EAX Worth it?

[charliesurfs]

I'm currently deciding between an Auzentech X-Plosion Cinema and a Prelude.
I'm using Z-5500s through a coax connection through my onboard connection (Realtek HD codec on a P35-DS3L) and it sounds terrible =(
Now the X-Plosion and the Prelude look pretty much the same for my needs (DTS, digital connections, music) but the Prelude has EAX. Now I'm just looking for your opinions on EAX and whether it is actually worth it. Do you think it is? And is it a big difference or not really?

 

[0roo0roo]

forget it.
its being ditched in vista.

 

[Roguestar]

no

 

[Modelworks]

Recommend Asus Xonar.
The pciX version is about 80.00
Excellent performance and quality.
Does EAX effects under vista and xp.
And best of all, its not a creative labs product.

Only caveat, it does not play nice with nforce chipsets.

 

[Roguestar]

PCIX != PCI-Express

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI-X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI-Express

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
PCIX != PCI-Express

It was a dumb choice of names. Of ALL the names in the world, they picked the ONE NAME that would cause confusion with the previous PCI-X standard.

 

[themisfit610]

^ yeah seriously.

But honestly though, no. EAX is NOT worth it. Supposedly the latest incarnation has added a lot of neat stuff but seriously now... Spend your money on good speakers / headphones / headphone amplifier

A3D was promising...

~MiSfit

 

[0roo0roo]

yup, dump that money into higher quality headphones/speakers.
money better spent. nothings quite as sad as someone spending more on their soundcard than their speakers.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
PCIX != PCI-Express

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI-X
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI-Express

LOL, I must be getting old.
I know the difference.
I can't believe I did that, must be because I was just reading this article.
http://www.hackaday.com/2008/0...for-preorder/#comments

 

[charliesurfs]

Ok so I should really just buy an X-Plosion and use the saved money to save for a PS3?
Does the X-Plosion have full functionality in Vista x64?
Also does it support 5.1 positional audio in games?
I've heard some comparisons of games with and without EAX on youtube and the creative website but they only really seem to use old games and show off CMSS-3D which I wont ever be using for games.
Is there any comparison videos of any modern games such as Bioshock and UT3?
Also does anyone know if the X-Plosion supports OpenAL?

Thanks for all the replies

 

[Roguestar]

Yeah... I think the gist of what people were saying was "Don't spend $$$ on your sound card if you'll not even hear the difference anyway". Buy yourself a good 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup, then plug it into modern onboard sound. Problem solved.

 

[charliesurfs]

What? No it's not I've tried plugging it directly into the onboard but I can hear loads of noise in the signal (even when using coax).
Also the onboard doesn't support S/PDIF passthrough so therefore doesn't support DTS which is really what I want.
I'm now using my old Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 and I can hear a very big difference between that and the onboard, which is Realtek HD Audio.
My setup might be a bit mediocre but it's still good enough to tell the difference between 128kbps, 192kbps, 320kbps, and lossless audio.
I'm pretty set on the X-Plosion I just need to know if it works properly in vista x64.
Am I right in thinking that EAX is just a kind of 'makeup' for audio in games but positional audio will work regardless of EAX?

 

[lilohtpc3]

Originally posted by: charliesurfs
I'm currently deciding between an Auzentech X-Plosion Cinema and a Prelude.
I'm using Z-5500s through a coax connection through my onboard connection (Realtek HD codec on a P35-DS3L) and it sounds terrible =(
Now the X-Plosion and the Prelude look pretty much the same for my needs (DTS, digital connections, music) but the Prelude has EAX. Now I'm just looking for your opinions on EAX and whether it is actually worth it. Do you think it is? And is it a big difference or not really?

Man.. how can u missed Xonar in your list?
Though I don't really give a xxxx to EAX, Xonar is the only non-Creative card in the market to offer EAX5 in those legacy games. Just go and get Xonar DX, $89 only, if price is a concern...

Yeah.. Prelude u might say, but it's still bleeding Creative, making me uneasy even just looking at it....

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: charliesurfs
What? No it's not I've tried plugging it directly into the onboard but I can hear loads of noise in the signal (even when using coax).

Put some ferrite cores on the cables coming from the pc.

 

[Ghouler]

Originally posted by: lilohtpc3

Though I don't really give a xxxx to EAX, Xonar is the only non-Creative card in the market to offer EAX5 in those legacy games.

Xonar approximates EAX but it does not support it. It takes EAX calls and mixes it down to 5.1 or whatever configuration you have the way it likes but not the way a sound designer programmed the game audio using EAX HD. That's why in some games you get front to rear sounds or no surround at all using Xonar. Xonar does not fully support EAX.
ASUS tried to reverse-engineer EAX but they seem to have failed. Still they claim what they claim purely for marketing reasons. Also, keep in mind Xonar is incompatible with nForce chipsets.

 

[NeoV]

also keep in mind that nforce chipsets are practically not compatible with Vista....

Xonar is a great sound card btw

 

[themisfit610]

You should _not_ hear noise from a digital output. If you do, the noise is coming from somewhere else.

There are only a few reasons to have a sound card:
1) You are a music producer / musician, and need low latency audio I/O, MIDI, and quality analog
2) You are an audiophile, who wants analog output - or has problems with his onboard digital output (i.e. can't get bit-perfect results, or lacking either coax or S/PDIF)
3) You are a gamer who really really does want the very latest EAX and is willing to fork out $$$ for an X-Fi
4) You are a general purpose user, but your speakers don't have digital input (or it's problematic), and you want better sound than the onboard can deliver

I fall into groups 1, 2, and 4. I have an E-Mu 0202 USB that I carry between work and home. I use it on my laptop and my desktop, and it's phenomenal. It's average latency in ASIO mode inside Ableton Live is under 10ms for 96 KHz. Its analog outputs are amazingly good - they utterly destroy my onboard - hands down. It has two mic / guitar pre-amps with variable gain, and a surprisingly good headphone amplifier. It's an amazing device for ~$130.

Still, it has no digital I/O at all, and doesn't do multichannel either. That pretty much ends the discussion when it comes to watching movies.

My speaker system is a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 setup, but one of the older models without digital I/O. So - that means analog only. I connect to my onboard - whatever 7.1 channel SoundMAX that Asus decided to put on the P5K-E. I'm lucky, it's not noisy and has good drivers. The audio quality isn't particularly impressive - laughable even, when I plug my headphones directly into it versus the 0202. But, its certainly good enough for the occasional 5.1 movie. Gaming, music, etc... all happens through the 0202 and my headphones, or the Klipsch's auto 2ch -> 5.1ch upmix.

Now, I used to have an Audigy2 ZS, and it wasn't too bad. Better analog than the onboard, but not by much. It also has _absolutely dreadful_ drivers for Vista.

I don't miss the EAX at all.

The only game I play these days is WoW and its software based effects sound rather good. Actually, its 5.1 positioning sounds very good through the onboard.

So, getting back to your case it sounds like you are probably in group #4. In that case, you're looking at Auzentech, which is good!

I think the Cinema is your best bet. DTS connect is great for pushing 5.1ch through the S/PDIF, and it has good analog in case your speakers' digital I/O seems goofy.

~MiSfit
~MiSfit

 

[charliesurfs]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Put some ferrite cores on the cables coming from the pc.

How do you do this? Sorry I'm a bit of a noob to these things =/

Originally posted by: themisfit610
You should _not_ hear noise from a digital output. If you do, the noise is coming from somewhere else.

I don't miss the EAX at all.

I also heard crackling and popping every time the hard drive was accessing information when I was using the onboard coax

Could you describe what the EAX actually did? I've only got one game that I play at the moment which can use EAX (Bioshock) and I've nearly finished it and I'll probably never play it again, the audio is pretty good using pro logic II anyway so I'll almost definitely get the cinema

 

[themisfit610]

EAX just adds some reverb and other DSP effects. It used to be a big deal when 5.1ch wasn't common, since you could simulate positional audio using 2 channels using EAX or A3D.

Honestly, vanilla DirectSound3D is quite good, and there's nothing wrong with software based DSP effects. That's what multi-core processors are for

If you're hearing artifacts like that while using coax digital, then something is very wrong. Have you tried your speakers on a different digital source?

~MiSfit

 

[charliesurfs]

Well it was doing it only a lot worse with the onboard analog which is why I switched back to my old Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 where there are no such artifacts only a slight bit of noise over analog.
I think it's just the onboard is a bit screwed.
I've also just had a sudden thought.
Seeing as I'll be buying a PS3 very soon, surely I could just use that for DTS in movies by using an optical cable from the PS3 to the Z-5500s?
Then later on if I feel I need it I could buy an Auzentech Cinema.
Does anyone know if the PS3 supports Avi files with 5.1 AC3 and/or uncompressed music?

 

[themisfit610]

Yes it does. You have to make fake "VOB" files to pack MPEG-4 video with AC3 audio. It's goofy, but there's a guide out there somewhere.

What happens when you connect your Z-5500s to another digital source (like a DVD player or a cable set-top box)? Do you still have hissing?

~MiSfit