Sound Card

[Chaos Armed]

I'm looking into purchasing a sound card, I recently purchased the Z-5500 Logitech speakers, and while they sound good with the onboard audio from my Asus P5K-E motherboard, I want to be getting the best quality I can, but I don't want to overspend either.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16829156001

I'm considering this card, It's at the price I'm looking for, and from what I can see is great for movies and music, but I still want it to be able to play the occasional game with bearable audio, and without crashing. Will this card crash if I play a game? I don't need the audio to be great for any game, I might play Crysis once a month if my friend brought it over, etc.

I am currently running Vista Home Premium 64-bit, if you need any more information, just ask!

Thanks.

[Chaos Armed]

My budget has changed, I'm now looking at getting the Asus Xonar D2, or the PCI-E version if I can find it, or the HT Omega Claro Plus + 7.1, the Claro is cheaper for me, but their close enough that I don't care. They both have the basic features I need, my question is which one is better than the other, again for music, and movies.

[rajputwarrior]

get the asus, it's a great sound card.

[MR_Candyman]

The asus is a good card, also look at the Auzentech Prelude. Both fantastic sound cards and you'll be happy with either one.

I'd just like to mention the dolby update is already out, so when you read reviews then discard that as a drawback

[chconline Veteran]

The Asus Xonar D2 is a great card, but as far as I can tell, the X-Fi is more 'dynamically configurable' on how you want it to sound. I don't have an X-Fi Prelude yet, but it should be like a standard X-Fi in features/processing capabilities with much better audio performance in general.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Go for the ASUS Xonar D2. It's a wonderful soundcard. (Y)

[rajputwarrior]

Go for the ASUS Xonar D2. It's a wonderful soundcard. (Y)

how do you compare the extreme audio to those two, it's not even a fair fight. It's a soundblaster. If you are going to do a comparison at least compare a card with the X-FI processor

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

how do you compare the extreme audio to those two, it's not even a fair fight. It's a soundblaster. If you are going to do a comparison at least compare a card with the X-FI processor

Perhaps if you actually took the time to read the chart, you'd see that it is indeed a comparison between the Asus Xonar D2, Creative XtremeGamer, and the Sondigo Inferno. What you're saying doesn't make any sense. The Creative XtremeGamer is a short way of saying Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer. Also, "soundblaster" and "X-FI" aren't two different products; it's analogous to Radeon (ATi) and GeForce (NVIDIA). Please, you should read someone's post properly before jumping to conclusions. :/

[rajputwarrior]

Perhaps if you actually took the time to read the chart, you'd see that it is indeed a comparison between the Asus Xonar D2, Creative XtremeGamer, and the Sondigo Inferno. What you're saying doesn't make any sense. The Creative XtremeGamer is a short way of saying Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer. Also, "soundblaster" and "X-FI" aren't two different products; it's analogous to Radeon (ATi) and GeForce (NVIDIA). Please, you should read someone's post properly before jumping to conclusions. :/

my bad, i read the codec and got confused. I was saying that all an s-fi audio is is a rebranded sound blaster

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

my bad, i read the codec and got confused. I was saying that all an s-fi audio is is a rebranded sound blaster

It's all good. I wouldn't say the X-Fi is a re-branded SoundBlaster because it's merely a continuation of the series. That's like saying a 8800GT is a re-branded GeForce which, honestly speaking, makes no sense. If you meant the X-Fi is a re-branded Audigy then you're mistaken. The audio chip used in the X-Fi was built from scratch.

Click here for IGN's article on the Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi and read the three last paragraphs under the heading "Outdoing Its Predecessors".

@Chaos Armed - You may want to read this review on the Asus Xonar D2. And here for a thorough look at the HT Omega Claro Plus+.

[GrimReeper]

I have a Creative Audigy2ZS and it has served me well so I would be inclined to suggest a X-Fi over a new comer like Asus but that chart anaron does suggest otherwise.

[rajputwarrior]

It's all good. I wouldn't say the X-Fi is a re-branded SoundBlaster because it's merely a continuation of the series. That's like saying a 8800GT is a re-branded GeForce which, honestly speaking, makes no sense. If you meant the X-Fi is a re-branded Audigy then you're mistaken. The audio chip used in the X-Fi was built from scratch.

Click here for IGN's article on the Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi and read the three last paragraphs under the heading "Outdoing Its Predecessors".

@Chaos Armed - You may want to read this review on the Asus Xonar D2. And here for a thorough look at the HT Omega Claro Plus+.

i guess i can throw back the read my post comment properly before jumping to conclusions at you :p I said the x-fi audio is not a true x-fi, that it is pretty much a soundblaster just using the x-fi software. This fact is so obvious that the audio and the rest of the x-fi series (like gamer, fatility and music) use different driver sets.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

my bad, i read the codec and got confused. I was saying that all an s-fi audio is is a rebranded sound blaster

i guess i can throw back the read my post comment properly before jumping to conclusions at you :p I said the x-fi audio is not a true x-fi, that it is pretty much a soundblaster just using the x-fi software. This fact is so obvious that the audio and the rest of the x-fi series (like gamer, fatility and music) use different driver sets.

Correction: You said the X-Fi is a re-branded Sound Blaster which is utterly false. You're now saying that it isn't true X-Fi but a Sound Blaster. I don't know how else I can explain it to you. Sound Blaster is a family of soundcards which includes Live!, Audigy, etc. Now the X-Fi XtremeAudio is a lower end soundcard but it's still a Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard. The same way the X-Fi XtremeGamer is a Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard. Just because it uses different drivers doesn't mean it's not X-Fi.

All in all, the whole reason I assumed you were comparing the X-Fi to the Audigy is quite simple. The Audigy came before the X-Fi.

Oh, and FYI: Merely comparing the Sound Blaster X-Fi to a "soundblaster" is like comparing an ATI Radeon 9800 PRO to a "radeon".

[dr.bisho]

i would rather go with the asus

[rajputwarrior]

Correction: You said the X-Fi is a re-branded Sound Blaster which is utterly false. You're now saying that it isn't true X-Fi but a Sound Blaster. I don't know how else I can explain it to you. Sound Blaster is a family of soundcards which includes Live!, Audigy, etc. Now the X-Fi XtremeAudio is a lower end soundcard but it's still a Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard. The same way the X-Fi XtremeGamer is a Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard. Just because it uses different drivers doesn't mean it's not X-Fi.

All in all, the whole reason I assumed you were comparing the X-Fi to the Audigy is quite simple. The Audigy came before the X-Fi.

Oh, and FYI: Merely comparing the Sound Blaster X-Fi to a "soundblaster" is like comparing an ATI Radeon 9800 PRO to a "radeon".

Comparing a sound blaster to an x-fi is not like comparing a radeon to a radeon. Comparing a sound blaster is like comparing a radeon to a firegl. Though they are both video cards, they are different types. But i do agree that i should have been more specific. An xtreme audio is more lik ea sound blaster live card, or an audigy becuase of it's features.

The x-fi have always been marketed as primariliy a gaming card that can do other things. The reason the argument is made that the xtreme audio is not a true x-fi is because it does not have the x-fi processor and because of this it does not have the EAX support that the others do. If this card was truly an x-fi it would use the same drivers, but it does not. This is just creative spinning an x-fi name to help sell a very cheap product. Also i NEVER ONCE said that the x-fi is just a re branded sound blaster, but that the x-fi xtrememaudio is just a rebranded x-fi. The rest of the series of cards are on a completely different level.

Beleive me, i know how good the x-fi's are, i own one :)

[skyline11]

Go with the ASUS Xonar D2, it is good.

[MR_Candyman]

I have a Creative Audigy2ZS and it has served me well so I would be inclined to suggest a X-Fi over a new comer like Asus but that chart anaron does suggest otherwise.

the asus and the auzentech both use the x-fi chip, but VASTLY improve everything else, from the capacitors to the connectors, to the amps. They are FAR better than the standard creative iterations and cost very little more

[chconline Veteran]

the asus and the auzentech both use the x-fi chip, but VASTLY improve everything else, from the capacitors to the connectors, to the amps. They are FAR better than the standard creative iterations and cost very little more

The Asus uses the Asus AV200 chip, which is basically a rebranded C-Media product... only the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude uses an X-Fi chip.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Comparing a sound blaster to an x-fi is not like comparing a radeon to a radeon. Comparing a sound blaster is like comparing a radeon to a firegl. Though they are both video cards, they are different types. But i do agree that i should have been more specific. An xtreme audio is more lik ea sound blaster live card, or an audigy becuase of it's features.

<Snipped>

The x-fi have always been marketed as primariliy a gaming card that can do other things. The reason the argument is made that the xtreme audio is not a true x-fi is because it does not have the x-fi processor and because of this it does not have the EAX support that the others do. If this card was truly an x-fi it would use the same drivers, but it does not. This is just creative spinning an x-fi name to help sell a very cheap product. Also i NEVER ONCE said that the x-fi is just a re branded sound blaster, but that the x-fi xtrememaudio is just a rebranded x-fi. The rest of the series of cards are on a completely different level.

Beleive me, i know how good the x-fi's are, i own one :)

I see your point now. I agree, the Sound Blaster X-Fi soundcards are good. I own one as well and I'm loving it. My friend has an Asus Xonar D2 and it seems really good. (Y)

[MR_Candyman]

The Asus uses the Asus AV200 chip, which is basically a rebranded C-Media product... only the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude uses an X-Fi chip.

my bad, thanks for clarifying

[chconline Veteran]

No prob :) But the Xonar D2 imo is more or less more home theater oriented, and it can't really process audio much -- by what I mean is that it responds like crap to equalizer changes, so if you have some crappy analog computer speakers like Logitech X-530 the X-Fi pairs up better. :)

[Chaos Armed]

I have Z-5500 speakers, and I'm leaning towards the Asus right now.