If you have one of these cards, how do you like it? I'm trying to decide between getting the Santa Cruz or X-gamer. If you've had the chance to hear both, which sounded better, or was there a difference? I'm going to be using it on a Abit KT7 mobo and surround sound speakers.
Do you like your Santa Cruz sound card?
- Thread starter Abe777
- Start date
I love my Santa Cruz card its the hottest soundcard out right now. The Sensura audio effects in gaming is so dramatic that you start to grow more of a killer instinct with 4 speaker set up like mine. I have Klipsch pro media's with my santa cruz card. The santa cruz can do everything a soundblaster live! platnuim can do at a cheaper price IMO.
I have the same setup, can't complain. I replaced my xgamer for the santa cruz. 18bit dacs for better sound quality, and a3d/eax support/versa jack. Versa jack is more useful then i though.. no longer a pain to use headphones, just leave a set plugged in all the time just set output to versajack and your set. It doesn't output from your speakers when set to versa jack so no need to fiddle with volume either.
remember live! = old tech
remember live! = old tech
Yeah that is the sameway i have mine setup with the headphones right in the versajack and the 4.1 already in as well. The new soundguy for anandtech Jim Warren needs to do a review on this card so more ppl can better understand it from an audiophile view.
Flood5,
Sorry, but your wrong, the good ol Xitel Storm Platinum has a 18 bit DAC. I don't know how you got 24bit, i've yet to see a normal soundcard with that kind of nuttiness. If it had one i would have jumped on it long ago.
Check it out if you donn't beleive me
Xitel Storm Platinum
Sorry, but your wrong, the good ol Xitel Storm Platinum has a 18 bit DAC. I don't know how you got 24bit, i've yet to see a normal soundcard with that kind of nuttiness. If it had one i would have jumped on it long ago.
Check it out if you donn't beleive me
Xitel Storm Platinum
How does Santa Cruz work with KT7 or any other KT133 motherboard? Are there pops or crackles, as it is with SB Live? Thanks for your input!
It should work with any motherboard, and as for pops.. no it doesn't. I'm very happy with it because it doesn't pop my speakers when i turn on the pc like my X-gamer did.
I'm another happy Santa Cruz owner. I was the first one on the forums to get one. I by accident fried it and i got a replacement one back from them. Funny enough its a newer version. My last one was rev. B00 and this one was rev. E00. Its better then my X-SBlive Platinum w/o a doubt!
Sorry i don't do links yet (lazy). All reviews to this card are here: -> http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com/site/products/santacru/reviews.asp
Sorry i don't do links yet (lazy). All reviews to this card are here: -> http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com/site/products/santacru/reviews.asp
This amuses me. This card has been out a while, and without anyone speaking of it. My live is just fine, but i would probably go to a Santa Cruz if i had proof it was better. Can i get some differences? What main chip does it run, SQ2500?
Techno: How is it better than Live! I mean, you can Really tell the difference that this song is played by Santa Cruz and that crap is by Live?
ReMeDy: You tried a EAX or A3D with Live! or a Vortex2-based card before?
Slucky: it should work, as all card should. However, read some reviews first, I think they are some linked in www.3dsoundsurge.com
SephX: Santa Cruz doesn't use Aureal's Vortex2 chip, it uses Cirrus Logic's Sound Fusion, its made by Turtle Beach [corrected, thx] (maker of Quadzilla)
ReMeDy: You tried a EAX or A3D with Live! or a Vortex2-based card before?
Slucky: it should work, as all card should. However, read some reviews first, I think they are some linked in www.3dsoundsurge.com
SephX: Santa Cruz doesn't use Aureal's Vortex2 chip, it uses Cirrus Logic's Sound Fusion, its made by Turtle Beach [corrected, thx] (maker of Quadzilla)
dunno why, i guess the market is kind of stagnant right now. anyhow, the company is called turtle beach, not montego. Their 3d soundcard line using aureals chips was called montego.
Andylawcc
I have my old Sblive Platinum in my old system and my Santacruz in my new system. I did play 4 MP3 files on both systems at the same time and the Santa Cruz ran circles around the Live! in terms of sound quality. I also played DVD's on both and when watching movies, i unhooked my DTT2500's and connected normal speakers up to both systems and i still heard better quality sound out of the Santa Cruz w/ the analog speakers. In playing games, i played Unreal Tourament, Descent 3 and Need4Speed (forgot the version). My ears heard better EAX out of the SC then the SBLive too.
The Santa Cruz card is using the new "Crystal Fusion" chip.
Also, VideoLogics new sound card is a renamed/repackaged TB Santa Cruz board. (Hardware Rev. E00)
I have my old Sblive Platinum in my old system and my Santacruz in my new system. I did play 4 MP3 files on both systems at the same time and the Santa Cruz ran circles around the Live! in terms of sound quality. I also played DVD's on both and when watching movies, i unhooked my DTT2500's and connected normal speakers up to both systems and i still heard better quality sound out of the Santa Cruz w/ the analog speakers. In playing games, i played Unreal Tourament, Descent 3 and Need4Speed (forgot the version). My ears heard better EAX out of the SC then the SBLive too.
The Santa Cruz card is using the new "Crystal Fusion" chip.
Also, VideoLogics new sound card is a renamed/repackaged TB Santa Cruz board. (Hardware Rev. E00)
Andylaw,
I think i have enough experience to compare these cards. Previous cards i've owned are soundblaster 16mcd/Soundblaster Gold 16/Soundblaster awe32/Montego ax3d(vortex1)/Monster Sound Mx300 (vortex 2)/Sb live! X-gamer (EAX)/and now santa cruz.(a3d/eax/sensaura)
I think i have enough experience to compare these cards. Previous cards i've owned are soundblaster 16mcd/Soundblaster Gold 16/Soundblaster awe32/Montego ax3d(vortex1)/Monster Sound Mx300 (vortex 2)/Sb live! X-gamer (EAX)/and now santa cruz.(a3d/eax/sensaura)
from Turtle Beach they are $99 plus shipping... Seem to remember Princewatch.com showing them for $83 and up.
I've been trying to decide between the two for the longest time. (live value or cruz)
Maybe someone can give me some advice. I only have a 3 speaker setup, but there nice (midiland 4100s).
I've just started noticing crackling static sounds now also, i've got the original montego card (i think), came with my dell computer over 2 years ago. Could really use a nice upgrade, but on a tight budget, any help is appreciated.
Maybe someone can give me some advice. I only have a 3 speaker setup, but there nice (midiland 4100s).
I've just started noticing crackling static sounds now also, i've got the original montego card (i think), came with my dell computer over 2 years ago. Could really use a nice upgrade, but on a tight budget, any help is appreciated.
Santa cruz for the soundquality.. better analog output. Its $85 shipped from onvia.com. Thats where i got mine atleast. Frys sells everything for 99.99.
Thanks alot guys! After hearing what you people said I will pick myself up a Santa Cruz. I just put together an Abit KT7-Raid system and was wondering what card to pick. I agree that web sites need to get some reveiws out on this card. I'm going to have the same speakers as ReMeDy{WcS} so I'm happy to hear that they sound great. Anyone got my same mobo with this card?
Andy, yah i have had Vortex2 already about a couple weeks back and i can't say the santa cruz is vortex killer but it does keep pace with when you compare sensura 3d to a3d. My bro has a sb and i couldn't even stand it with headphones on. So now i am with the Santa cruz for good.
Does this have a front panel like the platinum? Does it have optical out? How does it compare to the new Soundblaster Live! 5.1 Platinum? I really need that optical out and that will probably make my decision
Does this have a front panel like the platinum? Does it have optical out? How does it compare to the new Soundblaster Live! 5.1 Platinum? I really need that optical out and that will probably make my decision
it doesn't have the Front panel.
here's a pic of it
[l]http://www.combatsim.com/img/7/0/fig6lrg.jpg.htm[/l]
and I don't think you will need an Optical Out unless you have an MD player/recorder.
here's a pic of it
[l]http://www.combatsim.com/img/7/0/fig6lrg.jpg.htm[/l]
and I don't think you will need an Optical Out unless you have an MD player/recorder.
in terms of features for input output.. the platnum is going to have more. Thats why the platnum costs so much more. I don't know if the santa cruz has an addon that will increase the input outputs or whatever. It does have optical digital out. Its digital out is actually coax or whatever, but you can buy an adapter. Otherwise, its still superior.. its an $85 card, but its sound quality is higher.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 24K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 19K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter