Review of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD external sound card. Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sound card review Creative sb x fi sound card

Facebook

Any more or less big-budget game makes certain demands on the player’s technology - a more powerful processor, a larger monitor, better acoustics. A decent sound card is also vital. The audio codecs built into motherboards certainly do their job, but you shouldn’t expect much from them.

With sound cards in the form of separate boards, everything is dull. WITH EAX 5.0 Only series cards work X-Fi from Creative, for others only the outdated specification is available EAX 2.0. As you can see, there are no or almost no alternatives to Creative products.

For some time now, it has entered the sound card market ASUS. Not long ago she introduced a sound card Xonar DX- with a new PCIe x1 interface, higher quality components and support for all EAX effects. With all this, the new product is no more expensive X-Fi Xtreme Gamer.

We've thoroughly tested the Xonar DX and compared it to . It costs significantly more than the X-Fi Xtreme Gamer, but only due to the presence of an external unit with connectors and a remote control included in the package, so everything is fair.

Dictionary

Frequency range- frequency band that the source can reproduce. A person hears sounds with a frequency from 20 to 22,000 Hz.

Sampling- the process of converting an analog signal into a digital one.

Sampling frequency- a parameter showing how many times a second the sound wave is read. The higher the sampling rate, the wider the range of frequencies that can be recorded. To accurately capture audio up to 22 kHz, the sampling frequency must be 44.1 kHz.

DAC- digital-to-analog converter, necessary to output sound to speakers.

ADC- analog-to-digital converter , required for recording.

Signal to noise ratio- ratio of useful signal power to noise level. The higher this indicator, the less noise there will be at the output.

Beat in sound- step with which sound wave values can be taken. With a 16-bit processor, the wave can be divided into 65,536 segments, with 24 bits - into 16,777,216.

Round 1: Inside Look

By 2005, Creative had lost the budget sound card market to built-in codecs. We had to come to terms with this, and as a result, the company switched to more expensive solutions. As a result of this change in course, the X-Fi (Xtreme Fidelity) chip saw the light of day; it surpassed in power Audigy 24 times.

X-Fi has enormous capabilities: four cores work with sound at once, they calculate streams in parallel; the number of effects and ways to process the audio stream is more than enough; Moreover, the processor power allows you to do all this in real time. Creative is especially proud of the X-Fi architecture - previously, sound was passed through a strictly defined chain of effects, with the advent of technology Audio Ring it is sent to the bus, to which only the necessary modules are connected. This approach not only relieves the processor, but also allows you to get rid of unnecessary effects.

Alas, there was a fly in the ointment: the X-Fi series sound cards use outdated chips for outputting and capturing sound; nothing has changed since the days of Audigy. A DAC (digital-to-analog converter) is responsible for audio output. Cirrus Logic CS4382, which can work with 5.1 class acoustics, but is limited by a low sampling frequency (96 kHz) when using multi-channel audio, and the signal-to-noise ratio is too low. The same goes for the ADC (analog to digital converter). To ensure high-quality recording, Wolfson WM8775SEDS indicators are too low. Whatever one may say, today the X-Fi line does not look so attractive.

Another thing is ASUS Xonar DX. This board does not have a revolutionary processor; it uses a high-quality chip from C-Media, and the chip Oxygen HD CMI8788 It can’t boast of anything special - its sound passes through a classic rigid chain of effects, and the delays during real-time processing are relatively high. But attached to all this are high-quality ADCs and DACs. Two chips are responsible for audio output: two-channel Cirrus Logic CS4398 and six-channel Cirrus Logic CS4362A. Together they can work with eight-channel acoustics and the quality is head and shoulders above solutions from Creative. Worth recording Cirrus Logic CS5361, which, compared to Wolfson, has a much wider range and significantly less noise.

The X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition board looks solid: black PCB and a glowing red logo will look good in a transparent case. The card is assembled conscientiously, the main processor is covered with a radiator. There are enough connectors on the card: there is an AUX In input for a TV tuner and an additional 4-pin power supply (the card works without it), in the center there is a connector for controlling the power of the computer, for turning on from the remote control, in addition, there are two outputs for connecting external panels from X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition And Elite Pro, but there are no standard audio connectors on the case. The I/O panel includes a game port, three speaker outputs, and one Flexi Jack that combines a digital output and a microphone input. The card is connected via a PCI interface.

Xonar DX is very different from X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition. The board is half the price of its competitor, connects via the PCIe x1 interface and is compatible with low-profile cases (a special bracket is included in the delivery package). The downside is that the chips are located on both sides of the board, which is quite expected given the limited space. The Xonar DX has a slightly larger number of connectors: there is AUX In, S/PDIF In and an output to the front panel; on the I/O panel there are four outputs for acoustics and a Flexi Jack.

The downside of both cards is that the cable connectors are located too close; it will be difficult to connect expensive wires with thick insulation. In addition, the equipment of the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition and Xonar DX is equally poor: only disks with drivers and instructions. ASUS just added the low-profile bracket we mentioned and an adapter for S/PDIF.

Table 1

	ASUS Xonar DX	Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition
CPU	ASUS AV100	X-Fi
DAC	Cirrus Logic CS4398 (24 bit/192 kHz/116 dB), Cirrus Logic CS4362A (24 bit/192 kHz/112 dB)	Cirrus Logic CS4382 (24bit/192kHz/192kHz, 96kHz multi/114dB)
ADC	Cirrus Logic CS5361 (24 bit/192 kHz/114 dB)	Wolfson WM8775SEDS (24 bit / 96 kHz / 102 dB)
Number of channels	7.1 in analog and digital modes	5.1 in analog mode, 7.1 via S/PDIF
Tire	PCIE 1.0	PCI
Exits	4x 3.5 mm jacks (front/side/center-subwoofer/rear), 3.5 Flexi Jack (microphone, S/PDIF), AUX-IN, S/PDIF, front panel output	Game port, 3x 3.5 mm jack (front/center-subwoofer/rear), 3.5 mm 3.5 Flexi Jack (microphone, S/PDIF), AUX-IN, 2x expansion panel outputs, power management

Round 2: Limitless Possibilities

Connecting X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition begins with installing drivers and an impressive set of software. It couldn’t be easier to make the settings; the programs are all clear and moderately convenient. It is enough to select the card’s operating mode (games, recording, entertainment), after which the necessary functional modules are connected.

During the installation process, so many different programs are installed on the computer that a separate article could be devoted to them. Let's talk about the most important ones. You have to manage the card through Creative Console. There are the usual mixer and equalizer, but there are also much more interesting tabs - for example, 24-bit Crystallizer And CMSS-3D.

Let's start with the first one. The X-Fi processor is designed to work with 24-bit audio. This is all good, but in practice no one needs it, because music is written using a 16-bit stream. To justify itself, Creative came up with the 24-bit Crystallizer technology, which artificially expands and enhances the frequency range, the level is set as a percentage. The idea is not new; many sound editors can do this. One way or another, after such processing the bass is strengthened, the highs become sharper, and the mids are denser. When listening to music, at first it seems that the sound really improves and becomes more assertive, but a little later you notice that the sound is blurred. The bass turns into a whooping mess, only the loudest tones stand out from the highs, and the voice fades into the background against the background of the music.

The second technology turned out to be more viable. CMSS-3D is an algorithm that allows you to obtain surround sound from a regular stereo track. When you turn it on, familiar songs are transformed, you get the complete feeling that you are in the very center of what is happening: either a guitar will sound somewhere behind, or a drummer will start playing on the side. Another plus of CMSS-3D is the ability to turn headphones into 7.1 acoustics.

ASUS Xonar DX software pleases with its simplicity.

A few words about cinema: technology Dolby And DTS are fully supported only under Windows XP. Everything there works at the hardware level and does not load the processor. But drivers for Windows Vista will appear only at the end of summer (the developers are somehow in no particular hurry). Creative also offers its own music player, media file cataloger, and even a karaoke function.

ASUS doesn’t have such a variety of technologies and software, but maybe that’s for the better. All settings are collected in one window, where you can also select the card’s operating mode - music, movies, games. ASUS did not reinvent the wheel and took advantage of the developments Dolby Laboratories, a recognized leader in the field of audio. I would especially like to highlight the algorithm for obtaining surround sound: if CMSS-3D from Creative is impressive, then the work of Xonar DX, coupled with Dolby ProLogic literally blows the tower away. When you first become acquainted with this technology, there is a strong desire to listen to the entire music collection. The technology performed just as well Dolby Headphone, she easily tucked Creative X-Fi into her belt. And here's why: if CMSS-3D overloads headphones with low frequencies, then ASUS produces a light, airy sound.

Another trump card of Xonar DX is that the board is excellent at positioning sound and skillfully removing it. In terms of sound quality, the ASUS card turned out to be cleaner than the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition, this is especially noticeable when connecting multi-channel acoustics - an honest 192 kHz makes itself felt, and there is much less noise. The newcomer is inferior only in terms of output signal power; it is difficult to drive headphones with a resistance of 64 Ohms; you need an amplifier.

Round 3: How does it work?

When you put both cards into game mode, EAX settings and voice control appear, Creative's 24-bit Crystallizer and equalizer are disabled, and Xonar DX's DirectSound 3d GX 2.0(more on that a little later).

Before testing, let's explain why Creative has long been considered the only manufacturer of sound cards aimed at gamers. Sound in games remained in the background for a long time: the characters’ steps sounded the same on both grass and asphalt, no changes were felt when moving from one room to another, the distance to the character could only be judged by the picture on the monitor. Technologies like Microsoft DirectSound And Aureal 3D supported only the reverberation effect and a very small number of sound sources.

To spur interest in its cards, Creative developed EAX technology. It allowed not only to change the sound depending on the conditions in the game, but also to calculate the distance to the sources. EAX support first appeared in 1999 in cards of the series Sound Blaster Live!- then the technology made it possible to process up to 32 sources, and was able to independently process effects, thereby significantly relieving the central processor. By the time X-Fi was released, the technology had grown to version 5.0. The powerful processor was taught to work with 128 sound sources, take into account the surface of the floor, walls, and ceiling, smoothly change the sound when moving from one location to another, handle encountered obstacles, and for complete happiness, an impressive number of new effects were added.

On the way to popularizing EAX, one problem arose - one card is not enough to support the technology; games must be sharpened using EAX, and this is an additional cost. Over the past three years, a little more than twenty games have appeared that are compatible with EAX 5.0 - not at all. But this didn’t upset Creative; they are still confident that you can’t play without EAX. There is some truth in this, but EAX is not a panacea, in the same Call of Duty 4 we did without this technology, and the sound still turned out great. And then Windows Vista came out, in which they got rid of hardware sound support completely; it can only be implemented through a software interface OpenAL. This move by Microsoft significantly undermined Creative's position in the market.

In general, Creative's policy regarding EAX is quite strict; the company, in principle, does not license older versions of the standard to third-party hardware developers. To no avail, ASUS took a different route: it is clear that the processor from C-Media is not powerful enough to process EAX 5.0 instructions, but the computer’s central processor copes with this task perfectly. And here they are absolutely right - modern CPUs are quite powerful, they have two, three and even four cores, which are just waiting to be loaded with something. The operation of EAX support is as follows: as soon as we launch the game, DirectSound 3D GX2.0 intercepts EAX commands, sending them for processing to the CPU, after which the calculated sound is sent to the card and speakers. No one is talking about full support for EAX 5.0, but work with 128 sound sources and basic effects are guaranteed. The solution is not the most transparent, but it works.

Round 4: Final Battle

To test sound in games, we assembled a computer based on Core 2 Duo E6300 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz, installed two memory sticks of 512 MB each and limited ourselves to a video card GeForce 7800 GTX 512 MB. The striking line-up of games consisted of Unreal Tournament 3, Call of Duty 4 And BioShock. The main thing we were interested in was how well the Xonar DX would work with EAX and whether there would be a noticeable difference compared to X-Fi. To ensure that nothing important was missed, the sound of each level pass was recorded and compared.

First in line was BioShock. The game supports EAX 5.0 and features a variety of rooms with complex environments. The first launch took place on the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition card. For greater effect, we first went through the level without EAX support, after which we turned it on. The difference amazed us. The sound changes radically. If without EAX everything goes in a general flow, then when processing is turned on, the transitions from one surface to another are perfectly visible, the volume of the rooms is felt - for example, in large rooms steps sound more booming than in small ones. In rooms with carpets, sounds seem to be drowned out, while in empty rooms, on the contrary, they are amplified. You can clearly hear whether the enemy is in the same room as you or not, and the distance to the sound source can be easily determined. But the CMSS-3D technology clearly fails - with headphones it is impossible to understand where the source is.

Let's move on to Xonar DX. First of all, we checked the settings, EAX remained available. The sound from the ASUS card turned out to be completely different. While its competitor from the Creative camp crushes the bass, the Xonar DX clearly highlights every echo. I was especially pleased with the Dolby Headphone technology - it is clearly superior to CMSS-3D. Now about the EAX effects: there is a difference by ear. Xonar DX works with some lag, the passage of sound through the wall is not so clearly audible, transitions from one room to another are sharper, and the calculation of the splash of water is slightly different. Overall impression: it’s not that the Xonar DX has worse sound, it’s just different.

Unreal Tournament 3 interacts with EAX much more intensely than BioShock. The results of both cards in it turned out to be approximately the same. In large spaces, when playing with headphones, Xonar DX took the lead - thanks to more competent positioning.

We left Call of Duty 4 for dessert: there is no EAX support, so both competitors fought on equal terms. The sound in the game often loses dynamics and is replete with high frequencies. Thanks to the bass boost and 24-bit Crystallizer, the X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition delivers a tight, live sound that's much more like what you'd hear in a movie theater. Xonar DX simply did not have the necessary filters to improve the sound, and Dolby Headphone, the main trump card of this card, refused to work in the game.

Let's draw the line

ASUS has made an excellent card; it is not only on par with Creative products in terms of sound, but often even surpasses them. When working with music or films, high-quality technologies from Dolby are used, which easily put all Creative's achievements to shame. But the most important thing is that Xonar DX really knows how to work with EAX 5.0. Not as flawless as Creative's own cards, but in the heat of battle you'll hardly notice the difference.

The Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty has a processor that the Xonar DX still grows and grows to. But everything else has become hopelessly outdated in three years. What looked impressive recently is now a thing of the past. Old ADCs/DACs are inferior to Xonar DX in all respects.

Creative has a lot of software, but it is often useless and unstable. During the entire testing period, we received one complete Windows crash and several blue screens. In addition, X-Fi boards do not have access to a standard sound panel on the case; they only support expensive branded expansion panels.

The situation with recording is much more complicated. Creative has advanced software and full ASIO support. The X-Fi processor provides low latency for real-time audio processing, and external panels with a large number of connectors make it easy to connect microphones and musical instruments. You can work with several channels at once - record a voice and an instrument at the same time. But the limitation of 96 kHz interferes. Xonar DX allows you to make better recordings, but you can forget about working with real-time audio.

Each sound card has its pros and cons. If you already have an X-Fi series card installed, then you should only change it to the Xonar DX if you decide to buy high-quality acoustics. But if until now you have made do with built-in sound and you do not need to record music, then Xonar DX will be an excellent choice.

Two in one

After installing a separate sound card, the built-in codec on the motherboard will not go anywhere. You can turn it off, but is it worth the rush? There are several ways to use two cards at the same time.

You can output different audio streams to different cards. For example, you are watching a movie, the sound comes through a discrete card. At the same time, anyone wants to listen to music on headphones, then in Winamp The audio output is set to the built-in codec, and everyone is happy. Another option: use the main card to output sound from the game, and the second card to communicate via TeamSpeak through a headset. Convenient and practical.

Two USB sound cards with high-quality DACs

In today's material we compare two interesting sound cards: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD vs. Asus Xonar U7. These are two products that are close in price and capabilities, in which the emphasis was placed on high-quality converters. Moreover, both cards at the time of writing were on sale at a very low price, a little over 3 thousand rubles.

On the forum, the Asus Xonar U7 was called the “optimal choice” in absentia, based on a review of photographs and specifications. Many people completely in vain forget about the need to directly compare devices by sound. Most are also unable to correctly interpret measurement results.

Name

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD
Asus Xonar U7

The Creative card has a confusing name, as it is not related to the X-Fi cards and is not related to the Titanium HD card. As a result, the card's release went unnoticed. This product is not known at all to anyone except some computer audio enthusiasts.

Asus Xonar U7 also has an unclear name. Quite old cards U1 and U3 are budget products with integrated sound quality. U7 has no relation to previous products in this series.

Price

Creative: 3700 rub.
Asus: 3100 rub.

The cards cost almost the same, the difference in absolute values in price is not serious. More importantly, such an affordable price makes them interesting to a wide range of buyers. They have virtually no competitors among USB cards!

At the same time, the Asus card appeared quite recently. The manufacturer also reports that the Asus Xonar U7 Echelon Edition model will soon appear with an army camouflage paint job and more functional drivers.

The target audience

Creative: mass, audiophiles
Asus: mass, home cinema

The Creative model is a card with full-size TRS headphone and microphone connectors. Interestingly, there is a Phono input for digitizing vinyl, with grounding. It also works in normal linear input mode. THX and other proprietary processing are software only. For movies, there is an optical digital output for connecting a 5.1 receiver with a decoder.

You can connect 7.1 analog speakers to the Asus card using minijack connectors. The emphasis is on the included Dolby software. Digital output - combined, optical/coaxial. Both cards have a line input, but in the case of Asus the line input is combined with a microphone input, which is quite difficult to guess.

It remains a mystery why it was necessary to load both cards with so many functions and software in addition to a high-quality output. This inevitably blurs the audience and distracts from the main advantage of the cards, namely high-quality DAC. All the other dregs are available in abundance in almost any sound card. In the description of sound cards and in the design of the boxes, as they say, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” It is not clear who will organize a 7.1 cinema around a computer or laptop - this is inconvenient and in practice unclaimed. Fortunately, the user does not overpay much for all these additional functions, since the price of the cards is very low.

Volume knob

Creative: Miniature metal volume knob with original location. There is a Mute function when you press the knob. Using the handle is not very convenient, since it is located very close to the surface of the table: the fingers are located in a very unusual position and slip over the surface.
Asus: The smooth handle is recessed into the body. Pressing the knob turns off the speakers in favor of the headphones and vice versa. It is inconvenient to use: considerable effort is required, otherwise the finger will slip. The recess for the finger is made for beauty - it is much easier to adjust by pressing your finger where there is no recess.

In both cases, a non-stop digital regulator is used. The ergonomics of the regulators are very conditional. Due to the combination of the functions of a regulator and a button, the Asus regulator plays quite noticeably. Many users would prefer to remove the button, but so that there is no backlash. Also, Asus's recessed dial makes it easy to carry the audio interface. In all other cases, this decision looks controversial.

Illuminations

Creative: blue LED on top panel
Asus: 3 signal LEDs on the top panel

The activity indicator on the Creative card lights up brighter. In principle, for most this will not be a problem. But we had a strong desire to seal it with duct tape so that it would not be an eyesore and would not be constantly visible in peripheral vision.

Headphone output location

Creative: front
Asus: front

Both cards have convenient connectors.

Filling

Creative: DSP Creative CA0189-2AG, 2-channel DAC AKM AK4396 (123 dB), 2-channel ADC CS5361 (114 dB).
Asus: DSP CM6632A, 2-channel DAC Cirrus Logic CS4398 (120 dB), 6-channel DAC Cirrus Logic CS4362A (114 dB), 2-channel ADC CS5361 (114 dB).

The contents of both cards are very interesting. And this is the main feature of the cards, against which everything else no longer interests anyone. The Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC is considered a higher class than the AKM AK4396.

All Creative USB sound cards feature a proprietary CA0189-2AG RISC processor with a frequency of 100 MHz. Unlike the usual Creative DSPs, this chip does not have hardware audio processing. Its purpose is a fast USB 2.0 controller and a multi-channel interface to full-fledged I²S/I²C converter chips, such as those used by Cirrus Logic and AKM. There are two crystal oscillators soldered on the board.

Asus uses an interesting CM6632A chip, which supports both HDA codecs and I²S/I²C converters. Number of channels - 8+2 (analog + digital) output and 2+2 input. There is support for 192 kHz frequency. The chip can be clocked from three generators at once, 12, 24.5 and 22.5 MHz, which is what the creators of the card used. The decision to throw pasta from one end of the board with the DAC to the other with connectors remains not very clear.

All processing in both cards is carried out exclusively at the software level. The maximum data rate of 96 kHz isn't much of an issue since 192 kHz content is virtually non-existent. Hi-Res did not give anything to ordinary users and did not reach the masses, and aesthetes and Hi-End lovers are unlikely to be interested in sound cards for $100.

Auto switch to headphones

Creative: There is
Asus: There is

When plugged into the headphone jack, the speakers are turned off. This feature was first implemented in integrated audio, as part of the AC'97 and HDA standard. First, the detection of connected headphones was carried out by impedance, and then by a mechanical sensor. External cards with good converters are not inferior to integrated sound in this regard. However, in practice this can cause problems.

Bundled software

Creative: there is a set of software on the disk, a driver update on the manufacturer’s website
Asus: the same installation kit on CD and on the manufacturer’s website

The software disc is the same as all other Creative products.

The appearance and contents of the Entertainment Console of the X-Fi card have already been described more than once in our materials. The Audio Control Panel comes included right away and allows you to control absolutely all settings without the back and forth of a graphical menu, with the exception of the equalizer. Creative Volume Panel - it is not clear why the program is needed, it is supplied for assortment. An important difference between drivers for XP: they provide a choice of frequency and bit depth directly from the Entertainment Console. The frequency is limited to a choice of 48 or 96 kHz, regardless of the OS. This choice is typical for all Creative USB cards.

The Asus map panel is designed very strangely. Parameters can only be selected through the context menu with the right mouse button!

There is an interesting option for setting the headphone output volume limit.

In the jungle of settings, Asus has a separate option - Dolby Home Theater v4, which seems to have surpassed the number of “improvers” of Creative cards.

44 kHz support

Creative: No
Asus: There is

The Creative card contains two crystal oscillators and also has 44 kHz support at the DSP level. However, drivers for neither Windows XP nor Windows 7/8 do not support operation in 44 kHz mode: in the device settings you can only set 48 kHz or 96 kHz. In a card for audiophiles, this indicates either inadequacy or complete incompetence of the developers. To listen to music, 99.9% of cases use a frequency of 44 kHz. We are looking forward to comments from the map developers themselves.

The Asus card supports all frequencies: 44, 48, 88, 96, 192 kHz.

Availability of ASIO driver

Creative: No
Asus: There is

The lack of an ASIO driver for Creative cards is beyond our understanding. The best listening option for a Creative card is the WASAPI interface and software resampling in the player. Conversion from 44 kHz to 48 or 96 will always be forced by the Windows sound engine, or you need to select the conversion on the fly in the media player. For example, in the foobar 2000 player:

Sound from speakers

Listening was carried out on active monitors Adam S2.5A and Adam ARTist 5. For comparison, the very well-known sound cards E-MU 1616M (CS4398) and E-MU 0204 USB (AK4396) were used.

First surprise: all the cards play completely differently! In first place in terms of sound quality is the E-MU 1616M card, in second place is the E-MU 0204 USB, in third place is the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD, and in fourth place is the Asus Xonar U7.

The sound of the Asus card is least similar to the E-MU 1616M (despite the installed identical DACs). The problem with distortion at Asus is to blame, since we know for sure that the 1616M card has an unrivaled analog output implementation. This includes a measured 120 dB signal/noise, a measured 0.0003% distortion, and a wonderful clear sound experience. The 1616M is not much inferior in sound to the best implementations of rack-mounted studio devices, comparable to Pro Tools HD and Lynx Aurora, so we confidently choose the 1616M sound as a reference for devices in the category under $150. E-MU 0204 USB is inferior quite a bit. X-Fi HD sounds brighter and more accentuated on the high frequencies, therefore, despite all its effectiveness, it is a little further from the original sound. The Xonar U7 really disappointed us with its poor highs and rather sluggish sound. Perhaps this problem can be solved by flashing the firmware or drivers; We will definitely clarify this issue with the manufacturer. In any case, there should not be 0.01% distortion. Both the digital and analog parts of the card are capable of more.

Let's also criticize Creative for the lack of a 44 kHz mode. This is simply inexplicable, nonsense! How can you make an audiophile card, install two crystal oscillators and prohibit it from operating at 44 kHz? Don't provide the user with an ASIO driver that bypasses Windows? This is simply the wildest incompetence of the developers. The E-MU 0204 USB - a device for the same money - has no trace of such problems! There is a feeling that one division of the Creative company is mercilessly competing with another: persistently developing a bicycle with square wheels, when in the next room a racing sports car has long been developed and tested.

Sound in headphones

We used high-impedance headphones Sennheiser HD600 (300 Ohm) and Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250 Ohm).

The volume is sufficient in both cases, but the Asus card has practically no headroom. Creative was able to surprise us once again. In terms of sound quality, the places were distributed as follows: in first place is E-MU 1616M, in second place is Sound Blaster X-Fi HD, in third place is E-MU 0204 USB, and in fourth place is Asus Xonar U7. The professional interface E-MU 0204 USB, in principle, performed well, but X-Fi HD looked like a clear favorite against its background and had a significantly larger volume headroom. The Asus Xonar U7 card is the quietest, but its volume increases sharply when processing is turned on. Perhaps this was done intentionally so that there was a so-called headroom for Dolby technologies and other auto-equalizers. Thus, the Asus card is the least suitable for simply listening to music; its emphasis is placed precisely on the effectiveness of processing. The squeals and hoots of the card fans remain completely incomprehensible to us.

Measurements in RMAA

Tests at the RMAA gave an "Excellent" rating. This means that the devices have no obvious flaws. It doesn't mean anything anymore. (But as soon as artificial intelligence makes human measurement analysis unnecessary, we'll be the first to let you know!)

Both cards were tested through their own path, as they have the same high-quality CS5361 ADC.

Asus is slightly better in noise, and Creative is slightly better in distortion. We were concerned about the appearance of the Asus graph in the floating tone intermodulation test: usually anomalies in this test indicate frequency conversion or some other digital processing. We rechecked all the settings several times. The results do not change. We conducted additional tests on Windows XP and Windows 7 that were completely installed. We used the latest drivers and the latest firmware. There is only one result: the Asus card has about 10 times more distortion at high frequencies.

Shvetsov Igor

Review from Yandex.Market

Advantages

Finally, the Pioneer HDJ-1000 headphones, which had been lying around for 5 years and were rejected for poor sound (I thought I bought a fake), sounded, and even so, elastic bass, amazing mids, highs without delight, but very good. Conclusion, for high-impedance headphones you need an amplifier, this device has one)))Flaws

Price, but I found it on Avito for 3 thousand, so I don’t care)))A comment

For those not subject to audiophile excesses, but who appreciate decent sound

16 5

Flaws

A comment

I have a release of a device with the THX logo on it, not SBX, but this is pure marketing and drivers (the hardware is absolutely the same, apparently there are some licensing problems).
I was looking for a high-quality external solution for a netbook in order to use it as a universal player (FLAC and APE) for a good hi-fi amplifier.
The quality of the RIAA corrector is satisfactory, it sounds absolutely no worse than the one built into an integrated amplifier it will be used to digitize “vinyl” from my collection from 30 years ago :-)
I'm happy with the purchase, there are no problems with operation (on the Internet they often scare me with the glitches of Creative's USB devices).

Complain Was the review helpful? 34 9

Simple. There are only 2 modes in which you can listen (24/48, 24/96). There is a linear input SNR 100db (you can use the card for various measurements). It works fine with drivers from the site both in 10 and under 2012 R2. Works 24/96 via "HIFIMEDIY USB ISOLATOR". There is a complete absence of any noise/interference with it. Input and output on RCA connectors. Everything is simple and clear. The sound, when properly “prepared” (high-quality resampling at 96 kHz), is better than most built-in solutions. In general, if you don’t get hung up on comparisons with more expensive solutions, you can listen to the card and even really enjoy it.Flaws

In terms of sound quality under the same conditions, the ASUS Xonar Essence STX is inferior, which seems to be not surprising given the difference in price by 3 times. I hoped I wouldn’t hear the difference, but no, miracles don’t happen. ASUS has better detail, while Creative has too much emphasis on high frequencies, and in general the sound is perceived as slightly “blurred”; I did not feel a lack of lows (at all). Very strange is the lack of support for frequencies that are multiples of 44100 Hz. But I listen to foobar2000, the resampler there is very good (dBpoweramp), so I don’t consider this critical for myself. I also think the blue light bulb is stupid. And the volume control is unnecessary and inconvenient.A comment

A card is like a card, how much it costs and how it plays. I think the frequency 44100 was cut off specifically by marketers for some reason (God forbid they use it instead of E-MU), the sound does not differ in anything outstanding, it does not cause a “WOW” effect. I don’t write anything about headphones; I only listen to speakers. In the reviews they write that it fits any “EARS” well. Considering the price, we could probably give the card a 5-, if not for the lack of 44 kHz support.

Complain Was the review helpful? 10 9

Better than standard HD Audio. You can hear the improvement in quality on normal acoustics or headphones, I tried it.Flaws

A comment

Perhaps if I had bought the card earlier than January 02, 2020, my review would have been better.
For some time I suffered somewhat and suffered from static periodic clicks in the headphones, read forums, and according to the advice, I juggled the USB cords and tried to uselessly adjust something in the BIOS. I replaced the driver XUHD ... 0025 “Release date: Jan 2, 20” with an older XUHD ... 0024 “Release date: Aug 26, 2016”, the clicks disappeared, I hope forever, carried the jamb will appear again, I’ll return it to the store, I’ll add a review , I'll unsubscribe.

Complain Was the review helpful? 2 0

Flaws

Minus, as noted earlier: “support for 44.1 kHz sampling frequency” is not available for all outputs.

I would like to note one more inconvenient moment that appeared during 1 day of use. After waking up the computer from sleep, not all applications had sound. Only those where you can explicitly specify the source worked correctly (Creative ASIO, for example). But browsers and many other programs take sound from the device by default; there was no actual sound, even rebooting did not help, only disconnecting USB and connecting again. Not very convenient, I constantly send the computer to sleep.

We spent a lot of time with Creative's latest sound card, the X-Fi. Although it looks like a regular PCI sound card, the model features completely new and improved hardware. So there is something to pay attention to. In this article, we have collected all the experience gained throughout the year when we tested preliminary versions. In addition, we recommend that you read the two previous articles on X-Fi technology.

As the Steel Was Tempered

Creative sound cards have evolved since the release of the first model, the Sound Blaster PRO in 1991, which provided 8-bit audio. It was followed by the famous AWE 32 and Live!, and then the Audigy line, which was the de facto standard for sound cards until today. X-Fi cards represent a huge leap forward in power and digital audio processing capabilities. The evolution can be clearly traced in the following table.

Sound card	Pure MIPS	MIPS value for average processor	Internal audio channels	Normalization factor in MIPS number relative to Live!	Number of simultaneous real-time effects	Number of transistors
Sound Blaster Pro	?1	3+	-	0.0001x	-	100 000
AWE 32 (EMU8000)	67	200+	-	0.2x	-	500 thousand
Live! (10k1)	335	1000+	16	1x	1	2 million
Audigy (10k2)	424	1250+	64 (in relation to the effects engine)	4x	4	4.6 million
Creative X-Fi	10340	30000+	4096 (to all processing elements)	67x	8	51.1 million

Notes

Net MIPS: The number of addition instructions multiplied by the execution frequencies that can be applied to the signal data. This does not include any operations that a typical processor must additionally perform to process the signal data.
MIPS value for the average processor: an assumption of the computing requirements imposed on a typical processor in 1998, when the Live! line was launched. As expected, a typical processor from 1998 could be programmed to perform the same functions as Live!, Audigy or X-Fi chips. Such processors do not execute all algorithms efficiently. Therefore, to perform the same tasks as Live!, Audigy or X-Fi, they have to provide more power in MIPS. The difference can be 3x.
More information about the measurements given can be found at Creative website .

It should be emphasized that Creative, unlike most competitors, has always installed a real sound processor on its cards, and did not use a simplified codec that loads the CPU. This approach gives cards superiority in games, where Creative was able to free up additional CPU resources for audio, but leads to disadvantages in other areas. Processors used in Live! and Audigy, operate at the “native” frequency of 48 kHz, which creates some problems when working at 44.1 kHz, and you can completely forget about processing higher sampling rates. With the release of X-Fi, all these problems are gone: digital processing is now available for any available sample rates.

X-Fi is not just a new chip. Unlike traditional audio processing chips, which have a fixed serial architecture, the X-Fi Audio Ring architecture provides any processing sequence needed for a given application. That is, X-Fi has a true modular architecture, with each module connected to an Audio Ring - a kind of highway through which up to 4096 audio channels can pass.

But it hardly makes sense to compare the Audio Ring backbone with a professional mixer, since it supports a much larger number of capabilities - such as communication with PC memory via a PCI interface with a fairly high bandwidth.

The following table shows the distribution of the processing power of the X-Fi chip across the main modules. We will look at some modules in detail, for example, the same Sample Rate Converter (SRC), a new technology that, as you will see, takes the lion's share of the processing power.

Pure MIPS
Sample Rate Converter (SRC)	7310
Filter	200
Mixer	1210
Storage (Tank)	440
DSP	1180
Total	10340

In practice, X-Fi card users are offered three configurations corresponding to three types of tasks: games (Gaming), entertainment (Entertainment) and music creation (Creation). The following table lists the main features of each configuration, which we will look at in more detail in the drivers and software section.

In addition, it should be separately noted that the X-Fi chip is not tied to the USB bus: it can be used with USB, FireWire or PCI Express interfaces. It is quite possible to expect the release of special versions of the chip for the consumer electronics sector.

We are waiting for the simultaneous release of four X-Fi cards that will satisfy the needs and desires of different categories of users. The X-Fi XtremeMusic card can be considered a basic model, designed for listening to music, entertainment (DVDs and games), as well as for other not particularly complex uses. You will receive a PCI card without any extras. Directly accessible interfaces (1/8" mini-jacks only) are limited to the FlexiJack input (which can be used as a microphone input, line input or optical S/PDIF input) and speaker outputs. The latter, understandably, support 7.1 acoustics, as well as three mini-jacks of previous Creative 7.1 cards. Note that the stereo output (first mini-jack) can be used as a headphone jack. The card has an interface for connecting an external module, if you suddenly want to upgrade. The card itself contains an additional input, as well as another expansion connector for connecting an internal module.In addition, on the card you can find an expansion interface of Creative’s own format, the purpose of which we do not yet know.

The next model, X-Fi Platinum, has all the characteristics of the base card (in fact, both cards look identical), but in the package you will receive an internal module for the 5.25" bay. The module has a line / microphone input with level adjustment (1 /4" jack), line-in, digital optical and coaxial inputs and outputs, and a headphone jack with volume control. There you will also find MIDI interfaces (mini-DIN). The delivery set includes adapters for standard MIDI connectors. In addition, we note the presence of an IR remote control. Overall, all of the listed features make this card highly recommended to fans who like a large number of interfaces and easy access to them.

The more specialized Fatal1ty FPS model is very close to the Platinum, including a PCI card and internal module, but is aimed at hardcore gamers. The board has 64 MB of additional memory (X-RAM), which allows for increased performance in games that support this technology.

Finally, we move on to the top-end model, the X-Fi Elite Pro, which consists of a PCI card and an external module, which is quite large and supports both vertical and horizontal installation using the included rack. Of course, the user will also receive a remote control. Our testing will be based, for the most part, on this model. Additionally, we'll be looking at it in more detail because of the high-quality transducers that make the card deliver the best sound quality.

The remote control comes with all versions except the basic XtremeMusic. It allows you to control a number of functions like Crystalizer, EAX, CMSS-3D and 3DMIDI, and also allows you to play files and make important adjustments like volume. On the Elite Pro external module, you can access the same adjustments using rotary functions - very convenient. In addition, the functions of the knobs display illuminated indicators, so it is difficult to make mistakes.

Creative Labs X-Fi Elite Pro
Interface	PCI
Main chip	CA20K1 (X-Fi)
Max. sampling frequency	192 kHz
Quantization	24 bits
ASIO	24 bit/96 kHz
Inputs
On the map	Microphone/line/digital SP/DIF with adapter, line Molex (on the board itself)
On the external module	Linear Hi-Z, Mic/Line, Headphones/Line, Optical and Coaxial S/PDIF
Exits
On the map	8 for acoustics (7.1), 1 optical and coaxial S/PDIF (mini-jack)
On the external module	1 optical and coaxial S/PDIF, 1 adjustable microphone
DVD and cinema
Standards	Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, S/PDIF output
Configuration	Up to 7.1
DVD Audio	Yes
3D sound in games
Standards	DS3D, A3D, Open AL, EAX 5.0
Configuration	From 2 to 7.1
MIDI
Software synthesizer	Creative SoundFounds 24 bit
Enter exit	Standard Prices (DIN)

The PCI card is equipped with one input (1/8", 3.5 mm mini-jack) called FlexiJack, which can be configured via the driver to act as a line input, microphone input or digital interface (input and output). On the external module Elite Pro has a lot of interfaces. The front panel is equipped with two 1/4" (6.35 mm) input jacks with level adjustment. The first, depending on the position of the control knob, can serve as either a line input or a high-impedance (Hi-Z) input, the most practical use for which would be to connect musical instruments such as an electric guitar. The second input is more standard - it can be used as a line or microphone.

At the back there is another entrance on the "tulips". Using a small switch, it can be configured as a line input or a turntable (phono) input with RIAA correction. Great idea - now you can listen to your vinyl record collection and easily digitize it. Please note that the player's ground should also be connected - this detail is often forgotten...

Add to this optical and coaxial digital S/PDIF inputs, as well as a pair of “tulips” for MIDI input and output. Finally, we note the special connector for Creative speakers.

If you look at the possible connections, Creative's commitment to consumer-grade equipment becomes clear - there is no, say, balanced input. However, the set of ports is quite complete: microphone, line-in and headphones, plus the added ability to connect a musical instrument via a simple standard cable. So the card design will fully satisfy the needs of amateurs.

There's nothing particularly noteworthy about the X-Fi PCI card. In general, in appearance it can easily be confused with any other Creative model. It is interesting to note that the X-Fi chip (CA20K1) turned out to be much more compact than the same Audigy chip. There will be two different cards in the X-Fi line. The Elite Pro version uses Cirrus Logic CS4398 D/A converters (192 kHz, 120 dB) and AKM AK5394 A/D converter (192 kHz, 123 dB). The second version of the PCI card for less expensive models is equipped with Cirrus Logic CS4382 digital-to-analog converters (192 kHz, 114 dB) and a Wolfson WM8775 chip, which contains a mixer for four analog sources and an analog-to-digital converter (96 kHz, 102 dB).

The Elite Pro external module uses TI Burr-Brown PCM1804 analog-to-digital converters (192 kHz, 111 dB). The headphone jack uses a Cirrus Logic CS4392 digital-to-analog converter (192 kHz, 114 dB). The bottom line is very simple: the best line-in input is provided by the Elite Pro PCI card. However, the inputs on the module are of sufficient quality for most applications.

Of the various blocks that make up the X-Fi architecture, the Sample Rate Converter (SRC) may seem the most mysterious and the least interesting to most users. But pay attention to the table at the beginning of the article: it uses the largest share of computing power! To understand the importance of this block, let us delve a little deeper into the nature of digital audio.

The sampling rate corresponds to the number of times per second that the signal is read. For example, for conventional audio CDs it is 44,100 times per second (Hertz, Hz). Today the frequency range has become wider - it all depends on the source (the same DVD or DVD-Audio). In addition, even sources with the same theoretical value can differ significantly, since in practice the frequency does not always exactly match the theory. When mixing multiple sources, this frequency spread can lead to noticeable sound defects. Professional equipment used in studios uses synchronization systems that consumer solutions do not have. Interaction between different types of equipment is an even more complex issue. Converting sample rates could solve all the problems, but until now it was considered a workaround. In some cases - at least in the fundamental essence of the work - conversion can degrade the quality of the signal, especially if not very much computing power is spent on it.

However, for SRC Creative used a new architecture that makes the audio signal completely transparent. Converting the 997-Hz test signal from 44.1 to 48 kHz resulted in distortion of -136 dB and +0.00025 dB. That is, the distortion and noise are less than what other audio components can provide, so you can guarantee that there will be no artifacts associated with the conversion.

Digital signal processing from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz using SRC.

Level of distortion and noise (THD+N, distortion + noise) when converting from 44.1 to 48 kHz. You simply have no chance of noticing this transition!

SRC is not only a technical achievement, but also a tool that allows the X-Fi card to deliver the quality it promises in many areas. The first advantage is the synchronization of digital signals, but it can also create effects like ambience or motion with much higher precision than any consumer equipment that existed before X-Fi.

With SRC you can easily and accurately create the Doppler effect!

The working principle of traditional digital synchronization.

X-Fi digital synchronization is carried out entirely by the SRC unit.

Finally, SRC allows for savings in areas such as audio synthesis, particularly in storing samples for music playback. The block allows you to transparently transform a small number of samples to output a wide range of notes, adjusting parameters such as pitch and vibrato.

As we noted above, X-Fi cards support three operating modes: entertainment (Entertainment, for tasks like listening to music or watching DVDs), games (Games) and audio creation (Audio Creation, sound and music). The Mode Switcher allows you to select any of them, and the card configuration changes to give the best quality in the selected area. In addition, the set of functions and control panel also depend on the selected mode. Below is a table showing all this.

The Mode Switcher allows you to select one or another level of card functions that best suits the required area. It only takes a few seconds to configure the X-Fi card.

	Entertainment	Audio Creation	Games
3DMIDI playback	Yes	Yes	Yes
Working with 3DMIDI	No	Yes	No
EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0	Limited	Limited	Yes
EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0	Limited	Limited	Yes
EAX ADVANCED HD 3.0	Yes	Yes	Yes
Number of auxiliary effects	2	4	4
Max. number of reverberations	1	2	4
Effects on Input Sources	No	4	No
ASIO Output Channels: Dry	1 pair	5 pairs	1 pair
ASIO Output Channels: FX	No	4 pairs	No
ASIO Input Channels: WUH	8	8	8
ASIO Input Channels: Basic	2 (1 pair)	2 (1 pair)	2 (1 pair)
ASIO 2.0 support	Limited	Yes	Limited
ASIO 2.0 direct monitoring	0	12 (6 pairs)	0
Bit-Matched playback	No	Yes	No
Bit-Matched entry	No	Yes	No
CMSS-3DSurround	Yes	No	Yes
CMSS-3DHeadphone (headphones)	Yes	No	Yes
CMSS-3DVirtual (2 columns)	Yes	No	Yes
CMSS-3DVirtual (4 columns)	No	No	Yes
CMSS-3DInteractive	Yes	Yes	Yes
Crystalizer 24 bit	Yes	Yes	Yes
Graphic equalizer	10 stripes	10 stripes	10 stripes
Smart Volume Management	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bass Management	Advanced	No	Advanced

In Entertainment mode, you get a stereo-like screen with multiple windows that allow you to adjust numerous functions. Among them there are both well-known windows and those that are not particularly different (at least in appearance) from the old Creative cards - the same 10-band equalizer, mixer and speaker settings. Other windows are completely new - like Crystalizer, or are completely redesigned old options - like CMSS. A little later we will look at the mentioned functions in detail.

In Entertainment mode, the control panel resembles a stereo system.

The mixer can be called classic.

Here we get the well-known equalizer from early Creative cards, whose capabilities are identical to previous versions.

No surprises with the choice of speaker configuration. Using a listening test, you can check their correct placement.

In Game mode we get a very compact screen with many of the settings mentioned above, but game-specific functions also appear here. The mixer panel allows you to enable EAX effects, as well as adjust ambience effects for the microphone. Plus, you'll get a more powerful version of EAX: 5.0!

For games, you can turn on EAX effects and change your voice by processing the signal coming from the microphone.

Creation mode is a completely different world. Here it is better to be familiar with professional musical equipment. On the screen you will get a mixer with advanced features. We will not dwell on them in detail, since they are very extensive, and at the time of writing this article we do not have detailed information. Help in the software is very sparse, but the presence of buses and inputs/outputs for user binding provides very interesting opportunities. For example, you can map any input to any output, or assign mixed audio to one or more outputs. It seems to us that such opportunities will appeal to many people, including DJs.

For musicians, in addition to a wide range of effects, an important new feature will be the 3D MIDI function, which makes it very easy to arrange MIDI sound in space - this new feature is easily accessible even to amateurs! Of course, the sound creation mode opens the door to ASIO 2.0 support and allows you to freely choose the sample rate among the standard values. If you select 96 kHz, the effects selection menu doesn't disappear, unlike previous Creative cards. With X-Fi, all effects work regardless of the selected frequency. But be careful: the files can become large!

In Creation mode, you can send stereo audio to eight 7.1 channels. This interesting feature will appeal to some users.

You can add parametric equalization to an input to correct a bad sound source or apply an effect.

The reverb tab is pleasing to the eye. However, it may scare some users away.

Thanks to the support of 3D MIDI technology, the MIDI source can be freely positioned in space. We think this feature allows musicians to create some very interesting effects.

You can freely choose any standard sampling rate!

The diagram allows you to understand the principle of card mixing. Unfortunately, it is only partial, but it gives an idea of how to control and add effects.

There are so many options available in Creation mode that it would be impossible to talk about each of them in detail. For example, there are 24-bit SoundFonts, as well as the ability to work with ASIO 2.0 drivers with very low latency (2 ms). Although X-Fi is not aimed specifically at musicians, they will find some very interesting features.

Among the X-Fi modules, one can note Crystalizer, which operates in three modes. We have already described its essence in detail in previous article about X-Fi, so we won’t repeat ourselves.

The Crystalizer has only one adjustment, graduated in percentage. With the Elite Pro card, you can change the effect level using the remote control or directly on the external module. In general, we were hoping for more comprehensive adjustment functions, but Creative's main goal is ease of use.

During listening, the Crystalizer processing actually produces a more realistic sound that is closer to what you get at a real concert. The dynamics of the sound are significantly improved, and there is an impression of an expansion of the frequency response - of course, it is not, but the impression arises due to increased clarity of low frequencies and additional processing of the upper part of the sound spectrum. Of course, the effect of Crystalizer depends greatly on the type of sound being processed. It will be practically unnoticeable for sound whose level changes little. But recordings with a lot of percussive sounds and transitions will sound better. We played different types of music and after Crystalizer it was very difficult for us to get back to normal playback levels. It seemed to us that the sound of a regular card can be compared to a concert venue covered with a thick curtain.

It is quite clear that in order to obtain Crystalizer quality, the playback system (amplifier and speakers) must be appropriate. Speakers must reproduce increased dynamic range without distortion. In addition, you should adjust the level of Crystalizer operation to suit the type of music. It is hardly reasonable to set one level for techno and opera! And the level of Crystalizer operation should be set depending on the characteristics of the original recording.

Today, as more and more consumers become familiar with surround sound, pure stereo, although still the most common format, seems outdated. If you're used to listening to 5.1 surround sound (or better), the stereo will seem a little thin. In addition, it is hardly wise to use only two channels if your speakers are multi-channel.

CMSS technology, which Creative has been promoting for some time, was developed (like many other similar solutions) to solve the problem of distributing two channels into 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. Until now, the result could not be called very successful. But thanks to the high power of X-Fi, this technology, called CMSS 3D, now produces much better results. We described the operating principle of the technology in previous material .

In practice, the X-Fi version of CMSS 3D has several modes, depending on the type of equipment you have and the sound being processed. The first mode splits the stereo into 5.1 or 7.1, but the technology can also create virtual surround sound if you only have two speakers. Finally, the third mode significantly improves the listening experience on headphones, as we'll see below.

CMSS 3D technology is very effective at outputting stereo sound across multiple channels, adding both surround sound and preserving the center channel of the virtual stage. In a normal recording, the singer will be positioned exactly in the center of the sound space and will not "travel" around the stage due to inaccuracy in the recording or playback. On the other hand, as you might expect, decomposing stereo into several CMSS 3D channels does not provide the same quality that a full-fledged multi-channel source can provide. The card creates an effect, but does not perform magic. This becomes obvious if you listen to recordings that exist in two versions: like the Jean-Michel Jarre album Aero or Feels Like Home by Norah Jones. Of course, the reproduction of a surround environment can impress the listener - it all depends on the original recording. At the same time, old albums can sound completely new. Because they were not made in today's "sterile" studios, they contain environmental information that is very interesting to perceive when rendered realistically. This is especially true for all live recordings, such as opera.

The decomposition of stereo sound into several channels works great in films. Watch a DivX movie in stereo that you previously watched in Dolby Digital and you will be amazed. Of course, CMSS 3D cannot provide original spatial sound, but it comes very close!

For our testing, we transferred a DVD movie to DivX "Toy Story 2". The introductory sequence to this film is a good example of spatial audio. CMSS 3D technology copes with the placement of most rear sound sources on the right and left. The move to Dolby Digital has improved audio positioning accuracy. Particularly if the action starts from behind, say - moving from the back right to the front left. But Creative's decomposition is still very good - much better than Dolby Pro Logic II, which often makes the sound unnatural and never does a good job of outputting sound to the rear speakers. If you often watch DivX movies and also use your PC as a video player for your living room, then you won't forget X-Fi surround sound.

It makes sense that Creative MediaSource software is included in the package. We used it to enjoy a recording of an opera with CMSS 3D processing.

Of course, there is no problem with playing an initially multi-channel track - be it a Dolby Digital or DTS movie. CMSS 3D promises “surround” sound on just two speakers, but here the result was not so convincing. Of course, the sound image is much superior to stereo, but it does not reach the level of 5.1 or 7.1 acoustics. This processing will be fine if you only have two speakers, but we highly recommend upgrading to a multi-channel system for watching movies.

The third CMSS 3D mode is specifically designed for listening through headphones. Traditional headphones are indispensable, but they have a number of disadvantages. In particular, they cannot create a realistic sound stage. With headphones, the sound seems to come from the center of the head or sometimes from above. But sound is limited to the confines of the skull. With CMSS 3D Headphone mode, you can enjoy 3D sound on headphones too. The difference will not only be in the placement of the various sound sources, but also in what Creative Creative calls "externalization" - the creation of a believable sound stage.

Let me explain the principles behind positioning sound sources in headphones. There are three factors at work here: ITD (Interaural Time Difference), ILD (Interaural Level Difference) and HRTF filters, which rework the sound by adding reflections and refractions caused by your body, head and ear.

For stereo audio, CMSS 3D continues to extract environmental information from the recording to give the listener the feeling of being in the middle of the action. But, of course, this effect is more impressive with a multi-channel source (Dolby Digital or DTS movies), as well as in games. Headphones are no longer the punishment they used to be and provide their own listening pleasure. But, as it seemed to us, there is still room for improvement in the technology in the arrangement of the front and rear sources. However, let’s not be categorical - everything very much depends on individual perception. In addition, our personal feeling was that the sound sources were located too high, so it would be nice to add some “height” adjustment.

Test system and sound measurements

Our test system is unchanged and provides plenty of power for the X-Fi card. Please note that in order to install new cards, your PC must provide a certain level of power supply. If it is weak or of poor quality, then problems may arise, especially when working with additional modules. We encountered such problems on an ordinary consumer-level machine, which already had a lot of different hardware installed: it simply stopped booting due to a weak power supply.

Hardware
CPU	Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
Memory	1 GB DDR
Graphics card	nVidia GeForce Ti4200
HDD	80 GB, 7200 rpm
Optical storage	DVD LG16/48X
OS	Windows XP Pro SP2
Direct X version	9.0c
Columns	Creative Gigaworks S750, Logitech Z2200
Playing video	Power DVD, Win DVD
Measurements	Right Mark Audio Analyzer 5.4, Right Mark 3DSound 1.24, DAAS audio measurement system, Neutrik 3337 audio measurement system

All tests were performed on the X-Fi Elite Pro card. As we mentioned above, the differences between this card and the three other models lie in the quality of the DAC and ADC. The table below shows the quality levels provided by different cards in the X-Fi line. As you'll see, the main difference is in the recording/playback tests, where we went from 112dB signal-to-noise ratio for the Elite Pro to 98dB for the other cards. When it comes to playback, the difference is less noticeable since only one converter (DAC) is used. As we indicated above, the best quality is the linear input located directly on the PCI card.

Model		X-Fi Elite Pro	Other
Playing digital audio	Frequency response unevenness	Lo -1dB Hi -1dB 46kHz	Lo -1dB Hi -1dB 45kHz
	Interpenetration of channels	L-R: -112 dB R-L: -112dB	L-R: -105 dB R-L: -105dB
	Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)	116 dB	109 dB
		0,00%	0,00%
Line in/line out Recording and playback	Frequency response unevenness	Lo -1dB Hi -1dB 45 kHz	Lo -1dB ~17 Hz Hi -1dB 42KHz
	Interpenetration of channels	L-R: -106 dB R-L: -106 dB	L-R: -86 dB R-L: -86 dB
	Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR)	112 dB	98 dB
	Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N)	0,00%	0,00%

Frequency response unevenness: the characteristic turned out to be perfectly linear throughout the spectrum!

Noise level: The noise level is very low and uniform.

Dynamic range: an excellent result if you take into account quantization!

Nonlinear distortion: very low (H3 about -110 dB!); one can hardly wish for better...

Intermodulation distortion: There are no problems here.

Interpenetration of channels: Increases slightly at the higher end of the spectrum, but the interference is still too low to have any impact on sound quality.

With 24-bit quantization and a 48 kHz sampling rate, the card begins to show its true capabilities. This mode is a good compromise between quality and file size. In fact, this is why it is often used in professional applications. Here we see better dynamics and signal-to-noise ratio.

: +0.01, -0.19 dB.
: 112.6 dB(A).
Distortions: 0,0005%.
Interpenetration of channels: 101.2 dB.

Frequency response unevenness: Frequency response expanded in the upper range but remained perfectly linear.

Noise level: 24-bit quantization shows the card's capabilities - and very low noise levels.

Dynamic range: The dynamic range has reached its possible limit considering other parameters!

Nonlinear distortion: Same level as 44 kHz mode. The lower noise level explains the difference in the graphs (THD+N).

Intermodulation distortion: very small, so you are unlikely to feel them.

Interpenetration of channels: in the upper part of the spectrum we observe a relative increase in channel interference interference, but in the lower part, below 1 kHz, it has disappeared from the graph altogether.

This mode corresponds to the highest possible quality, but in reality it gives a spectrum extension of up to 40 kHz with negligible attenuation (0.13 dB!). The rest of the specification is identical.

Frequency response (20 Hz - 20 kHz): +0.01, -0.13 dB.
Weighted signal-to-noise ratio: 112.4 dB(A).
Distortions: 0,0005%.
Interpenetration of channels: 100.3 dB.

Frequency response unevenness: Almost linear response up to 40 Hz without noticeable attenuation!

Dynamic range: the result is still great!

Nonlinear distortion: absolutely identical to the picture at 48 kHz - very low.

Intermodulation distortion: negligible...

Interpenetration of channels: Here the interference is slightly higher than at 48 kHz, which is due to the expansion of the frequency response.

Basically, the graphs speak for themselves: with X-Fi you don't even have to think about quality, since the card is capable of delivering better quality than any available audio source. Our tests confirmed the results published by Creative, with a few differences that can be attributed to the usual variation in the parameters of individual models tested. As we noted above, sound quality depends on many parameters. So they may give slightly different results.

Games are Creative's strong point - the company's cards have always been leaders in this area. It hardly needs reminding that only Creative cards support the latest versions of EAX, and sound processors allow you to remove most of the audio processing load from the CPU, leaving maximum resources for the game. X-Fi marks a new stage in gaming audio with processing power and advanced "virtual reality" features. To promote the new features, Creative enlisted the help of cyber-athlete Jonathan Wendel, known in the gaming world under the pseudonym "Fatal1ty." This is exactly the addition to the name that one of Creative's new cards, aimed at hardcore gamers, received.

Fatal1ty and Franco from Creative at the X-Fi event.

At the LAN party, it was possible to compete with Fatal1ty.

Fatal1ty is a champion of cyber games.

With the release of the X-Fi line, Creative introduces the new EAX 5.0 standard, which is capable of delivering 128 sources in 3D space with multi-channel transition. In addition, MacroFX technology allows you to control the proximity and blocking of effects. In principle, the standard is still at an early stage of development, since it does not yet fully exploit X-Fi's audio processing capabilities. But significant improvements await us in the future. EAX Voice technology allows you to process the voices of players using a microphone in real time and display them to others based on their location in the virtual gaming space. It provides even deeper immersion into the virtual world, which will further manifest itself in a multi-user environment.

Games and 3D, continued

For cards that might interest hardcore gamers (Fatal1ty FPS and Elite Pro models), Creative opted to add memory called X-RAM. This dedicated memory allows you to avoid wasting your PC's main memory on audio. The technology is able to add effects to the game without any impact on performance. Or improve performance when using compressed audio - it will not be decompressed during the game. Creative conducted tests on a modified version Unreal Tournament 2004. The graph below (

Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook is the only sound card with an ExpressCard interface. Let's see how good it is compared to integrated sound.

It's no secret that integrated sound cards are usually not of outstanding quality. Unfortunately, this is true not only for desktop computers, but also for laptops. In particular, in my personal laptop Fujitsu Siemens ESPRIMO M9400 the headphone output is very noisy. In low-impedance and sensitive headphones (for example, such as the Creative EP630 and Philips SHE9500 we have already reviewed), interference caused by the operation of the hard drive and graphics adapter can be easily heard.

At the same time, I quite often use my laptop to listen to music through headphones, and this situation naturally did not suit me. Unlike desktops, where you can install any sound card from dozens of existing models, laptops have limited expansion options. Therefore, when choosing a sound card for use with a laptop computer, you have to focus primarily on external solutions with a USB interface. However, they are usually quite large, and many also require external power, which makes it impossible to carry them with you all the time.

Some professional audio manufacturers - such as Echo or EMU - make PCMCIA sound cards, but my laptop (like most modern laptops) only has an ExpressCard slot. This is precisely the reason for purchasing the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sound card, which is the only sound card in the world designed for installation in the ExpressCard slot. So, meet the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook.

Delivery set, appearance, interfaces

The card comes in a small box with a traditional Creative design.

In addition to the sound card itself, the box contains a traditional set of waste paper in five languages, a terrible quality wired headset, a driver and a very nice carrying case.

The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook is almost completely hidden in the ExpessCard slot; only the “head” remains outside, on which there are three connectors: output, input and a connector for connecting the so-called Speaker Docking Module. This very module is necessary for analog connection of a sound card to 7.1 or 5.1 format acoustics. It is not included in the package, and the possibility of purchasing it in the CIS countries is questionable.

The card's stereo output is combined with a digital optical output, and the input (to which you can connect both a microphone and linear sources) is combined with a digital optical input. Thus, the owner of a laptop X-Fi receives a complete set of digital audio interfaces. In my opinion, when watching movies with a multi-channel soundtrack in Dolby Digital and DTS formats, it makes sense to output the sound to an external receiver via the optical output. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook copes with this task brilliantly.

Functions

Despite the name, the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook does not include the Creative X-Fi chip (EMU20K1). First of all, this means that the card is poorly suited for recreating a three-dimensional sound environment in computer games, but this does not matter for a laptop, since mobile computers (even the most powerful) are not intended for games. Much more important is that X-Fi Xtreme Audio has higher quality digital-to-analog converters (DACs) than the built-in sound card. Creative doesn't mention the components used anywhere, but as far as I was able to understand while scouring the Internet, the XFXA uses a CS4382A DAC manufactured by the highly respected company Crystal Semiconductor and a WM8775 ADC manufactured by Wolfson Microelectronics. If the DAC level is quite comparable to household Hi-Fi equipment, then the ADC is much inferior to it in quality (this theory will subsequently be confirmed by measurements). The sound card supports two proprietary Creative technologies - CMSS-3D and X-Fi Crystalizer. The first of them makes the sound in headphones pseudo-three-dimensional and is absolutely useless in real life. The second technology is supposed to significantly improve the quality of compressed audio (such as MP3), we will discuss it a little later.

Drivers and software

The sound card was tested on a Fujitsu Siemens ESPRIMO M9400 laptop (Core 2 Duo T5250 processor, 3 GB of RAM, Intel GM965 chipset) running the Windows Vista Ultimate operating system. I would like to point out right away that the drivers supplied on the included disk are simply terrible. Firstly, they are very outdated, and secondly, their installation procedure takes no less than 1 hour and 15 minutes. I recommend not even unpacking this disk, but immediately downloading the new version of drivers from the Creative website. The only caveat is that the version of PowerDVD recorded on the included disc cannot be installed separately. If you need it, you will have to first install all the bundled software, and then update the driver to the latest version. In general, Creative is not very willing to write drivers for its devices; new versions are usually released every six months or less.

Addition from 01/16/2009: After installing Windows Vista SP1, problems began to arise with the sound card - for example, periodic “stuck” sound. As of January 2009, Creative has not yet released a driver version that is fully compatible with Vista SP1. In addition to the drivers themselves, you will need the Creative Console Launcher utility, since some sound card settings (for example, the analog input operating mode) can only be changed with its help. Unlike other X-Fi sound cards, the Xtreme Audio Notebook is limited to Entertainment Mode only. There are no Game Mode or Audio Creation Mode. The card does not support the ASIO interface and therefore cannot be used for professional audio work.

It is worth noting that X-Fi Xtreme Audio works well with the sound card integrated into the laptop, which allows you to perform various interesting tricks, for example, two people listening to different music on one laptop.

Measurements

It so happened that just while I was writing this material, I briefly came across the professional external audio interface EMU 0202. I took this opportunity to take some measurements of the analog path of the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sound card using the well-known RightMark Audio Analyzer package.

Operating mode: 16 bit 44 kHz


Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
THD, %
THD + Noise, dB (A)
IMD + Noise, %
Stereo crosstalk, dB
IMD at 10 kHz, %
General performance		Excellent

As you can see, the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook shows excellent playback quality even in 16-bit 44 kHz mode, traditionally the most difficult for non-professional Creative sound cards. Let's check whether the sound card suffers from forced oversampling at 48 kHz:

Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook Line-Out

Operating mode: 16 bit 48 kHz

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
THD, %
THD + Noise, dB (A)
IMD + Noise, %
Stereo crosstalk, dB
IMD at 10 kHz, %
General performance		Excellent

Judging by the fact that the values of intermodulation distortion have almost halved, forced oversampling is taking place. It is of quite high quality, but in any case, when listening to music from a computer, it is better to use the SSRC plugin for your favorite player. Now let's check the quality in external loop mode by connecting the line output of the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook to its line input (16 bit 48 kHz):

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
THD, %
THD + Noise, dB (A)
IMD + Noise, %
Stereo crosstalk, dB
IMD at 10 kHz, %
General performance		Very good

As I expected, the input of X-Fi Xtreme Audio is significantly inferior in quality to the output. And now the deadly number - measuring the quality of the Realtek HD Audio audio codec integrated into the laptop. Since I had the EMU 0202 at my disposal for literally 20 minutes, I had to test the integrated sound using the X-Fi line input. Despite this, Realtek fully lived up to the expectations placed on it. :)

Realtek HD Audio Line-Out

Operating mode: 16 bit 48 kHz

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
THD, %
THD + Noise, dB (A)
IMD + Noise, %
Stereo crosstalk, dB
IMD at 10 kHz, %
General performance

The advantage of X-Fi over integrated sound is obvious. At the same time, I would like to note the undoubted progress of built-in audio cards: Realtek HD Audio is at least as good in quality as Creative SB Live sound cards! ten years ago.

Sound quality (subjective listening)

Having connected headphones to the audio output of the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sound card, I was pleasantly surprised... by the silence. No hissing, no buzzing, no “sounds of space” or other annoying interference - excellent! Compared to an integrated sound card, X-Fi produces much clearer and more detailed sound. The timbres of instruments are transmitted more accurately. For example, when listening to Astor Piazzola's Five Tango Sensations performed by the Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch Records, recorded 1991), the string instruments began to sound more like themselves. The increased resolution also had a good effect on the sound of complex multi-layered rock compositions: on the album Yes - Close To The Edge, the instruments stopped falling into mush.

Overall, the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sounds brighter and more detailed than the Philips CD604 desktop CD player (which uses two TDA1543A DACs in parallel). However, the Philips CD604 has a sound that is less dry, more exciting and emotional. It is also worth noting that when using headphones, Creative X-Fi provides a higher volume level than the integrated sound card.

The X-Fi Crystalizer function turned out to be unexpectedly useful. When it is turned on, the level of high and low frequencies rises, plus significant compression of the dynamic range occurs (the audio card artificially increases the volume of quiet sounds). When listening to music, this only spoils the impression, but watching films with a quiet soundtrack becomes much less tiring: you don’t have to listen hard all the time to make out the words of the characters. The effect is especially noticeable when using computer plastic Cheburashka speakers.

Bottom line

The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sound card has a lot of objective disadvantages, including the lack of a cable for connecting to multi-channel speakers, weak driver support from the manufacturer, unsuitability for professional work with sound, low quality line input and a fairly high cost (450 hryvnia or 90 dollars). In my opinion, almost all of these shortcomings are crossed out by the fact that the X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook is the only sound card in the world with an ExpressCard interface. At the same time, its analog output really provides very good sound quality. If you want high-quality sound from your laptop, but can't carry an external USB audio interface with you everywhere, you simply have no other choice. Although, for my part, I have to say that if the headphone output on my laptop was less noisy, I would not even consider the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook as a purchase.

Review of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD external sound card. Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook sound card review Creative sb x fi sound card

Round 1: Inside Look

Round 2: Limitless Possibilities

Round 3: How does it work?

Round 4: Final Battle

Let's draw the line

Name

Price

The target audience

Volume knob

Illuminations

Headphone output location

Filling

Auto switch to headphones

Bundled software

44 kHz support

Availability of ASIO driver

Sound from speakers

Sound in headphones

Measurements in RMAA

Delivery set, appearance, interfaces

Functions

Drivers and software

Measurements

Sound quality (subjective listening)

Bottom line

Popular articles

Latest articles

Sections

Pages

Special projects

Contacts