Disappointed with X-Fi

[Zorn]

Now that eVGA fixed the X-Fi issue with their SLI motherboard, I went out and bought a Creative X-Fi, after having read all the fantastic reviews, with comments such as "music sounds like you just pulled out earplugs" To be perfectly honest, I can't tell any difference at all when listening to music or playing games compared to the nForce4 built in audio. Maybe it's because I have a 2.1 speaker setup instead of surround or headphones. I'm just not impressed at all given the $129 cost of entry.

I'm really just thinking about returning this. Is it worth keeping at all? Will the X-fi processor help my frame rates by taking work off the CPU? Or is it just not worth it if I can't hear the difference the reviewers have swooned over?

 

[hek1]

Did you try that crystalizer for your music?

If you did, then well i suggest you just go ahead and return it

 

[Svperstar]

You know you have the money to spend looking at your sig so I think it would be a good idea for you to get some hi end audio gear. You can read all about good headphones, heaphone amps, sources, and all that jazz at www.head-fi.com

If you are listening on 2.1 speakers, especially cheap ones(I didn't see which ones you have) you might not notice a difference.

FYI 5.1 computer speakers aren't really high end if you want to hear good music and such, but you can get some audiophile headphones and really let it shine.

 

[Mister X]

You lost me:
what does the other gear he has in his sig have to do with head-Fi, headphones, headphone amps, sources and all that jazz?
And how does that relate to why he can't tell a difference between his old card and the X-fi?

If you are listening on 2.1 speakers, especially cheap ones(I didn't see which ones you have) you might not notice a difference.

Well said.

 

[Svperstar]

You lost me:
what does the other gear he has in his sig have to do with head-Fi, headphones, headphone amps, sources and all that jazz?
And how does that relate to why he can't tell a difference between his old card and the X-fi?

Well I might have said it backwards as your reply kinda shows

I am thinking he might not hear the difference on low end gear, and since he already has like all high end computer parts it is not a big leap in logic to think he could also afford some nice headphones, or maybe look into expensive speakers, thats all

 

[Mister X]

K that makes sense.
Thanks for explaining it to me in my diminished state.
(been soldering for 5 hours )

 

[bratboy]

K that makes sense.
Thanks for explaining it to me in my diminished state.
(been soldering for 5 hours )

LOL quit sniffing the Flux

 

[Zorn]

You know you have the money to spend looking at your sig so I think it would be a good idea for you to get some hi end audio gear. You can read all about good headphones, heaphone amps, sources, and all that jazz at www.head-fi.com

If you are listening on 2.1 speakers, especially cheap ones(I didn't see which ones you have) you might not notice a difference.

FYI 5.1 computer speakers aren't really high end if you want to hear good music and such, but you can get some audiophile headphones and really let it shine.

I actually have a Bose 321GS HT System hooked up to my computer :x

 

[Sanitarium]

I actually have a Bose 321GS HT System hooked up to my computer :x

That could be the problem then.

 

[johto]

Haha, really?

 

[Svperstar]

I actually have a Bose 321GS HT System hooked up to my computer :x

Yeah that could be a problem, Bose doesn't make very good speakers

Ask about those on a speaker forum, Bose has a horrible reputation. They spend more on marketing than all other speaker companies combined then skimp on the actual hardware.

 

[Xeero]

well honestly, you really expected ur music to sound tons better? if you read closely, you will notice many of us state the x-fi as more of a gaming card instead of a music card. also, the biggest improvement for the x-fi over the a2zs is the headphone cmss technology and the better cmss for 2.1. also yeah bose, just yeah... they are bose..... what can we say?

 

[dderidex]

Yeah that could be a problem, Bose doesn't make very good speakers

Ask about those on a speaker forum, Bose has a horrible reputation. They spend more on marketing than all other speaker companies combined then skimp on the actual hardware.

'Course, that IS the best way to sell to the mass market. Without the means to compare actual performance, they simply rely on marketting to provide product knowledge. (And, thus, that's what retail stores cater to, and what people buy, etc)

"No highs, no lows, must be Bose"

 

[johto]

'Course, that IS the best way to sell to the mass market. Without the means to compare actual performance, they simply rely on marketting to provide product knowledge. (And, thus, that's what retail stores cater to, and what people buy, etc)

"No highs, no lows, must be Bose"

At least there should be mids then

 

[Pinipig523]

At least there should be mids then

Nope.... not even mids.

Get better speakers, get a better amp (go separate), use lossless, and use the xfi's non-sampling digital out (to an outboard dac perhaps) and you will get music as good as possible.

Other than that, I'm sure the x-fi improved on your system - you just need to know what to look for.

 

[bob]

I can say, that my onboard RealTek sound chip sucks. So does all of the ones I have listened to (so far). I would have kept on using my 1992 SB16 that I bought when it was only a few years old, but my mobo has no ISA slots.

No, it wasnt any average plain SB16 card. This thing kicked some ass. Microphone gain was incredibly sensitive and good sounding, the output on it didnt crap out and sound crackley/quiet.

I have a nice older kenwood amplifier/receiver, a pair of 1970s pioneer mini-fridge sized speakers, a few subs. Im very dissapointed in onboard audio. Its cheap, no matter which way you look at it.

But if you have some garbage wallmart special speakers.. Mmm... Might want to replace em.

 

[soulsaver_8229]

isnt it true that onboard sound takes 10pct cpu usage or something near that?

soulsaver

 

[Kevin Lowe]

isnt it true that onboard sound takes 10pct cpu usage or something near that?

soulsaver

It's not that bad anymore. It takes as much CPU time as it used to, but CPUs are much faster now, so the percentage hit is lower.

Still, I'd rather have dedicated sound hardware, just for the latest positional tech.

 

[FaRKle0079]

Yeah Bose is garbage unfortunately. All show no go. EXTREMELY warm mids, muddy sloppy lows, highs very airy.

 

[ittech]

when i moved my egosys 192x card out of my main game machine to my home theater room i replaced it with an x-fi music

it's not as good as the studio cards, but less money, and does EAX for games.

Crystalizer is shit, so are most of the settings in the cards...

Set it to "audio creation mode" then bit-matching output. This will bypass the card's eq/bass/craptalizer/cmss3d/lossyresampling which you can't turn all off otherwise.

EAX will still work and it sounds great with music.


I'm using a kimber cable direct from the x-fi to an x-can v2 (class a) with modded tubes/caps/psu, Sennheiser HD650's with equinox cable... then dimarzio cables to the creek 5350se integrated amp (class a) to some soliloquy 5.0i monitors (high class-c/low class-b) with tara labs biwire cables.

So I'm extremely happy with the X-Fi considering it's benefits over pro sound cards and coming pretty darn close in quality.

 

[Marduk]

I'm disappointed as well....I finally got the X-Fi Fatality I pre-ordered at Quakecon...and I can't use it for god knows how long.


I want some damned X64 drivers!

 

[Donnie27]

Now that eVGA fixed the X-Fi issue with their SLI motherboard, I went out and bought a Creative X-Fi, after having read all the fantastic reviews, with comments such as "music sounds like you just pulled out earplugs" To be perfectly honest, I can't tell any difference at all when listening to music or playing games compared to the nForce4 built in audio. Maybe it's because I have a 2.1 speaker setup instead of surround or headphones. I'm just not impressed at all given the $129 cost of entry.

I'm really just thinking about returning this. Is it worth keeping at all? Will the X-fi processor help my frame rates by taking work off the CPU? Or is it just not worth it if I can't hear the difference the reviewers have swooned over?

I have the X-Fi XM and like it a lot. IMHO if you don't like it, take it back. It has nothing to do with the rest of your system. You buy stuff to please YOUR ears (hearing) and not anyone else's. It's said that no two people hear or preceive sounds the same way.

Before I really played with and learned the settings, I almost took my X-Fi back. I'm now glad I didn't. Limited connections and Prices are the only real complaint I have.

Donnie27

 

[zoinks]

i returned my x-fi extreme. it sounded worse than my onboard realtek, which makes me think there was a problem with the card. i'll pass on creative products from now on...along with their software.

my new audio card may be the best i've heard yet. there have been quite a few people from what i've read who returned their x-fi's.

 

[dandragonrage]

Bose is at least better than the speakers that you might get with a Dell, or that you might buy for $10-$20, etc...

 

[legcramp]

well realtek ac97 on my nforce3 board is crap compared to an audigy 2 ZS ;P

 

[Soul.Survivor]

Love the FataL1n3hyt0r FPS but hate the drive bay and the cost. Also hate the modified IDE cable used to connect the two but I am about 99.9999999% sure a 40 pin IDE cable will work to connect them.

 

[Asgorath]

Best advice I can give you to achieve an startingly beautiful sound....

ebay your current computer speakers

buy a pair of paradigm Atoms or paradigm titans
optional: buy a matching paradigm 8" sub
optional optional: buy the matching paradigm center channel
NOTE: Make sure you buy the shielded version of these speakers

buy a decent amplifier. This can be a reciever, stand alone amp, seperates, whatever. In my opinion Denon, Yamaha, Outlaw Audio (higher end), old school Pioneer (pre-80's), marantz, and a few others make good recievers. or go on diyaudio.com and get someone to make you a nice gainclone with however many channels you need.

listen and have fun. You'll notice worlds of difference. These speakers are astounding for the diminutive price (~$200/pair).

Or go the headphone route with a pair of grado SR120's/80's.

 

[Kevin Lowe]

Love the FataL1n3hyt0r FPS but hate the drive bay and the cost. Also hate the modified IDE cable used to connect the two but I am about 99.9999999% sure a 40 pin IDE cable will work to connect them.

It used to. However, plugging it in one way worked perfectly. Plugging it in the other way let the magic smoke out.

 

[Kek]

And onboard sound seems prone to picking up noise from inside the case. That's my main complaint with it (apart from my nVidia onboard APU not doing anything unless I use SP/DIF, I'm still a bit angry about that...)

Someone mentioned "Gratos". I've got a pair of Allesandro Grado MS-1s, they sound bright, but good, but I'm worried that they might give me cauliflowered ears! Seriously, it takes quite some usage before your ears toughen up to the point where they don't hurt like hell after 30 minutes of usage. How can they sell these like this? They have almost no padding on the earpieces! And it costs $30 for flatpads to solve the problem that should never have been?


But yeah, everybody has a model of headphones that they prefer, that's a topic in itself.

 

[FaRKle0079]

Bose is at least better than the speakers that you might get with a Dell, or that you might buy for $10-$20, etc...

Then again those speakers didn't cost $10-$20... altho they're definately probably worth that much only.

Someone mentioned "Gratos". I've got a pair of Allesandro Grado MS-1s, they sound bright, but good, but I'm worried that they might give me cauliflowered ears! Seriously, it takes quite some usage before your ears toughen up to the point where they don't hurt like hell after 30 minutes of usage. How can they sell these like this? They have almost no padding on the earpieces! And it costs $30 for flatpads to solve the problem that should never have been?


But yeah, everybody has a model of headphones that they prefer, that's a topic in itself.

They sell because people love the sound. Same reason why they still use cardboard boxes... Hell I don't care if they hurt my ears, I love the Grado sound! (putting some beyer pads on there is the ultimate solution. mmm fuzziness!)

 

[Asgorath]

Then again those speakers didn't cost $10-$20... altho they're definately probably worth that much only.



They sell because people love the sound. Same reason why they still use cardboard boxes... Hell I don't care if they hurt my ears, I love the Grado sound! (putting some beyer pads on there is the ultimate solution. mmm fuzziness!)

Yep. Crappy earpads, crappy headband, old school look. But fantastic sound! They need to be modified to be used, but I love my SR-80's

 

[ittech]

Best deal in headphones.... Sennheiser HD580's

you should run them with an amp... get a little creek amp OBH-11 or used tube amp from audiogon.


$10k speaker sound for $300

I loved my 600's which were basically 580's... 650's are better slightly but pretty spendy for headphones and you still need an amp.

Grado's are good too but I prefer sennheiser open ear phones, 580/600/650 to anything that costs less than $1000 in headphones. senn's are much more comforable too.

 

[Asgorath]

Best deal in headphones.... Sennheiser HD580's

you should run them with an amp... get a little creek amp OBH-11 or used tube amp from audiogon.


$10k speaker sound for $300

I loved my 600's which were basically 580's... 650's are better slightly but pretty spendy for headphones and you still need an amp.

Grado's are good too but I prefer sennheiser open ear phones, 580/600/650 to anything that costs less than $1000 in headphones. senn's are much more comforable too.

Grado's are for people who demand crystal clear treble. Senns are much more comfortable and kind of even out the treble without destroying it. Easier listening headphones. I gotta admit, I have to take a break from my grado's every now and then.

 

[ittech]

Grado's are for people who demand crystal clear treble. Senns are much more comfortable and kind of even out the treble without destroying it. Easier listening headphones. I gotta admit, I have to take a break from my grado's every now and then.

yeah, depends what you prefer really... I don't like electrostats like martin logans... they're accurate but they can be too accurate for most recordings and lacking in the other ranges.

I've got 2 channel towers that do 22hz > 20khz with minute variance... picked them because they were most like the sennheisers in tower form, 3.5 way, very clean, etc. Of course they're over 10x more expensive than the senns i have.

high end audio is a disease.. be happy with bose

 

[dandragonrage]

$10k speaker sound for $300

No. $10k speakers can put out bass.

 

[ittech]

No. $10k speakers can put out bass.

My sennheisers put out bass down to 16hz. it's not shake you up felt bass, but it's there and you can hear it.

 

[dandragonrage]

My sennheisers put out bass down to 16hz. it's not shake you up felt bass, but it's there and you can hear it.

You can't hear 16Hz... and feeling the bass is important to lots of people - for example, me.

 

[ittech]

You can't hear 16Hz... and feeling the bass is important to lots of people - for example, me.

I can feel it in my ears when I play tone sweeps and/or pipe organs.

the speakers that I have actually don't "slam" as much as my old crappy speakers since there's a ton less distortion under 50hz, but the bass in the recording is there. most "high end" speakers don't have the rocking bass most people expect out of standard speakers.

 

[iRoNeTiK]

is your music with 128bit (or 192 blah) mp3s or cds? Cuz mp3 suck on high end speakers. We have paradigm 7.1 speakers in my house and I play my mp3s on it..makes it sound like crap but sounds fine on my midrange pc speakers. But i guess there is a difference between 150 dollar pc speakers and 6000 dollar speakers lol.

 

[BBA]

I can feel it in my ears when I play tone sweeps and/or pipe organs.

the speakers that I have actually don't "slam" as much as my old crappy speakers since there's a ton less distortion under 50hz, but the bass in the recording is there. most "high end" speakers don't have the rocking bass most people expect out of standard speakers.

Thats why the only high end speakers I like are Klipschorns.