Should I wait for the Audigy?

[SevereTireDamage]

hello..

i was wondering if i could hear some advice from you guys about getting the Live 5.1 vs. the Audigy...

I've got an Epox EP-8K7A, and the onboard sound isn't cutting it for me, so I was considering getting an SB Live 5.1 OEM. However, the Audigy should be coming out in the month. Do you think they're significant enough to wait a month or two? Also, do you think that the price will be much more for OEM (right now it's pretty easy to get the 5.1 OEM for ~$50)?


curious..........

 

[yeuemmaimai]

if you want firewire wait for the new card, otherwise get the 5.1 oem

 

[MasterHoss]

I will most-likely switch back over to SoundBlaster when Audigy comes out. I rule out Santa Cruz because I want (need) some sort of break out box or something to connect my devices and I want the reliability of the drivers that SoundBlaster seems to always have.

 

[Double Trouble]

The Audigy will be extremely expensive, not to mention it will incorporate all sorts of restrictions that will prevent you from using your music the way you want. Stick with the Hercules Game Theatre or the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz.

 

[rahvin]

<<not to mention it will incorporate all sorts of restrictions that will prevent you from using your music the way you want. >>

Baloney.

 

[crypticlogin]

<< The Audigy will be extremely expensive >>



That goes without say. Remember how much the 5.1 retailed for when it first hit the market? I'm not sure what SevereTireDamage wants in a sound card (other than it being better than the onboard audio) but if the 5.1 meets your needs, might as well get it. Otherwise, look at the Audigy specs and be prepared to shell out a pretty penny for the newest thing.



<< not to mention it will incorporate all sorts of restrictions that will prevent you from using your music the way you want. >>



Yeah, and how many music formats will be restricted? I can count all current formats on one hand: zero. The &quot;restrictions&quot; are provisional for a soon-but-yet to be announced format.

 

[Drekce]

The Audigy is not going to be THAT expensive. Supposedly the X-Gamer and MP3+ versions will retail for $99. That isn't even much more than the Live cards. The Platinum is gonna be $199 and the EX is gonna be $250.

 

[volfan]

Since the prices for the current generation and the new generation are identical, why not go for the newest technology. Plus, they are shipping this thing starting today.

 

[nortexoid]

if u're dumb.

 

[yeuemmaimai]

according to creative people who already have live drives (like me) will be able to connect them to the new cards like the xgamer and mp3 version.

 

[SevereTireDamage]

Hey guys, thanks for replying.

I'm still not sure what I'll go with, but I won't rush out this week to get a Live 5.1 OEM at least. My main purposes for the sound card would be excellent mp3 quality, dvd and gaming surround sound, which I still need to get setup anyway (I only have a Dolby Pro-Logic reciever right now anyway). Even with the recent 5.1 FAQ released here, I'm still not sure exactly what I'll get in terms of extra hardware. The Fireware port is enticing tho, if I want to get into some video editing, or hell, I can imagine it just being useful for some reason in the future.

My theory on the Audigy being close to Live prices is that, if the Audigy MP3+ is going to retail at $99, an OEM version with no software can't be much higher than $50.