Auzentech XMeridian is finally out!

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You can't compare these two cards for gaming, your wasting your time. The X-M 7.1 is a HTPC card. The X-M doesn't have the same levels of EAX available to it. Seems you need to go through your cards settings and get it setup properly. Comes with a large 66 page manual if your having difficulty;)
 
Shouldn´t be that hard. Disable all features except stereo and you should be set go... The manual don´t even cover how to change the op amps lol.

I think I have it set up properly. I have read somewhere that you must run the volume at 100 % to reduce crackles due to some windows xp bug so will try that to remove the crackles.

But still I do find the X-fi to be just as good as the X-meridian with my headphones. If there is differences they are really vague...

I am giving the X-meridian one day then I will see if I can return it or exchange it for an Elite PRO... Wanted the EMU 0404 since it´s truly external but they didn´t have that...

If I do get money I will probably get an external DAC.
 
I wouldn't run the XM at 100%. It has extremely hot outputs and running at 100% would probably distort. I meant check out the manual for operating the DSP effects properly.
 
Got a couple of questions:

I have the X-Meridian, and I love it of course but, there's a few things I need cleared up.

1.) With MP3's, I know that there's some quality loss due to compression right? Would finding/playing music that's .FLAC give back all the quality that's lost? (AKA sound better?)

2.) If I wanted to play a CD at really high quality (digital of course), would I need to use that cable that came with the card to connect from the sound card to the back of the drive (dvd/cd drive)? Or is it not necessary?

3.) Would having terminated speaker cables be better over standard speaker cables? My speakers have banana plug slots that make it a little bit more convenient to plug/unplug your speakers. Unfortunately I have garbage speaker cable that I bought from a local hardware store that always fragments / gets into a big mess.
 
Let's see:

1. If your using a lossless compression such as FLAC it will have the exact same quality as the original. Yes using lossless is better soundquality wise.
2. Those cables are not needed, if I remeber correctly. The Digital audio data is taken right off the IDE cable.
3. I wouldn't think your connectors would have any influence as long as they were decently solid and clean from oxidation. I would suggest getting some quality speaker cable.
 
Thanks for the answers, I just listened to the same music I had downloaded a while back in the new format, sounds a lot better.

However the question I have for you now is, since the card has DDL and DTS, which would be better for music? Which would be better for games?
 
It's up to you. These are more for digital connection anyway. I just use straight analog..
 
They look pretty decent. What I mean though is you don't need to break the bank to get good cables but you should invest a bit. I have seen guys spend crazy amounts of money on Monster cables and I just shake my head. I think you can judge quality for yourself...
 
Yea, I been telling buddies monster cables are just marketing, but they dont really listen heh. And they go out and pay all of that money for them. While I go to radio shack and get some cheap cables.
 
overpriced maybe but not marketing. The audio out of my Xbox 360 went 10 times better when switching to monster cables from default...

And the default ms cable was 10 times better then the pirate copies I had first lol.

But you need hifi gear for it to really be worth it of course. If your source is crap or your speakers, headphones no cable on earth can save it ;)
 
Gah.. problems again.
So I got a 5.1 setup from a friend. It's hooked up like so:
XBOX360 optical > X-M optical > Reciever > Speakers
I get sound from the 360 just fine. I can't seem to get sound from the computer itself to work. Like movie files, DVDs, CDs, MP3s. No sound comes from the computer.
I've been messing around in the settings for an hour... :(
 
For XBox360, you need to use S/PDIF In loopback, for your computer, you need to use DTS interactive.
 
Thanks.
I got "ERROR" on my reciever when I tried DTS Interactive. I think I need to find a cheap/better reciever. This one is kinda old.
 
Your receiver may not accept the signals from the XM. I would say try Dolby Digital as ALG suggested alot of older receviers can accept DD but NOT DTS. Hope you get it working.
 
Further information has been added to the Auzentech site regarding the release of the X-Tension board for the X-Meridian 7.1. I am hoping this further info means the product is soon to be released. Here's the link:
http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-tension_din.php

The card has some nice features to add all High resolution Digital I/O

Specifications

Mic Preamplifier
1) Peak level : 0dBFS @ -40dBV
2) Gain Adjustment : Gain +20dB up
3) 5V power supply (Condenser Mic)
4) Connector Type : 1/4” TRS Input

MIDI I/O
1) 1-in, 1-out 16 MIDI channels in and out
2) Connector Type : MIDI Standard MIDI 5-pin DIN

Digital In
1) Connector Type : RCA or Optical Combo
2) Format : IEC-60958 Consumer(S/PDIF)
3) Sampling Rate :44.1,48,96,192kHz
4) Resolution : 24-bit

Digital Out
1) Connector Type : RCA or Optical Combo
2) Format : IEC-60958 Consumer(S/PDIF)
3) Sampling Rate :44.1,48,96,192kHz
4) Resolution : 24-bit

G9 Digital Out
1) Connector Type : 9-pin Mini Din Jack
2) Format : IEC-60958 Consumer(S/PDIF)
3) Sampling Rate :44.1,48,96,192kHz
4) Resolution : 24-bit

I have been waiting for this card to be released. Can never have to much I/O:) and the Midi is a nice touch aswell.
 
Audioguy said:
1) Connector Type : 9-pin Mini Din Jack
2) Format : IEC-60958 Consumer(S/PDIF)
3) Sampling Rate :44.1,48,96,192kHz
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What components on the market support multi-channel input with non-standard S/PDIF via mini DIN?

What's the point of this?
 
That is the 8 channel 24/192 OUTPUT. I understand what you mean. Certain Creative speaker do havea DIN connector. I guess although the adapter was offered on their speakers alot of their cards didn't support the DIN connection.
 
It just seems odd for a company to release a product that features an interface that only works with a very limited range of products not made or sold by that company. Finally, we have a standard that allows for up to eight channels of uncompressed audio at up to 24/192 and is featured on numerous home devices (that users of the X-Meridian would like to be able to use with), but Auzentech chose a bizarre path that leads them down a road of satisfying absolutely no one.

It makes me wonder if they intend to release other products that include a mini DIN input.
 
Considering the quality of the ouput is very good. I also think they will just be using this connection for their own devices. Will have to wait and see. I would think that DIY'ers would find a use for 8channels of PCM audio @24/192khz;) I am eager to see what new products this company will bring out beyond this board. They are building a loyal following that is getting larger everyday, considering their card build quality is amazing and the sound quality of their cards is phenominal. These factors seem to be lost on alot of other companies..
 
There are beta's out that can be used. I haven't checked latley becasue I don't use Vista 64. Razor is supposed to be releasing a set soon. They would be compatible. The base driver are released by C-Media the company brands the changes a few things and applies for WHQL for VIsta I guess....:rolleyes:
 
Auzentech's official response, was "MID APRIL, SIR" and that's it lol.
 
The drivers for those cards are all interchangable...8788 based cards ALL use the same base drivers, these are provided by C-Media.:cool:
 
While we are still waiting for the Vista 64 driver, this is a guide on how to enable the Vista's audio enhancement with Oxygen HD cards posted by someone on AVSForum.
A few people have commented about not getting the Vista audio DSPs with some devices. It appears possible - at least in some cases - to make Vista's native audio DSPs show up for a device that does not normally have them:

1. Insert some generic USB audio device and let Windows install the built-in USB driver for it.
2. Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion \MMDevices\Audio\Render. You will probably see several keys with names that look like a guid surrounded by curly braces. Find (i) the one for the USB device installed in step 1 and (ii) the one for the device that you want to enable Vista's native audio DSPs for. Oftentimes the name of the device is visible as a string value under the "Properties" subkey.
3. File->Export the "FxProperties" subkey of the USB device.
4. Edit the .reg file saved in (3) and replace the GUID of the USB device with the GUID of the device that you want to enable Vista's native audio DSPs for.
5. Change ownership and/or permissions on the key that the .reg file now points to in such a way that you can write to it.
6. Import the .reg file modified in step 4.

Notes:
- registry modifications are dangerous, so only do this if you are comfortable with this sort of thing
- do not count on meaningful help from tech support if something goes wrong
- step 5 may involve some frustration, so start with a fresh supply of patience
- if the hardware originally came with its own audio DSPs, those DSPs may disappear. Reinstalling the driver seems to restore the original state.
Click to expand...
 
Nice post ALG, I was there just today talking about those enhancements and the 8788 cards.:cool:
 
Auzentech released a Vista users manual for the X-Meridian. You guys unsure about features and settings under Vista, this may help
http://www.auzentech.com/site/download/manuals.php
There are also other manuals on this page you may be interested in. The X-Meridian manual -66 Pages!
and the New X-tension board manual. Maybe that's a good sign about it benig released soon:)
 
Just got myself the hda x-plosion and was wondering how it dealt with the dd/dts encoding.
If you have 2 channel audio it encodes it to dd/dts, but if you already have dd audio(from dvd) does it still encode it to dts or does it simply bypass it over spdif? Does it assume that all of the audio from the pc is 2 channel that needs encoding to dd/dts?
 
It depends on how your setup your player(PowerDVD, Media Player and etc). If you set your player to do a passthrough, the card will just bypass it over S/PDIF.
 
Oh I love it!

There are still issues with Battlefield 2 (and 2142) with enabling hardware EAX. These games simply do not like having a non-Creative card trying to do EAX. This does negatively affect the game from an immersive perspective, as the sound just does not seem as “natural” without the EAX enhancements. Other than BF2 and Quake 4, I noticed no issues with the games I typically play and test with.

Any game that uses EAX 3 through 5 will of course sound better on an X-Fi, but with Microsoft taking away the DSP functionality of these cards in Vista, I think we will see a lot more games developers utilize other 3rd party solutions which do not rely on specific hardware to produce immersive sound environments. Considering that the PS3, Wii, and X-Box 360 do not utilize dedicated hardware for their sound reproduction, I hope we are seeing the writing on the wall for closed “standards” such as EAX.
Click to expand...

Both XBox and XBox 360 feature native OpenAL LOL!
http://openal.com/platforms.html

I also think they haven't heard of Alchemy either.
 
I wonder if they had any idea why BF2 and BF2142 fuck up quite royally when EAX is enabled on EAX 2.0-only cards. My guess is that they do not. They didn't even state what problems they had with Quake 4 even though they alluded to it.

And, again, I hate reviews without drop-down navigation. Especially those that offer less information than other reviews, like the Tech Report's excellent evaluation.

Great card, poor review.
 
phide said:
I wonder if they had any idea why BF2 and BF2142 fuck up quite royally when EAX is enabled on EAX 2.0-only cards. My guess is that they do not. They didn't even state what problems they had with Quake 4 even though they alluded to it.

And, again, I hate reviews without drop-down navigation. Especially those that offer less information than other reviews, like the Tech Report's excellent evaluation.

Great card, poor review.
Click to expand...

QFT!
 
alg7_munif said:
Latest review from Penstarsys
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Like any review it has it's good and bad points. Can't expect them all the be perfect. I find it very hard to judge hardware based on reviews as the person doing the review has the device in question for a limited amount of time. Of course they also have to dumb down for alot of people. I usually just look at it for the Yah or Nah vote. If it's good hardware all the reviews will be similar. Such As:

"Auzentech really went all out with this design. It is, hands down, the cleanest sound card I have ever had the chance to listen to. It also does not feature the bloatware that Creative foists upon users, plus the analog playback circuitry is honestly a big step above even what the X-Fi series brings (better OPAMPS, better DACs, etc.). Add into that all of the digital encoding features, as well as analog playback functionality, and honestly a user cannot go wrong with this card."

Pretty much what all the reviews say. It is hard to compare a X-fi to the XM for gaming and I don't understand why people keep doing it. They are very different cards, meant for very different jobs. If you want to compare them on a level feild turn off the proprietary features and compare the cards head to head for pure sound quality...that is the only way to test soundcards fairly. Then your comparing them for what you should be, sound quality.
 
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