x-fi or money towards a dac
Jun 8, 2008 at 9:14 AM Post #16 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonFreeman /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why bother with an internal sound card when an external DAC will sound better and create alot less hassle? I have a usb dac and it works great for gaming. If this is mainly for music then go external. If gaming is important than use the x-fi for that and use the usb DAC for music.


How is shoving something in a slot and screwing it in a hassle? you should try the cmedia soundcards (asus claro etc) before passing judgement. the sound is pretty impressive.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 10:04 AM Post #17 of 37
get a DAC if you like music. If you game A LOT then maybe get the x-fi. I had a Elite Pro, gave it away and bought a Auzen Prelude. Used it for a week then took it out and now its sitting in a anti-static bag for the past 3 months. I use my DAC exclusively now and since I have a quad core even if I play games I don't notice any drops in performance.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 6:43 PM Post #18 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by techniqu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
How is shoving something in a slot and screwing it in a hassle? you should try the cmedia soundcards (asus claro etc) before passing judgement. the sound is pretty impressive.


Installing the card it easy, spending money on it just to learn it doesn't sound as good as some of the external solutions is a hassle and a complete waste of money, its pretty simple, if its for music then an external Dac is the better solution. Also dont assume for one second that I have not heard some of your recommendations. Impressive to some people may not be very impressive to others.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 7:57 PM Post #19 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonFreeman /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Installing the card it easy, spending money on it just to learn it doesn't sound as good as some of the external solutions is a hassle and a complete waste of money, its pretty simple, if its for music then an external Dac is the better solution. Also dont assume for one second that I have not heard some of your recommendations. Impressive to some people may not be very impressive to others.


you obviously haven't if you're still using that headroom dac, which performs pretty similarly. there are obviously dacs that sound better, but that isn't one of them, which is why I question your credibility.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 8:49 PM Post #20 of 37
sorry, this is kind of off topic, but I have a question:

is there any way to improve the output of my x-fi elite pro without bypassing it or modding it? if I am using the digital output to a dac doesn't that pretty much render the card useless?

i ask because I want to use an amp with it, but apparently the headphone out is crappy so I will have to buy a whole new dac to use the amp with!
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 9:34 PM Post #21 of 37
@dosquito - Opinions vary with respect to amping the x-fi cards directly. There's a thread in this forum that argues that the output from your card is better than the popular USB0404 - and another that argues that an x-mod trumps a DAC1. A lot of it probably depends on synergy with the HPs and amp being used, and simple personal preferences in sound signature.

In my experience, adding an amp to my x-fi was a giant step forwards in sq. However, the amp also allowed me to hear some of the aspects of the x-fi's sonics that were not well matched to the rest of my setup - particularly (to my ears) somewhat harsh/fatiguing trebles. In my case the amp inspired me to pick up a decent entry level DAC, which I find to be very pleasing and musical.

But you never know, the x-fi elite + amp might sound just right to your ears.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 9:49 PM Post #23 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by techniqu /img/forum/go_quote.gif
you obviously haven't if you're still using that headroom dac, which performs pretty similarly. there are obviously dacs that sound better, but that isn't one of them, which is why I question your credibility.


Better than what? You dont seem to have anything in your profile.
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 9:55 PM Post #24 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by skeptic /img/forum/go_quote.gif
@dosquito - Opinions vary with respect to amping the x-fi cards directly. There's a thread in this forum that argues that the output from your card is better than the popular USB0404 - and another that argues that an x-mod trumps a DAC1. A lot of it probably depends on synergy with the HPs and amp being used, and simple personal preferences in sound signature.

In my experience, adding an amp to my x-fi was a giant step forwards in sq. However, the amp also allowed me to hear some of the aspects of the x-fi's sonics that were not well matched to the rest of my setup - particularly (to my ears) somewhat harsh/fatiguing trebles. In my case the amp inspired me to pick up a decent entry level DAC, which I find to be very pleasing and musical.

But you never know, the x-fi elite + amp might sound just right to your ears.


Interesting. Once you got an entry-level DAC didn't this pretty much render your elite pro useless, though?
 
Jun 8, 2008 at 11:44 PM Post #26 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by dosquito /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Interesting. Once you got an entry-level DAC didn't this pretty much render your elite pro useless, though?


the x-fi is still valuable as a digital transport-particularly because it has native support for a bit perfect stream. By using it with a spdif DAC (like my keces 131 ) via the flexijack, it avoids using a USB DAC that would impose a higher burden on the CPU.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 2:25 AM Post #27 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by skeptic /img/forum/go_quote.gif
the x-fi is still valuable as a digital transport-particularly because it has native support for a bit perfect stream. By using it with a spdif DAC (like my keces 131 ) via the flexijack, it avoids using a USB DAC that would impose a higher burden on the CPU.


hey, thanks a lot skeptic. that is a great explanation. i finally understand this and my next upgrade will be a spdif (which I plug into the digital out of my elite pro, right?) dac.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 2:33 AM Post #28 of 37
you need a mini to coax cable for that. ram electronics sells them.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 7:39 AM Post #30 of 37
Quote:

Originally Posted by dosquito /img/forum/go_quote.gif
wait, hold on a sec...if the elite pro's output is bit-perfect...why not just hook an amp up to there instead of going through a whole nother dac?


Think about it this way - "bit perfect" only refers to the digital signal before it's been converted to analog. The question is whether you want to allow your X-fi to do that conversion or whether you want to outsource the work to a separate component.

To elaborate: when your X-fi is running in a bit perfect mode and via ASIO drivers, you basically have two options: (i) you can allow your X-fi to convert the bit-perfect digital data to analog, which then runs through an internal amp on the X-fi and out the HP jack; or (ii) you can pass that bit perfect digital stream of data along to an external Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) via your flexijack which may do a superior job of conversion - depending on the DAC, your sound preferences, etc.

However, if you do elect to pick up an external DAC, you should know that you will still need a HP amplifier as well (unless you buy a combo amp/dac like the Zero, or any number of other such devises). Pure DAC's simply output a line level signal that has to be fed through an amp.

spacemanspliff has described the 1/8 to RCA digital cable you would want to run from your flexijack to a DAC in the event that you pick up an spdif unit. The Belden 1505F in my signature line is the equivalent from bluejeanscable.com ($26).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top