Hercules Game Theater XP vs Sound Blaster Audigy 2

[NeoMadHatter]

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Say you're playing a game, and you can't hear well because volume is too low... What do you have to do? Close the game, go open the sound control panel, turn up sound, load game again.

Then you start playing, and crap, it's too loud, my ears are bleeding!! Close game, go to CP, load game again, etc...


That's the advantage the GTXP and Audigy 2 Patinum have: a dedicated volume know for the headphones jack, the most important feature a headphone user could want.


So get the 65$ out of your wallet and go buy the GTXP! (no I don't work for Hercules)

yea. that is a true advantage of the gtxp's headphone. probably should've pointed that out. the volume nob works for the headphones great and also has a separate one for mic in too. they work great.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: NeoMadHatter

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Say you're playing a game, and you can't hear well because volume is too low... What do you have to do? Close the game, go open the sound control panel, turn up sound, load game again.

Then you start playing, and crap, it's too loud, my ears are bleeding!! Close game, go to CP, load game again, etc...


That's the advantage the GTXP and Audigy 2 Patinum have: a dedicated volume know for the headphones jack, the most important feature a headphone user could want.


So get the 65$ out of your wallet and go buy the GTXP! (no I don't work for Hercules)

yea. that is a true advantage of the gtxp's headphone. probably should've pointed that out. the volume nob works for the headphones great and also has a separate one for mic in too. they work great.

I have a headphone jack with volume control on my speakers

 

[GrumpyMan]

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Say you're playing a game, and you can't hear well because volume is too low... What do you have to do? Close the game, go open the sound control panel, turn up sound, load game again.

Then you start playing, and crap, it's too loud, my ears are bleeding!! Close game, go to CP, load game again, etc...


That's the advantage the GTXP and Audigy 2 Patinum have: a dedicated volume knob for the headphones jack, the most important feature a headphone user could want.


So get the 65$ out of your wallet and go buy the GTXP! (no I don't work for Hercules)

I've got the Audigy 2 and to turn up the volume I use my MS Pro keyboard. It has volume buttons that work just fine when in games.

 

[syzygy]

newegg has the guillemot hercules fortissimo III for 42.00

 

[NeoMadHatter]

Originally posted by: Johnbear007

Originally posted by: NeoMadHatter

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Say you're playing a game, and you can't hear well because volume is too low... What do you have to do? Close the game, go open the sound control panel, turn up sound, load game again.

Then you start playing, and crap, it's too loud, my ears are bleeding!! Close game, go to CP, load game again, etc...


That's the advantage the GTXP and Audigy 2 Patinum have: a dedicated volume know for the headphones jack, the most important feature a headphone user could want.


So get the 65$ out of your wallet and go buy the GTXP! (no I don't work for Hercules)

yea. that is a true advantage of the gtxp's headphone. probably should've pointed that out. the volume nob works for the headphones great and also has a separate one for mic in too. they work great.

I have a headphone jack with volume control on my speakers

well, then it's up to you. hercules no longer has driver issues. and from what i've heard, apparently neither does the audigy2. although, creative is pretty bad on drivers sometimes. i'd like the newer hardware personally. but it's really up to you..

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: NeoMadHatter

Originally posted by: Johnbear007

Originally posted by: NeoMadHatter

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Say you're playing a game, and you can't hear well because volume is too low... What do you have to do? Close the game, go open the sound control panel, turn up sound, load game again.

Then you start playing, and crap, it's too loud, my ears are bleeding!! Close game, go to CP, load game again, etc...


That's the advantage the GTXP and Audigy 2 Patinum have: a dedicated volume know for the headphones jack, the most important feature a headphone user could want.


So get the 65$ out of your wallet and go buy the GTXP! (no I don't work for Hercules)

yea. that is a true advantage of the gtxp's headphone. probably should've pointed that out. the volume nob works for the headphones great and also has a separate one for mic in too. they work great.

I have a headphone jack with volume control on my speakers

well, then it's up to you. hercules no longer has driver issues. and from what i've heard, apparently neither does the audigy2. although, creative is pretty bad on drivers sometimes. i'd like the newer hardware personally. but it's really up to you..

I've noticed that when I am running a game like neverwinter nights along with running a voice com software.... (game voice) that if I have hardware sound enabled, it is VERY stuttery... would one of these new cards help that?

 

[NeoMadHatter]

Originally posted by: Johnbear007

Originally posted by: NeoMadHatter

Originally posted by: Johnbear007

Originally posted by: NeoMadHatter

Originally posted by: Spicedaddy
Say you're playing a game, and you can't hear well because volume is too low... What do you have to do? Close the game, go open the sound control panel, turn up sound, load game again.

Then you start playing, and crap, it's too loud, my ears are bleeding!! Close game, go to CP, load game again, etc...


That's the advantage the GTXP and Audigy 2 Patinum have: a dedicated volume know for the headphones jack, the most important feature a headphone user could want.


So get the 65$ out of your wallet and go buy the GTXP! (no I don't work for Hercules)

yea. that is a true advantage of the gtxp's headphone. probably should've pointed that out. the volume nob works for the headphones great and also has a separate one for mic in too. they work great.

I have a headphone jack with volume control on my speakers

well, then it's up to you. hercules no longer has driver issues. and from what i've heard, apparently neither does the audigy2. although, creative is pretty bad on drivers sometimes. i'd like the newer hardware personally. but it's really up to you..

I've noticed that when I am running a game like neverwinter nights along with running a voice com software.... (game voice) that if I have hardware sound enabled, it is VERY stuttery... would one of these new cards help that?

i don't think that's a problem with the soundcard. but i could be wrong. it's worth a shot though. since you're going for games either of these are good choices. it's just up to you how you want to spend the money now.

 

[BFG10K]

I love my Audigy and the Audigy2 is even better, plus i've heard nothing but good things about Audigy2. The latest drivers work extremely well and improve sound quality even further.

 

[jamesbond007]

Another vote for Audigy 2. I have the A2 Platinum and couldn't be happier. Sound quality is the best I've heard out of the non-professional cards. I'd consider this entry-level to high-end soundcards. I have owned the GTXP, but I didn't like the poor sounds in games. MP3s sounded decent. A2 seems to produce sound that my ears like better than the Cirrus Logic-based cards.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
Another vote for Audigy 2. I have the A2 Platinum and couldn't be happier. Sound quality is the best I've heard out of the non-professional cards. I'd consider this entry-level to high-end soundcards. I have owned the GTXP, but I didn't like the poor sounds in games. MP3s sounded decent. A2 seems to produce sound that my ears like better than the Cirrus Logic-based cards.

What do you mean by bad sound in gameS?

 

[jamesbond007]

Well, lets take Counter-Strike for example. The guns and bombs were very 'light-toned'. There was no bass to speak of and midrange to highrange tones crackled. The EQ was at default and EAX was disabled in CS.

The games I tried, including UT2003, reproduced the same poor results as Counter-Strike did. Both the TBSC and the GTXP were installed on a fresh install of WinXP Pro and both sounded just the same.

However, when it comes to music, they sounded great!

I also installed the latest drivers available online for both cards.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
Well, lets take Counter-Strike for example. The guns and bombs were very 'light-toned'. There was no bass to speak of and midrange to highrange tones crackled. The EQ was at default and EAX was disabled in CS.

The games I tried, including UT2003, reproduced the same poor results as Counter-Strike did. Both the TBSC and the GTXP were installed on a fresh install of WinXP Pro and both sounded just the same.

However, when it comes to music, they sounded great!

I also installed the latest drivers available online for both cards.

hmmm thats pretty dissapointing.

I didnt want to pay so much for an audigy 2, but I dont want crappy sounds.. not sure what to do anymore

 

[RanDum72]

Just got the Audigy2 lately and, although I haven't beena fan of Creative, have been impressed with the overall sound quality of it in both games AND music. The analog output (2.1 to 5.1 analog out) is simply amazing and I can barely differentiate between it and the digital output in terms of sound quality. Some sound cards may sound softer with their ananlog outs compared to digital out but not the Audigy2. But if music is the only criteria, I would still give a slight edge to the TB Santa Cruz. Both cards are excellent and although lab measurements may favor the Audigy2, my subjective listening tests (note here that it may be swayed by my own personal taste) liked the TBSC. It has a certain 'musicality' about it, expecially in the mid-range area that gives the sound a more 'live' feel. But the Audigy2 is probably the best well-rounded sound card, well-suited to both games and music.

 

[Johnbear007]

As far as gaming support goes, which would be better, the GTXP or the audigy 2? It looks like the only enviromental audio standards out there are being pushed by creative, so having creative hardware would make most sense? I like the idea of the breakout box, but realy what it comes down to is soundcard quality.

Does anyone know if you cna buy a live drive later on to upgrade your audigy, or would you have to get the platinum right away?

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Johnbear007
As far as gaming support goes, which would be better, the GTXP or the audigy 2? It looks like the only enviromental audio standards out there are being pushed by creative, so having creative hardware would make most sense? I like the idea of the breakout box, but realy what it comes down to is soundcard quality.

Does anyone know if you cna buy a live drive later on to upgrade your audigy, or would you have to get the platinum right away?

They did for the A1 and Live! (only through Creative's site), but I think depending on rebates and such it would be a better buy to just buy the platinum up front. I'm not sure if the A2 drive is offered standalone atm though, and Creative has confirmed older drives don't work with the A2 as the pin-outs are arranged differently. Also, I think the platinum comes with more software, which may or may not interest you depending on how much bloat you want. The break-out box would be nice, but the back outputs allow me to do everything I need (5.1 analog out to A/V, digital coax out to A/V, headphones to jack, and Input from TV tuner card).

Chiz

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: Johnbear007
As far as gaming support goes, which would be better, the GTXP or the audigy 2? It looks like the only enviromental audio standards out there are being pushed by creative, so having creative hardware would make most sense? I like the idea of the breakout box, but realy what it comes down to is soundcard quality.

Does anyone know if you cna buy a live drive later on to upgrade your audigy, or would you have to get the platinum right away?

They did for the A1 and Live! (only through Creative's site), but I think depending on rebates and such it would be a better buy to just buy the platinum up front. I'm not sure if the A2 drive is offered standalone atm though, and Creative has confirmed older drives don't work with the A2 as the pin-outs are arranged differently. Also, I think the platinum comes with more software, which may or may not interest you depending on how much bloat you want. The break-out box would be nice, but the back outputs allow me to do everything I need (5.1 analog out to A/V, digital coax out to A/V, headphones to jack, and Input from TV tuner card).

Chiz

Thanks I will look into it. I didn't realize there was a rebate offer for the Platinum... any idea where that is? Also, does any form of the audiy offer optical out? you mentioned that the regular back offers digital coax out.. and that sems good enough for me. The quality between optical and digital coax is pretty negligible.

 

[Chad]

Here are my sound results from 3dmark 2003 before and after changing my sound card...


Hercules Game Theater XP

Sound Tests

No sounds 44.0 fps

24 sounds 32.8 fps

60 sounds 28.0 fps

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

Creative Labs Audigy 2 Platinum

Sound Tests

No sounds 44.0 fps

24 sounds 37.7 fps

60 sounds 34.1 fps

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: Chad
Here are my sound results from 3dmark 2003 before and after changing my sound card...


Hercules Game Theater XP

Sound Tests

No sounds 44.0 fps

24 sounds 32.8 fps

60 sounds 28.0 fps

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

So yuo changed up to an Audigy 2 eh?


I think thats the way I am going to go, but cant decide on p0latinum or not. I see now you can get the live drive for the audigy 2 on ebay fro about 80$ _ shipping


If the audigy 2 platinum had a rebate or something I would buy it

Creative Labs Audigy 2 Platinum

Sound Tests

No sounds 44.0 fps

24 sounds 37.7 fps

60 sounds 34.1 fps

 

[Chad]

Yeah I switched. I will also state that I got a *HUGE* difference in frames per second on Nascar 2003 Season... I'd say in the 15+ FPS range. But more importantly, the sound quality in 3d is much much better than my old GTXP. So in the end, you get much better sound and more FPS... it's win win.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: Chad
Yeah I switched. I will also state that I got a *HUGE* difference in frames per second on Nascar 2003 Season... I'd say in the 15+ FPS range. But more importantly, the sound quality in 3d is much much better than my old GTXP. So in the end, you get much better sound and more FPS... it's win win.

Awsome I will buy one as soon as I can find a good deal on the plat version

why doesnt it have a rebate?

that is dumb

 

[BFG10K]

I absolutely love my Audigy so I'll vote for the Audigy 2 in this case. Creative's drivers work especially well in games.

EDIT: oops, this is an old thread and I've already posted!

 

[Cerb]

However much I like the GTXP, for gaming, the Audigy2 is superior. The GTXP has the break-out box, solid drivers in Win2k, WinXP and Linux; 1/4" and RCA jacks on the break-out box, and volume knobs. If that isn't important to you, go Audigy2.

 

[Johnbear007]

Originally posted by: Cerb
However much I like the GTXP, for gaming, the Audigy2 is superior. The GTXP has the break-out box, solid drivers in Win2k, WinXP and Linux; 1/4" and RCA jacks on the break-out box, and volume knobs. If that isn't important to you, go Audigy2.

Thanks for the input everyone,I want an audigy 2 plat,but I need to find a good deal on one I think it sux that you can get a 30$ rebate on an audigy 2, but not o0n the plat

 

[billyjak]

I installed both side by side and the Audigy 2 wins hands down.
And yes the herc drivers were trouble until I finally got the update.

 

[sirspotticus]

audigy gets my vote too
right now i'm in the middle of a horrible rma experience with hercules.. the support sucks, just like when winxp came out and it took them months to provide working drivers.
anyways, if i do end up buying a new sound card i will seriously consider the m-audio revolution