music listening experience if that's what the M-Audio offers.

The tiebreaker for me would probably be this: Which card is better suited for those who use headphones almost exclusively for their listening experience, and which sound card can better handle the surround sound processing of Dolby Headphone and TruSurroundXT?

Clearly, for me at least it will come down to determining which card drives headphones better: the Audigy or the Revo.

 

[Richteralan]

because Audigy series are bad for music.
But in gaming, they are the only cards which support EAX4

I sold my Audigy 2, too. Because I need more music quality than gaming...

 

[Wodgy]

See this thread for a thorough discussion:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74021

Briefly, people dislike the Audigy series because:
1) despite their high price tags, they measure very poorly when playing back CD audio (indeed, you have to search very hard to find any card that measures much more poorly when playing back 44.1kHz audio)
2) they don't only measure poorly, they sound bad too
3) the technology is fundamentally flawed and has been this way for years; every so often Creative introduces some new, pricey variant of the Audigy ("Platinum Pro ZS Quattro Supreme KZ" or some other ludicrous moniker) which people at first claim fixes all the most basic problems, but later on this always turns out not to be the case. Perhaps when the Audigy 3 comes out we'll finally see solid hardware.

Depending on your point of view, it's either sad or wonderful that a $25 card like the Chaintech AV-710 outperforms the priciest Audigy 2 variant for playing back CD audio.

Unfortunately, for hardcore gamers, there is no realistic alternative to the Audigy series, which is why so many people on this forum own two cards, one for music and one for games.

Also, it's not true that the Audigy is any better at Dolby Headphone or TruSurroundXT than the Revolution. Both of these surround sound technologies are implemented in software rather than in hardware on both cards. You'll get higher fidelity Dolby Headphone sound using the Revo simply because it has better sound quality in general.

 

[LakerDodger]

Quote:

and the general consensus is that for music and DVD movies, there's relatively little difference in the sound quality between the Revo and the Audigy 2.

The Audigy's are not the way to go for music.

 

[Bluestreak]

Thanks for the responses. I guess the ideal solution is to go M-Audio for now, and then if somewhere down the road I go nuts with gaming again, just get a vanilla Audigy 2 card to supplement the M-Audio instead of replacing it. Works for me.

Wodgy, your response was hilarious (Creative renaming their sound cards with loonie titles). It's so true...

 

[lcachola]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy See this thread for a thorough discussion: http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=74021 2) they don't only measure poorly, they sound bad too Also, it's not true that the Audigy is any better at Dolby Headphone or TruSurroundXT than the Revolution. Both of these surround sound technologies are implemented in software rather than in hardware on both cards. You'll get higher fidelity Dolby Headphone sound using the Revo simply because it has better sound quality in general.

Gee, could you be more vague? While I agree that my Soundblaster Live! 5.1 is no match for a Chaintech, I can say why: the Soundblaster has overbloated bass and muffled sounding highs along with a odd colorization to the midrange, while the Chaintech has tighter bass and a crisp, detailed sound that's fun to listen to when the card's drivers are set up correctly. If I were a newbie coming in here asking the same question, I would be interested in what the sonic difference is - or at least what somebody perceives the sonic difference to be - that would make it "bad" instead of reading here that it's just 'bad' or has worse 'fidelity,' whatever *that's* supposed to mean.

Please don't take these comments personally, it's just an observation.

 

[thomaspf]

Well, a normal audio CD has tracks which contain audio data in digital from. Every sample has 16 bits and you have 44.100 samples per second. Ideally when you play this on a computer or any other player for that matter every sample should predictably translate into a specific voltage. 0 - 2 Volts on a line level output assuming no digital volume control.

When playing back this data on an Audigy you suddenly find that the voltages are changing 48.000 times a second and somehow approximate what the original content looked like. In addition the voltages are not exactly predictable but the lower bits go under in noise.

That is how it sounds, doesn't it :-?

Cheers

Thomas

 

[hybridamp]

Well, I cant sit around and let my beloved Audigy 2 ZS get raped, because it doesn't deserve that.

To be totally forward, I previously has the Audigy 2 (non-ZS) for several months and while is was a nice little card (especially when it comes to gaming), I wasn't very impressed. The sound wasn't horrible, but it wasn't anything near a normal hi-fi definition.

So, I ended up searching for a better quality card and what I found was a fantastic solution. I purchased a new Audigy 2 ZS card and had it shipped to MisterX who upgraded the stock opamps to Analog Designs AD8620 chips. He then shipped it back to me and I have been more than happy ever since! The upgraded Audigy 2 ZS is splendid. The quality of the sound is produces is fantastic, way more than I would expect from a source such as a PC Sound Card. VERY NICE!

That said, I now return you to your normally scheduled Audigy haters. lol.

 

[Glassman]

right now I'm listening on Audigy2 ZS with my alternative analog stage, whole new pcb that connects right after DAC chip.. and of course kX drivers in HQ mode, that means they bypass EMU10k2 route the signal through p16v in true 24/96.. using foobar w/ ssrc at 96kHz and Kernel Streaming it definitely doesn't sound like Audigy anymore.. the DAC uses has better specs than most of the DACs used on mid-fi cards like M-Audio, Terratec and such, but the analog section after is a bad joke.. and the creative bloatware drivers riding on EMU10k2 are even worse..

 

[gloco]

I had an Audigy 2 and then jumped to an Echo miamidi card, the sound difference was quite a leap. In comparing Max Payne between the two cards, the sound effects were very tinny sounding on the Audigy2 and with the echo card, very full bodied, more natural sounding. Of course, listening to cds is a huge improvement, very crisp, clean and punchy, unlike the Audigy2 where my cds sounded too bright (or too dull, if i tried to play with the tone controls) and i often hated listening to cds on my pc.

 

[Asmo]

I had an audigy 2 as well and i lent it to a friend to use in case i never needed it again for any gaming support -- which i havn't. I had the revo 7.1, it was a mild improvement over the audigy2, but when i got my emu 1212m , it was lightyears even above the revo. Audigy 2 is just a horrible card, any way you look at it, and I think gaming EAX is totally overrated. I only have 2 channel speakers + headphones, which I think a lot of us do, I notice zero difference between EAX with my setup, and the emu 1212m 2d directsound whatever it uses in games, unless you have a 5.1 setup and want the multichannel gaming experience, then there is no point having an audigy in your machine. I have not noticed ANY performance issues with my e-mu on current games out today, will see how it does with newer gen games like doom3.

 

[DevilDog]

I don't hate the Audigy 2. It's much better for games. My Emu 1212m utilizes the cpu MUCH, MUCH more than the Audigy so I would assume that it would affect frame rates. I think somebody else just did a few benchmarks and proved that.
However, when it comes to music, the Audigy just cannot compete with the Emu.
Audigy 2 = gaming
Emu = music
They both have their place since I can't keep my Emu from having problems in games. If I could, well...

 

[lan]

I don't think the emu uses that much CPU power. I'd like to see those results also.

 

[hybridamp]

The problem with me giving you any major advise is that luckily we are each unique, otherwise we would all be stuck with females that look identical and life would be NO fun at all! lol But since we are each unique in our own ways, that means each of our own personal tastes towards music is COMPLETELY different. Each ear is different, each sonic preference is different, each interpretation of sonic signatures is different, and obviously each choice of music genre is different. So before you let someone on a forum change your mind about something, be sure to try it yourself. Let your own ears be the final judge through first-hand experience, that way you dont get led around by others. Im not saying some good advise is a bad thing, but it should NOT be a final determinate. People usually tend to follow more respected others, rather than stand out from the crowd, even when they know that they prefer the other thing more. Just keep an open mind and at least give a slightly modded ZS a chance.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DevilDog I don't hate the Audigy 2. It's much better for games. My Emu 1212m utilizes the cpu MUCH, MUCH more than the Audigy so I would assume that it would affect frame rates. I think somebody else just did a few benchmarks and proved that. However, when it comes to music, the Audigy just cannot compete with the Emu. Audigy 2 = gaming Emu = music They both have their place since I can't keep my Emu from having problems in games. If I could, well...

I personally have a P4 2.4Ghz and a 9700 pro card, i have no worries about framerates and the such. I would never want to downgrade to a Audigy card just because i may miss a few lousy framerates that wont affect my gaming experience regardless.