For Anyone Who has an XFI

[FixedMyXfi]

Summer just happened; so I finally had the time to look up why my X-Fi is so buggy on the Google.

Issue 1: Muddy Sound
Issue 2: Pause" Bug, when you pause and restart, there is a noticeable Audible CLICK'
Issue 3: Low Audible white noise, or High noise floor.

Solutions: "Hard-Modding"

Issue 1:
Google "Xfi Oamp Mod", the concept is to replace the 'operational amps' that are inferior due to cost cutting procedures on part of Creative.

The Cost of this is $0 if you own a soldering iron and solder. The oamps "nationals lm4562ma" can be ordered in SAMPLE quantities up to 5 for free. If you select Student in the order form they will even SHIP it to you for free. Free samples and Free shipping.

If you do not own soldering tools, feel free to borrow from your geeky Asian friends "I did", since you are on a Tech forum, I am confident you've acquired a few through the years.

Issue 2, Issue 3

The cause of both issues is faulty "muting" transistors. According to the "Head-Fi" forums, muting transistors have no place in an audio signal path.

The transistors can be removed with needle nose Pliers. Once removed, you have to bridge the connection using thin plastic coated wires. The removal processes is quite brutal and crude. You will literally be Ripping things out, that you would've NEVER thought you could/imagined doing with such brutality. They may crack and break, but thats the point, they have to DIE, so you can have awesome sound.

The link below will provide you with DETAILED pictures on what needs to be done.
The Capacitor Mods are unnecessary and not worth the cost. Audio caps are VERY VERY expensive.

LINK LINK

I suppose this is not a fix for those that don't care enough "feint of heart". But ask yourself, is it truly because you do not care about the sound quality after spending the $70-120, or is it out of the fact that you're chicken shit.

It is a great learning experience for everyone that has a fear of "f0 r3alz" fumbling with components, there are no quick disconnects and well designed plug A into socket B here.

The difference in sound quality is akin to: the first time one puts on their glasses, Guy- the first time penetrating a vagina, Girl- the first time being penetrated by a penis, first bite of ice-cream ever, first shot of heroin, a cold drink after a hard day's work in the hot sun.


THE MOD can be done with almost all Creative cards. for exp. the audigy 2 zs.

IF YOU MUST question the credibility of the purpose, Notice the higher-end Azuentech X-fi Cards use Different O-amps "the lm4562"
The ones they use are sloted, the ones you need to order are "surface mount" --lm4562ma--

 

[Harvey]

I'm an audio electronic design engineer. I also hold two patents for electronic gain control circuits, including muting, that are probably the highest fidelity, lowest noise and distortion circuits on the planet.

I'll have to go back and read it further, but I just skimmed through the thread, and I disagree with some of what I read.

1. I don't know the circuit they used for muting, but it probably is NOT as represented in the thread. Transistor circuits CAN cause distortion. That's why I chased after the ones I invented, but saying that ALL transistor circuits are intrinsically bad is just plain ignorance.

2. Replacing the electrolytic caps with polypropolene is very tweaky. It CAN help, depending on a lot of other factors, but in recent years, some companies have developed some very good nonpolarized electrolytics that would be indistinguishable from those big polyprops in a computer environment. You'd probably have to go to a really great analog source or uncompressed digital files at 24 bits and 96 - 192 KHz sampling to hear any differences, and even then, it may not be worth the effort.

I won't go much further until I have time to read the post thoroughly, but my first impression is that the author is more ambitious and adventuresome than knowledgeable.

The choice of National LM4562 op amps is excellent. :thumbsup:

 

[FixedMyXfi]

Originally posted by: Harvey
I'm an audio electronic design engineer. I also hold two patents for electronic gain control circuits, including muting, that are probably the highest fidelity, lowest noise and distortion circuits on the planet.

I'll have to go back and read it further, but I just skimmed through the thread, and I disagree with some of what I read.

1. I don't know the circuit they used for muting, but it probably is NOT as represented in the thread. Transistor circuits CAN cause distortion. That's why I chased after the ones I invented, but saying that ALL transistor circuits are intrinsically bad is just plain ignorance.

2. Replacing the electrolytic caps with polypropolene is very tweaky. It CAN help, depending on a lot of other factors, but in recent years, some companies have developed some very good nonpolarized electrolytics that would be indistinguishable from those big polyprops in a computer environment. You'd probably have to go to a really great analog source or uncompressed digital files at 24 bits and 96 - 192 KHz sampling to hear any differences, and even then, it may not be worth the effort.

I won't go much further until I have time to read the post thoroughly, but my first impression is that the author is more ambitious and adventuresome than knowledgeable.

The choice of National LM4562 op amps is excellent. :thumbsup:

Boy, This forum is quick to bash. HAHA, I agree with w/e you said, because I only have a lowly masters in Math.

I just read what those nuts at Head-Fi say, and accept it, because well, they buy enough crap for me to give um' the benefit of the doubt over consumer grade "stuff".

The circuit they use for muting is akin to .. um... "BC556" according to someone else on the forums.

And Harvey, If you step back and reason that this is just a sound card inside a computer case, boiled in EMI, unshielded, Your UBER control circuits would be Overkill. and unless they're surface mount, and you're SOLDERING GOD, it'll still be a bitch to get them on.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: FixedMyXfi

Boy, This forum is quick to bash. HAHA, I agree with w/e you said, because I only have a lowly masters in Math.

I wasn't bashing you. I just questioned the accuracy of some of the statements in the thread and the OP's understanding of what he was doing. I'm an engineer and a musician so I value good audio. I've designed enough hardware to know what works and how, and I've seen enough amateurs screw up their gear with ideas that weren't fully considered that I wanted to let others know they should think through what they were doing before attempting the same mods.

The circuit they use for muting is akin to .. um... "BC556" according to someone else on the forums.

That just proves my point that these guys are amateurs who don't know what they're talking about. BC556 is a bipolar PNP transistor. The "schematic" shows two back to back NPN transistors connected in a way that simply does not work.

Back to back N and P channel MOSFET's would work, but they would require complimentary control signals, which would be integrated into a complete switching IC. The signal quality of older CMOS switches wasn't that great for more reasons than I can discuss, here. Newer audio specific switches are pretty good.

A single N or P channel JFET would work, but the sound quality wouldn't be up to the quality promoted for these boards, and they would pop when switched off and on, unless the control signal was ramped very slowly.

And Harvey, If you step back and reason that this is just a sound card inside a computer case, boiled in EMI, unshielded, Your UBER control circuits would be Overkill. and unless they're surface mount, and you're SOLDERING GOD, it'll still be a bitch to get them on.

You're right. I did integrate my first patented circuit, but it would still require more surrounding circuitry than would be practical for this application. My newer patent could be integrated to do it, but it would require designing the rest of the circuitry around it so it wouldn't drop in as a replacement.

All of that is academic. I just mentioned it so whoever cared would know that I was qualified to discuss the subject.

I wish I had time to dive in and analyze the circuits on the card, but I don't. I know I'd be giving a lot more thought and doing a lot more research before I hacked up an expensive sound card, and I even think I know what I'm doing on the subject.

 

[FixedMyXfi]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: FixedMyXfi

Boy, This forum is quick to bash. HAHA, I agree with w/e you said, because I only have a lowly masters in Math.

I wasn't bashing you. I just questioned the accuracy of some of the statements in the thread and the OP's understanding of what he was doing. I'm an engineer and a musician so I value good audio. I've designed enough hardware to know what works and how, and I've seen enough amateurs screw up their gear with ideas that weren't fully considered that I wanted to let others know they should think through what they were doing before attempting the same mods.

The circuit they use for muting is akin to .. um... "BC556" according to someone else on the forums.

That just proves my point that these guys are amateurs who don't know what they're talking about. BC556 is a bipolar PNP transistor. The "schematic" shows two back to back NPN transistors connected in a way that simply does not work.

Back to back N and P channel MOSFET's would work, but they would require complimentary control signals, which would be integrated into a complete switching IC. The signal quality of older CMOS switches wasn't that great for more reasons than I can discuss, here. Newer audio specific switches are pretty good.

A single N or P channel JFET would work, but the sound quality wouldn't be up to the quality promoted for these boards, and they would pop when switched off and on, unless the control signal was ramped very slowly.

And Harvey, If you step back and reason that this is just a sound card inside a computer case, boiled in EMI, unshielded, Your UBER control circuits would be Overkill. and unless they're surface mount, and you're SOLDERING GOD, it'll still be a bitch to get them on.

You're right. I did integrate my first patented circuit, but it would still require more surrounding circuitry than would be practical for this application. My newer patent could be integrated to do it, but it would require designing the rest of the circuitry around it so it wouldn't drop in as a replacement.

All of that is academic. I just mentioned it so whoever cared would know that I was qualified to discuss the subject.

I wish I had time to dive in and analyze the circuits on the card, but I don't. I know I'd be giving a lot more thought and doing a lot more research before I hacked up an expensive sound card, and I even think I know what I'm doing on the subject.

Right, but considering you Don't have the time. Would you not give them the nod, considering at least SOME of them know what they're talking about, and ENOUGH of them has followed suit and made out better with better sound?

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: FixedMyXfi

Originally posted by: Harvey

I wish I had time to dive in and analyze the circuits on the card, but I don't. I know I'd be giving a lot more thought and doing a lot more research before I hacked up an expensive sound card, and I even think I know what I'm doing on the subject.

Right, but considering you Don't have the time. Would you not give them the nod, considering at least SOME of them know what they're talking about, and ENOUGH of them has followed suit and made out better with better sound?

No. I don't have time to evaluate what even some of them said. I saw enough of what I know to be extremely bad information that I couldn't advise anyone to follow anything they read in the thread without knowing enough about electronics to understand which advice was good and which was really dangerous to the card or having a good personal reference to help them sort it out.

I saw some possibly good ideas to pursue, and I already know how to tell the good from the bad. I really wish I could spend the time to be more thorough in evaluating the thread and critiquing it. That just isn't the case, right now.

If I decided to do such mods it won't cost me an expensive sound card as it goes up in smoke. My only point was in posting was to slow down others who would rush out and try such mods without a lot more consideration... or at least enough bravery... or at least spare cash... to be willing to sacrifice an expensive card if they get it wrong.