X-Fi Support Syndicate & Owner's Clubhouse

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by mab1376

I have an X-fi Xtreme music which is had RMA'd through creative for random thumps through the subwoofer of my Logitech Z-5500's I also had the speakers RMA'd and it is still happening, is it possible its doing this due to "dirty power"?

If so which power cleaner would you recommend? a Monster brand one or something else?

Hmmm . . . I don't really think it's either the X-Fi, nor the speakers themself . . . going to need some more in-depth info, there; Are you're speakers connected through minijacks, RCA or S/PDIF?
When does it typically occur, when the PC is on or off, when the subwoofer is on or off?


It's possible voltage spikes through the line might cause the woofer to kick, but, if it happens at somewhat regular intervals, it might be power electrical interference - a central HVAC unit can cause this, as well as most modern appliances. If you leave anywhere near a public utilites lot of some sort, that too could cause problems. TBH, I'd recommend a good, high-end surge protector any how, as that will help control most of it - if it's still present, a power conditioner might be in order, also.

Also, as I'm not sure the exact capabilities of that speaker setup; do they have some kind of energy saving feature, where they go into a 'standby' mode if not being used for a while? If so, it's quite possible the kick you're hearing is from the sub turning on and then back off.

But, I must ask also, are there any high powered wireless phones near the unit? A WiFi network router? Do you charge your cell phone near by the subwoofer, especially with it being on? If so, you might want to remove these items from the room, and see if the woofer is still randomly kicking.

[DaMulta]

You should add the budget Xmod to the list.

So far I'm loving this, and for the people that only install drivers with no soft I think this would almost be better for them. BUT they would need to be a 2.0 or headphone user like myself.

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by DaMulta

You should add the budget Xmod to the list.

So far I'm loving this, and for the people that only install drivers with no soft I think this would almost be better for them. BUT they would need to be a 2.0 or headphone user like myself.

I might add it in, external X-Fi solution and all . . . BTW, how much did it cost? I might pick one up sometime soon, just to be able to compare it myself to a true-blooded PCI card; at least to be able to answer anyone's questions about them . . .

Curious - what exactly would you compare the audio quality to? I mean, is it up to snuff with a standard internal PCI card, or not so much?

I figured it's aimed more at those that are more interested in ipod/mp3/wma playback and watching some streaming vids or TV on their rig . . . what's your thoughts?

[DaMulta]

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/produ...T&cm_keycode=4

40usd there.

What are my thoughts. Well the CMSS-CD I missed a whole lot with headphones. That tech helps so much on things it's not even funny for me. I had to sell my old X-FI card because of the motherboard problems. You say that went away, but I'm not sold on that. For the money yes this thing is worth it. In movies you can use AS3-Filter for an eq, but I haven't found one for this yet. You can plug this in to an onboard sound, but you need to have a USB power to do that. That might sound better because of the EQ. Now I haven't tried any EAX games to see if you can use them with this after this movie I'm watching I might see what Bf2 does.

[btarunr]

Reviews suggest the X-Mod to have the same output quality as any other X-Fi product from Creative. We must remember that the term X-Fi (eXtreme Fidelity) doesn't apply only to sound-cards but a whole range of products that implement Creative's proprietary technologies. The Aurvana X-Fi is a superb noise-canceling headphone that implements X-Fi (as in X-Fi Crystalizer and CMSS-3D inside a headphone) so you can even make a tiny Xen Stone player knock off even an iPod in terms of output. Another feat of this headphones is its incredibly light-weight. I'm sounding like a salesman now but I promise I'm going to buy it next. The only glitch is..it costs way more than a Bose QC II (but is better than it) even more than a X-Fi Elite Pro sound card .




An extremely viable aternative to the Aurvana X-Fi if you're on a PC would be Creative HN-602 + X-Fi X-Mod

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by DaMulta

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/produ...T&cm_keycode=4

40usd there.

What are my thoughts. Well the CMSS-CD I missed a whole lot with headphones. That tech helps so much on things it's not even funny for me. I had to sell my old X-FI card because of the motherboard problems. You say that went away, but I'm not sold on that. For the money yes this thing is worth it. In movies you can use AS3-Filter for an eq, but I haven't found one for this yet. You can plug this in to an onboard sound, but you need to have a USB power to do that. That might sound better because of the EQ. Now I haven't tried any EAX games to see if you can use them with this after this movie I'm watching I might see what Bf2 does.

I might just pick one up then within the next few weeks then; if nothing else it might make listening to stuff on my gf's PC a bit more enjoyable

Asides, I think being able to have a comparison here, running the external solution through a HD onboard vs a X-Fi internal solution would be worth it, also.

Originally Posted by btarunr

Reviews suggest the X-Mod to have the same output quality as any other X-Fi product from Creative. We must remember that the term X-Fi (eXtreme Fidelity) doesn't apply only to sound-cards but a whole range of products that implement Creative's proprietary technologies, the Aurvana X-Fi is a superb noise-canceling headphone that implements X-Fi (as in X-Fi Crystalizer and CMSS-3D inside a headphone) so you can even make a tiny Xen Stone player knock off even an iPod in terms of output. Another feat of this headphones is its incredibly light-weight. I'm sounding like a salesman now but I promise I'm going to buy it next. The only glitch is..it costs way more than a Bose QC II (but is better than it) even more than a X-Fi Elite Pro sound card .

. . . .

+1

Had a chance to use a set yet?! Good friggin lord, man - they left me speechless as far as a headset is concerned. Simply unbelievable. They're on my wish-list, for sure, but it'll be a long ways off before I snag a pair.

Plus, Creative's CMSS-3D is a major selling point for their equipment; and the only thing I can say to others to really describe it, is they must hear to really believe what it is capable of.

[DaMulta]

What I would like to know is how many sounds this thing can produce at one time, seeing that I'm plugged in USB with this thing. Creative didn't really make this for PCs, but they did put it there, just with no software. I really wish they gave some kind of soft controls with this.

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by DaMulta

What I would like to know is how many sounds this thing can produce at one time, seeing that I'm plugged in USB with this thing. Creative didn't really make this for PCs, but they did put it there, just with no software. I really wish they gave some kind of soft controls with this.

not sure . . . you mean, if it's capable of 5.1 or 7.1? Or do you mean sounds as in the actual number of audio voices (files) being played back through the speakers? If this is the case, I'd fathom to say it's probably limited by what the audio chipset is capable of . . . not really sure just yet, though . . .

[DaMulta]

sounds as in the actual number of audio voices

The X-Fi can do 127 sounds at one time.

[btarunr]

Since it's software-accelerated, the X-Fi driver allows 65535 software voices, and that's way above the Microsoft WDM specifications for software-accelerated audio.

[btarunr]

That's actually supposed to be 64 * 1024 but always remember, the last voice is reserved. Even in the CA-20K1 powered cards you have 127 hardware voice + 65535 software and not 128 + 65536 though the last voices exist.

That's Xtreme Gamer in the attachment notice the OpenAL driver got initialised before the intro music file (mono, ~48 kbps ogg-vorbis)

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by btarunr

That's actually supposed to be 64 * 1024 but always remember, the last voice is reserved. Even in the CA-20K1 powered cards you have 127 hardware voice + 65535 software and not 128 + 65536 though the last voices exist.

That's Xtreme Gamer in the attachment notice the OpenAL driver got initialised before the intro music file (mono, ~48 kbps ogg-vorbis)

OpenAL is a great hardware extension in itself, also . . . but, it's another one of those things that's dependant on developer support, much like EAX.

Although, Vista being the way it is, I think more devs are joining the OpenAL movement, as it works around the OS much better than the ALchemy drivers do.

[btarunr]

OpenAL is an api, much like DirectSound. EAX are extensions of OpenAL, including the X-RAM parser (the software code that allows applications to read/write/use the X-RAM).

When an application uses OpenAL instead of DirectSound to interact with the audio hardware, the features/capabilities of the audio hardware exist in the form of 'extensions' much like how the hardware capabilities of a GPU are interacted by the OpenGL's GL extensions.

Unlike OpenGL, OpenAL doesn't have a well-defined ARB (Architecture Review Board) and hence the dominant players (users of the API), Creative Labs, defines the standards. The EAX HD (4.0, 5.0) are exclusive for Creative and are hardware-specific OpenAL extensions while other features such as positionAL and EAX 2.0 are free for use by any hardware vendor and count as ARB extensions. Remember those GL_arb_ openGL extensions? And that NVidia and ATI came up with their own hardware specific extension (such as GL_NV_distancefog and GL_ATI_truform) ? same case here.


The interesting fact is ALchemy infact emulates DirectSound while being and OpenAL extension. So since Vista takes OpenAL, all DirectSound apps are able to use their features thru OpenAL.

[hat]

Originally Posted by btarunr

That's actually supposed to be 64 * 1024 but always remember, the last voice is reserved. Even in the CA-20K1 powered cards you have 127 hardware voice + 65535 software and not 128 + 65536 though the last voices exist.

That's Xtreme Gamer in the attachment notice the OpenAL driver got initialised before the intro music file (mono, ~48 kbps ogg-vorbis)

Man I only have 64 voices

[tigger]

Yeah,them headphones are nice,but they're £207 in the uk.However nice they are,they can shove em up there ass for that price.Rip off britain strikes again

[btarunr]

I feel sorry for you Britts. UK needs some serious trade reforms. The economy is strong, just that the import duty, VAT, etc suck.

[mab1376]

Originally Posted by imperialreign

Hmmm . . . I don't really think it's either the X-Fi, nor the speakers themself . . . going to need some more in-depth info, there; Are you're speakers connected through minijacks, RCA or S/PDIF?
When does it typically occur, when the PC is on or off, when the subwoofer is on or off?


It's possible voltage spikes through the line might cause the woofer to kick, but, if it happens at somewhat regular intervals, it might be power electrical interference - a central HVAC unit can cause this, as well as most modern appliances. If you leave anywhere near a public utilites lot of some sort, that too could cause problems. TBH, I'd recommend a good, high-end surge protector any how, as that will help control most of it - if it's still present, a power conditioner might be in order, also.

Also, as I'm not sure the exact capabilities of that speaker setup; do they have some kind of energy saving feature, where they go into a 'standby' mode if not being used for a while? If so, it's quite possible the kick you're hearing is from the sub turning on and then back off.

But, I must ask also, are there any high powered wireless phones near the unit? A WiFi network router? Do you charge your cell phone near by the subwoofer, especially with it being on? If so, you might want to remove these items from the room, and see if the woofer is still randomly kicking.

They are connected through the mini-jacks ATM, although i would like to get the i/o module and use optical, i usually notice it when the pc is on doing non-audio related tasks, but it has happened when the pc was off which is why I RMA'd the speakers first. ATM there is no wireless router in my house, but there is a 2.4GHz wireless phone and multiple cell phones, but for the most part the thumps are pretty uniform in the loudness and gap between them.

i'll try getting a good surge bar seeing as my current one is from 1997.

also off topic: how do you like the Azuntech X-FI prelude, for that fact is any card with X-RAM worth it?

[thegave]

Fack yes my XtremeMusic finally arrived today.

Imp, may I join?

[tigger]

The x-fi cant do 5.1 through the optical/coaxial can it? I think there is a way to get coaxial through the digital out jack.I've not tried it,but i heard it dont do 5.1 from digi out.I have mine connected to my sony av amp via analogue jacks because of this.

[thegave]

Are there any special modded drivers I should consider like YouPax or kX or should I just stick with Creative's?

[btarunr]

Stick to the latest drivers from Creative's website. They're the most stable drivers yet.

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by mab1376

They are connected through the mini-jacks ATM, although i would like to get the i/o module and use optical, i usually notice it when the pc is on doing non-audio related tasks, but it has happened when the pc was off which is why I RMA'd the speakers first. ATM there is no wireless router in my house, but there is a 2.4GHz wireless phone and multiple cell phones, but for the most part the thumps are pretty uniform in the loudness and gap between them.

i'll try getting a good surge bar seeing as my current one is from 1997.

also off topic: how do you like the Azuntech X-FI prelude, for that fact is any card with X-RAM worth it?

Well, if you're cordless phone is installed in the room, you might want to relocate it just to be sure - anything that generates a RFID signal could potentially interefere with a subwoofer . . . but I think a good surge protector should help.

As to the Prelude - I honestly couldn't tell you how I like it, as I don't have one. You'd have to ask btarunr. The Prelude is known for completely blowing all of Creative's cards out of the water in terms of audio quality, though.

Originally Posted by thegave

Fack yes my XtremeMusic finally arrived today.

Imp, may I join?

. . .

Are there any special modded drivers I should consider like YouPax or kX or should I just stick with Creative's?

sure, no prob.

I agree with bta on this - Creative's drivers are the most stable. All the modded drivers came about from people who were trying to "unlock" features of the cards that Creative doesn't offer through their drivers, or were trying to fix issues that Creative hadn't addressed at the time.

[thegave]

Originally Posted by imperialreign

I agree with bta on this - Creative's drivers are the most stable.

Is that only the official drivers (dated 10/30/06... That seems like ages ago) or are the Creative Beta drivers (dated 1/9/08) ok too?

[imperialreign]

Originally Posted by thegave

Is that only the official drivers (dated 10/30/06... That seems like ages ago) or are the Creative Beta drivers (dated 1/9/08) ok too?

Yeah, those are the most current. TBH, I haven't had any issues with the aplha drivers - beta drivers are worth installing only if you're having issues that can't be resolved. Creative has a bad habit of not specifiying what the beta drivers are trying to address.

I'm hoping within the next couple of months we'll see new X-Fi drivers for the XP OS. After Vista was launched, Creative has been focusing solely on thos drivers sets - which is why it's been so long since the last XP update . . . but the existance of beta XP drivers means that we'll see another alpha driver release at some point.

[DaMulta]

Well my Xmod is not an X-Fi in games. In BF2 I can't use the X-Fi, but I can use hardware EAX on high. In King Kong the game will not let me use the EAX option. I don't know about openAL as of yet.