Sound card change

conoflex · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:09

Looking to change my X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro for something a bit newer but which one do I go for ?
Used for mainly music and some game playing.
will be using Cambridge soundworks DTT3500 and toslink cable.
Choices doesn't matter PCI or PCIe :
Creative Sound Blaster Z High Performance.
Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional.
Asus Xonar D2 7.1 PCI Sound.

Marsman · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:27

Unless you're having issues with your current card, I'd stick with that. The speakers are processing the sound, not the sound card. By using digital connection, data is passed to the speakers DAC, which then converts it into analogue sound. Buying a different sound card, won't result in better sound quality.

Unless of course, you just want to buy a new sound card for the hell of it. Any of the ones you've mentioned will do the job; it doesn't matter which one you go for.

conoflex · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:32

I agree but i'm using the shared digtal i/o jack socket on the X-FI but want to use the fibre optic toslink which the X-FI doesn't have.
Would that be better sound quality ?

seanyc5 · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:37

No its the same the digital connection is basically streaming raw data to your snd system thing and that is then converting.

conoflex · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:40

Ok thanks for your help, could you give me an idea of what might be causing like a skip/pop/click bit like when an old LP would jump, it happens every now and then and not on same tracks/mp3's.

Marsman · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:43

The shared jack is still optical though. So if you are using that to connect to the speakers, then you are using fibre optic.

Marsman · 27 Jan 2013 at 18:49

Have you tried a different cable? Are you using a mini toslink to standard toslink, or are you using an adaptor?

conoflex · 27 Jan 2013 at 19:03

No don't have different cable, this is how it is atm (well I use digital din to minijack an digital out)
but want to use toslink cable but my x-fi doesn't have a socket for it.
(Hope you know what i mean)

conoflex · 27 Jan 2013 at 19:15

Marsman: I think this is what I wanted to know. if I want to go toslink to toslink direct so to speak i'll have to change my card ?

Marsman said:
No sadly. I have an Xtreme Music. Before and up to around the time when the X-Fi was released, Creative cards required a separate device. Either a 5.25" live drive, external box, such as which came with the X-Fi Elite, or a module which had SPDIF connections. Not until Xonar's, X-Fi Titanium and Xtreme Gamer appeared, did cards have these mini toslink 3.5mm sockets.

Marsman · 27 Jan 2013 at 19:35

Ah, you have the older XG. Sorry thought you had the newer one, which has a 3.5mm flexi jack, which takes a mini toslink connector. Quite common on a lot of sound cards now, that don't use a standard toslink connector.

Should have picked up on that really, as you did put Fatal1ty. The newer version didn't have a Fatal1ty version.

Marsman · 27 Jan 2013 at 19:40

Well if you'd prefer to get a sound card that uses optical, then a Xonar D1 would be a good choice. Currently at £48, it's very good value and will provide Dolby Digital, which the speakers you have use.

JamieH · 27 Jan 2013 at 20:26

I would personally stick with what you have and save some £.

conoflex · 28 Jan 2013 at 10:04

Ok great, thanks for the info guys.