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X-Fi

S

Seizure Explosion

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
116
Alright I'm sure this has been asked plenty a time before (once by me even but I didn't get a good answer so I'll refine my question) but I need to know about the Mic/Optical out jack on the X-Fi extreme music.

It is a "flexijack," which is a cheap way to say they didn't put enough jacks on the damn thing for all your devices :rolleyes:

So if I want to use the mic jack for my speakers, is there another jack I could use to plug in a mic or will I be left micless? Or is there adapter that will split that one jack into two? Thanks for your responses.
 
It looks very questionable from the pictures, so I suppose its a one-or-the-other jack. Either that or you could get the Platinum kit with the front panel stuff and that should have a mic jack on it, which even though it might be a priecy, inconvienent move, it might be the only way to be able to use both features from that jack. It just dosnt seem to state in the documentation that theres a way to split it, or even if it was meant to be split.
 
Seizure Explosion said:
It is a "flexijack," which is a cheap way to say they didn't put enough jacks on the damn thing .
Click to expand...


Well...when you buy the cheapest model...go figure, is it the card being cheap?

But, you can internally connect the jacks found on the front panel on most every case available.
You can find the pin connections pretty easily...just google it.
 
now this 5.25" device that comes with the higher models... It has knobs. This will prevent my case door from shutting. Presumedly there is no way to remover these knobs. Ergo I buy the lower one ergo I am micless ergo while my surround sound will be top notch indeed, my smile will fade as I yell into an unresponsive mic.

Or could I plug my mic directly into the mobo like I'm doing now?
 
you can have either / or. If you use it for a digital connection.. you flick on digital output in your sound settings... then it's a coax digital connection. If not you can just plug a normal mic into it. I have to use a usb mic since I use the flexijack for my digital connection.
 
Here is the pin layout of the internal fornt panel jack header pins, it's the same as Audigy 2's:


1 - Analog Ground
2 - Analog Headphone Out Left
3 - Audio Backpanel Mute -- short to ground to mute the backpanel (when headphones are plugged in)
4 - Analog Headphone Out Right
5 - same as #3
6 - Mic input from front panel
7 - No Connection
8 - VREF out -- voltage reference for Mic
9 - MIC IN MUTE -- ground when mic isn't plugged in, +12VDC when mic is plugged in
10 - Audio cable detect -- will be ground when headphones are plugged in (not normally used)
 
BBA said:
Well...when you buy the cheapest model...go figure, is it the card being cheap?

But, you can internally connect the jacks found on the front panel on most every case available.
You can find the pin connections pretty easily...just google it.
Click to expand...
First, please don't take this as a flame as it's not intended that way. So many people are too quick to judge on the forums. I'd be happy to discuss this with you though!

Well, I actually think it is the card being cheap. Or, more appropriately, it's Creative's way of making more money. If a motherboard that costs $120 can have a digital output + 6 Channel output + a Mic input then I would think a soundcard could also (referring to an Abit NF7-S rev. 2 just as an example). Creative has stated many times that adding a DD decoder would have increased costs, and while I agree, it still would be a nice feature to have on a soundcard as expensive as this. If anything, the least the company could do is include the adapter for the flex-jack! It's a $4 part...talk about cutting corners. That's almost as bad as buying a $200 printer and having to buy the USB cable separate.

If he wants to use the digital output and still be able to use the microphone jack, then he will need something like this: http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=16&product=14191. Last I checked, it's not available yet...should be soon though.

Or

He could just buy a USB mic (such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836111601). I use this setup (USB Mic & Analog connections...which leaves my digital out free if I so choose), and this Mic works very well!

I just don't think one should have to spend over $300 to get that kind of functionality. Could he do it for less? Sure, but who the heck plugs their digital out in the front of their computer case? I have doors on all of mine, and the last thing I want is a cable sticking out.

Aside from all that above, right now I currently have the X-Fi (XtremeMusic) plugged in through the analog connection and I can tell you that there is no reason to use the digital output...the sound is fantastic! It is definitely better than Soundstorm. Give it a try, it may seem counter-intuitive, but I'll admit, I'm impressed.
 
LongShotHero said:
USB mic?
Click to expand...
Great call, I updated my above post to include that. I actually forgot to mention that I too use this very same mic and love it. This way I never have to worry about the flex-jack on the X-Fi :D.
 
_Durandal_ said:
First, please don't take this as a flame as it's not intended that way. So many people are too quick to judge on the forums. I'd be happy to discuss this with you though!
Click to expand...

You didn't read the rest of my post or my second one where I all but spell out it can be done for FREE using the jacks that damn near every case comes with.

You judging CL, when in fact they tell you exactly what you get when you buy it.
 
BBA said:
You didn't read the rest of my post or my second one where I all but spell out it can be done for FREE using the jacks that damn near every case comes with.

You judging CL, when in fact they tell you exactly what you get when you buy it.
Click to expand...
I did read your posts. While it's a free fix, I sure as hell wouldn't want my microphone sticking out of the front of my case...but maybe that's just me. Creative Labs is cutting corners like a lot of other companies out there. If you want both jacks, they make you pay for it...sad when it used to be standard on the Audigy 2.
 
I agree with Durandle here...it is either getting a 5.25" device with all the features the card itself should have in the first place or having limited functionality.
 
Yea...right...cheap ol CL. You should bhave bought a cheaper via card instead.

BTW: You dont have to have the free mod mic jack sticking out the front of the case either.
Be creative...

(no pun intended.:D )
 
Durandal and others, seriously do not bother arguing with BBA about anything X-Fi related. It is his personal Jesus Christ. Anyone that dares say anything remotely negative about the X-Fi he attacks viciously, calls them cheap and ignorant blah blah.

If you insist on backing up your arguments with logic he cannot counter he flames you in PMs and puts you on ignore.

Just don't waste your time.
 
cslogical said:
Is the X-fi Fatal1ty soundcard worth it over an Audigy 2z?
Click to expand...

The consensus is yes, the sound quality jump and the added features are worth it.

However the Xram is pretty much reguarded as a gimmick by just about everyone that has reviewed it, and putting the money you would spend on the X-Fi FPS into any other component on your PC would probably be a better investment IMO.

I say get the Extreme music and call it good
 
Svperstar said:
Durandal and others, seriously do not bother arguing with BBA about anything X-Fi related. It is his personal Jesus Christ. Anyone that dares say anything remotely negative about the X-Fi he attacks viciously, calls them cheap and ignorant blah blah.

If you insist on backing up your arguments with logic he cannot counter he flames you in PMs and puts you on ignore.

Just don't waste your time.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Noted for future posts! Look forward to talking w/ you though (in some post perhaps).
 
I got my Audigy 2 ZS when it was a newer card, so it cost me a good $160. The sound quality is superb even from the analog connections. In my opinion, the X-Fi isnt worth it, then again, I havent sampled the X-Fi to give a good comparison. Even so I still dont see the point in spending more than you need to on one of these.
 
Does hooking the case mic/headphones directly to the card pins really work?

I had been meaning to mess with it but completely forgot.
 
/\ /\ /\
oh, I just figured they would think of a way to keep you from doing that. Otherwise why buy the upgrade with the front panel?
 
Sheldog23 said:
Does hooking the case mic/headphones directly to the card pins really work?

I had been meaning to mess with it but completely forgot.
Click to expand...

Will the pins work...yes, they are there for use in OEM cases like the HP, and will work for anyone who wants to connect them.
 
svperstar...

I have made nothing but valid comments that are accurate.

If you feel the need to talk bad about someone, do it in a PM.

Bringing your trash to the forum and swaying it completely off topic is not exactly in the forum rules.
 
I have got Fatal1ty and like it a lot. 64MB of extra RAM just for sound in games simply makes sense to me. It's not like having just 64 MB of RAM in mem slot because OS assigns memory in certain sequence of priorities. Sound is not high priority for OS, but it is high priority for me ;)
Nothing wrecks gaming worse then sound drop-outs and if you want max settings these may occur. Lowering settings sacrifizes sound. XRAM is an option that allows to avoid that without making any compromises on sound quality.
True, there are just 2 titles at the moment that address X-RAM. But that's not bad given the fact X-Fi has just came. I am sure future games will use X-RAM, because this way card offloads the whole system and entirely takes care of sound. Keeping sounds in this huge cache lowers traffic on the PCI bus, too, which is good.
I am not saying X-RAM is a holy grail I am just saying there are merits.
I don't think X-RAM is a gimmick. (Karaoke feature is, though :p)
 
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