Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium HD Sound Card Review @ [H]

Any one have any issues installing this card?
I have a Gigabyte GA-P35 board and a XFX 5850. Do the horrible layout of the mobo and the size of the 5850 the only available PCIe slot is the 1st one. This one will not work because the X-FI card runs into the mem socket.

.....guess it is back to onboard audio.
 
I just looked at your board. I put mine on a Gigabyte board as well, and mine goes in that second PCI-E X1 slot. It will be on top of the battery, but it does not harm anything.
ri8ej7.jpg
 
If I understand your question correctly, there is a setting under the headphones tab of the audio console that will let you toggle what happens with the external speaker output when plugging in headphones.

DangerIsGo said:
Thanks Earl. By the way, how did you get sound to come out of the headphone jack and RCA jacks without having to unplug from the headphone jack?
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Anyone in this thread using JRiver Media Center? (JRMC) I drifted past some people talking about how the lastest version puts foobar2000 to bed. So I gave it a try, and setup the DAC section as recommended by the JRMC makers (http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/DAC_Settings) and output set to 192kHz

To me, the audio quality improvements in JRMC over foobar are subtle in some songs, but simply outstanding in others. All in all, I'd have to say if you have this card and a really good set of amps & transducers, you owe it to yourself to give it a quick whirl.

What disappoints me to no end, though, is the bloat that comes with JRMC. I mean, jesus--All I needed was a good app to play some flac files. Now I have to get into an app where I have to turn off all it's automatic scanning crap, and automatic file tagging, teamed with a cluttered interface that's trying to do too much....Just ugg. Win some battles. Lose others.
 
Rock&Roll said:
Anyone in this thread using JRiver Media Center? (JRMC) I drifted past some people talking about how the lastest version puts foobar2000 to bed. So I gave it a try, and setup the DAC section as recommended by the JRMC makers (http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/DAC_Settings) and output set to 192kHz

To me, the audio quality improvements in JRMC over foobar are subtle in some songs, but simply outstanding in others. All in all, I'd have to say if you have this card and a really good set of amps & transducers, you owe it to yourself to give it a quick whirl.

What disappoints me to no end, though, is the bloat that comes with JRMC. I mean, jesus--All I needed was a good app to play some flac files. Now I have to get into an app where I have to turn off all it's automatic scanning crap, and automatic file tagging, teamed with a cluttered interface that's trying to do too much....Just ugg. Win some battles. Lose others.
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Are you sure you set output to 192? The X-FI Titanium HD is only capable of 96 kHz playback on our test system with Windows 7 64 bit.

64gjup.jpg
 
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Edit #2 to clarify.

Here's what mine cpl looks like. Using drivers off the CD.
RKzE2.png


I've been testing back and forth with foobar in Wasapi (never liked ASIO) and JRMC. I keep hearing some discernible difference--Both between FB2K and JRMC, as well as the two wasapi modes within JRMC.

One track I think shows what I'm hearing the best is "Isn't a Pity" by George Harrison. In JRMC, the way his vocals fade at the end of each line don't "mud in" to the background like they do in FB2K. His vocal inflections at lower volume levels still shine through with definition. In FB2K, they just kind of fade into the rest of the mix, and it's harder to make out the details in these instances. As well percussion and highs just seem tighter, with everything having a more "in-order" sound.

Question still stands, if anyone else here is running JRMC
 
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I can't imagine why you'd be hearing a difference unless JRMC is altering the sound somehow. Can JRMC output a wav file so you could compare the output in Audacity or similar?

This probably isn't the best place to discuss it though, as it's a bit off the topic of the thread. :D
 
Well, you see. That's how I was thinking before i tried it. I figured, it's all just a pile of bits until it gets pooped out the back end of your sound card. So, therefore, it should all be equal. But, based on some audiophile blog's writeups, there's substance behind what's making the sound more detailed. Much is laid at the feet of the way the app is written, with features like playing song files from RAM instead of the HDD. And the way the program creates and destroys threads that work with WASAPI. Everything I've seen seems to back this up as being beneficial, instead of discredit it as marketing hype.

And, since the card isn't actually a 192kHz device (not sure why my cpl even allows the setting, or why playback works at those settings), I've notched it back to 96kHz. Still making the same observations between apps. Not that this should be surprising.
 
You may well be right but the ear is often easy to fool, that's why I suggested looking at it in an audio editor. It would rule out some possibilities.

All sound is played from RAM so I'm not sure what the blogs you've been looking at are getting at. WASAPI support I don't know about. Can't say I've looked into it, though I do use it in foobar. Maybe it's support is less than ideal. Comparing wav files would rule out other internal processing though, assuming they treat it the same as their other outputs (might be a big assumption). :)
 
Pick a song where you hear a difference, use the disk writer output for JRMC and the convert option in foobar to produce two wav files. You'd then import them into Audacity and...basically follow this:
http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic.php?p=15071#p15071

A simpler test may be to convert to wav in foobar then listen in JRMC and/or vice versa.

What file formats are you noticing the difference in? Are both players outputting at the same volume? foobar2000 lowers volume by default when no ReplayGain tags are present for instance.

I haven't tried it myself. I'm a bit reluctant to install JRMC, simply because it's the first I've heard of it (excuse my ignorance). I'll look into it some more though. :)
 
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I never run replay gain, since I haven't processed my 5000 flac files to have that metadata yet. Only running 44100kHz 16-bit flac's (need to go back and re-rip at 24-bits from EAC).

If you do choose to install it, i can tell you..the software could stand to have a version pared down to just an audio player. And it's not freeware like FB2K. So it's only a 30 day trial unless you want to shell out 50 bucks...Honestly, I've never bought a media app in my life. But I'm seriously considering buying this. Other than that, I didn't get any boogie man software of my HTPC by installing it. Also, if you don't want your HDD scanned, keep your eyes peeled to the lower left of the app on the first start, and stop the auto scan when it starts. Then go into options and fully disable it (there's an number of these automatic features). You won't have time to disable it in options before it starts automatically.

I finished doing the testing before I got done posting here... So here's what I found

First test, both apps were set to dump 96kHz 24-bit waves out (followed the instructions in audacity to the letter) This did give an output that had just some of the high frequency data that didn't match. Stuff above 2-3kHz it sounded like.

Did a second test where both apps dumped 44.1kHz 16-bit waves, since that's what the input flacs where anyways. Everything was a dead nuts match when comparing these two outputs...

So, all that does is basically conclude the DSP's work different between the apps, and that each program's disc writer works equivalently. This doesn't conclude if there's a difference in WASAPI outputs, or how each app interacts with your sound card.

So we're still left with the subjective. My ear tells me it's not placebo or loudness. I've done a crap load of A-B-ing. It's quite a difference. One sounds relatively dead compared to the other. If you do try it, I'm interested to know what you think.
 
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Well, I guess it has to be the way it outputs then, if anything.

Thanks for the heads up on the scanning. I started a disk check on my music drive so it couldn't access it on startup. :D I'm listening to some Miles Davis (FLAC) now through JRMC. This is on my main computer though. The one I use primarily for music with associated headphone amp and speakers is running Ubuntu, so I'm using my gaming headphones (Sennheiser HD497) for the listening as I don't quite trust the Titanium HD to drive a pair of AKG K701s. Maybe not the best test setup but I'll see if I notice anything.

Oh, and an answer to people about switching between headphones and speakers with the Titanium HD, it can't be done in software apparently:
http://forums.creative.com/t5/Sound...s-or-speakers-from-Windows/m-p/570909#M159579

edit: I'm inclined to say there is a difference but it seems to be present whether I'm using WASAPI or DirectSound, so either it's something else or I'm imagining it. I'll have to set something up to test it a bit more scientifically.

edit2: I tried recording from both players using the "What you hear" input and they both turned out the same*. So that leaves AB testing and recording from the lineout with a digital recorder and analysing the files. Either that or I give up. x) I can't help feeling this should be in its own thread though.

*There are periodic glitches in the wav diff but these are also present when recording from the same player twice, so I discounted them.
 
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I'm thinking about getting one of these cards. I use my windows machine mostly for gaming, and my MSI big bang xpower came with an OEM X-fi card. I'm using the optical out going to an Onkyo receiver and Mirage 5.1 components.

Do you guys think this card is a step up from the OEM X-fi board that my motherboard came with?
 
The card that came with your system is actually X-Fi based software that sits on top of your Realtek audio hardware. It is not a true X-FI. In the last year, separate riser cards have been made that at least reduce some of the electromagnetic interference that onboard audio experiences.
 
Since you're using optical out you won't gain anything from the better components in the card, or from reduced interference. You would see slightly lower CPU usage due to effects being processed in hardware but other than that, probably not much advantage.
 
Just installed mine after reading this thread. I can detect a HUGE difference in sound quality. It is much clearer and the overall tonal balance is far superior to that onboard fake x-fi setup I had. Thanks to the commenters in this thread!!!!

edit: Just a quick question: I get a strange error about Windows detecting that a driver for Audio Enhancements is causing a problem with the X-fi. What is this? It functions perfectly and games fine, so I just ignore it.
 
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I used to get that with my old Audigy 2 but not with the new card. Did you make sure the old drivers were completely removed before installing the new ones?
 
DefineByte said:
I used to get that with my old Audigy 2 but not with the new card. Did you make sure the old drivers were completely removed before installing the new ones?
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Well yeah, I used the control panel uninstaller to remove them. There are no other Realtek entries I can find. I ran a registry cleaner twice after to make sure and get everything out that it could find. I did it in this order:

Uninstall drivers
shut down and removed old audio riser card, inserted X-fi titanium
reboot, installed downloaded driver
restarted
installed Control Panel

Like I said I'm happy as hell with it, it's flawless in games and everything sounds WAY better. That little popup is just annoying. It only happens if I click on the volume button at the bottom (which I don't do very often anyway). Just wish I knew the source of it.
 
Earl, this may be a tough one to answer but i'd appreciate your thoughts. for someone like me that is looking for a sound card strictly for gaming (no music or movies), would you recommend the Titanium HD over the original X-fi Titanium? does the HD justify essentially double the cost? i see in the review that you compare to the X-fi Titanium Fatality Pro and say that there's no going back, but i'm curious what you think when strictly considering gaming and the large price difference. would my fairly low-end HD280 PRO headphones expose the Titanium HD's superior sound quality?
 
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I'm still trying to decide between a Xonar Essence STX and the X-Fi Titanium HD. I use my PC primarily for gaming, alternating between a z-5500 5.1 set and my old Bose Triports (hey, they were free) though I plan on getting either the Sennheiser HD558 or HD598. I would say that I use the speakers mainly on weekends when I am playing during the day, but the headphones are used for several hours every night after my wife goes to sleep. I do currently have an X-Fi Xtremegamer something or other, but I've been ogling these two cards with their headphone amps for a while.

On to my questions!
1) Does anyone have any general recommendations? STX, Titanium HD, or something else entirely (Omega eClaro)?

2) I'm a bit worried that outputting the 5.1 sound via DDL or DTS to the z-5500s will have an annoying delay. Has anyone noticed this, and if so, how bad is it?

3) A previous post had mentioned that it was annoying to hear the sound from headphones followed by speakers, so does muting the headphones make the delay bearable?

4) Is the delay problem less apparent on one of these cards vs the other?

5) Assuming that the Titanium HD works as well for games as my existing X-Fi, are there any issues with EAX enabled games and the STX (Thief: The Dark Project is still one of my favorites)?

6) I'm aware that the z-5500s aren't the greatest of quality, but would shoving the 5.1 signal to them via DDL/DTS cause any noticeable audio quality degradation?
 
jgreath said:
I'm still trying to decide between a Xonar Essence STX and the X-Fi Titanium HD. I use my PC primarily for gaming, alternating between a z-5500 5.1 set and my old Bose Triports (hey, they were free) though I plan on getting either the Sennheiser HD558 or HD598. I would say that I use the speakers mainly on weekends when I am playing during the day, but the headphones are used for several hours every night after my wife goes to sleep. I do currently have an X-Fi Xtremegamer something or other, but I've been ogling these two cards with their headphone amps for a while.

On to my questions!
1) Does anyone have any general recommendations? STX, Titanium HD, or something else entirely (Omega eClaro)?

2) I'm a bit worried that outputting the 5.1 sound via DDL or DTS to the z-5500s will have an annoying delay. Has anyone noticed this, and if so, how bad is it?

3) A previous post had mentioned that it was annoying to hear the sound from headphones followed by speakers, so does muting the headphones make the delay bearable?

4) Is the delay problem less apparent on one of these cards vs the other?

5) Assuming that the Titanium HD works as well for games as my existing X-Fi, are there any issues with EAX enabled games and the STX (Thief: The Dark Project is still one of my favorites)?

6) I'm aware that the z-5500s aren't the greatest of quality, but would shoving the 5.1 signal to them via DDL/DTS cause any noticeable audio quality degradation?
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1) no answer from me, but I'm sure others will, especially the anti-Creative team.
2) That depends on the z5500, there's probably no from those when feeding them digital signals. There is no delay from the soundcard when outputing the digital signal, so any possible delay would be on the speaker side.
3) ---
4) ---
5) If you feed the digital signal to the speakers, then the DAC on the speakers do the conversion to audio, if you did the usual analog connections, then it would be the soundcard's DAC. The DAC on any of the soundcards you mensioned earlier may not be the best in the world, but they're pretty damn good, and most likely better than the DAC built in the z-5500.
 
Maybe I'll just skip the new card and pick up a separate headphone amp. That lets me keep the analog outputs for the surround set and gives my headphones a bit of a boost.

Thanks for answering, though!
 
I dont know if i have to read all 18 pages to find this answer..

how the hell do i connect my Klipsch 2.1 ProMedia speaker set to this killer sound card? Or is it not possible, unless I buy a RCA to 1/8" jack adapter??

From the review??

We also used a set of Klipsch 2.1 speakers and subwoofer for testing the two RCA stereo outputs on the back of the X-FI Titanium HD as the card has no other analog outputs.
 
plac said:
I dont know if i have to read all 18 pages to find this answer..

how the hell do i connect my Klipsch 2.1 ProMedia speaker set to this killer sound card? Or is it not possible, unless I buy a RCA to 1/8" jack adapter??

From the review??

We also used a set of Klipsch 2.1 speakers and subwoofer for testing the two RCA stereo outputs on the back of the X-FI Titanium HD as the card has no other analog outputs.
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the sound card comes with an RCA-to-1/8" cable right? in addition, what would happen if you connected the speakers directly to the 1/8" Headphone output?
 
Porter_ said:
the sound card comes with an RCA-to-1/8" cable right? in addition, what would happen if you connected the speakers directly to the 1/8" Headphone output?
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The card came with a RCA-to-1/8" cable, but the opposite of what i need. A male 1/8". I need a female 1/8 to plug my Klipsch harness into. Maybe a female to female 1/8 adapter might work?

Also.. my Antec 900 front headphone header has a lot of static with nothing even playing on my headphones. I move my headphones to the back headphone jack, (which wont reach my desk), and its fine. I guess my header is cheap or something.
 
Incidentally.. the hiss noise from my front PC audio header only happens on my Monster Beats Noise Cancelling headphones. On my $10 headphones I hear no noise. And no noise on my Beats into the rear headphone jack.

Here are pics showing the X-fi Titanium does not block the fan on a Diamond HD6950 video card:

xfititanium1.jpg


xfititanium2.jpg


xfititanium3.jpg
 
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My Antec 900 front header wire harness has two audio plugs. AC97 or HD Audio. Which one do I plug into this X-fi Titanium card? The HD Audio makes more sense, but I want to make sure.
 
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i haven't used the front header on a case in a long time so i don't recall which you should use, but i previously owned that case and i believe the owner's manual will sort it out for you. i don't think you'll be happy with the sound quality from the front header, particularly from the Antec 900. try it out and see for yourself, but expect lots of electromagnetic interference.
 
Porter_ said:
i haven't used the front header on a case in a long time so i don't recall which you should use, but i previously owned that case and i believe the owner's manual will sort it out for you. i don't think you'll be happy with the sound quality from the front header, particularly from the Antec 900. try it out and see for yourself, but expect lots of electromagnetic interference.
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IMHO, the front header should only be used as an occasional quick tap for audio.

The best way to get the quality sound you deserve to get from a quality sound card is to use a quality set of high impedance headphones with an external headphone amp hooked to the rear line level outputs.

I am currently between headphone amps, but I use a set of Beyerdynamic DT770 pro's and I am very happy with them. (In fact the first time I put them on after upgrading from my mid 90s era Sony MDR-CD250's I was AMAZED how much detail I had previously been missing using what I thought were pretty good headphones...)
 
Porter_ said:
i haven't used the front header on a case in a long time so i don't recall which you should use, but i previously owned that case and i believe the owner's manual will sort it out for you. i don't think you'll be happy with the sound quality from the front header, particularly from the Antec 900. try it out and see for yourself, but expect lots of electromagnetic interference.
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that is great info. That explains why my headphones had a lot of static when i plugged them into my front header. Yet no static when plugged into the back of the card itself. The problem is, my headphone cord wont reach from the back of my PC all the way to my ears..

so another question.. does the headphone sound quality degrade if instead of direct into the card, I put my headphones into the Klipsch headphone jack on the side of the speaker? Would that filter the prestine sound thru the Klipsche amplifier in the subwoofer and color my sound?

STILL looking for an answer to my most important question tho... how do i connect my Klipsch 2.1 set to my Titanium HD sound card. The connectors dont match. Adapters? And will adapters degrade my sound noticably?
 
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plac, i'm receiving this sound card today and here's my plan for hooking everything up (be it right or wrong):

X-Fi Titanium HD 1/8" headphone jack -> Creative itrigue 3400 2.1 Speakers (typical, poor quality PC speakers) -> HD280 headphones connected through the itrigue volume pod headphone jack.

in theory i should see some degradation in sound quality since i'm not connecting my headphones directly to the back of the sound card. i currently have it set up this way with my X-fi Titanium (vanilla) sound card. i've tested while in-game going from directly connected to the back of the sound card to the speaker volume pod and i don't notice any difference. so i think that means either:
A) the itrigue volume pod has pretty decent audio pass-though and does not degrade sound quality
B) my HD280 headphones are not high-end enough to expose the sound degradation so i don't ever hear it
C) i'm blessed without 'audiophile' ears and can't hear the difference, ignorance is bliss :p

i'm guessing it's a combination of B and C. i'm curious to see if i get the same results with the Titanium HD sound card.
 
Porter_ said:
X-Fi Titanium HD 1/8" headphone jack -> Creative itrigue 3400 2.1 Speakers (typical, poor quality PC speakers) -> HD280 headphones connected through the itrigue volume pod headphone jack.
Click to expand...

that makes sense, and that is how my Klipsch are currently hooked up. (Into my cards headphone jack instead of the proper RCA outs.) HOWEVER, I think I read that the headphone jack uses a different amplifier than the RCA outs, and that the RCA amp is a little higher sound quality. That is why I want to find out if I should get a female-to-female 1/8" adapter so i can use my RCA outs instead..
 
If you can find someone to replace the Op-Amps on the soundcard, it will sound soooo much better IMO. You could even do it yourself if you know how to solder
 
Adam2013 said:
If you can find someone to replace the Op-Amps on the soundcard, it will sound soooo much better IMO. You could even do it yourself if you know how to solder
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you dont need to solder.. you just plug them in. but someone like me wouldnt notice the difference replacing them anyway.
 
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