[obazavil]

Hmm... I downloaded the latest beta drivers from creative website. The panel is very different... Where did you download that drivers? from NamelessFPG link? Any difference just isntalling the latest beta drivers for win8 from namelessFPG link? (I'm using Win8) Regards, Omar

 

[chewy4]

Quote:

Hmm... I downloaded the latest beta drivers from creative website. The panel is very different... Where did you download that drivers? from NamelessFPG link? Any difference just isntalling the latest beta drivers for win8 from namelessFPG link? (I'm using Win8) Regards, Omar

My panel looks the same and I installed from the CD, then used the update tool to update.
 
Maybe it's different for Windows 8? Can you post a screenshot?
 
How are the drivers and interface for Windows 8 by the way? I was looking to upgrade sometime soon for a performance increase but I'm worried about compatibility issues.

 

[Ban13]

Update:
 
Quote:

I'd first like to thank Nameless for this great thread, answered a lot of my questions. Also, +1 on the guide for the X-Fi panel.
 
Today, I finally received a brand new Titanium HD, made the choice because I pretty much only play Project Reality (PR)- a mod for Battlefield 2. After inserting the card, installing driver package from the first post in this thread and trying everything in PR I have several questions:
 
1. I use an application called Volume2 to control in-game volume by simply holding down shift key and scrolling up and down with the mouse wheel. Because I also you Mumble and TeamSpeak with PR I set Volume2 to change the volume only for the 'active' application. However after setting PR audio to X-Fi and Ultra High volume control isn't working anymore. It works fine with everything else though. So my question would be what exactly happens to BF2 after setting audio to X-Fi? Does another applications take control of the sound?
 
When selecting X-Fi in BF2 audio options BF2 doesn't seem to respond to volume change. Even if you change it in Win7 Volume Mixer (where you can set the volume for each running application individually) it does nothing. If anybody has more info on this I would really appreciate it, this is very important to me.
 
2. I'm not sure if my Game Mode screen has the usual features. I don't really see CMSS-3D Headphone anywhere, just CMSS-3D. I took a few screenshots, just to clarify.
 
3. My microphone seems really quiet and I just can't find any +20dB boost options or anything similar. I have set everything else to 100%. It might also be the other way around, that my playback is set too high (100%).
 
Solved. I just ticked Enable SVM.
 
That's about it, thanks for your time.

 

[loki993]

 
Hi. So just wondering if I read the front page right basically only Creative cards have the capability to output surround to any source, ie USB?  Here is my issue. I have basically the crappiest, at least feature wise, onboard soundcard in my laptop. Its an IDT, cant even get update drivers from the website. They say we wont put drivers up get them from the manufacturer, Hp, and they're from 2010, They are surround sound though. Anyway couple that with the fact that my headphone jack is messed up and has a mind of its own I want to be rid of it.
 
I listen to a lot of music on my laptop so the surround sound isn't usually a huge deal but I do game a bit too and the surround would be nice for that. 
 
So I bought a Fiio E10 knowing full well it probably be losing the surround sound capability, because as far as I know there isn't a setting for my soundcard to redirect the processing.
 
However I did just remember, the graphics card does have built in audio too that will change over when the displayport is plugged in, HP HDMI basically,  I wonder if I can redirect that somehow to USB. Its a Nvida NVS 3100M. 

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

Hi. So just wondering if I read the front page right basically only Creative cards have the capability to output surround to any source, ie USB?  Here is my issue. I have basically the crappiest, at least feature wise, onboard soundcard in my laptop. Its an IDT, cant even get update drivers from the website. They say we wont put drivers up get them from the manufacturer, Hp, and they're from 2010, They are surround sound though. Anyway couple that with the fact that my headphone jack is messed up and has a mind of its own I want to be rid of it.
 
I listen to a lot of music on my laptop so the surround sound isn't usually a huge deal but I do game a bit too and the surround would be nice for that. 
 
So I bought a Fiio E10 knowing full well it probably be losing the surround sound capability, because as far as I know there isn't a setting for my soundcard to redirect the processing.
 
However I did just remember, the graphics card does have built in audio too that will change over when the displayport is plugged in, HP HDMI basically,  I wonder if I can redirect that somehow to USB. Its a Nvida NVS 3100M. 

 
USB audio devices can theoretically play back any sound card's audio if you're running Windows 7 or later, but the audio quality takes a big hit. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it if you can use an S/PDIF DAC instead. (I really should edit that into my guide...)
 
For a laptop, I would have advised something like the X-Fi Surround 5.1 (older revision with CMSS-3D Headphone instead of THX TruStudio Surround) or the Xonar U3, as you still have some gaming audio support that way.
 
HDMI audio devices wouldn't be recommended for gaming unless the game in question does software audio mixing. For DS3D/OAL-based games, the only suitable HDMI card would be the uncommon Auzentech X-Fi HomeTheater HD.

 

[ivon3ry]

Hi
 
I'm new on this forum and sorry for ma language, soon i will buy soundcard, headphones and tube amp. I think about:
 
Creative Titanium HD
Little Dot MK IV SE
Beyerdynamic DT 990 600 Ohm
 
This is good idea? 

 

[genclaymore]

I used to have a Titanium HD PCI-E my self couple of years ago, Its is a good card and you should enjoy it it very well. When I had it, I didn't have any issues with it. Other then me going mad with my Op-amp rolling that I used to be into.  One thing,  headphone mode in the control panel also works when you are using the RCA outputs on the card, Into the tube amp. So when you game and config it, you can still use CMSS3D headphone. If you decide to use it.

 

[Heartsdale]

I was about to give up DH by replacing my Essence STX + DT 880 (250 ohm) with a Magni/Modi + HE-400. I just don't game as much and wanted to upgrade. Reading your guide, I was very happy to see that its possible for me to still have DH with the Modi for the occasional gaming session. Then I read all the way through this thread and came upon:
Quote:

 
USB audio devices can theoretically play back any sound card's audio if you're running Windows 7 or later, but the audio quality takes a big hit. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it if you can use an S/PDIF DAC instead. (I really should edit that into my guide...)

How big of a hit? Enough to warrant moving up to a Bifrost for the coax input?
 
Games I play are mostly FPS and MMOs. Music is EDM, Rock, and Asian pop.

 

[chewy4]

I don't understand why using USB would make the audio quality take a hit at all, I'd like to hear the logic behind that.
 
Are you sure that's even possible though? I don't recall seeing that option in the Xonar control panel.

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

I was about to give up DH by replacing my Essence STX + DT 880 (250 ohm) with a Magni/Modi + HE-400. I just don't game as much and wanted to upgrade. Reading your guide, I was very happy to see that its possible for me to still have DH with the Modi for the occasional gaming session. Then I read all the way through this thread and came upon:
How big of a hit? Enough to warrant moving up to a Bifrost for the coax input?
 
Games I play are mostly FPS and MMOs. Music is EDM, Rock, and Asian pop.

 
Quote:

I don't understand why using USB would make the audio quality take a hit at all, I'd like to hear the logic behind that.
 
Are you sure that's even possible though? I don't recall seeing that option in the Xonar control panel.

 
It's not so much the USB audio devices being hindered by the USB interface as it is Windows 7's means of playing back audio from one output device through another. That, when tested with the USB audio devices I have, leads to very audible noise and distortion in the signal of the sort you wouldn't notice from listening to any of the audio devices directly.
 
S/PDIF just happens to bypass that Windows sound stack muckery, which is why it doesn't have the sound quality hit.

 

[chewy4]

Quote:

 
 
It's not so much the USB audio devices being hindered by the USB interface as it is Windows 7's means of playing back audio from one output device through another. That, when tested with the USB audio devices I have, leads to very audible noise and distortion in the signal of the sort you wouldn't notice from listening to any of the audio devices directly.
 
S/PDIF just happens to bypass that Windows sound stack muckery, which is why it doesn't have the sound quality hit.

I see, that makes more sense.

 

[Ban13]

MacroFX and ElevationFilter on X-Fi cards- do you guys keep it on Auto, On or Off and why?

 

[ivon3ry]

Quote:

MacroFX and ElevationFilter on X-Fi cards- do you guys keep it on Auto, On or Off and why?

 
i always have off

 

[NamelessPFG]

Quote:

MacroFX and ElevationFilter on X-Fi cards- do you guys keep it on Auto, On or Off and why?

 
Elevation Filter = On. Having it on makes all the difference in DS3D/OAL games, really highlighting the difference between proper 3D sound where you can distinguish the height of sounds, and virtual 5.1/7.1 where you can't.
 
MacroFX = Auto. What this does is make sounds that are closer in proximity louder, which nicely reflects real life...but the reason I don't leave it set to On is that very close sounds, especially those you generate like gunshots, are uncomfortably loud to the point where I have to turn down the overall volume, and that can very easily hinder my ability to hear distant, faint sounds.
 
I haven't really figured out if there's a practical difference between "Auto" and "Off" yet. Creative suggests that Auto lets the game engine decide whether to apply the effect or not, but I find that a lot of game developers don't apply it when it should be applied, particularly in the case of the Elevation Filter.

 

[AzureBeat]

So, has anyone tried the Z-Series yet? Some of the features they have look real nice, and I don't play old games, so that reason for the Titanium HD isn't there.Also, from my reading, it seems that there is no good way to do Usb based 3D audio, correct? Not really interested in fake Dolby, if there's a better option available.
 
I don't have any money to get anything right now,

and as I bought some headphones before I found this place and became really aware that there was even a difference in sound quality, so I'm stuck with some crappy ones.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not Beats.

Plantronics gamecom 720. Not really great, IMO.