Top Sound Card

speedyj · 13 Jan 2009 at 21:48

I have an EMU 0404 running into a set of M Audio LX4's and it sounds very very good with lossless ripped CD's.

Runs perfectly under Vista64 also.

Margaret · 13 Jan 2009 at 22:08

Teki187 said:
Doesnt the Xonar have issues with dolby/5.1? It needs to emulate it?

Also isnt XFI's better quality thanks to the higher bit rate?

Xonar has been doing Dolby 5.1 perfectly fine for me.

Venares · 14 Jan 2009 at 09:45

For games X-Fi Fatal1ty hands down

jakspyder · 14 Jan 2009 at 18:16

games the X-fi fatality
music get a xonar variant

i got the X-Fi as it can fit in the little top slot on my motherboard (maximus formula) where as the xonar would hit my ram slots :S

MikeHunt79 · 14 Jan 2009 at 20:28

MidnightLamp said:
oh flippin hell!
cheers for that, dunno how i could have been so stupid as to overlook that, can get rid of this cheap DAC now!

Lol, no problem, it's think it's a case of RTFM

Enjoy the card, you won't get anything that sounds better unless you spend £300+ on something exorbitant...

The 1212m actually has the same DAC's on as high-end pro-tools card which cost thousands, so disconnect that cheap DAC ASAP! :cool:

speedyj said:
I have an EMU 0404 running into a set of M Audio LX4's and it sounds very very good with lossless ripped CD's.

Runs perfectly under Vista64 also.

Nice to know EMU's 64-bit drivers work ok. By the sounds of it they are as solid as the 32-bit ones, which is good to know when I make the 64-bit jump.

I'm glad EMU drivers don't contain loads of extra crap like Creative drivers do, I was half expecting Creative to drive EMU into the ground after they bought them out but this doesn't appear to be the case...

MidnightLamp · 2 Feb 2009 at 12:08

just a bump, got any recommendations for good balanced TRS to phono cables? cant find balanced TRS to phono anywhere online,
may just go with zaolla unbalanced,

running through old audiolab 8000A amp to a pair of quad 11Ls

MikeHunt79 said:
Lol, no problem, it's think it's a case of RTFM

Enjoy the card, you won't get anything that sounds better unless you spend £300+ on something exorbitant... The 1212m actually has the same DAC's on as high-end pro-tools card which cost thousands, so disconnect that cheap DAC ASAP!

Nice to know EMU's 64-bit drivers work ok. By the sounds of it they are as solid as the 32-bit ones, which is good to know when I make the 64-bit jump.

I'm glad EMU drivers don't contain loads of extra crap like Creative drivers do, I was half expecting Creative to drive EMU into the ground after they bought them out but this doesn't appear to be the case...

Stimpy_7 · 2 Feb 2009 at 17:27

Hi everyone,

Do you think that the Emu 1212m would be better than the Asus stx Essence? I will be using it primarily for stereo music, but i am also interested in music creation using guitar rig 3

Thanks in advance

Adam

Firegod · 2 Feb 2009 at 19:26

As already mentioned The best soundcard = http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-005-AS&groupid=701&catid=11&subcat=

But a Xonar D2\D2X will be fine, and a bit cheaper.

Can't believe people are recommending X-Fi stuff.... it's not even in the same league! (And I used to have one!)

james.miller · 2 Feb 2009 at 19:45

the new x-fi's are up there with the xonars. if the drivers are good enough (lol) then id choose a new xfi over a xonar. (and i used to have one!)

Firegod · 2 Feb 2009 at 19:47

james.miller said:
the new x-fi's are up there with the xonars. if the drivers are good enough (lol) then id choose a new xfi over a xonar. (and i used to have one!)

New X-Fi's??? What what what. :eek:

james.miller · 2 Feb 2009 at 19:54

Firegod said:
New X-Fi's??? What what what.

the titanium range. people can bearly tell them apart from the xonars. that makes it a much closer call. http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2316949,00.asp

too close, infact the titanium outperforms the dx in every test. If the drivers are stable in vista now (ive no idea) then id choose the xfi. the only issue is the price - the titanium is expensive going up against the bare bones xonar dx & d1

LoadsaMoney · 2 Feb 2009 at 20:20

Another vote for the Xonar DX, just bought one myself a few days ago, sounds great.

nick_000000 · 2 Feb 2009 at 21:43

Strife212 said:
Auzentech Prelude.

+1 Best sound card EVER! Better than any poorly made creative card I have had in the past. And the drivers are a lot better than the rubbish drivers that Creative publish. I swear they must recruit a bunch of monkeys and shove them in a room to make thier drivers, soo buggy it's awful.

tizer2000uk · 4 Feb 2009 at 22:38

At the end of the day, the chap only has a Z-5500 setup, he could feed it via his mobo sound and not hear the difference between that and an Asus Xonar card.

Before I get attacked for my views on the Z-5500 I should point out I have a set here with me as I speak, for these a £50 card tops is more than appropriate.

Uriel · 4 Feb 2009 at 23:09

Dunno. EAX (if well implemented) makes a big difference on cheaper speaker sets. But yeah the cheapest X-Fi with DDL would sound just the same as a prelude over optical.