Xi-fi

[BeoWulf]

Worth it or not? Sick of mobo manufacturers palming off that sh!tty AC97 on me. So Im torn between a cheap audigy SE or a xi-fi and possible future proofing.

Thanks for the help.

[theuncharmed]

I have the X-Fi and it rocks. It's cheaper now at places like Scan and it really really makes a BIG difference.

I tried AC97 again a month back and I couldn't take it, X-Fi has changed my perception of good sound forever.

[BeoWulf]

Okay thats one for xi-fi (and a very convincing post I might add). Anyone else?

[villarule]

Im in the same boat as BeoWulf here. I want a decent sound card for decent 5.1 surround sound, but also something that is adequate for small recording. A few of my mates have been trying to whack a few tracks together by hooking a mic up infront of an amp (Basic, but we cant afford any high-end stuff) and recording it in.

Im looking at the X-fi Xtreme music. Looks pretty solid as a budget card.

[BeoWulf]

Yep thats also the model I am looking at. Breakout box and the like not required heh.. Just something that doesnt sound like turd and occasionally screw up in games.

[CrazyMonkey]

Second the X-Fi xtreme music, great card.

[BeoWulf]

Okay, 2 for xi-fi... Anyone got both the audigy and the xi-fi so they can name the difference?. If both are reasonably close sounding its hard to justify the extra cost, however if the xi-fi blows it away.. aside from some driver issues ive heard about (which I think have since been resolved) .. its pretty much a no brainer.

[chuckskull]

I upgraded my audigy 4 to an x-fi not long ago. For music alone, it's good at making very low bitrate MP3's sound better, and has an entertainment mode which does sound very nice. Compared to AC97, you'll love the difference. Compared to an audigy you'll notice a difference, but it wont blow you away.

But it's forte is gaming. Playing most games with the sound cranked right up to high detail is great. FPS especially. If you have surround sound even better. It completely outshines the audigy and the onboard.

[BeoWulf]

3 For xi-fi and thats pretty much definitive. Thanks for the comparison Chuckskull. And thanks to all those others who replied. Looking forward to ordering a xi-fi now

[FInalD]

Well if you want the front pannel box etc. get the Audigy 2, it may not have the XFi chip on it, but it costs less and you won't notice the audio quality difference between it and the XFi Music.

FinalD

[Fabula]

It is very nice. Very very nice.

But don't go for if you have a nvidia chipset, as there are compatability problems resulting in crackling and popping.

[blueball]

I upgraded from Audigy to XFi and the sound difference and responsiveness was amazing. Put me down as a yes

[BlindMelon7]

My mate spent 2k on an alienware and he has to use the AC97 .

[kempez]

X-Fi is awesome. In gaming mine gives me an extra 3FPS and the experience is nuch more immersive.

Far superior to HDA and beats out Audigy 2 ZS

[magneticman]

stupid question but would it work in a pci 2.3 slot?

[FInalD]

The main thing that people forget is the speaker quality, a lot of people buy the XFi for the labling and don't get decent speakers for it and they will not notice the audiable difference between the Audigy and the XFi range.

I have the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, and it's very similar to my brother's XFi Fatality, because we both have cheap speakers, he bought his 'cause it was the best for gaming at the time (in theory) and I bought mine because it has the front drivebay unit. I paid about 1/4 of what he paid for effectivly the same product (due to speakers and the amount of use his actually gets).

I can't personally see the need for buying something like the XFi range of cards unless you are using it for high-end audio manipulation in which case you'd get something designed for that job not a home pc. To me the XFi is more a gimmick...but the Fatality range certainly is.

Also I'd like to note that the Audigy that I own is no longer produced and the next best one is infact more expensive than the XFi Music card so I'm guessing that it's been improved a bit or something.

To the OP, anything is better than onboard sound.

nb. I really need to get some decent speakers to test my card properly along with my brother's aswell.

FinalD