Good Speakers for Creative X-Fi card?

[quadomatic]

I got a free X-Fi SB0460 from a relative. Not sure if its the X-Fi Platinum or X-Fi XtremeMusic. They're still the same card at the heart anyways. Either way its better than the crap integrated sound I've been using for so many years. Now I think I should get a decent set of speakers.

I don't have a whole lot of space, so I can't go with surround. I saw 3 piece sets on TigerDirect.com (buying from TigerDirect retail store). How is this set?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...dpNo=322399&CatId=2893
http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...pNo=3296567&CatId=2893
http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...pNo=3296567&CatId=2893

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[PurdueRy]

At that price I doubt it really matters. Why would you feel the need to upgrade from the "crap" integrated sound if a decent 2.1 set of speakers costs less than half the price of your sound card?

 

[quadomatic]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
At that price I doubt it really matters. Why would you feel the need to upgrade from the "crap" integrated sound if a decent 2.1 set of speakers costs less than half the price of your sound card?

I'm confused, are you saying I shouldn't bother upgrading the sound card?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: quadomatic

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
At that price I doubt it really matters. Why would you feel the need to upgrade from the "crap" integrated sound if a decent 2.1 set of speakers costs less than half the price of your sound card?

I'm confused, are you saying I shouldn't bother upgrading the sound card?

if your only going to use $25 speakers...yes that is what I am saying. I mean it doesn't hurt because it was free. However, the quality of the X-fi audio output will be limited by the quality of the speakers you are considering.

 

[quadomatic]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: quadomatic

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
At that price I doubt it really matters. Why would you feel the need to upgrade from the "crap" integrated sound if a decent 2.1 set of speakers costs less than half the price of your sound card?

I'm confused, are you saying I shouldn't bother upgrading the sound card?

if your only going to use $25 speakers...yes that is what I am saying. I mean it doesn't hurt because it was free. However, the quality of the X-fi audio output will be limited by the quality of the speakers you are considering.

I see. Are 2.1 speakers no good? I did post a logitech set that was supposed to be decent.

UPDATE: Whoops, I guess I didn't post the logitech speakers.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...pNo=2927911&CatId=2893

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: quadomatic

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: quadomatic

Originally posted by: PurdueRy
At that price I doubt it really matters. Why would you feel the need to upgrade from the "crap" integrated sound if a decent 2.1 set of speakers costs less than half the price of your sound card?

I'm confused, are you saying I shouldn't bother upgrading the sound card?

if your only going to use $25 speakers...yes that is what I am saying. I mean it doesn't hurt because it was free. However, the quality of the X-fi audio output will be limited by the quality of the speakers you are considering.

I see. Are 2.1 speakers no good? I did post a logitech set that was supposed to be decent.

UPDATE: Whoops, I guess I didn't post the logitech speakers.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/app...pNo=2927911&CatId=2893

The logitech's are ok from what I hear...that is the cheapest I would recommend going on speakers.

 

[SniperDaws]

at least get the logitech Z4's or the Z-2300, those will sound very well and have a small desktop footprint.

 

[Calculator83]

Originally posted by: SniperDaws
at least get the logitech Z4's or the Z-2300, those will sound very well and have a small desktop footprint.

Yup, they're it. ur gonna love a new sound card.. It's like putting on glasses for your ears.

One of those things u'll try explaining to a girl when she first visits ur room, but she'll never understand cuz it's a guy thing.

 

[quadomatic]

Originally posted by: SniperDaws
at least get the logitech Z4's or the Z-2300, those will sound very well and have a small desktop footprint.

😱

The Z-2300 is DEFINITELY out of my price range. Z-4s are pretty expensive too. Even the X-240s are pretty pricey, $40...but I suppose $40 is a small price to pay for good sound quality.

Any others that are on par with the X-240s but are priced lower?

UPDATE: browsed around, nothing really good for the prices below the X-240. I suppose I'll just get them then. I wish I could order from newegg ($5 less, no tax) but shipping is $15!!! Guess I'll just go to TigerDirect store and pay $40+tax....which would be...$43 roughly. Meh, not bad. I guess I could sell some stuff to make up the cost.

 

[quadomatic]

Just put in the X-Fi card and I'm testing out listening to music. Deep bass lines definitely feel more pronounced and clear. In listening to some FLAC rips I made vs the original CD, I can actually hear pops and hisses...those faults are even more pronounced in the original mp3s. I don't think those were audible on my integrated sound. So, even on the speakers I have right now I can see the difference. These speakers actually aren't too bad...they were Gateway2000 speakers that were included with a computer, and we found them at a garage sale. There will likely be a phenomenal difference after I pick up the Logitech speakers at TigerDirect, but still this is quite good.

UPDATE: Wow, went back and listened to songs that were 192kbps mp3s, and those sound a LOT better than they used to.

UPDATE2: Oh wait, that's cuz i set surround...still, sounds cool!

UPDATE3: Speakers definitely showing their weaknesses now...when I use surround I get crackling occasionally. When the crystalizer is enabled there's quite a bit of crackling too.

UPDATE4: Tested with crystalizer and surround, got some pops/crackles on the really deep base drum beats on audio played off of a CD (Good Morning on Graduation). So, it looks like the speakers are the major source of audio defects, as opposed to mp3/flac quality (though I do think that the rips I made of Graduation are the cause of the terrible hissing, since the cd sounds loads better...thats the last time I use Grip to rip anything). Or is it possible that this card doesn't work...?

UPDATE5: Read about crackling and popping issues with these cards...found some unofficial drivers I'm trying. Any advice would be appreciated.

UPDATE6: I installed some drivers by PAX, and now its great. Crystalizer, Surround and EAX are all maxed out and no audio defects. Anyone who uses an X-Fi card and is having issues, give it a shot:

http://www.youp-pax.org/viewth...tid=586&extra=page%3D1

 

[Calculator83]

Originally posted by: quadomatic
Just put in the X-Fi card and I'm testing out listening to music. Deep bass lines definitely feel more pronounced and clear. In listening to some FLAC rips I made vs the original CD, I can actually hear pops and hisses...those faults are even more pronounced in the original mp3s. I don't think those were audible on my integrated sound. So, even on the speakers I have right now I can see the difference. These speakers actually aren't too bad...they were Gateway2000 speakers that were included with a computer, and we found them at a garage sale. There will likely be a phenomenal difference after I pick up the Logitech speakers at TigerDirect, but still this is quite good.

UPDATE: Wow, went back and listened to songs that were 192kbps mp3s, and those sound a LOT better than they used to.

UPDATE2: Oh wait, that's cuz i set surround...still, sounds cool!

UPDATE3: Speakers definitely showing their weaknesses now...when I use surround I get crackling occasionally. When the crystalizer is enabled there's quite a bit of crackling too.

UPDATE4: Tested with crystalizer and surround, got some pops/crackles on the really deep base drum beats on audio played off of a CD (Good Morning on Graduation). So, it looks like the speakers are the major source of audio defects, as opposed to mp3/flac quality (though I do think that the rips I made of Graduation are the cause of the terrible hissing, since the cd sounds loads better...thats the last time I use Grip to rip anything). Or is it possible that this card doesn't work...?

UPDATE5: Read about crackling and popping issues with these cards...found some unofficial drivers I'm trying. Any advice would be appreciated.

UPDATE6: I installed some drivers by PAX, and now its great. Crystalizer, Surround and EAX are all maxed out and no audio defects. Anyone who uses an X-Fi card and is having issues, give it a shot:

http://www.youp-pax.org/viewth...tid=586&extra=page%3D1

You sound real young.

anyhow. glad you like xfi. forget about the crystalizer. You may choose to do the oamp mod to make the xfi top notch. and stick with 192 or higher for mp3s.

speaker wise.. mmm,, save up for either the gigaworks, or the x5200. DON"T buy those klipsch desktop speakers, the sub on it is great but the amp inside kills itself. I've had 2 pairs and they both are dead. the second one was free though, so i don't feel that bad.

 

[quadomatic]

Thx for the pointer about the oamp mod. I'm not sure I'll be able to tell the difference with these speakers though. I'll get the free sample oamp chip, but I won't do it till I get a set of speakers.

Dang...the crystalizer makes such a huge difference! Compared to listening without it, sound comes out pretty dull.

It's not just that I don't have the cash for those speakers you mentioned atm, but I can't really justify spending that much on speakers. I think the X-240 is the maximum I'm willing to pay for speakers.

UPDATE: What, you have to pay shipping? Screw that...I could just order it from Newark along with all the other stuff you need, and play $6 for shipping 1 package, instead of $8 for the shipping on the sample, and another $7 for the stuff from Newark.

UPDATE 2: I dusted off my copy of Doom 3 to give EAX a shot. With my normal set of speakers, it's like pouring milk in a bowl of Rice Crispies, so these things are gonna have to go. I tried it again using my cheapo Phillips headphones, and it was so difficult to hear with a ton of echoes...so I turned down the EAX settings in the Creative Audio console from the amplified 12.0db to standard, and now its fantastic. With the CMMS-3D virtual headphone surround and EAX HD sound, WOW. Doom 3 is a whole new experience.

I ordered a pair of JVC Marshmallow headphones from Newegg along with the memory I'm getting my bro for his laptop. They were only $9, and they got plenty of praise from people on Head-Fi. I imagine audio would be a bit interesting on those, but I really need to go get that set of Logitech speakers; probably not this week, but soon.

UPDATE 3: Played more Doom 3...and I can't stand to play for more than maybe 20 or 30 minutes. It's FAR too terrifying now...it's loads scarier when you can hear all of the monsters, and can tell roughly where they are...

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: Calculator83

Originally posted by: SniperDaws
at least get the logitech Z4's or the Z-2300, those will sound very well and have a small desktop footprint.

Yup, they're it. ur gonna love a new sound card.. It's like putting on glasses for your ears.

One of those things u'll try explaining to a girl when she first visits ur room, but she'll never understand cuz it's a guy thing.

😕😕 U ur; 2 b plz pst? Wut 4 ne1; iz y. 😕😕

------------

Have you considered going with headphones instead of speakers? For every $10 you spend on speakers, it's been estimated that the quality equivalent in headphones costs $1. Eg. you can mimic the quality of $1000 speakers with $100 headphones. I like the Grado SR-60s if you're on a tight budget, or you could look at AudioTechnica 500s if you prefer closed phones. Or if you want quality portable headphones for double duty pc gaming / ipod use when traveling, the Shures e2cs are nice.

PS - the $0 price was right, but compared to cards costing half as much as its sticker price, the X-fi falls flat on its face in terms of musical sound quality. Creative has a stranglehold on the market due to EAX, and they waste a lot of money on advertising to keep it while using it to peddle sub-par goods at premium prices.

 

[shingletingle]

Originally posted by: quadomatic
Thx for the pointer about the oamp mod. I'm not sure I'll be able to tell the difference with these speakers though. I'll get the free sample oamp chip, but I won't do it till I get a set of speakers.

Dang...the crystalizer makes such a huge difference! Compared to listening without it, sound comes out pretty dull.

It's not just that I don't have the cash for those speakers you mentioned atm, but I can't really justify spending that much on speakers. I think the X-240 is the maximum I'm willing to pay for speakers.

UPDATE: What, you have to pay shipping? Screw that...I could just order it from Newark along with all the other stuff you need, and play $6 for shipping 1 package, instead of $8 for the shipping on the sample, and another $7 for the stuff from Newark.

UPDATE 2: I dusted off my copy of Doom 3 to give EAX a shot. With my normal set of speakers, it's like pouring milk in a bowl of Rice Crispies, so these things are gonna have to go. I tried it again using my cheapo Phillips headphones, and it was so difficult to hear with a ton of echoes...so I turned down the EAX settings in the Creative Audio console from the amplified 12.0db to standard, and now its fantastic. With the CMMS-3D virtual headphone surround and EAX HD sound, WOW. Doom 3 is a whole new experience.

I ordered a pair of JVC Marshmallow headphones from Newegg along with the memory I'm getting my bro for his laptop. They were only $9, and they got plenty of praise from people on Head-Fi. I imagine audio would be a bit interesting on those, but I really need to go get that set of Logitech speakers; probably not this week, but soon.

UPDATE 3: Played more Doom 3...and I can't stand to play for more than maybe 20 or 30 minutes. It's FAR too terrifying now...it's loads scarier when you can hear all of the monsters, and can tell roughly where they are...

I don't understand why people think like this. They get a nice soundcard but aren't willing to put the money into a nice set of speakers to hear the real potential of the soundcard. The speakers make more of a difference to the sound than the soundcard does.

Reminds me of people that put together a nice PC, but skimp out on the power supply. Oooh, I found a 500w power supply for $10!!!!

 

[pcsavvy]

If you check Amazon, you can see that Logitech Z-2300 are running about 1/2 off retail plus shipping. I got these from Amazon when they were $89.99 with free shipping and no sales tax. I really like them, they don't take up a lot of room and have great sound.

It is all a matter where you want to invest your money. I watch a lot of anime and listen to cd's so the Z-2300's really add some punch to the sounds I am hearing.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Calculator83

Originally posted by: quadomatic
Just put in the X-Fi card and I'm testing out listening to music. Deep bass lines definitely feel more pronounced and clear. In listening to some FLAC rips I made vs the original CD, I can actually hear pops and hisses...those faults are even more pronounced in the original mp3s. I don't think those were audible on my integrated sound. So, even on the speakers I have right now I can see the difference. These speakers actually aren't too bad...they were Gateway2000 speakers that were included with a computer, and we found them at a garage sale. There will likely be a phenomenal difference after I pick up the Logitech speakers at TigerDirect, but still this is quite good.

UPDATE: Wow, went back and listened to songs that were 192kbps mp3s, and those sound a LOT better than they used to.

UPDATE2: Oh wait, that's cuz i set surround...still, sounds cool!

UPDATE3: Speakers definitely showing their weaknesses now...when I use surround I get crackling occasionally. When the crystalizer is enabled there's quite a bit of crackling too.

UPDATE4: Tested with crystalizer and surround, got some pops/crackles on the really deep base drum beats on audio played off of a CD (Good Morning on Graduation). So, it looks like the speakers are the major source of audio defects, as opposed to mp3/flac quality (though I do think that the rips I made of Graduation are the cause of the terrible hissing, since the cd sounds loads better...thats the last time I use Grip to rip anything). Or is it possible that this card doesn't work...?

UPDATE5: Read about crackling and popping issues with these cards...found some unofficial drivers I'm trying. Any advice would be appreciated.

UPDATE6: I installed some drivers by PAX, and now its great. Crystalizer, Surround and EAX are all maxed out and no audio defects. Anyone who uses an X-Fi card and is having issues, give it a shot:

http://www.youp-pax.org/viewth...tid=586&extra=page%3D1

You sound real young.

anyhow. glad you like xfi. forget about the crystalizer. You may choose to do the oamp mod to make the xfi top notch. and stick with 192 or higher for mp3s.

speaker wise.. mmm,, save up for either the gigaworks, or the x5200. DON"T buy those klipsch desktop speakers, the sub on it is great but the amp inside kills itself. I've had 2 pairs and they both are dead. the second one was free though, so i don't feel that bad.

eh im guessing you have just had bad luck with Klipsch, i have a pair of 2.1s that are 7 years old and some 4.1s that are 4 years old,, both sets have been used daily for the duration i have owned them and i have never had a single issue with the amps

 

[RedsevN]

I would suggest NOT doing the opamp mod unless you're really handy with a soldering iron and have experience with soldering (and especially DESOLDERING) SOIC chips. I thought I was decent with a soldering iron myself (having built a CMOY amp and some minor SOIC adapter soldering), but I got owned when I tried to desolder the existing opamp on my X-Fi. To make a very long story short, I basically ripped off 3 of the 8 solder pads under the existing opamp, and it took me a couple hours of toil, sweat, and very very steady hands before I could fix it. I ended up having to air-wire the new opamp to the SMD resistors on the card (which, if you've ever looked, are very very very small). I couldn't even use regular wire for this; I had to cut open a spare cat5 cable I had, unstrand the wires, break them off, and use those. I think I still get occasional problems with my X-Fi (random crackling, fixed by a restart), but I'm glad that I didn't burn my card.

 

[potato28]

Originally posted by: RedsevN
I would suggest NOT doing the opamp mod unless you're really handy with a soldering iron and have experience with soldering (and especially DESOLDERING) SOIC chips. I thought I was decent with a soldering iron myself (having built a CMOY amp and some minor SOIC adapter soldering), but I got owned when I tried to desolder the existing opamp on my X-Fi. To make a very long story short, I basically ripped off 3 of the 8 solder pads under the existing opamp, and it took me a couple hours of toil, sweat, and very very steady hands before I could fix it. I ended up having to air-wire the new opamp to the SMD resistors on the card (which, if you've ever looked, are very very very small). I couldn't even use regular wire for this; I had to cut open a spare cat5 cable I had, unstrand the wires, break them off, and use those. I think I still get occasional problems with my X-Fi (random crackling, fixed by a restart), but I'm glad that I didn't burn my card.

This, and the fact that your speakers still won't be able to fully push the power of an X-Fi.

And IMO, all of the extra X-Fi BS that comes in the firmware is just BS. The only real tool is the Audio Creation mode with 24/192 ASIO bitperfect, which sounds amazing with my 555's.