My thoughts on X-Fi

Soldato
Joined
27 Jan 2005
Posts
3,655
Location
Expat in HK
Just got the X-Fi basic version this morning and thought i'd let ya know how i got on.

PRO:

- Definite improvement even from my old M-Audio 24/96; instruments have a helluva lot more clarity, a lot more dimension and on a whole a definite bump up in audio quality
- I can hear sounds i couldn't hear before, for example elevated cymbal overtones, more ping to ride cymbals, more explosion to crashes, whispered voices, intricate guitar picking is more noticeable, but to name a few
- Notable improvement in gaming experience with better atmosphere (things are way more intense) and more absorbing voiceovers/weapon sounds
Note: Use the Creative beta driver from Guru3D, much more simplistic interface/console to navigate

CON:

- Crystalizer is a joke, it is nothing more than a marketing illusion, it does nothing more than boost your EQ people! I would say the Enhancer program for Winamp does a much better job at "Crystalizing" your audio playback
- I'm not a fan of Creative...

Basically this is the first bit of Creative kit i've enjoyed! :D
 
Well, I guess it's all subjective, but I find the Crystalizer works pretty well - I use it all the time and never use the EQ. A lot comes down to the quality of the MP3 tho - a low/medium quality file can sound a lot more lively with the Crystalizer......but a nice 192bit+ from a good source doesn't benefit much, in my experience.
 
I have to agree with The Jet, the end effect is more like a glorified EQ IMHO.

On a side note, make sure that you pick audio creation mode when listenning to music. The resampling algorithm of the X-Fi is much better than the A2ZS (which is why it sounds better for music anyway), but you can finally avoid resampling altogether in that mode :)
 
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