Creative Labs Soundblaster Z $59.99 FSSS

[jolli]

You may want to check your manual, but it appears that it will work ok:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68VGEN3/#specifications

"*2: The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, USB3_34 and eSATA. The PCIe x16_3 default setting is in x1 mode."

EDIT/Note to the guy above talking about the G35's instead: Don't do it! I own the G35's and G930's and they have, in my esteemed opinion, horrible bass. I do like the convenience of the attached microphone, but they in no way compare to a good set of headphones and a sound card.

Edit edit: OK maybe not horrible, but not great.

 

[scgt1]

He might find out his headphone sound stage is now accurate. There are some sets that have very limited base to provide more clarity, and if the sound is more accurate it might sound like there is much less. It's also possible his sliders got reset when he installed new sound drivers.

I removed the old and installed the new as one should when changing hardware. I also went through and set things up for the 5.1 prior to actually testing it all out at volume.

What I found out changing to my audio setting of choice content (Tiesto) was that using the headphones with the bass setting on the SBX Pro Studio kills the bass and turns it flat. There is no deeper more solid bass sounds when the bass level is up. Correcting that by turning that setting all the way down provides more true boom sounding bass. What one would look for in music on a set of headphones.

With it all the way up it sounds like a set of overpriced Beats by Dre. Now I will give them that the Professional line (@ $299.99) actually have good sounding bass. The rest of the line sounds like some cheap ass china made junk. But to spend $300 just to get sub par bass is rediculous. The Monster DNA sound 80 times better then Beats and for cheaper. The treble is clearer and more pronounced and the bass is so much better.

As for the Sound Blaster Z I'm fixing to jump into MWO and see just how well it sounds on a set of cans with the footsteps and thy artillery from hell rained down on the.
If the constant barrage of ballistic fire doesn't sound the same or better then what I've been listening to for the last week I'm done with the card and out it goes back to Newegg.

Other then that it seems to be an improvement and turning down the bass setting all the way in the SBX control panel has brought the deeper less flat bass back. My control pod on my Logitech speakers has bass control so I can turn up the bass there in need be vs using a program that is a hassle already with having to open the full screen to click a switch. Damnit Creative get something right for once!

 

[WinSomeLoseNone]

I think I might pull the trigger on this. If I drop this in my 3rd PCI-E slot, will it affect the speeds of the other lanes?

You may want to check your manual, but it appears that it will work ok:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68VGEN3/#specifications

"*2: The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, USB3_34 and eSATA. The PCIe x16_3 default setting is in x1 mode."

EDIT/Note to the guy above talking about the G35's instead: Don't do it! I own the G35's and G930's and they have, in my esteemed opinion, horrible bass. I do like the convenience of the attached microphone, but they in no way compare to a good set of headphones and a sound card.

Good to know! I have the same board and have installed the SBZ in the bottom #3 x16 slot

 

[scgt1]

You may want to check your manual, but it appears that it will work ok:

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z68VGEN3/#specifications

"*2: The PCIe x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with PCIe x1_1 slot, PCIe x1_2 slot, USB3_34 and eSATA. The PCIe x16_3 default setting is in x1 mode."

EDIT/Note to the guy above talking about the G35's instead: Don't do it! I own the G35's and G930's and they have, in my esteemed opinion, horrible bass. I do like the convenience of the attached microphone, but they in no way compare to a good set of headphones and a sound card.

Dully noted maybe I'll pick up the same sony headphones I ordered for my daughter and use the build in/attached mic that this card came with. I left it in the box because the gamecom headset I have has a booming mic that tucks away in the headband when not in use and I haven't had any complaints on TS.

So a match in MWO with headphones....

The highs and voice is so much richer. The booms still not so much but with the enhanced clarity of the rest of the sounds I think I can deal with it. I have to have the headset turned up louder then I normally would be playing it for the bass to pick up more. Not really happy with that. Maybe it's time for a new headset. Maybe someone that has this sound card and Plantronics GameCom 377s can chime in. Although I have different drivers installed in mine so the comparison wouldn't be fully comparable. This headset has always sounded rich and clear with really good bass and I've never had a complaint with coms but maybe it's time to get something that is of newer tech and can maybe process the output of the sound card better.

Just pulled out a cheapo set of Creative Fatal1ty cans I forgot I had. It's my GameComs that suck lol. Looks like I'm retiring them. The bass is much better with these and much clearer go figure with the Fatal1ty sound card the GameComs were better. Although I have these hooked up to the front audio port on my case so I wonder if that has anything to do with it.... Will pull the GameComs from the back and hook them in front and see......

Hooked up a Y splitter to the front audio connection on my case and had both sets of cans connected. The GameComs just don't perform well with this sound card. Note to anyone messing around with things. Don't have a set of headphones in back hooked up to the card and one in the front of your case it crashes out everything under the sun LOL. Restarting still isn't allowing WMP to work says there is a problem with my audio device.

Waiting for Windows update so I can shut the computer down completely and try again........

 

[B!nd.]

Good to know! I have the same board and have installed the SBZ in the bottom #3 x16 slot

Yeah, it doesn't look like it will cause any issues but I am still a little wary especially with the SLI.

 

[RaDeonXtreme]

Just another data point for you, but Titanium here as well I'm holding off. Everyone says to buy the Z to escape driver issues, but here we are weeks after the Windows 8.1 update and Creative is dragging its feet to fix the new problems. After waiting months for a working Windows 8 driver just for the Titanium, I'm not ready to start that process over again.

Right now they're targeting January 2014 for a proper 8.1 driver, which is just laughable. Hopefully a SB Z deal or two will be floating around by then.

What problems are there? I am using win 8.1 and used the newest driver they had listed. Seems to work great for me and i can tell a difference over the x-fi xtreme music i had.

 

[scgt1]

Just a note get the drivers straight from creative. They are droves better then the ones on disk. You don't even get DTS connect with the drivers on disk. (Not that I can utilize it with not having anything digital lol) The bass settings are better along with some other aspects that seem to work better over the ones on the disk.

I found this out by having a headset connected to the card and on the front I/O of my case. This totally nukes the drivers/software for the card. A cold boot still doesn't allow the card to work after this is done. I decided to download the drivers off their site instead of putting the disk in. Glad I did they are improved over the disk. Again though DO NOT woops and have a headset or something plugged into that port in the rear and then have something in the front port on your case (saying you connect the cable to the card) It will completely render your card useless unless you reinstall the drivers/software.

One other note after listening to Tiesto Club Life Episode 266 @5:40 over and over (Great range of anything you could want for audio testing on that part of the track) When you have SBX Pro Studio on and with headphones anyway (will find out on my 5.1 tomorrow after the fiancee is up lol) that the Bass setting hits harder all the way down to the left. Cranking it to the right flattens it out. Can anyone say backwards.

So my settings with cheapo $30 Creative Fatal1ty headset:
SBX Pro settings are as follows:
surround on and all the way to the right
Crystalizer on and all the way to the right
bass on and all the way left
crossover all the way to the left @10
smart on and loud
dialog plus on and @ 10%

Crystal Voice (Mic settings haven't even messed with it)

Scout mode (Didn't mess with it much as for music purposes it sucks LOL although it's not intended for that)

Speakers.headphones this is a given one or the other. Under headphones though you get no bass management which is lame

Cinematic (Digital shit I'm all analog so No encoder)

Mixer:
Speakers at 60% *I can adjust on my headset* The rest is input volumes and shit for the mic and digital inputs which I don't have

EQ: On and torn between Rock/Dance/Pop/and New Age they all sound good

Advanced Features (Creative went all out here:
Play stereo mix to digital output. I HAVE NONE DAMNIT so nothing under this for me.

So far after finding out my GameCom's suck and are old and dated I'm rather impressed over my XF-I Fatal1ty Titanium and would recommend the upgrade for anyone in the market for richer clearer sound. Although we all know if Creative would work on their software and drivers no one would need to upgrade as I believe it can all be done that way instead of slapping a different colored casing and light on a card and calling it something new. Then again they wouldn't be in business if they did this so yea. If someone could sign the new drivers for the Z to the older X-fi I'm quite sure the improvement in clarity would be night and day meaning what I said above is true and that it's not the hardware your paying for but the newer software and drivers.

Oh yea and when you get it all setup crank up your cans and watch the video that is built in. DAMN!!!

 

[GoldenTiger]

For those looking for one that isn't backordered a month+ right now ...

Newegg has this back in-stock @ $64.99 shipped.