Good benchmark site for audio (EAX / Soundmax / etc?)

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AbRASiON

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
861
4
81
Ok so I recently fired up call of duty again after having not finished it when it came out.

I'm using an Asus p4c board with the onboard soundmax (6 channel 5.1 etc)

The performance of Doom 3 was fine in full 6 channel mode and things worked in sorround / i heard them behind me fine. (and loved it)

Anyhow I've always hated EAX because I never really heard what it did and most gamers don't like creative due to their monopoly.
Long story short, it works exceptionally in Call of duty - the sound is 6 channel sorround is there anyhow but EAX is also adding some great "reverb" and crazy muffling stuff so that stuff behind you is incredibly distinct - very very good sound.

However,...... there's several scenes in call of duty which run like CRAP and I finally figured out it's the EAX 1 / 2 emulation on the soundmax :(

Also I only have "EAX 1/2/3" and "Miles 2D positional" audio in COD - miles sounds craptastic and is about as positional as up and down was in Doom 1.


What should I do? Where can I read up on more information? - I don't want to purchase an Audigy 1/2 but I would like to increase the performance??
New soundmax drivers?
Another way of getting 3D sound in COD / Q3 games (Miles blows and both EAX 1 and 2 are as slow as each other)
Buy a Live 5.1 (has it got EAX 3 at least?)
Buy an Audigy 1 / 2 / 2zs (out of the question really, my budget is low)

Also will an audigy improve my EAX performance by THAT much in games? - does it still use some CPU?

Any sound-0-philes got answers?

T/you :)
 
B

Brian48

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 1999
3,410
0
0
EAX, for the most part, sounds horrible on any card other than those from the Creative line (of any generation) so I'm not surprised you've never liked it. More often than not, it's done through Sensaura wrapper.

Anyway, you do not get performance gains from EAX. You get it from on-board hardware support that takes some of the burden off the CPU. Now this may gain you some fps, it does not guarantee that it will make the game sound any better. Enabling EAX with HW support adds the special effects, that when done properly by the game developer (and this is the key here), really enhances the audio experience in the game.

That said, I can't say getting an A2 will definitely raise your performance to a level that you'd notice, but it certainly won't hurt. What I will say is that the EAX HD implementation in CoD is one of the best I've ever heard and I personally think you're missing out.

The biggest argument against the A1 was that, although good for games, it was horrible for music. This I tend to agree with, however the A2/A2 ZS is a different story. It does both very well and is the only card that has ever decisively pulled me away from my TB Santa Cruz.
 
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