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X-fi prelude or Soundlaster X-fi?

jds21

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Hi guys,

I was looking at getting a sound card for my PC and I decided that I want an X-fi sound card as they appear to be the best (without spending thousands)

Here is the list of sound cards I can get:
http://www.pccasegear.com/category211_1.htm

Just note that I'm in Australia, thus the prices

I have heard from many people that the Auzentech X-Fi prelude is better than the Soundblaster X-Fi cards.... is this true? Would I be better off getting a Prelude or one from the Soundblaster series

Thanks,
 

jds21

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The other ones i was looking at from the soundblaster range were
the Xtreme gamer Fatal1ty pro (cheaper than Prelude)
Platinum Fatal1ty Champion w/ I/O drive (more expensive than prelude)
 

Franklinwallbrown

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I've heard that AuzenTech is the best & it is probably what I am getting; I'm no expert, though.
 

jds21

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yeah see i heard the same thing.... the only thing that is pushing me to look at soundblaster is that the fatal1ty pro is cheaper and appears to be much the same and that the platinm has the I/O drive although I can't imagine when I'd use it... My speaker system has headphone and microphone jacks built in so i use that and it disables my speakers so I wouldn't use one on the PC itself
 
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Whatever sound card you use, it will reflect in both your speakers and headphone sound quality
 

jds21

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I have a G51 5.1 sourround sound system and for some reason it has 4 plugs to plug into the sound card, not 3 like most 5.1 systems.... will this fit into all of these cards?
 
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if your speakers can do dolby digital 5.1 surround getthe x-fi prelude as it can do eax 5,0hd and upconvert with dolby digital live.
 

jds21

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yeah mine can... so the Soundblaster ones don't do dolby?
 
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yeah mine can... so the Soundblaster ones don't do dolby?
well they can still do dolby digital 5.1 for dvds and some recent pc games but sound cards with dolby digital live can convert any audio format into digital 5.1 surround sound.
 

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i'm in the same market right now, here's my thread: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=50581

the best part about the prelude that no creative card can do (correct me if i'm wrong) is the real-time encoding to a digital stream it dolby or DTS, meaning you can send your surround over a single digital connection to digital computer speakers or a home thater system.
the prelude also has higher output SNR ratings than basically all it's competitors, even the creative champion and elite-pro.
 

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Sounds unanimous!
 

jds21

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yeah it does...

thanks guys
 
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Prelude is FAR superior in SQ, Creative is supposedly better for games.

I am yet to see a direct comparison review in gaming performance.
 

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My shlong is still hard after getting my Prelude a few days ago :D :D:D

J.
 

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Depends on your usage. If it's primarily gaming, I would strongly recommend the SB X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional. If it's audio-creation, digital remastering of audio, studio usage and that you crave for the very best in output quality, the Auzen X-Fi Prelude is for you. The SoundBlaster is a very decent mix for its price.

If you pit a Auzen X-Fi Prelude against a Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro, the equation tilts the other way and the Sound Blaster wins more so for its connectivity and bundled audio-creation software which more than makes up for it being higher priced than the X-Fi Prelude.
 

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My shlong is still hard after getting my Prelude a few days ago :D :D:D

J.

WOW... coz I needed to knwo thst lol

Depends on your usage. If it's primarily gaming, I would strongly recommend the SB X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional. If it's audio-creation, digital remastering of audio, studio usage and that you crave for the very best in output quality, the Auzen X-Fi Prelude is for you. The SoundBlaster is a very decent mix for its price.

If you pit a Auzen X-Fi Prelude against a Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro, the equation tilts the other way and the Sound Blaster wins more so for its connectivity and bundled audio-creation software which more than makes up for it being higher priced than the X-Fi Prelude.

Well I will be gaming a fair bit but it won't be the primary purpose. I will be doing a lot of multimedia authoring tasks including video editing and some DJing so it sounds like the prelude would be better, the Elite Pro is just too far out of my price range despite how much I love the amp that comes with it. The main reason I want the system is to ultilise my Logitech G51 surround sound system to its full capability so I think I'll go with the prelude unles someone can give me a reason not to...
 

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I have a Prelude 7.1 and I love it! They are a bit picky about where you put them in your case but once you get the bugs worked out they are great. Lots of help on this forum.
 

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What do you mean by picky where you put them and bugs???
 

Franklinwallbrown

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Dude! Your getting a Prelude!

Yeah, I love this forum!

What do you mean by picky where you put them and bugs???

I think he might mean tweaking? Not exactly buggy, IMO.
 

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What do you mean by picky where you put them and bugs???

I have a coolerMaster Cosmos 1000 case where the PSU is on the bottom. I had my Prelude between my 2nd 8800GT and my PSU and it caused all kinds of hangups and restarts. once I moved it above my 8800GT (the only other pci slot) it has been near perfect. they do pick up alot of EMI from the other stuff in the pc case. That seems to be my only prob right now. This is well documented on this forum. Try this thread:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=40613
 

imperialreign

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What do you mean by picky where you put them and bugs???

picky in as, depending on what other components are close to them. Newer sound cards pick up a lot of EMI from neighboring components - especially from joosed GPUs and 1337 PSUs. It's a double edged sword - the more we improve sound quality capability of any sound card, the more susceptable to EMI it becomes; all the while, the more powerful our power supplies and GPUs (and some CPUs included) become, the more EMI they generate. There are a few means of protecting your sound card, and it's output signal from noise interference, though, but the easiest is just to install it in a slot furthest away from other components.


BTW - the Prelude sounds like it'd be a good setup for you, although I think you could prob make more use of the software bundled with the Elite Pro, and would still be happy with it's sound quality. If you do some searching, you can find the Elite Pro for sale close to the $200-$240 mark, which is close to the price of the Prelude.
 
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