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Go For The Audigy 4 ?????

S

Scroatdog

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 17, 2003
Messages
1,432
Currently, I'm running a Soundblaster Audigy Gamer, using the Audigy 2ZS hacked drivers. The sound is good and I get decent 5.1, but certain games that utilize EAX, such as Far Cry, don't work well sound-wise. I don't really feel like troubleshooting driver issues since I'm using hacked ones to begin with.

My 5.1 setup is the Cambridge Soundworks Megaworks 5.1, using the digital output from the Audigy to the speakers. Makes for less mess for one thing, only needing one wire.

Anyway, I am contemplating the Audigy 4. I think the breakout box and included Cubase software will force me back into picking up the guitar again and doing some recording and stuff. From what I have heard, there is a minimal improvement from the Audigy 2ZS to the Audigy 4. But from someone coming from an Audigy 1, would this be a worthwhile upgrade, and a noticeable increase in sound quality ???

Your thoughts?
 
based on reviews that i've read there is a significant improvement in sound quality but gaming support improvement is the same. You get EAX version 4 with all of the audigy 1 and up cards (if you're using the lastest drivers).
Now the Audigy 4 pro does come with a buttload of features but are they worth the price to YOU?
 
EAX in games doesn't work with the digital output. You need to use the analog outputs on the card to actually get surround sound in gaming :p

What's happening now is the Soundworks are doing all of your audio processing, the Audigy is just passing a digital signal. So given your current setup, you will see NO benefit with the Audigy 4 since you're not relying on the Audigy DAC in the first place. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet--
 
tenken said:
EAX in games doesn't work with the digital output. You need to use the analog outputs on the card to actually get surround sound in gaming :p

What's happening now is the Soundworks are doing all of your audio processing, the Audigy is just passing a digital signal. So given your current setup, you will see NO benefit with the Audigy 4 since you're not relying on the Audigy DAC in the first place. I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet--
Click to expand...


Huh??? I play games like Blackhawk Down and Joint Ops: Typhoon Rising, and they definitely sound like surround to me...... dialogue coming from the center channel, bullets whizzing by the rears.... granted, though, BHD does not use EAX, but I select the 5.1 option.

Are you saying I'm just short-changing myself right now by using the digital connection? If so, then why the hell do they even include it as an option???? Why include analog and digital outs, if EAX only works on the analog??? Please excuse my nOObish short-sightedness on the topic. I thought that using the digital connection was the way to go, and have used it on my current setup for the last two years.

[shakes head in disbelief] :confused:
 
Scroatdog said:
Huh??? I play games like Blackhawk Down and Joint Ops: Typhoon Rising, and they definitely sound like surround to me...... dialogue coming from the center channel, bullets whizzing by the rears.... granted, though, BHD does not use EAX, but I select the 5.1 option.

Are you saying I'm just short-changing myself right now by using the digital connection? If so, then why the hell do they even include it as an option???? Why include analog and digital outs, if EAX only works on the analog??? Please excuse my nOObish short-sightedness on the topic. I thought that using the digital connection was the way to go, and have used it on my current setup for the last two years.

[shakes head in disbelief] :confused:
Click to expand...

I believe your speakers support the proprietary digital output of the Sound Blaster line giving you 5.1 audio in games. Most speakers and receivers do not support this kind of output and only get stereo sound with games.
 
He's using an audigy, which use a minijack to send out the digital, there isn't anything proprietary about it. Now I do know the Cambridge speakers have had special inputs for the Creative cards before, but I don't think it applies here.

Scroat, I recommend you try the analog connections and see if they make any difference. Search the board to see why digital connection is only really useful if you have a high end home theater amp. It's not really worth it for digital PC speakers like the Cambridge and Logitech 680s. They include the digital connector for people who want to connect to amps, and unless you have a Soundstorm (or Dolby Digital Live) card the only surround sound you'll get through digital is in Dolby Digital and possibly DTS sound. Your digital sound may appear as surround in games if your speakers are upmixing the source into something like Dolby Pro Logic 2.

What's the exact model number of your speakers? The more information you give the better.
 
Exact model of my speakers are the Cambridge Soundworks (a division of Creative) Megaworks 510D.

And thanks for the reply.
 
tenken said:
He's using an audigy, which use a minijack to send out the digital, there isn't anything proprietary about it. Now I do know the Cambridge speakers have had special inputs for the Creative cards before, but I don't think it applies here.

Scroat, I recommend you try the analog connections and see if they make any difference. Search the board to see why digital connection is only really useful if you have a high end home theater amp. It's not really worth it for digital PC speakers like the Cambridge and Logitech 680s. They include the digital connector for people who want to connect to amps, and unless you have a Soundstorm (or Dolby Digital Live) card the only surround sound you'll get through digital is in Dolby Digital and possibly DTS sound. Your digital sound may appear as surround in games if your speakers are upmixing the source into something like Dolby Pro Logic 2.

What's the exact model number of your speakers? The more information you give the better.
Click to expand...
He's using DIN connection from Audigy to Cambridge speakers. He should get 5.1 surround just fine. Both Audigy card and Cambridge speakers support DIN connection (It's Creative's propriety digital connection, which is actually three uncompressed stereo SPDIF's = 6 discreet channels). There are not many speakers that support this type of connection, but the Cambridge Megaworks is one of them.
 
If hes using an audigy card with digital out to those creative speakers he is getting sorround. If he wanted to send that to a receiver that is when he would have problems... Those speakers are specifically designed with the audigy in mind.
 
Well I looked up the manual for these speakers and it looks like they're right, you should be getting 5.1 sound with the digital. I was aware of the older Cambridge speakers that could do this with a big DIN connection, but never noticed that they could do it with a simple minijack as well.

Still, Scroat's original problem was with strange sound in certain games. If it were me, I would atleast try the analog connections to see if they make a difference. Sorry for the confusion ;) If you're still having probs with the analog connection, then it may be worth saving up for a vanilla Aud2 ZS.
 
i would imagine that the skipping of 3 was a marketting tactic.
since you are using hacked drivers, why not try using the correct drivers to see if that resolves the problem?
 
XeRo_Dark said:
what happened to the audigy 3? any reason they skipped the #?
Click to expand...

Some tech site posed that question to creative and they said that as far as they were concerned the A2zs was the audigy3.
 
ashmedai said:
Funny that, 4's more often the number that gets skipped.
Click to expand...

that's cuz it's some bad number in japan or something like that.

that's why the thermal paste arctic silver never had a revision 4 for example.
 
Aesalon said:
that's cuz it's some bad number in japan or something like that.

that's why the thermal paste arctic silver never had a revision 4 for example.
Click to expand...
In China and HK, actually..
 
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