Audigy2 ZS Problems

[Gheris]

Hey all,

I seem to be having problems with my Audigy 2 ZS card lately and have some questions. First I will describe the situation. I am updated with the latest drivers so I have that base covered. I haven't really attempted to play with the settings too much because I use Headphones.....have not used speakers in years....blame my fiancee. My problem is I am getting into sound loops which freezes the PC and requires a hardboot. This is becoming annoying and not really what I expected from the Audigy 2 ZS sound card as it's supposedly (up until recently) the "best" sound card. Now the questions:

1. Has anyone else run into this issue with the Audigy 2 ZS? I do not mean once in a while, I mean it happening often.

2. Is it absolutely necessary to change the sound settings before working with a program or a game? I have never had to fine tune the audio settings in game before.....this seems necessary with the Audigy 2 ZS.

3. Should I even bother with the Audigy 2 ZS if I am using headphones? I am using the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard which has some pretty decent onboard audio.

Prior to this I had an SB 5.1 card that was great, and never gave me any problems. However this is getting pretty ridiculous. Thank you for any input/information you can provide.

 

[orangat]

List your other pci devices.
And why do you think the soundcard is too blame. Does it hang when you are playing music?

I never had a problem with my A2ZS, my old Live had crackling/popping/crashing issues.

 

[Ike0069]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it is the sound card just yet. It sounds like a software problem to me, so did this start happening right after you installed the newest drivers.
You might want to just uninstall, then reinstall the drivers that came with the CD. Personally I don't think updating Audigy drivers is a good idea because it seems to cause many people problems.

 

[Gheris]

Originally posted by: orangat
List your other pci devices.
And why do you think the soundcard is too blame. Does it hang when you are playing music?

I never had a problem with my A2ZS, my old Live had crackling/popping/crashing issues.

The only other PCI device is my 7800 GTX video card. I am updated to the latest driver there as well. I always go through the steps of uninstalling the driver, booting into safe mode, and using DC Pro to remove old drivers. I point the finger to the soundcard because in a number of games I was required to change the sound settings in order to avoid sound issues. I could be wrong though, that's why I am posting here.

Originally posted by: Ike0069
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it is the sound card just yet. It sounds like a software problem to me, so did this start happening right after you installed the newest drivers.
You might want to just uninstall, then reinstall the drivers that came with the CD. Personally I don't think updating Audigy drivers is a good idea because it seems to cause many people problems.

You know I was thinking of doing that. Installing just the driver and none of the extra software. You are right about the upgrade causing issues.....that did happen with my old card. I just guess I expected more from the better sound card.

Thanks for the info guys!