Hi.
I'm trying to choose between the Asus Xonar and the Auzen X-FI sound cards for a new system.
Now the x-fi has the advantage of EAX5 over the xonar's EAX2... but whats the difference and is it worth it?
Thanks!
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Hi.
I'm trying to choose between the Asus Xonar and the Auzen X-FI sound cards for a new system.
Now the x-fi has the advantage of EAX5 over the xonar's EAX2... but whats the difference and is it worth it?
Thanks!
Unless a game uses EAX5, you won't notice the difference in terms of EAX stuff - games can only use what they know about, you won't get all the new magic. And tbh, there's not amazing new magics, really.
The X-fi chip also allows a few extra effects to be added which may or may not enhance your sound quality.
Looking at the Xonar, it aims to be an audiophile's card, ideal for home cinema type systems. If you're getting a sound card for that sort of use, go for that. Gaming, on the other hand, would benefit most from X-fi under XP. If you're running Vista, be warned that the X-fi support is poor, and this could well be similar even for the Xonar. As hardware sound acceleration does not work under Vista, both cards could well be the same.
Auzentech's support for the X-Fi isn't poor...
It is in Vista, as he said ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DataMatrix
Creative have released a program called Alchemy, this sits in the background in Vista and channels games that were not written for Vista from Direct sound in to openAL allowing X-Fi cards to carry on using both surround sound and EAX5.
I am running this solution at home and it makes a massive difference.
I am unaware of any other company doing this.
That means that All sound cards in Vista are NOT equal.
Check the Creative Alchemy project website for compatible cards, I believe that they have now extended support to Audigy cards as well.
Even if a game is not included in their database it doesn’t mean it wont run, it just means it hasn’t been tested.
http://www.soundblaster.com/alchemy
Hope this helps
Does alchemy only work for Creative cards? I thought it was a general EAX to OpenAL converter, rather than specific to creative's hardware?
And gav, some of us actually are female :P
The Xonar is similarly crippled in Vista, so don't expect anything great from it even though it's a recently developed card. As of yet there are no drivers other than the original launch version, so who knows how it may improve. For instance I've not managed to get the much-vaunted in-card ability of stripping DRM music files to work. Come to think of it, most of the bundled software doesn't seem to work well, but Vista x64 might have something to do with that.
Does what it says on the tin though, it sounds great regardless of the aforementioned.
And the most damn colourful thing in the dark you've ever seen. If aesthetics matter to you.
My apologies. It's not often I see the girls straying out into hardware sections (normally just Rai, and she's got a big recognisable snail/cake avatar to warn me off!). Force of habit not to check, so sorry. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosaline
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosaline
Yeah I believe so.
They have just extended the program to run with Audigy cards, because it wouldn't before so it must be card spacific. :(
That was more a marketing decision - they'd rather people didn't hang onto older cards. Hence the charge.
Has anyone tried Alchemy with a non creative X-Fi based card yet?