Creative wants my ZXR back

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AshleyG

Limp Gawd
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Woke up this morning and checked my inbox. Creative Labs is encouraging me to RMA my card.

Thank you for purchasing Sound Blaster's new flagship sound card, the Sound Blaster ZxR.

We are writing to inform you that based on our recent routine quality checks, we discovered that there is a minor performance variation with the current sound cards. The sound cards may not be delivering the best quality audio that it is truly capable of.

Customer satisfaction is our top priority and we would like to bring this to your attention and offer a replacement unit for you.
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With the full launch not looking like it will happen until later this month, I'm very leery of sending this card in and waiting an extended period of time for one to come back. I've been using this thing for over a month without any issue.

I wonder if the cards that trickled out in January were pre-production and this is an attempt to rein those cards back in...

Does anyone have an experience with the Creative RMA system? Should I swap cards out, or will they leave me with nothing for an extended period?
 
I would try to call or reply to support and see if you can get them to tell you exactly what the issue is. If it is software related, perhaps hold onto the card and wait for a patch. However, if there is a hardware issue that they bring to your attention, you might want to consider sending it back. Never had any experience with Creative's RMA but you might want to check on their official forums and see what other people are saying about it before you send it back.
 
EPOQ said:
I would try to call or reply to support and see if you can get them to tell you exactly what the issue is. If it is software related, perhaps hold onto the card and wait for a patch. However, if there is a hardware issue that they bring to your attention, you might want to consider sending it back. Never had any experience with Creative's RMA but you might want to check on their official forums and see what other people are saying about it before you send it back.
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That's pretty much what I was thinking of doing . I've replied to the email they sent with specific questions regarding the issue. I also asked if they would do an Advance RMA so I'm not left stuck with *shudder* onboard sound for several weeks to a month.
 
AshleyG said:
...so I'm not left stuck with *shudder* onboard sound for several weeks to a month.
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Waah waah waah :p I bet you won't even notice a difference. You, like what seems like most on this forum, put WAY, WAY too much weight into the sound card used.
 
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dandragonrage said:
Waah waah waah :p I bet you won't even notice a difference. You, like what seems like most on this forum, put WAY, WAY too much weight into the sound card used.
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more like you're half deaf and can't hear the difference.

seriously, if you can't appreciate something, it doesn't mean others can, I can tell the difference between onboard and a $30 Asus card in 10 seconds.
 
Digital Viper-X- said:
more like you're half deaf and can't hear the difference.

seriously, if you can't appreciate something, it doesn't mean others can, I can tell the difference between onboard and a $30 Asus card in 10 seconds.
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No, Mr. Golden Ear, you can not. The difference is extremely minor, and no, you cannot hear it, nor can anyone else in this thread. Even if you could, it would still be worth dumping the extra $70 or whatever into better speakers more than sound card, as speakers add several orders of magnitude more distortion than your sound card does.

That is unless you have problematic hardware which causes ground issues, induces noise from other traces on the motherboard, etc. My Asus P8P67 Pro does not have such an issue, but I have heard other board+PSU combinations that did. Sometimes this can affect sound cards too though a good card will probably have better power filtering and be less likely to have this issue (but again, still possible).

This board has way too much of a hard-on for electronics. You guys waste your money on DACs and headphone amps and all that crap you don't need.
 
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dandragonrage said:
No, Mr. Golden Ear, you can not. The difference is extremely minor, and no, you cannot hear it, nor can anyone else in this thread. Even if you could, it would still be worth dumping the extra $70 or whatever into better speakers more than sound card, as speakers add several orders of magnitude more distortion than your sound card does.

That is unless you have problematic hardware which causes ground issues, induces noise from other traces on the motherboard, etc. My Asus P8P67 Pro does not have such an issue, but I have heard other board+PSU combinations that did. Sometimes this can affect sound cards too though a good card will probably have better power filtering and be less likely to have this issue (but again, still possible).

This board has way too much of a hard-on for electronics. You guys waste your money on DACs and headphone amps and all that crap you don't need.
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You clearly are a person who must be right and are in fact wrong. You can 100% tell the difference between onboard and dedicated audio. Static, jitter, line noise, etc... Your bias'd ear can't hear the difference. You're also probably one of those people who say running 22ga wire is just as good as running 12-14ga for speakers because they sound the same.

And so what we want to spend money on better hardware for our enjoyment? What's it to you exactly?
 
Everything sounds the same to tone deaf and deaf people. So enjoy your beliefs as I will enjoy the various flavors of sound I can actually hear.

I don't think I will hear much of a difference bw my asus dx1 and the z for music but would like to try the new software for gaming.

Anyway, good on creative for trying to keep the quality control high.
 
Yeah, have fun telling the difference between 0.08% THD and 0.02% THD or whatever.

Mentioning jitter? Clearly a golden ear. I'm used to your type. People like you claim such stupid shit like Black Gate capacitors improving sound quality, carbon vs metal oxide resistors used ANYWHERE in a circuit (even if not in the audio path) causing differences in sound, and all manners of other stupid claims.

I will just go back to designing my own amplifiers and speakers while understanding the physics behind them. You guys can go back to your upgrading equipment, not doing any scientifically valid testing whatsoever, and claiming you can hear a difference. Throw in as many buzz-words if you want. I've hung around DIYAudio, AVSForum, HTGuide, DIYMobileAudio, etc. I'm fully aware of what you are talking about, and also that your priorities are all wrong. If you aren't using a board/PSU in which the onboard sound has induced noise, then you aren't gaining anything at all - the improvements can be measured, but are too small to be heard.\

This is not Head-fi. Go chat about your wasted money on useless equipment with them, because they love that shit over there. Or if you want to actually learn something, then check out DIYAudio and HTGuide instead.

And what's it to me, you ask? Nothing, but what's it to you? Also nothing. You guys tell everyone to buy all sorts of crap they not only don't need but which won't even improve anything, and then they start shilling the same garbage they got from you, and get everyone else to waste their money as well. To the point where people don't even know how to survive a goddamn month without the useless equipment you guys recommend. You guys are the ones who convince people to waste their money, not me. You are all like pushy salesmen at Best Buy trying to convince people they need that $100 Monster HDMI cable. OP doesn't even seem to have tried onboard and yet is already whining about it.
 
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dandragonrage said:
No, Mr. Golden Ear, you can not. The difference is extremely minor, and no, you cannot hear it, nor can anyone else in this thread. Even if you could, it would still be worth dumping the extra $70 or whatever into better speakers more than sound card, as speakers add several orders of magnitude more distortion than your sound card does.

That is unless you have problematic hardware which causes ground issues, induces noise from other traces on the motherboard, etc. My Asus P8P67 Pro does not have such an issue, but I have heard other board+PSU combinations that did. Sometimes this can affect sound cards too though a good card will probably have better power filtering and be less likely to have this issue (but again, still possible).

This board has way too much of a hard-on for electronics. You guys waste your money on DACs and headphone amps and all that crap you don't need.
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Yes, Mr. Tone deaf, some people CAN. If you can't - good for you. Save your money. I don't understand the hate here. Just like other people can tell the difference between different video scalers, I can't really see it that easily. Big deal. It's our money - not yours, what do you care what we do with it?
 
jbltecnicspro said:
Yes, Mr. Tone deaf, some people CAN. If you can't - good for you. Save your money. I don't understand the hate here. Just like other people can tell the difference between different video scalers, I can't really see it that easily. Big deal. It's our money - not yours, what do you care what we do with it?
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I'm not tone deaf, but if you want to resort to name-calling instead of actually providing scientifically valid arguments then I guess that's up to you.

The issue I have is not that you guys waste your own money - it's that you guys always try to convince other people to waste their money in the same way. The way I see it, you guys should be providing the proof, since it's you who attempt to convince others to spend their money in the same way that you have. But you won't find proof. All you will find are people who didn't do any sort of scientifically valid testing making ridiculous claims like "night and day difference." Not that that phrase was used in this thread, but it's commonly used.
 
dandragonrage said:
I'm not tone deaf, but if you want to resort to name-calling instead of actually providing scientifically valid arguments then I guess that's up to you.

The issue I have is not that you guys waste your own money - it's that you guys always try to convince other people to waste their money in the same way.
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Hey, just returning the favor. You called the other guy Mr. Golden Ear. I don't think that was ever supposed to be a compliment. LOL - Pot calling the kettle black. :)
 
You listen to shit long enough, you begin to think it sounds good.
 
jbltecnicspro said:
Hey, just returning the favor. You called the other guy Mr. Golden Ear. I don't think that was ever supposed to be a compliment. LOL - Pot calling the kettle black. :)
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"Golden ear" doesn't actually accuse someone of having a hearing impairment, so I see it as a bit different, but whatever.

I don't care what you guys buy for yourselves. Like I said, I just don't like how you guys try to get everyone to buy the same stuff without providing any real reasons other than "I heard a difference" when we all know you guys just install your sound cards and go.
 
Creative has had the ZXR go in and out of stock this weekend. The purchase went through Amazon and it says :
Delivery Estimate: Wednesday February 13, 2013 by 8:00pm

I wonder if my card will be updated from the one you have or if the shipment will be delayed altogether.
 
dandragonrage said:
"Golden ear" doesn't actually accuse someone of having a hearing impairment, so I see it as a bit different, but whatever.
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Sorry - I read your post as being pissed off about people who claim they can hear the difference between onboard and a decent DAC. So I assumed the Golden Ear was dripping with sarcasm. Did I get that wrong?

Telling people what they can and can't perceive - especially when to them it's black and white - is just as insulting. What you're doing is analogous to those who bash other people about being able to perceive microstutter versus those who can't. Hence calling him "Golden Ear" is just as much a dick move.

For what it's worth, I'm using onboard. Yes - I can hear the difference between my old Audigy 2 ZS and my mobo. Especially when I use my headphone amp + Sennheiser HD-650's. No - I don't care enough about the differences to buy a DAC.

EDIT: Back on topic - Glad to hear they care about their customers. Be interesting to see what's actually wrong with the card.
 
Digital Viper-X- said:
more like you're half deaf and can't hear the difference.

seriously, if you can't appreciate something, it doesn't mean others can, I can tell the difference between onboard and a $30 Asus card in 10 seconds.
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Interesting since most mobo's that are high end come with better sound hardware than a "$30 Asus card" ;)
 
dandragonrage said:
OP doesn't even seem to have tried onboard and yet is already whining about it.
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Hi, OP here. Nice swing at me when your argument is with someone else. If you don't want to join in conversations about audio hardware, then why come in this thread or even the subforum? I see nothing but contention and indignation presented in a manner that is not conducive to winning anyone to your way of thinking.

I have tried the onboard audio solution and found it to be inadequate for my desires. I spent time adjusting settings and tweaking volume and mixer levels and could not get the sound I desired. I have that sound with the ZXR. Can I quantify exactly what that sound is? Not easily, but I have the training and experience to back up my opinion. I didn't spend time and money on two degrees in music (Bachelors in Music Ed, Masters in Instrumental Conducting) and hundreds of hours listening for errata and minutia in both recordings and live performances and learning to be able to identify which clarinet in the 3rd row is 5c sharp without having to stop and go down the line so I could come home and listen to music via a solution that, in my opinion, doesn't provide the experience I'm looking for.

dandragon, either answer my original question - Have you an experience with the Creative RMA department? - or leave the thread be. I came looking for constructive responses, not contentious grandiloquence.
 
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