Creative labs launches quartet of Sound Blaster X peripherals

[b0redom]

I've never had a decent creative bit of kit. I even bought the super high end one with a separate breakout box. The drivers and support have, in my experience, been universally pants.

[azrael-]

I've been using Creative Labs soundcards since the early 90s and I've never really had any issues with any of them, apart from the mic issue with the Audigy and Windows 7 x64.

[HavoCnMe]

I've been using Creative Labs soundcards since the early 90s and I've never really had any issues with any of them, apart from the mic issue with the Audigy and Windows 7 x64.

I agree.

My next card will be the HT|Omega Claro Halo when they make a pcie version...when and if.

[GuidoLS]

I used the old Soundblasters back when the only other option was the in-case speaker, and none of the other hardware was considered 'standard'. 30 years or so later, and now I either can't notice that much of a difference, or I'm not enough of an audiophile to really care if there's a massive difference between on-board 5.1/7.1 and a discreet card.

[Saracen]

I used the old Soundblasters back when the only other option was the in-case speaker, and none of the other hardware was considered 'standard'. 30 years or so later, and now I either can't notice that much of a difference, or I'm not enough of an audiophile to really care if there's a massive difference between on-board 5.1/7.1 and a discreet card.

That, pretty much. I too started on Soundblasters about that time and, if I remember correctly, a card called AdLib too. I am an audiophile, but sadly, my ears aren't anymore.

[shaithis]

That, pretty much. I too started on Soundblasters about that time and, if I remember correctly, a card called AdLib too. I am an audiophile, but sadly, my ears aren't anymore.

Adlib eh....you old git

I bought my first one in 1991 (SoundBlaster Pro) by then everything and their dog was emulating Adlib.

And get your ears syringed, it's surprising how much of a difference it can make.

[Saracen]

Adlib eh....you old git

I bought my first one in 1991 (SoundBlaster Pro) by then everything and their dog was emulating Adlib.

And get your ears syringed, it's surprising how much of a difference it can make.

Indeed it can, and does. And did.

Sadly, frequency response doesn't last with age. My hearing, in my uni days, was very good indeed, and I could hear up to about 23khz, as established with calibrated lab tests. Nowadays, I suspect I'd be lucky to hit much above 16khz, and maybe not even that.

Funny thing though. I might not be hearing some aspects of available sound frequencies any more, but my subjective enjoyment of music hasn't diminished one bit. For me, it's at least as much an emotional experience as an aural one. Which leads me to wonder, in my more 'audiophile' days, where I spent rather large sums of money on equipment chasing optimum sound, if I wasn't rather missing the point, and spending so much effort on the sound that I was missing the music.

It's a bit like worrying so much about the rag content in the paper that you are reading the words of a poem and missing the meaning.

[ChinesePate]

AdLib? that's posh, I've started with COVOX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covox_Speech_Thing

[kalniel]

Adlib, you cheapsakes Roland-MT32 was where it was at

[Saracen]

Hmmm. Been called both posh and cheapskate in three posts, for buying the same product. I feel a bit like the filling in a class war sandwich.




Oh, and on the midi/synth side, I went a different route. Yamaha Electrone HS6. Still got it, too.

[abaxas]

Bunch of tight****s.

Long live the gravis ultrasound.

[Saracen]

Bunch of tight****s.

Long live the gravis ultrasound.

You haven't seen the (then) price of the HS6 have you?

I had (have, but don't use) a pretty nice Gravis joystick, though.

[MrFawlty]

Don't get me started on joysticks. I can't bring myself to throw away my sidewinder joystick. Still works but it won't work on a modern OS. Best stick I've ever had. Oo er.