The Z sounds better than the Xi Fi Fatality to me, games especially. You will be able to connect both speakers and headphones to the card at the same time. Also the Zxr has the audio control module which lets to plug in headphones and mic on your desktop and use it to control volume.
Creative launching new sound cards in December - SoundBlaster Z-Series
- Thread starter Nelly
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The Z sounds better than the Xi Fi Fatality to me, games especially. You will be able to connect both speakers and headphones to the card at the same time. Also the Zxr has the audio control module which lets to plug in headphones and mic on your desktop and use it to control volume.
Creative Sound Blaster Z, now on pre order >> http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-087-CL
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So this would be a good upgrade from a ASUS DG card? I game with headphones 
So this would be a good upgrade from a ASUS DG card? I game with headphones
It was a worthwhile upgrade for me.
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^ I'm interested in this also.
Do these cards require an additional power input like the DX or do they get all the power they need from the MB PCI slot which would be great.
Do these cards require an additional power input like the DX or do they get all the power they need from the MB PCI slot which would be great.
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Been looking at the ZxR, very tempted to get one, & from what I've read it has sockets for swappable Op-Amps.
I changed the Op-amps on my X-Fi Titanium from the stock LME49710NA to LME49720NA (99.9% sure on number) for better detail & clarity when that card first came out.
So will be interesting to see if anyone will try the same with the ZxR card.
I changed the Op-amps on my X-Fi Titanium from the stock LME49710NA to LME49720NA (99.9% sure on number) for better detail & clarity when that card first came out.
So will be interesting to see if anyone will try the same with the ZxR card.
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Been looking at the ZxR, very tempted to get one, & from what I've read it has sockets for swappable Op-Amps.
I changed the Op-amps on my X-Fi Titanium from the stock LME49710NA to LME49720NA (99.9% sure on number) for better detail & clarity when that card first came out.
So will be interesting to see if anyone will try the same with the ZxR card.
ZxR I think is a good upgrade for me from a X-fi Fatal1ty.
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They get all the power they need from the PCIe slot. Looking at the pictures, none have a extra power connector. They are native PCIe cards, like the X-Fi Titanium cards. The older Xonar PCIe cards especially, are not native, so require extra power as they are effectively PCI cards with a bridge fitted. It looks like as Asus has done a better job with the design of the DGX and DSX, as neither require extra power from the PSU. Both still use a bridge AFAIK.
Although, I am a little surprised Creative has not used an extra power connector on the ZxR. Reason being: While all the Z cards get all the power they require from the PCIe slot, the Xonar Essence's extra power connector not only served to provide the STX with extra power, it also supplied power to the headphone amp. PSU power is cleaner than the power the PCIe supplies, that's why Asus chose to put one on the ST, even though the card did not require any extra power, being PCI. The Creative cards are technically using a more dirty power for the headphone amp. That will please the gamers who are more concerned about how it looks in their case, but maybe not the more discerning buyers.
However, this is Creative, so it's no surprise I guess.
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I found some pictures of the ZxR board. It shows all the chips. The swappable op-amps are ones that can be unplugged and new ones plugged in (no soldering needed). http://personalaudio.ru/review/sound-cards/foto_kart_sound_blaster_z_i_zxr_iznutri/
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well im be upgrading my pc few months time and if i have to lose my current sound which still kick ass even though it over 5 years old. i been looking at the zxr as the recon champion is just a lame duck with no real aiao were the zxr does seam to have aiao.
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It's great the card having dip sockets, but prising out the old op-amps was hard, even with the IC Extraction Tool.
I still have some LME49720NA I got for a Asus Xonar Essence in the spares box, so I might give these a try in the ZxR next month.
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Provided creative do not apply any DSP to the signal, the ZxR "should" sound virtually identical to the ST/STX as it pretty much uses identical components. The output stage on the creative card is technically superior due to the use of single opamps rather than duals which in theory is supposed to further reduce crosstalk. I doubt anyone would manage to hear the difference if there was one though. They still use polarised output dc filter capacitors which does hamper performance, these should be bipolar at a minimum. (auzentech are the only company i've seen who have done it right with almost their entire range)
I've been and tried the opamp swaps on my ST (and a lot of other devices) and very quickly came to the conclusion that the only time a difference was audible and measurable was when an unsuitable opamp was fitted. Unsuitable opamps are unstable as they are usually too fast and tend to oscillate if the power supply lines are insufficiently decoupled, output impedances need to be right as does the output capacitance. I've tried some combinations that should in theory be dreadful combinations and it still sounded fantastic. (LM833N x2 / TLE2072 x1 & NJM2043DD x1 / NJM2114D) As it stands mine is now running 2x AD826AN and 1xLM4562NA as i couldn't be bothered to take the card apart again. I tried RMAA after each opamp swap and couldn't measure any difference and i tried a lot of different opamps from many different manufacturers. You need to get the datasheets for the opamps and check the circuit on the sound card itself in order to be certain that what you fit is actually suitable to the design used as i doubt any of you want to start attacking your cards with a soldering iron. (especially as most of the components are surface mount)
I've been and tried the opamp swaps on my ST (and a lot of other devices) and very quickly came to the conclusion that the only time a difference was audible and measurable was when an unsuitable opamp was fitted. Unsuitable opamps are unstable as they are usually too fast and tend to oscillate if the power supply lines are insufficiently decoupled, output impedances need to be right as does the output capacitance. I've tried some combinations that should in theory be dreadful combinations and it still sounded fantastic. (LM833N x2 / TLE2072 x1 & NJM2043DD x1 / NJM2114D) As it stands mine is now running 2x AD826AN and 1xLM4562NA as i couldn't be bothered to take the card apart again. I tried RMAA after each opamp swap and couldn't measure any difference and i tried a lot of different opamps from many different manufacturers. You need to get the datasheets for the opamps and check the circuit on the sound card itself in order to be certain that what you fit is actually suitable to the design used as i doubt any of you want to start attacking your cards with a soldering iron. (especially as most of the components are surface mount)
I reckon they will be about the same.
Noticed a few places have these for pre-order now, so the ZxR cannot be far away from release in the UK
I doubt we will be able to tell, I managed to sell my X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion on eBay for £80, which I had for 4.5 years. So this ZxR will cost me around £100, hopefully keep me going for a long time.Frenzy said:
Maybe look at the basic version for around £80 ?
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