[oryaaaaa]

I try tune X-Fi Digital Audio (Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic)

RESULTS(Optical loop-back)
Noise level, dB (A): -104.8 >>> -147.8
Dynamic range, dB (A): 104.0 >>> 133.1
THD, %: 0.0002 >>> 0.0000
IMD + Noise, %: 0.0027 >>> 0.0003
Stereo crosstalk, dB: -103.3 >>> -145.7

Very EASY Tune

HOW TO:
1.
Gets Green Carbon Random #16 (Sweden) GC#16
(Green silicon carbide) for an absorption Electro-Magnetic
I dont know english-name.
2.
8mm in thickness create board (USE Green Carbon Random #16)
I used epoxy.
3.
X-Fi separates and ..fixation.. a little.

Impression is Very Clear

Thankyou
-----------------------------
Tuned X-Fi Digital Audio > DSIX > Tuned Dr.DAC > HD-580

 

[james__bean]

Since when does the X-fi have an optical output? In any case, those numbers do look impressive. But since I don't do any modding myself, I have no clue what you're talking about.

 

[]|[ GorE]

i really couldnt understand any of the steps.

 

[johto]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ]|[ GorE i really couldnt understand any of the steps.

Your not alone

 

[DrDobs]

I couldn't either, but in the end, why does it matter? unless you distrust his findings as well as the similiar findings on about 30 other various websites, why would you even need to test it? Sounds to me as though the X-Fi, despite numerous shortcomings, is capable of reproducing quality sound.

 

[sonance]

Erm.. people would need to understand it because it is a guide to improving your x-fi by modding it by placing some sort of shielding (sounds like) in the form of a board in your PC (?), I think.
The numbers provided were before and after numbers, I think.
So he's saying you can improve the performance of your X-Fi by doing what he did, which would be hard to do if you didn't understand what he said (which I don't, at least not completely.)

 

[marvin]

From what I can understand, he's made a shroud for his X-Fi using 8mm thick green silicon carbide and epoxy. From his numbers, apparently reduces noise from the X-fi by a measureable amount.

The X-fi doesn't have optical I/O on the card, but does have optical I/O on the breakout box.

 

[Tachikoma]

Actually, it (xtrememusic) does. The flexijack. For a very easy tune, it certainly is very hard to understand

(for non-diyers anyway)

 

[james__bean]

The flexijack is a coax not an optical. You have to get a mono 1/8th inch minijack to mono rca. Not the most common cable around. Right now I have my setup ghetto rigged with half my 1212m cable and a 1/8th inch adapter.

 

[marvin]

RCA to 1/8" minijack isn't too bad. RadioShack sells one for four dollars and change. Going up a level to RadioShack Gold, they got a nice RCA female to 1/8" minijack male for four bucks, with a 6 foot cable, that comes out to around twenty dollars.

Uncommon is BNC male to minijack male... The only output on my DAC is a BNC female, and haven't been able to find anything that wouldn't require two adaptors to get into the X-fi flexijack.

 

[Twombly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tachikoma Actually, it (xtrememusic) does. The flexijack. For a very easy tune, it certainly is very hard to understand (for non-diyers anyway)

Jeez, you guys sure are meanies. Obviously his first language isn't English.

 

[]|[ GorE]

But Optical cables arent affected by EMI,RF,Noise etc;thats why they are used in the first place,right ?

 

[irchel]

I love this Japanese guys. Absolutely PRO modders, while wanting to share their knowledge with others they just confuse everyone...

I think... frankly... this isn't understandable to anyone else than the man who wrote it...

but hey, to be fair, write a modding guide in japanese first and then complain about crappy use of english language

@thread starter: MAKE ANOTHER TRY TO EXPLAIN THE THING! IM SURE IT'S WORTH TO BE UNDERSTOOD!

X-fi is an excellent chip on a mediocre board -> Creative. and if a guy who knows what to improve can mod the card a little bit we'll have at least an extremely good digital out (EMU level, but with 7.1 DDigitalEX and dts and allthe shice)

 

[blessingx]

Somewhere in here someone should say 'welcome to Head-Fi oryaaaaa'.

 

[Celarion]

My XtremeGamer has a round hole that glows red and looks suspiciously like an optical out...

As for an explanation of the mod:

Optical out is specifically to prevent EMI, you're right. This is so that running the lead from your computer to your amp doesn't gather noise from the electrical appliances you might have running in between.

This won't, however, prevent your devices from suffering EMI from the inside of your computer - which is, you remember, full of electrical devices switching state and sending out millions of little EM informatum every second.

Enter shielding. Our foreign friend has suggested using green silicon carbide to create a shield board to block the internal EMI from other components such as your video card, CPU, north/south bridge, LAN controller etc. from interfering with your sound quality. Tried turning your speakers up to full volume and got a strange buzzing "data" noise? That's the EMI he's blocking. I'm not sure if he's suggesting we get an 8mm board and affix a green silicon carbide sheet to it with epoxy, or whether to use epoxy to glue enough green silicon carbide together to create an 8mm sheet...

Either way, you end up with a board to place on the component side of your sound card. You could even affix one to the solder-side, if you felt that way inclined!

Voila, he gives some results indicating the reduction in noise and crosstalk levels and the improvement in sound depth.

Engrish demystified.