Creative sound blaster x fi sound card. Ultrasound. Sound cards Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition and ASUS Xonar DX. Preparing for installation

Shvetsov Igor

Feedback from Yandex.Market

Finally, the Pioneer HDJ-1000 headphones, which had been lying for 5 years, rejected for poor sound (I thought I bought a fake), sounded, and even ?? ak, elastic bass, amazing middle, top without delight, but very good. Conclusion, for high-impedance headphones you need an amplifier, this device has it)))

The price, but I found it on Avito for 3 thousand, so I don't care)))

For those who are not subject to audiophile kinks, but who appreciate decent sound

16 5

good components and, as a result, very good characteristics;
RCA connectors are standard for hi-fi equipment;
availability of RIAA-corrector and ground contact for connecting turntables with MM heads;
nice case design and soft USB cable;
new drivers now support ASIO;
relatively reasonable price.

support of sampling rate 44.1 kHz - only for S / PDIF output, and for analog, alas, only 48 and 96 kHz;
inconvenient (and unnecessary) digital volume control;
ASIO support - for playback only, and only for analog output;
the microphone input is made for a 6.3 mm plug (as if for "solid" microphones), but in fact - it is stereo and with power supply for ordinary "electretniks".

I have a release of a device with the THX logo, not SBX, but this is pure marketing and drivers (the hardware is exactly the same, apparently some kind of licensing problem).
I was looking for a high-quality external solution for a netbook in order to use it as a universal player (FLAC and APE) for a good hi-fi amplifier.
The quality of the RIAA corrector suits, it sounds absolutely no worse than the built-in integrated amplifier - it will be used for digitizing "vinyl" from my collection of 30 years ago :-)
I am satisfied with the purchase, there are no problems with operation (in the Internet they often frighten with the glitchiness of Creative USB devices).

Complain Did the review help? 34 9

Simple. There are only 2 modes in which you can listen (24/48, 24/96). There is a 100db SNR line input (you can use the card for different measurements). Works on drivers from the site normally both in 10-ke and under 2012 R2. Works 24/96 via HIFIMEDIY USB ISOLATOR. With him, the complete absence of any noise / interference. Input and output to RCA connectors. Everything is simple and straightforward. The sound with the right "cooking" (high quality resampling at 96 kHz) is better than most built-in solutions. In general, if you don't get hung up on comparing with more expensive solutions, you can listen to the card and even really enjoy it.

In terms of sound quality, the ASUS Xonar Essence STX loses out under the same conditions, which is not surprising given the 3 times price difference. I hoped I wouldn't hear the difference, but no, miracles don't happen. ASUS has better detailing, while Creative's high frequencies are too accentuated, and in general the sound is perceived as a little "blurry", I did not feel a lack of lows (at all). The lack of support for frequencies multiples of 44100 Hz is very strange. But I'm listening to foobar2000, the resampler is very good there (dBpoweramp), so I don't think it's critical for myself. Also, in my opinion, the blue light bulb is stupid. And the volume control is unnecessary and inconvenient.

The card is like a card, how much it costs and plays. The 44100 frequency, I think, was specially cut by marketers for some reason (God forbid they will use it instead of E-MU), the sound is no different, the "WOW" effect does not cause. I don't write anything about the headphones - I only listen to the speakers. In the reviews, they write well any "EARS". Considering the price, it would be possible to put the card 5-, if not for the lack of support for 44 kHz.

Complain Did the review help? 10 9

Better than stock HD Audio. Quality improvement can be heard on normal acoustics or headphones, I tried it.

1. Software and drivers are not very good.
2. The volume control with the new driver works extremely jerky, with jerking and level jumps, beat the tambourine with the driver.

Perhaps if I had bought the card earlier than January 02, 2020, my review would have been better.
For some time I suffered a little and suffered with static periodic clicks in my headphones, read forums, and, according to advice, twisted yusb cords and climbed uselessly to tweak something in the BIOS. Changed the XUHD driver ... 0025 "Release date: 2 Jan 20" to an older XUHD ... 0024 "Release date: 26 Aug 16", the clicks disappeared, I hope forever, they carried the jamb again, I'll hand it back to the store, I'll add a review , unsubscribe.

Complain Did the review help? 2 0

The sound is cool, detailed enough, much better than the standard HD Audio.
The THD on the headphone output does not float much when the volume is changed (as far as I could hear in 1 day).

I got a marriage, not a working volume control, I had to return it - it's not even a minus, it happens.

Minus, as noted earlier: "support for 44.1 kHz sampling rate" not for all outputs.

I would like to note one more inconvenient moment that appeared in 1 day of use. After waking up the computer from "sleep", not all applications had sound. Only those where you can explicitly specify the source (Creative ASIO, for example) worked correctly. But browsers and many other programs take sound from the device by default - there was no sound itself, even a reboot did not help, only disconnecting the USB and connecting it again. Not very convenient, I always send the computer to sleep.

24.09.2014 17:05

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is no longer a new product on the market, but it is one of the bright attempts of the said company to please the already completely inexperienced audiophile audience.

An external sound card is definitely a specific product. Which means it is automatically audiophile. Because an ordinary user is unlikely to bother with the search for the necessary device for playing any kind of music, and even more so for sounding acoustic scenes, for example, in computer games.

The buyer, who decides to organize a mini-studio at his workplace, approaches the choice of a device for reproducing the incoming and outgoing signal purely from subjective preferences. The technical characteristics of sound recording / playback, external ports for connecting acoustics and auxiliary devices, for example, musical instruments or a microphone, are also important here. Thus, there are a lot of subtleties in the device called an external sound card.

With factory drivers and without the use of bundled and third-party software to improve and modify sound, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD sounds really good.

The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is no longer a new product on the market, but this is one of the bright attempts of this company to please the already completely inexperienced audiophile audience. By and large, this device is able to implement two main functions - to reproduce a very high-quality sound, as well as to record it using one input connector jack format ¼located on the front panel black box.

The main characteristics of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD stereo card are as follows: signal-to-noise ratio - 114 dBA, the X-Fi processor already known to many (from the gaming series) is installed inside, the quality of playback and recording is 24 bit / 96 kHz, which is quite good for household needs. Headphone gain - 330 Ohm.

In addition to the voiced instrument jack located on the front panel of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD, there is another headphone output with exactly the same form factor. On the reverse side of the device, analog tulips (two pairs) and optical TOSLINK input and output. The sound card is connected via the connector USB 2.0... Creative has not forgotten about grounding the device, which is very nice.

True Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD Capabilities hidden in the control panel, which is installed from the disc or the manufacturer's website.

During operation, the blue LED notifies the user about the device's health. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD front panel also houses a volume control in the style of classic receivers. Many users criticize such, but in vain. Perhaps it is too miniature, but the device itself is quite modest in size. In any case, it is convenient to control the volume, smooth and moderately tight movement of the plastic knob was created for just this.

With factory drivers and without the use of bundled and third-party software to improve and modify sound, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD sounds really good. To be honest, after using an external Behringer U-Phoria UM2 card, no difference was noticed (as an acoustic pair, we used Dual passive speakers from Germany, connected to a Telefunken RA200 amplifier). The volume reserve is more than enough, the frequencies of all ranges are excellent.

But the true capabilities of Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD hidden in the control panel, which is installed from the disc or the manufacturer's website. It contains various EAX effects, equalizer, THX TruStudio Pro functions. The panel is not overloaded with options, which means that any user can customize the sound at his own discretion. It's really worth it. The familiar sound of your favorite songs is literally updated with every turn of the slider of one or another parameter.

The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD does not support ASIO, which means that recording, as well as subsequent playback of the track, occurs with a significant delay.

Another weighty a plus The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD consists of a wired instrument input that allows you to record sound from musical instruments such as a guitar, as well as a full microphone. The sound card copes with this task very well and at the output you get audible the quality of the track, not studio quality, of course, but sufficient for personal experiments. But there is one drawback - the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD does not support ASIO, which means that the recording, as well as the subsequent playback of the track, occurs with a significant delay. Thus, when overlaying one track on top of another, especially when playing the first in parallel, difficulties in the workflow can arise. This is the minus of any non-professional solution, after all, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is an amateur device.

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD can be purchased for 3700 rubles and higher. By and large, this is a worthy offer for the possibilities that the monitored device offers to the user, if we are talking about non-professional external cards for the home.

Beginning musicians who want to constantly evaluate the quality of their work, as they say on tape, this unit will also work, but with the caveats described above, which are associated with a large recording delay. In any case, when recording only one track in mono or stereo mode, there are essentially no problems.

And the sound quality reproduced through the analog inputs is really excellent, without any exaggeration. You just need to get the appropriate speakers, preferably more powerful.

new generation of Xtreme Fidelity processors and sound cards

What is Xtreme Fidelity?

On August 2, 2005 the Creative company held a conference in Germany, where the new generation sound cards - SoundBlaster X-Fi were demonstrated to the European press.

Earlier, on May 13, 2005, Creative announced the Xtreme Fidelity technology, or X-Fi for short, and the sound processor of the same name.

If it is more or less clear with the new processor, then what is “Xtreme Fidelity technology”? According to the manufacturer, its essence lies in providing 24-bit quality, clarity of sound with at least 110 dB signal-to-noise ratio and new technology CMSS (Creative Multi Speaker Surround) 3D sound in headphones and multichannel speakers. As stated by Sim Wong Hu, founder and CEO of Creative - "Xtreme Fidelity is the result of our vision for a new audio standard that will bring dramatic improvements to MP3 playback, PC gameplay, and digital movies, thus laying the foundation for a whole new digital home entertainment platform.".

When it comes to Xtreme Fidelity, the manufacturer focuses on two new technologies: 24-bit Crystalizer and CMSS-3D. As conceived by Creative, the technologies are designed to remaster, enhance and remix in real time existing conventional and compressed 16-bit stereo material in 24-bit quality, with multichannel sound in speakers of any configuration, as well as in headphones.

To enable the new standard, Creative creates the X-Fi processor under the motto "Xtreme Audio Needs An Xtreme Fidelity Processor!" (“Exceptional sound requires a top quality processor”).

Retrospective

Previous sound cards starting with Live! sample of 1998, based on modifications of the EMU10K processor. This processor was developed primarily for use in synthesizers and modules produced by E-MU as a hardware MIDI synthesizer with an integrated effect processor. At a time when the main requirement for a sound card was hardware MIDI with the largest possible memory bank, wide capabilities and high-quality effects, the EMU10K was a progressive chip. However, at present, as everyone understands, it is outdated. Despite 32-bit audio processing, programmable high-quality professional effects, support for 8 digital I2S or SPDIF interfaces, the drawbacks (the main one being the rigid architecture) nullified everything.

Since the development of the EMU10K, the interests of sound card users have changed significantly. In fact, the audience was divided into three camps: 1) office and other users who are satisfied with even the integrated sound; 2) gamers who are not particularly interested in quality, who do not mind good 3D sound in games, if this does not come at the expense of performance; 3) music lovers and audiophiles who use a computer for a convenient music library - they need a card exclusively for high-quality music playback.

However, lovers of high-quality sound expressed distrust of Creative's products, even despite the high-quality Cirrus Logic I2S DACs installed in the latest models. The main "horror story" that destroys the image of Live / Audigy sound cards for many years was the presence non-disconnectable mediocre hardware resampling of all frequencies into a 48 kHz reference. To obtain high-quality reproduction of the 44.1 kHz format, in which most recordings exist, card users began to install in droves DirectSound or ASIO plug-ins for software sample rate convertion (SSRC) for the popular mp3 players Winamp and Foobar.

SRC Audigy vs. SSRC Winamp

Starting with Audigy2, the developers introduced the P16V block into the chip, allowing the cards to directly play 96 and 192 kHz frequencies for DVD-Audio playback. But this mode turned out to be available only for these frequencies and only through the DirectSound interface. The effect processor operating at 48 kHz, in this case, had to be turned off. Otherwise, oversampling comes into play again.

In the low-end below, Creative begins to catastrophically lose the market for sound cards due to the expansion of AC "97 and HDA codecs, forcibly installed on motherboards. This greatly reduces the incentive of users to spend money on a separate sound card. In addition, the onset of the Internet and file-sharing networks makes the computer a tool accumulation of a collection of files in compressed formats So for high-quality listening to music, many prefer semi-professional cards based on Envy24, with a minimum of hardware capabilities, but with a choice of a fixed sampling rate, honest 44.1 kHz in digital and a minimum of unnecessary bells and whistles.

Obviously, Creative needed a new processor that was free of the shortcomings of the old one. X-Fi has been in development for the past 5 years. Since the release of the first Audigy model, work has begun on a new generation processor. Place of development - Creative Advanced Technology Center, Silicon Valley, California.

X-Fi architecture

According to the manufacturer, the new Xtreme Fidelity processor has more than 51 million transistors and a performance of over 10,000 MIPS (million instructions per second). X-Fi is also 24 times more powerful than its predecessor.

The heart of the processor is the DSP "Quartet", since there are 4 subprocessors working in parallel. The architecture is called TIMD (Thread Interleaved Multiple Data). To achieve parallelism, a processor architecture with very long command words ( Very Large Instruction Word, VLIW).

In such a command, several ordinary commands are combined, which are executed simultaneously (in parallel) by different functional blocks of the processor to increase its performance. The increase in performance is achieved due to the fact that the processor does not need to spend time organizing parallelism at the instruction level. The grouping of concurrently executed operations is performed by the compiler.)

Each subprocessor has a 2xSIMD architecture. 2x comes from the fact that usually the subprocessor operates with two data streams - stereo data, complex numbers. By the way, the data type is both floating point and fixed. The instruction set consists of 235 opcodes, and about 60 specialized instructions often found in algorithms for frequency processing of sound, for example, complex multiplication of data from two streams, decimal logarithm, exponent.

The internal frequency of the processor is 400 MHz. Supports external clock for S / PDIF and I2S. The value of the jitter of the PLL (PLL) of the processor is given Sound processing algorithms (reverb, equalizer, 3D sound simulation effects) use 512 IIR filters ( IIR, infinite impulse response \u003d IIR, infinite impulse response) second order. This will not surprise anyone in modern audio processing tools, but it should be noted that everything here works in real time for dozens of streams simultaneously. Hardware filters include 4 and 5 band parametric equalizers, band pass, notch and other specific filters.

There are also rich mixing capabilities - up to 4096 signals with hardware volume control and combining two sources. This can be used both for building a mixer that is flexibly configurable in terms of signal routing, and also used in games, since it requires adjusting the level of each applied effect.

To connect to digital and analog interfaces, the processor has 4 I2S input / output buses, providing 8 input and 8 output channels. In addition, there is a proprietary protocol for transmitting 8 channels over one wire, thus 32 x 48 kHz, 16 x 96 kHz, 8 x 192 kHz channels are obtained. For internal needs and routing, there are 4096 audio and 4096 parametric channels.

SRC

Sample Rate Converters (SRCs) are used when the sample rate does not match the reference rate of the current mode (otherwise the sample will play at the wrong rate and change the tone). 256 interpolators are used, with better quality than a typical 100th order polyphase FIR filter (FIR, finite impulse response \u003d FIR, finite impulse response)... The pitch shift range is from 0 to 8.

How SRC X-Fi works

The picture illustrates how SRC X-Fi converts 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz. First, the signal samples are doubled to 88.2 kHz. The polyphase FIR filter converts the signal up to 192 kHz with a factor equal to twice the 48 / 44.1 ratio. In the final stage, the frequency is reduced to 48 kHz. This scheme is more efficient from the point of view of computational costs and gives a better result, since at the last stage aliasing is not formed due to multiple frequencies.

When converting a standard 997 Hz tone from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz, the standard parameter responsible for noise and distortion power, THD + N is -136 dB, frequency jitter in the passband is ± 0.00025 dB. Creative recommends checking these parameters with at least an AudioPrecision measuring station.

Taking into account the headroom of 6 dB and 32 stages of the processing cycle, THD + N can deteriorate to –124 dB, and the frequency response unevenness will increase to ± 0.01 dB. But the parameters of even the best DACs for today are inferior to such indicators in noise and distortion.

SRC X-Fi quality when converting 44.1-\u003e 48 kHz

It should only be taken into account that the quality parameters in the frequency domain do not indicate the operation of the filters in the time domain. But considering the positioning of the cards primarily for games and movies, this conversion accuracy can be considered excellent. In past products, the intermodulation distortion from SRC reached 0.1% in the high-frequency region, while only a few users complained about the drop in quality.

There is a very important point, which is not widely advertised by the manufacturer - unlike the sound processors of the previous generation, in X-Fi, you can turn off oversampling along with the rest of the DSP effects! This, of course, loses the unique opportunity to simultaneously listen to several signals of different sampling rates, with the subsequent imposition of all sorts of effects and enhancers. However, fans of the highest quality sound need this least of all.

SRC converters also operate in DMA mode, allowing conversions to be performed directly in the computer's RAM without involving the CPU. There is a configurable cache to avoid collisions when the PCI bus is loaded.

X-Fi capabilities

Data processing for human head and ear transfer functions (HRTF) and headphone sound calculation is based on several technologies. These are the developments of UCDavis, Aureal and Sensaura. Used patents for MacroFX, binaural 3D panning. The implementation uses 48-tap FIR (FIR) filters, up to 128 3D sound sources are processed.

CMSS (Creative Multi Speaker Surround) technology has been updated to CMSS-3D. The manufacturer claims that the quality of the sound field is higher than that of Dolby Prologic II / IIx, and in the headphones, the spatiality and naturalness of tones at the HF surpasses Dolby Headphone.

Unlike previous generations of processors, effects are now supported for 24/96 and 24/192 modes. To process signals of increased resolution, for example, 192 kHz, the Quadrature Mirror Filter technology is used - splitting the signal into 4 frequency bands of 48 kHz, which are processed separately, and the results are added. Thus, with 192 kHz processing, the computation speed is increased compared to conventional methods.

The architecture of the chip allows switching between modes without rebooting, so that sound cards can make the most of resources.

ASIO 2.0 with latency time is supported. For WDM and OpenAL, optimizations of drivers and hardware were carried out to obtain the lowest latency, with a higher sound quality.

Comparison

The table shows the approximate performance ratios between different generations of Creative cards (according to the manufacturer's data).

X-Fi has a completely different architecture from previous generations of Creative processors, as well as all other processors, including graphics. The concept is a programmable ring-based architecture. This gives flexibility in signal routing, allowing any of the 4096 audio channels to route the signal to any processor element - Tank, SRC, Mixer, DSP.

Thus, the new X-Fi architecture consists of the following major innovations:

• Ring architecture
• New DSP "Quartet"
• Ultra-quality SRC
• Hardware acceleration Mixer, Tank Engine (effects), Filter Engine, DMA.
• Simultaneous development and interaction of hardware and software parts

A huge amount of information about the X-Fi processor can be found on a dedicated website.

Sound Blaster X-Fi Sound Cards

On August 8, 2005 Creative announced a new line of Sound Blaster X-Fi sound cards based on the processor of the same name. Four card models will be released: Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro, Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS, Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum, Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic.

The Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro is equipped with a professional quality 116dB S / N DAC plus an external interface module with 24-bit Crystalizer, X-Fi CMSS-3D, 3DMIDI and EAX adjustment buttons. The card is equipped with 64 MB onboard X-RAM sound memory, as well as mic and guitar preamps. Estimated cost US $ 399.99.

The Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS is designed to meet the needs of famed gamer Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. The card has 109 dB S / N, 64 MB onboard X-RAM. The set includes a switching block for a 5 "compartment and an IR remote control. PCI-card with lower quality DACs. Cost US $ 279.99.

Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS

Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum. Same as Fatal1ty, but PCI card without onboard memory. US $ 199.99

Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic. The simplest board option. Platinum without breakout box. US $ 129.99
By the way, even for this card there is a mention of the possibility of ordering an IR receiver on the USB bus and a remote control.

In this article we will look at the most interesting model - the Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro. A distinctive feature of the card is the maximum quality and performance, plus a huge external switching unit with a remote control.

Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro

Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro

The card itself, labeled SB0550, has gold-plated connectors and a mysterious rectangular piece in the upper corner of the board. In fact, it turned out that this is an LED with the X-Fi inscription, which glows blue when turned on and will be clearly visible in translucent modder cases.

Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Card (SB0550) included with Elite Pro

Indeed, the phonogram is remastered with the help of a "well-known in narrow circles" mastering plug-in called "multi-band compressor". To be 100% convinced that I was right, I compared the work of the Crystalizer with three mastering multiband compressors: Waves LinMB, iZotope Ozone, Steinberg MultiBand Compressor. When these plugins are enabled, the sound character changes in the same way as when Crystalizer is enabled.

To be 200% sure, I tested the Crystalizer with our RMAA program and compared it with the results Waves LinMB Linear Phase MultiBand compressor(with standard preset Low-Level Enhancer - I inform for those who want to repeat measurements). Tests were conducted with the default Crystalizer setting, in the middle position.

Pay attention to the equalization of the frequency response and large intermodulation distortion - according to the measurements, the effect of the plug-ins is similar. However, the situation is much better by ear. This is due to the fact that the character of the musical signal differs from the test one. According to psychoacoustics, an overload of less than 6 ms is not detected by a person, and a high-quality compressor does not allow prolonged overload, quickly reducing the signal level, which is regulated by the attack time.

There is an analogy for Crystalizer technology in the world of digital photography. Suppose a plug-in appears that converts a JPEG compressed from a certain high-quality TIF into 16-bit per color, then compresses levels (roughly speaking, increases brightness / contrast) and sharpness by 10-20%, depending on the source. Done! We get a new ingenious "48-bit Picturelizer" that makes JPEG better than the original TIF. Attention, the question: in which case the quality will be better? That's right, only if the JPEG has a quality margin for such abuse, and the display device has problems with transferring the lightest and darkest halftones of the original image.

In sound, the situation with MP3 and WAV is about the same, but there is also a difference. In mastering studios, very expensive equipment is used that analyzes the source file not in real time, but with some anticipation or even not in one pass, using the calculation accuracy not 24 bits, but 64 bits with floating point. Further, the parameters of the mastering compression must be painstakingly adjusted individually for each recording on the high-quality control monitors of the middle and far field. Trusting a similar function to an automaton in real time and talking about superiority over studio results is arrogant. In the final stage of mastering, the stage of forming a psychoacoustic distribution of dithering noise (noise shaping) takes place, which by ear turns a 16-bit recording into a 20-bit one, so that all that remains is to send the recording bit by bit to the DAC input interface. Any interference in this process has a detrimental effect on the quality, and the original phonogram cannot be surpassed from the MP3 recording in any way, and multiband compression can distort the tonal balance beyond recognition and lead to a redistribution of the signal energy, which will cause overload at high or low frequencies.

It's another matter if we are talking about mediocre household acoustics with a limited dynamic range and flawed frequency response, so that even the most primitive tone control subjectively significantly increases the comfort of perception. In this case, the additional band-pass compression of high and low frequencies makes it easier to perceive the soundtrack through these specific speakers, especially in combination with a moderately compressed original soundtrack, with less aggressiveness (ratio of peak power to average value). In this case, the resulting distortion from processing will not exceed the distortion of the reproducing path.

This was the case in practice. On inexpensive active stereo speakers, some recordings subjectively sounded more intelligible, albeit with more aggression. On high-quality acoustics (studio monitors and mid-range Hi-Fi speakers), I easily found several MP3s, as well as original CDs, the quality of which Crystalizer significantly degraded, so that overload was heard, or the sound became too aggressive, which led to rapid fatigue from listening.

The measurements revealed that in addition to multiband signal compression, the level was raised by about 3 dB. So any quiet recordings will seem subjectively better even without the compressor.

Thus, the 24-bit Crystalizer will benefit the owners of inexpensive acoustics or budget headphones, which almost automatically means a lack of bass and treble, as well as problems with the detail of the midrange. For those with high-quality acoustics, the good news is that this technology is easily disabled.

24-bit Crystalizer technology has a right to life, but the presentation itself, with wishful thinking, is not at all happy. In reality, Crystalizer does not expand, but narrows the dynamic range, and 24 bits are really used, but only so that the rounding error does not accumulate (this is a normal practice, no modern DSP works at the same resolution as the original data).

СMSS-3D

The CMSS-3D technology is designed to solve the main problem of the young generation of users of multichannel sound cards: "I have a 5.1 set of speakers. Everything is cool in movies, but only 2 front speakers play MP3! And I want everyone !!!"

As mentioned above, CMSS (Creative Multi Speaker Surround) technology has been updated to CMSS-3D. Developments and patents of IRCAM, UC Davis, Aureal, Sensaura and Creative's Advanced Technology Center are used.

CMSS-3D virtualizes a sound source of any channel to any device, thus providing:

• CMSS-3DHeadphone: surround sound in headphones;
• CMSS-3DVirtual: surround sound in stereo speakers;
• CMSS-3DSurround: converting stereo to multichannel sound;
• CMSS-3DInteractive: 3D sound from multiple sources.

Tested with Sennheiser HD600 headphones. The problem of double imposition of virtualization effects was identified, with a deterioration in the volumetric effect. The fact is that all musical recordings of recent years already contain, to one degree or another, an expansion of the stereo panorama, so the result may be unexpected.

At the same time, the demo file "The Rising of the Sun" from the CD "Essential Anuna", containing almost raw stereo, showed good results, and even superiority over DolbyHeadphones technology.

Besides music, CMSS-3D technology can also be used in games. In this case, the game calculates 3D sound for 5.1 speakers, and CMSS-3DHeadphone converts multi-channel audio to surround sound in headphones.

X-RAM

Unlike cards of past decades, X-Fi onboard memory is not used for MIDI samples, but for storing or caching sounds while gaming applications are running. There is a problem with a shortage of RAM, so the developers either reduce the bit depth of the samples to 8 bits 11 kHz, which worsens the quality by an order of magnitude, or compress them into lossy formats, MP3 or OGG, which leads to a processor load when unpacking during the sample playback stage.

Thus, the introduction of on-board memory on a sound card allows: saving main memory, speeding up memory access, eliminating the need for real-time decompression, eliminating loss of sample quality, increasing graphics performance and FPS.

Today there is only one game with full X-RAM support. This is UT2004 X-Fi Edition, which is not yet available to a wide audience. We suggest you review the results provided by Creative. As you can see, the introduction of X-RAM can increase performance by up to 20%, which is equivalent to an upgrade of a graphics accelerator, while also increasing the sound quality! An unambiguously useful innovation.

UT2004 X-Fi Edition

RMAA 5.5 tests

We can't resist publicly quoting Creative's guide for journalists testing X-Fi.

“As mentioned, Creative designed the Sound Blaster X-Fi family primarily with sound quality in mind. To achieve this, we took our testing very seriously. However, we realize that not all journalists have access to Audio Precision ", the industry standard for professional audio testing. We see that many people use" RightMark Audio Analyzer "for audio quality tests because of its affordability and nice interface. However, due to the difference in methodology between the two platforms, their results will be different. We have received some questions about these differences in the past, so we want to show you the prepared results and test methods for both Audio Precision and RMAA. We hope you find something useful in them. "

Creative's instructions for setting up X-Fi cards for measurement in RMAA can be downloaded from the official website.

Audio Precision Test Results

RMAA 5.5 test results

Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro

Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum
Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS

Comparing RMAA loopback vs. AP loopback, I would like to note that the discrepancy is a few percent, which is due to the difference in the calculation algorithms. In the latest version 5.5, the maximum compliance with existing international standards was observed (while the RMAA uses more accurate calculations than is required by the standard). Considering the kilo-dollar cost of Audio Precision and the free RMAA, we can fully recommend the program for checking the manufacturer's declared passport data. THD + N value should be taken from RMAA detailed report.

Of the tests, only distortion graphs are of interest.

THD card SB0550

IMD (DIN) cards SB0550

IMD (CCIF) from SB0550 frequency


IMD (CCIF) from SB0460 frequency

From the measurements, the problem with a lot of distortion is a thing of the past. The 44.1 kHz mode in X-Fi cards is no different from 48 kHz.

Hardware SRC Quality Test

It is interesting to compare the quality of the new hardware SRC X-Fi versus the popular real-time SSRC plug-in for the WinAmp MP3-player, which is of a fairly high quality and decently loads the CPU.

IMD (CCIF) vs. frequency

IMD (DIN)

Reference 16/44 - analysis of the source data file generated by the test; shows the maximum achievable quality for 16-bit format.
X-Fi HW SRC OFF - Disabling the hardware SRC of the X-Fi is achieved by setting the 44.1 kHz reference mode and the Enable Bit-Matched Playback option.
X-Fi HW SRC ON - enabling hardware SRC in X-Fi is obtained by playing a 44.1 kHz file with the 48 kHz reference mode set and disabling Enable Bit-Matched Playback.

WinAmp SSRC plug-in - playing a 44.1 kHz file in WinAmp with the SSRC plug-in installed, configured to recalculate at 48 kHz, while the card has a 48 kHz reference mode and the Enable Bit-Matched Playback option.

As we can see, the SRC of the card is superior to the SSRC of the plugin, and there are no distortions visible from the diagram from its inclusion.

RightMark 3DSound

The diagram is deliberately built at a scale of 100% to show that the difference, even several times, with a small number of buffers is insignificant, and enabling EAX in 3D mode is almost free.

OpenAL API is ahead of DirectSound due to more direct access to hardware and optimization of the complete CT_OAL.DLL library (Creative OpenAL Driver, 5.12.1.1141) exclusively for X-Fi. The only exception is 2D mode. But, in this mode, OpenAL most likely will not be used, and the speed is not fundamental there. Most likely OpenAL 2D is 3D with fixed coordinates. The download is the same:

Games

As mentioned, Creative had the opportunity to test X-Fi on a special UT2004 version with 128 voices. I can't help but give the results:

• Realtek HD Audio: 7.1 Audio, EAX 2.0, 32 Voices
• Sound Blaster Live !: 5.1 Audio, EAX 2.0, 32 Voices
• Sound Blaster Audigy: 7.1 Audio. EAX 3.0, 32 & 64 Voices, CMSS-3D
• Sound Blaster X-Fi: 7.1 Audio, EAX 3.0, 32, 64 & 128 Voices, X-Fi CMSS-3D, X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer

So, in UT2004, the difference between HDAudio and X-Fi at 32 voices reaches 17%, with better sound quality and CMSS-3D and 24-bit Crystalizer enabled. The configuration of the computer is quite average: P4-3.4, 1 GB, GeForce 6600.

From real games, direct support for X-Fi is so far only in Battlefield2 (even in the demo version!), Implemented through OpenAL. If you have a card, in the sound options you can select a separate item Creative X-Fi, EAX and Ultra High sound settings. In this case, the on-board memory is used to cache samples and speed up sound processing. I must say that the samples in this game are mostly of average quality, many 22 kHz, plus they are compressed in OGG with a variable bitrate of 100 kbps. So with the X-Fi option selected and EAX activated, the sound deserves a "Very Good" rating, but not "Excellent" due to the disgusting quality of the samples. The sound is much more interesting in Doom3 with patch 1.3, which includes EAX4.

We took our measurements in Battlefield2 using a hacker mod. The system used was P4 3.4 GHz, 1 GB DDR400, ATI X800, graphics settings 800 × 600, Medium. Creative X-Fi + EAX ON + Ultra High achieved 52 FPS, compared to Hardware + EAX OFF + Medium, which shows 55 FPS. Thus, the difference in performance between the modes with maximum and medium settings does not exceed 5%, for which I must say thanks to the fast and powerful processor of the card. And this is with such video settings, when the performance is not yet limited by the video card. In game resolutions, you can safely set the sound to maximum.

Based on the results of testing a real product for a new processor
Creative X-Fi the award is given website Original Design

To be continued…

We've spent quite some time with Creative's latest sound card called X-Fi. Although outwardly it looks like a regular PCI sound card, the model features completely new and improved hardware. So there is something to pay attention to. In this article, we have collected all the experience gained throughout the year when we tested the preliminary versions. In addition, we recommend that you read the two previous articles on X-Fi technology.

As the Steel Was Tempered

Creative sound cards have evolved since the release of the first model, the Sound Blaster PRO in 1991, which provided 8-bit audio. It was followed by the famous AWE 32 and Live !, and then the Audigy line, which was the de facto standard for sound cards to this day. X-Fi cards represent a huge leap forward in digital audio processing power and capabilities. The evolution can be clearly traced in the following table.

Notes

• Net MIPS: The number of addition instructions multiplied by the execution frequency that can be applied to the signal data. This does not include any additional operations that a typical processor must perform to process signal data.
• Average MIPS: An estimate of the computational requirements imposed on a typical processor in 1998 when the Live! Line was launched. As expected, a typical processor from 1998 can be programmed to perform the same functions as Live !, Audigy or X-Fi chips. Not all algorithms of such processors are efficiently executed. Therefore, in order to perform the same tasks as Live !, Audigy or X-Fi, they have to provide more power in MIPS. The difference can be 3x.
• More information about the given measurements can be obtained at creative website .

It should be emphasized that Creative, unlike most competitors, has always installed a real sound processor on its cards, and did not use a simplified codec that burdens the CPU. This approach gives cards superiority in games, where Creative was able to free up additional CPU resources for sound, but leads to shortcomings in other areas. Processors used in Live! and Audigy operate at the "native" frequency of 48 kHz, which creates some problems when working at 44.1 kHz, and you can completely forget about processing higher sample rates. With the release of X-Fi, all these problems have disappeared: now digital processing is available for any available sample rates.

X-Fi is not just a new chip. Unlike traditional audio processing chips, which have a fixed serial architecture, the X-Fi Audio Ring architecture provides any processing sequence required for a given task. That is, X-Fi has a real modular architecture, with each module connected to the Audio Ring, a kind of backbone that can carry up to 4096 audio channels.

But the Audio Ring backbone hardly makes sense to compare with a professional mixer, since it supports many more features, such as communication with PC memory via a PCI interface with a fairly high bandwidth.

The following table shows the distribution of the processing power of the X-Fi chip by the main modules. We'll take a look at some of the modules in detail, like the Sample Rate Converter (SRC), a new technology that, as you'll see, takes up the lion's share of processing power.

In practice, X-Fi card users are offered three configurations, corresponding to three types of tasks: games (Gaming), entertainment (Entertainment) and music creation (Creation). The following table lists the main features of each configuration, which we will look at in more detail in the drivers and software section.

In addition, it should be noted separately that the X-Fi chip is not tied to the USB bus: it can be used with USB, FireWire or PCI Express interfaces. We can expect the release of special versions of the chip for consumer electronics.

We are waiting for the simultaneous release of four X-Fi cards, which will satisfy the needs and desires of different categories of users. The X-Fi XtremeMusic card can be considered the basic card for listening to music, entertainment (DVD and games), as well as for other minor areas of use. You will receive a PCI card without any add-ons. Directly accessible interfaces (1/8 "mini jacks only) are limited to the FlexiJack input (can be used as mic, line-in, or optical S / PDIF in) and speaker outputs. The latter, understandably, support 7.1 acoustics, just like three mini-jacks of previous Creative 7.1 cards Please note that the stereo-out (the first mini-jack) can be used as a headphone jack The card has an interface for connecting an external module if you suddenly want to make an upgrade. input, as well as one more expansion connector for connecting an internal module In addition, on the card you can find an expansion interface of Creative's own format, the purpose of which is not yet known to us.

The next model, X-Fi Platinum, has all the characteristics of the base card (in fact, both boards look identical), but you will receive an internal module for a 5.25 "bay in the package. The module has a line / microphone input with level control (1 / 4 "jack), line in, digital optical and coaxial inputs and outputs, and a headphone jack with volume control. There you will also find MIDI interfaces (mini-DIN). The delivery set includes adapters for standard MIDI connectors. In addition, we note the presence of an IR remote control. In general, all the listed functions make it possible to recommend this card to amateurs who like a large number of interfaces and easy access to them.

The more specialized Fatal1ty FPS model is very close to Platinum, including a PCI card and internal module, however it is aimed at hardcore gamers. The board has 64 MB of additional memory (X-RAM), which allows you to increase the performance in games that support this technology.

Finally, let's move on to the top model X-Fi Elite Pro, which consists of a PCI card and an external module, which is quite large and supports both vertical and horizontal installation using the included stand. Of course, the user will also receive a remote control. For the most part, our testing will be based on this model. We'll also take a closer look at it because of the high quality converters that give the card the best sound quality.

The remote control comes with all versions except the basic XtremeMusic. It allows you to control a number of functions like Crystalizer, EAX, CMSS-3D and 3DMIDI, as well as allows you to play files and make important adjustments like volume. On an external Elite Pro unit, the same controls can be accessed using rotary functions - very convenient. In addition, the pen functions display backlit indicators, so it's hard to go wrong.

The PCI card has one input (mini-jack 1/8 ", 3.5 mm) called FlexiJack, which can be configured via the driver to act as a line-in, mic-in, or digital interface (input and output). The Elite Pro has tons of interfaces, and the front panel features two 1/4 "(6.35mm) input jacks with level control. The first, depending on the position of the control knob, can serve as both a line input and a high impedance (Hi-Z) input, the most practical way to use it would be to connect musical instruments like an electric guitar. The second input is more standard - it can be used as line or microphone.

There is another tulip entrance at the back. With a small switch it can be configured as a line input or a phono input with RIAA correction. Great idea - you can now listen to your vinyl collection and easily digitize it. Note that the turntable should also have ground connected - this is often overlooked ...

Add to that the optical and coaxial digital S / PDIF inputs, and a couple of tulips for MIDI in and out. Finally, let's note the dedicated connector for Creative speakers.

Looking at the possible connections, you can see Creative's commitment to consumer-grade equipment - there is no, say, a balanced input. However, the set of ports is quite complete: microphone, line-in and headphones, plus the added ability to connect a musical instrument via a simple standard cable. So the design of the card will satisfy the needs of hobbyists.

There is nothing particularly remarkable on the PCI X-Fi card. In general, in appearance it can be easily confused with any other Creative model. It is interesting to note that the X-Fi (CA20K1) chip turned out to be much more compact than the same Audigy chip. There will be two different cards in the X-Fi lineup. The Elite Pro version uses Cirrus Logic CS4398 D / A converters (192 kHz, 120 dB) and an AKM AK5394 A / D converter (192 kHz, 123 dB). The second version of the PCI card for less expensive models is equipped with digital-to-analog converters Cirrus Logic CS4382 (192 kHz, 114 dB) and a Wolfson WM8775 microcircuit, which contains a mixer for four analog sources and an analog-to-digital converter (96 kHz, 102 dB).

The Elite Pro plug-in uses TI Burr-Brown PCM1804 A / D converters (192 kHz, 111 dB). A Cirrus Logic CS4392 D / A converter (192 kHz, 114 dB) is used for the headphone jack. The bottom line is very simple: the best line input is provided by the Elite Pro PCI card. However, the inputs on the module are of sufficient quality for most applications.

Among the various building blocks that make up the X-Fi architecture, the Sample Rate Converter (SRC) may seem the most mysterious and least interesting to most users. But pay attention to the table at the beginning of the article: it uses the most computational power! To understand the importance of this block, let me delve a little deeper into the nature of digital audio.

The sampling rate corresponds to the number of times per second the signal is read. For example, for conventional audio CDs, it is 44,100 times per second (Hertz, Hz). Today the frequency range has become wider - it all depends on the source (the same DVD or DVD-Audio). In addition, even sources with the same theoretical value can differ significantly, since in practice the frequency does not always match theory exactly. When mixing multiple sources, this frequency spread can lead to noticeable audio defects. Professional equipment used in studios uses synchronization systems that consumer solutions do not have. The interaction between different types of equipment is even more complex. Sampling rate conversion could solve all the problems, but until now it was considered a workaround. In some cases - at least in principle, the conversion can degrade the quality of the signal, especially if not very large computing power is spent on it.

However, for SRC, Creative used a new architecture that makes the audio signal completely transparent. Converting the 997-Hz test signal from 44.1 to 48 kHz gave a distortion of -136 dB and +0.00025 dB. That is, distortion and noise are less than what other audio components can produce, so you can guarantee that there are no conversion artifacts.

Digital signal processing from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz with SRC.

Distortion and noise level (THD + N, distortion + noise) when converting from 44.1 to 48 kHz. You simply don't have a chance to notice this transition!

SRC is not only a technical advancement, but also a tool that allows the X-Fi card to deliver the promised quality in many areas. The first is the synchronization of digital signals, but it can also create effects like surroundings or movement with much higher fidelity than any consumer equipment that existed before X-Fi.

With SRC, you can easily and accurately create the Doppler effect!

How traditional digital synchronization works.

X-Fi digital sync is fully handled by the SRC.

Finally, SRC saves money in areas like sound synthesis, such as storing samples for music playback. The block transparently transforms a small number of samples to output a wide range of notes by adjusting parameters such as pitch and vibrato.

As we noted above, X-Fi cards support three modes of operation: entertainment (Entertainment, for tasks such as listening to music or watching DVDs), games (Games) and sound creation (Audio Creation, sound and music). The Mode Switcher allows you to select any of them, while the configuration of the card is changed to give the best quality in the selected area. In addition, the set of functions and the control panel also depend on the selected mode. Below is a table showing all this.

The Mode Switcher allows you to select one or another level of map functions that best suits the required area. It only takes a few seconds to configure the X-Fi card.

In Entertainment mode, you get a screen that resembles a music center, with several windows allowing you to adjust numerous functions. Among them there are both well-known windows, and not very different (at least in appearance) from the old Creative cards - the same 10-band equalizer, mixer and speaker settings. Other windows are completely new - like Crystalizer, or are completely redesigned old options - like CMSS. We'll take a closer look at these features later on.

In Entertainment mode, the control panel resembles a music center.

The mixer can be called classic.

Here we get the well-known equalizer from the early Creative cards, whose capabilities are identical to the previous versions.

No surprises in the choice of speaker configuration. A listening test can be used to verify their correct location.

In Game mode, we get a very compact screen with many of the settings mentioned above, but game-specific features also appear here. On the mixer panel, you can enable EAX effects, as well as adjust the surround effects for the microphone. Plus, you get a more powerful version of EAX: 5.0!

For games, you can enable EAX effects and change your voice by processing the signal coming from the microphone.

Creation is a completely different world. It is better to be familiar with professional musical equipment here. On the screen, you get a mixer with advanced features. We will not dwell on them in detail, since they are very extensive, and at the time of this writing, we do not have detailed information. The software help is very scarce, but the presence of buses and I / O for user binding provides very interesting possibilities. For example, you can link any input to any output, or assign a mixed sound to one or more outputs. It seems to us that such opportunities will appeal to many, including DJs.

For musicians, in addition to a wide palette of effects, an important novelty will be the 3D MIDI function, which makes it very easy to place MIDI sound in space - this new feature is easily accessible even for amateurs! Of course, the Sound Creation Mode opens the door to ASIO 2.0 support and allows you to freely choose the sample rate from among the standard values. If you choose 96 kHz, the effect selection menu will not disappear anywhere, unlike the previous Creative cards. With X-Fi, all effects work regardless of the selected frequency. But be careful: files can get large!

In Creation mode, you can send stereo sound to eight 7.1 channels. This interesting feature will appeal to some users.

You can add parametric equalization to the input to correct a poor sound source or add some effect.

The reverb tab is pleasing to the eye. However, it can scare some users away.

Thanks to support for 3D MIDI technology, the MIDI source can be freely positioned in space. We think this feature allows musicians to create very interesting effects.

Any standard sample rate can be freely selected!

The diagram allows you to understand the principle of mixing the card. Unfortunately, it is only partial, but it gives an idea of \u200b\u200bhow to manage and add effects.

In the Creation mode, there are so many options available that it is unlikely that it will be possible to describe in detail each of them. For example, it has 24-bit SoundFonts, as well as the ability to work with ASIO 2.0 drivers with very low latency (2ms). Although X-Fi is not specifically aimed at musicians, they will find some very interesting possibilities.

Among the X-Fi modules, one can note the Crystalizer, which operates in three modes. We have already described its essence in detail in previous article about X-Fi , so we will not repeat ourselves.

The Crystalizer has only one adjustment, graduated in percentage. On the Elite Pro card, you can change the effect level using the remote control or directly on the external module. In general, we were hoping for more complete adjustment functions, but Creative's main goal is ease of use.

While listening, Crystalizer processing really delivers a more realistic sound that is close to what you get at a real concert. The dynamics of the sound is significantly improved, and the impression of an expansion of the frequency response is created - of course, it is not, but the impression arises from the enhancement of the clarity of the low frequencies and additional processing of the upper part of the sound spectrum. Of course, the Crystalizer effect is highly dependent on the type of sound being processed. It will be almost invisible to sound whose level changes little. But recordings with a lot of percussive sounds and transitions will sound better. We took different types of music, and after the Crystalizer it was very difficult for us to get back to normal playback level. As it seemed to us, the sound of an ordinary card can be compared to a concert venue covered with a thick curtain.

It is quite understandable that to obtain Crystalizer quality, the reproduction system (amplifier and speakers) must be appropriate. Loudspeakers are required to reproduce increased dynamic range without distortion. In addition, the level of Crystalizer should be adjusted to suit the type of music. It's hardly wise to set the same level for techno and opera! And the level of Crystalizer performance should be set depending on the characteristics of the original recording.

Today, with an increasing number of consumers becoming familiar with surround sound, pure stereo, although it remains the most common format, seems outdated. If you are used to listening to 5.1 surround sound (or better format), then the stereo will seem a little "thin". In addition, it is hardly wise to use only two channels if your speaker system is multi-channel.

CMSS technology, which Creative has been promoting for some time, was developed (like many other similar solutions) to solve the problem of two-channel layout for 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. Until now, the result has not been very successful. But thanks to the high power of X-Fi, this technology, which is called CMSS 3D, now gives a much better result. We described the principle of the technology in previous material .

In practice, the X-Fi version of CMSS 3D received several modes, depending on the type of your equipment and the sound being processed. The first mode decomposes stereo to 5.1 or 7.1, but the technology can also create virtual surround sound if you have only two speakers. Finally, the third mode significantly improves the listening experience on headphones, as we will see below.

CMSS 3D technology very effectively copes with the output of stereo sound to multiple channels, adding both surround sound and preserving the center channel of the virtual stage. In normal recording, the singer will be exactly in the center of the sound space and will not "travel" around the stage due to inaccurate recording or playback. On the other hand, as you might expect, the stereo decomposition into several CMSS 3D channels does not provide the quality that a full-fledged multi-channel source can provide. The card creates an effect, but does not create magic. This will become apparent if you listen to the recordings, which exist in two versions: like the album Jean-Michel Jarre (Jean-Michel Jarre) Aero or Feels Like Home from Norah Jones. Of course, reproducing a surround environment can impress the listener - it all depends on the original recording. At the same time, old albums can sound completely new. Since they were not made in modern "sterile" studios, they contain environmental information that is very interesting to perceive in realistic reproduction. This is especially true for all live recordings, for example, opera.

The decomposition of stereo sound into several channels works great in films. Watch a DivX movie with stereo sound that you watched in Dolby Digital before and you will be amazed. Of course, CMSS 3D cannot provide original spatial sound, but it comes very close to it!

For our testing, we converted a DVD movie to DivX Toy Story 2... The intro to this movie is a good example of spatial sound. CMSS 3D technology coped with the right and left positioning of most rear sound sources. The move to Dolby Digital has improved the accuracy of audio positioning. Specifically, if the action starts from behind, say a movement from the rear right corner to the front left corner. But Creative's decomposition can still be called very good - much better than Dolby Pro Logic II, which often makes the sound unnatural and never does a good job of outputting sound to the rear speakers. If you often watch DivX movies or use your PC as a video player for your living room, you will not forget X-Fi surround sound.

It is quite logical that the package includes Creative MediaSource software. We used it to enjoy the CMSS 3D processed opera recording.

Of course, there is no problem with the playback of an initially multichannel track - be it a Dolby Digital or DTS movie. CMSS 3D promises "surround" sound on only two speakers, but here the result was not so convincing. Of course, the sound picture is much superior to stereo, but it falls short of 5.1 or 7.1 acoustics. This kind of processing is fine if you only have two speakers, but we strongly recommend switching to a multi-channel system for watching movies.

The third mode of CMSS 3D is specially designed for listening with headphones. Traditional headphones are indispensable, but they have a number of disadvantages. In particular, they cannot create a realistic soundstage. In headphones, the sound seems to be coming from the center of the head or sometimes from above. But the sound is limited to the outside of the skull. With CMSS 3D Headphone mode, you can enjoy 3D sound with headphones too. The difference will be not only in the location of the various sound sources, but also in what Creative Creative calls "externalization" - creating a believable soundstage.

Let me explain the principles behind the positioning of sound sources in headphones. Three factors work here: ITD (Interaural Time Difference), ILD (Interaural Level Difference), and HRTF filters, which rework the sound by adding reflections and refractions caused by your body, head and ear.

For stereo sound, CMSS 3D continues to extract environmental information from the recording to give the listener a sense of being in the center of the action. But, of course, this effect is more impressive with a multi-channel source (movies in Dolby Digital or DTS), as well as in games. Headphones are no longer the punishment they used to be, and give their own listening pleasure. But, as it seemed to us, in the arrangement of the front and rear sources, there is still room for improving the technology. However, let's not be categorical - everything very much depends on individual perception. In addition, for our personal feelings, the sound sources were located too high, so it would be nice to add an adjustment for this "height".

Test system and sound measurements

Our test system is unchanged and provides enough power for the X-Fi card. Please note that in order to install new cards, your PC must provide a certain level of power supply. If it is weak or of poor quality, then problems may arise, especially when working with additional modules. We encountered such problems on an ordinary consumer-level machine, where a lot of different hardware was already installed: it simply stopped loading due to a weak power supply.

All tests were carried out on the X-Fi Elite Pro card. As we mentioned above, the differences between this card and the other three models lie in the quality of the DAC and ADC. The table below shows the quality levels offered by the various X-Fi cards. As you will see, the main difference is present in the recording / playback benchmarks when we went from 112dB SNR for the Elite Pro to 98dB for other cards. In terms of reproduction, the difference is less noticeable as only one converter (DAC) is used. As we mentioned above, the best quality is the line-in located directly on the PCI card.

Uneven frequency response: the characteristic turned out to be perfectly linear throughout the spectrum!

Noise level: the noise level is very low and even.

Dynamic range: excellent result when quantized!

Nonlinear distortion: very low (H3 about -110 dB!); you can hardly ask for better ...

Intermodulation distortion: no problem arises here.

Interpenetration of channels: rises slightly in the upper end of the spectrum, but interpenetration is still very low to have some effect on sound quality.

With 24-bit quantization and 48 kHz sampling rate, the card begins to show its true capabilities. This mode is a good compromise between quality and file size. Actually, this is why it is often used in professional applications. Here we see the best dynamics and signal-to-noise ratio.

• : +0.01, -0.19 dB.
• : 112.6 dB (A).
• Distortion: 0,0005%.
• Interpenetration of channels: 101.2 dB.

Uneven frequency response: Frequency response expanded in the upper range, but remained perfectly linear.

Noise level: 24-bit quantization shows the card's capabilities - and very low noise.

Dynamic range: dynamic range has reached its possible limit considering other parameters!

Nonlinear distortion: Same level as 44 kHz. The lower noise level explains the difference in the graphs (THD + N).

Intermodulation distortion: very small, so you can hardly feel them.

Interpenetration of channels: in the upper part of the spectrum, we observe a relative increase in the interference of interpenetration of channels, but in the lower part, below 1 kHz, it went off the graph altogether.

This mode corresponds to the highest possible quality, but in reality it gives a spectrum spread up to 40 kHz with negligible attenuation (0.13 dB!). The rest of the specification is identical.

• Frequency Response (20 Hz - 20 kHz): +0.01, -0.13 dB.
• Weighted signal-to-noise ratio: 112.4 dB (A).
• Distortion: 0,0005%.
• Interpenetration of channels: 100.3 dB.

Uneven frequency response: Nearly linear response up to 40 Hz without perceptible attenuation!

Dynamic range: the result is still great!

Nonlinear distortion: absolutely identical to the picture at 48 kHz - very low.

Intermodulation distortion: negligible ...

Interpenetration of channels: here the interference is slightly higher than at 48 kHz due to the broadening of the frequency response.

Basically, the graphs speak for themselves: with X-Fi, you don't even have to think about quality, since the card is capable of delivering better quality than any available audio source. Our tests confirmed the results published by Creative, with several differences that can be attributed to the typical variation in the individual test models. As we noted above, the sound quality depends on many parameters. So they can give slightly different results.

Games are Creative's hobbyhorse - the company's cards have always led the way. It hardly needs to be reminded that only Creative cards support the most modern versions of EAX, and sound processors can remove most of the sound processing load from the CPU, leaving maximum resources for the game. X-Fi heralds a new milestone in gaming audio with processing power and advanced "virtual reality" features. Creative enlisted the help of cyber athlete Jonathan Wendel, known in the gaming world under the pseudonym "Fatal1ty", to promote the new capabilities. This is the name given to one of Creative's new cards aimed at hardcore gamers.

Fatal1ty and Creative's Franco at the X-Fi event.

At the arranged LAN party, you could compete with Fatal1ty.

Fatal1ty is the champion of cyber games.

With the launch of the X-Fi line, Creative introduces the new EAX 5.0 standard, which is capable of delivering 128 sources in 3D space with multichannel transition. In addition, MacroFX technology allows you to control proximity and blocking effects. In principle, the standard is still at an early stage of development, as it does not yet take full advantage of X-Fi's audio processing functions. But in the future we will have significant improvements. EAX Voice technology allows you to process the voices of players using a microphone in real time and output them to others, taking into account their location in the virtual game space. It provides an even deeper immersion in the virtual world, which will still manifest itself in a multiplayer environment.

Games and 3D, continued

For cards that might interest hardcore gamers (Fatal1ty FPS and Elite Pro models), Creative opted for a memory addition called X-RAM. This dedicated memory eliminates the need to waste your PC's main memory on sound. The technology is able to add effects to the game without any impact on performance. Or, improve performance when using compressed audio - no decompression will occur during gameplay. Creative ran tests on a modified version Unreal Tournament 2004... The graph below (

Two USB sound cards with quality DACs

In today's article, we compare two interesting sound cards with each other: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD vs. Asus Xonar U7. These are two products, similar in price and capabilities, in which the emphasis was placed on high-quality converters. At the same time, both cards at the time of this writing were on sale at a very low price, a little over 3 thousand rubles.

In the forum, the Asus Xonar U7 was dubbed “the best choice” in absentia, based on a review of photos and specifications. Many people completely in vain forget about the need for direct comparison of devices by sound. Most are also unable to correctly interpret the measurement results.

Name

• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD
• Asus Xonar U7

The Creative card has a confusing name as it is not related to the X-Fi cards and has nothing to do with the Titanium HD card. As a result, the card's release went unnoticed. This product is not known to anyone at all, except for some computer sound enthusiasts.

The Asus Xonar U7 also has an obscure name. The fairly old U1 and U3 cards are budget products with integrated audio quality. The U7 has nothing to do with past products in this series.

Price

• Creative: RUB 3700
• Asus: RUB 3100

The cards cost almost the same, the difference in absolute values \u200b\u200bin price is not serious. More importantly, such an affordable price makes them interesting to a large circle of buyers. They have practically no competitors among USB-cards!

At the same time, the Asus card appeared quite recently. The manufacturer also reports that the Asus Xonar U7 Echelon Edition is coming soon with an army camouflage paint job and more functional drivers.

The target audience

• Creative: mass, audiophile
• Asus:mass, home theater

The Creative model is a card with full-size TRS headphone and microphone jacks. Interestingly, there is a phono input for digitizing vinyl, with ground. It also works in the normal line-in mode. THX and other proprietary processing is software only. For movies, there is an optical digital output for connecting a 5.1 receiver with a decoder.

7.1 speakers can be connected to the Asus card by analogy, minijack connectors. The emphasis is on Dolby software included. Digital output - combined optical / coaxial. Both cards have a line-in, but in the case of Asus, the line-in is combined with the microphone, which is quite difficult to guess.

It remains a mystery why it was necessary to load both cards with so many functions and software in addition to a high-quality output. This inevitably blurs the audience and distracts from the main advantage of the cards, namely high-quality DAC... All the rest of the dregs are in abundance in almost any sound card. In the description of sound cards and in the design of the boxes, as they say, "you can't see the forest for the trees." It is unclear who will organize a 7.1 cinema around a computer or laptop - this is inconvenient and in practice not in demand. Fortunately, the user does not overpay for all these additional functions, since the price of the cards is very low.

Volume knob

• Creative: Miniature metal volume knob with original location. There is a Mute function when you press the knob. It is not very convenient to use the pen, since it is located very close to the table surface: the fingers are in a very unusual position and slip on the surface.
• Asus: The smooth handle is recessed into the body. Pressing the knob turns off the speakers in favor of the headphones and vice versa. It is inconvenient to use: considerable effort is required, otherwise the finger will slip. The notch for the finger is made for beauty - it is much easier to adjust it by pressing your finger where there is no notch.

In both cases, a flawless digital regulator is used. The ergonomics of the regulators are rather arbitrary. Due to the combination of the functions of the regulator and the button, the Asus regulator has a rather noticeable backlash. Many users would prefer to remove the button without any backlash. Also, Asus' recessed knob is handy for carrying around the audio interface. In all other cases, this decision looks controversial.

Illuminations

• Creative: blue LED on top
• Asus: 3 signal LEDs on the top panel

The activity light on the Creative card is brighter. In principle, this will not be a problem for most. But we had a keen desire to seal it with electrical tape so that it would not be an eyesore and would not be constantly visible with peripheral vision.

Headphone out location

• Creative: in front
• Asus:in front

Both cards have convenient connectors.

Filling

• Creative: DSP Creative CA0189-2AG, 2-channel DAC AKM AK4396 (123 dB), 2-channel ADC CS5361 (114 dB).
• Asus: DSP CM6632A, 2-channel DAC Cirrus Logic CS4398 (120 dB), 6-channel DAC Cirrus Logic CS4362A (114 dB), 2-channel ADC CS5361 (114 dB).

The filling of both cards is quite interesting. And this is the main feature of the cards, against the background of which no one is interested in everything else. The Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC is considered a class higher than the AKM AK4396.

All Creative USB sound cards use a CA0189-2AG RISC processor of its own production with a frequency of 100 MHz. Unlike the usual Creative DSPs, this chip does not have hardware audio processing. Its purpose is a fast USB 2.0 controller and a multi-channel interface to full-fledged I²S / I²C converter chips, such as those used by Cirrus Logic and AKM. Two quartz oscillators are soldered on the board.

Asus has an interesting CM6632A chip that supports both HDA codecs and I²S / I²C converters. Number of channels - 8 + 2 (analog + digital) output and 2 + 2 input. There is support for 192 kHz. The chip can be clocked at once from three generators, 12, 24.5 and 22.5 MHz, which was used by the creators of the card. The decision to throw pasta from one edge of the DAC board to the other with connectors remains not very clear.

All processing in both cards is performed exclusively at the software level. The maximum data rate of 96 kHz is not a big problem as 192 kHz content is practically non-existent. Hi-Res did not give anything to ordinary users and did not go to the masses, and aesthetes and lovers of Hi-End sound cards for $ 100 are unlikely to be interested.

Auto switch to headphones

• Creative: there is
• Asus:there is

When plugged into the headphone jack, the speakers are disabled. This feature was first implemented in integrated audio as part of the AC'97 and HDA standards. First, the determination of the connected headphones was carried out by impedance, and then by a mechanical sensor. External cards with good converters are not inferior to integrated sound in this matter. In practice, however, this can cause problems.

Complete software

• Creative: a set of software on the disk, driver update on the manufacturer's website
• Asus: the same installation kit on CD and on the manufacturer's website

The software disc is the same as all other Creative products.

The appearance and content of the Entertainment Console of the X-Fi card have already been described more than once in our materials. The Audio Control Panel is included in the package immediately and allows you to control absolutely all settings without the nooks and crannies of the graphical menu, except for the equalizer. Creative Volume Panel - it is not clear why the necessary program is supplied for the assortment. An important difference between drivers for XP: they provide a choice of frequency and bit depth directly from the Entertainment Console. The frequency is limited to choose: 48 or 96 kHz, regardless of the OS. This choice is typical of all Creative USB sticks.

The Asus card panel is very odd. Parameters can be selected only through the context menu by right-clicking!

There is an interesting parameter for setting the headphone output volume limit.

In the jungle of settings Asus has a separate option - Dolby Home Theater v4, which seems to have surpassed the Creative card in terms of the number of enhancers.

44 kHz support

• Creative: no
• Asus:there is

The Creative card contains two crystal oscillators and also has 44 kHz DSP support. However, drivers neither for Windows XP nor for Windows 7/8 support operation in 44 kHz mode: only 48 kHz or 96 kHz can be set in the device settings. In the card for audiophiles, this indicates either inadequacy or complete incompetence of the developers. To listen to music in 99.9% of cases, 44 kHz is used. We are looking forward to the comments of the map developers themselves.

The Asus card has support for all frequencies: 44, 48, 88, 96, 192 kHz.

ASIO driver availability

• Creative: no
• Asus:there is

The lack of an ASIO driver for Creative cards is beyond our grasp. The best listening option for the Creative card is the WASAPI interface and software resampling in the player. Conversion from 44 kHz to 48 or 96 will always force the Windows sound engine, or you need to select on-the-fly conversion in the media player. For example, in the player foobar 2000:

Sound in speakers

Listening was carried out on active monitors Adam S2.5A and Adam ARTist 5. For comparison, we used the very famous sound cards E-MU 1616M (CS4398) and E-MU 0204 USB (AK4396).

First surprise: all cards play completely differently! In the first place in terms of sound quality is the E-MU 1616M card, the second - the E-MU 0204 USB, the third - the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD, and the fourth - the Asus Xonar U7.

The sound of the Asus card is the least like the E-MU 1616M (despite the same DAC installed). This is due to Asus's distortion problems, as we reliably know about the 1616M's unsurpassed analog output implementation. This is a measurable 120 dB S / N, a measurable 0.0003% distortion, and a wonderful clear sound experience. The 1616M is not much inferior in sound to the best implementations of rack-mounted studio devices, it is comparable to Pro Tools HD and Lynx Aurora, so we boldly choose the 1616M sound as the reference sound for devices under $ 150. E-MU 0204 USB is inferior quite a bit. X-Fi HD sounds brighter and more emphasized on the treble, therefore, for all its effectiveness, it is slightly farther from the original sound. The Xonar U7 disappointed us very much with its meager HF and rather sluggish sound. Perhaps this problem is solved by flashing or drivers; we will definitely clarify this issue with the manufacturer. In any case, there should be no distortion of 0.01%. Both the digital and analog parts of the card can do more.

Let's scold Creative for the lack of a 44 kHz mode. It's just inexplicable, nonsense! How can you make an audiophile card, put in two crystal oscillators and forbid it to work at 44 kHz? Don't provide the user with an ASIO driver that bypasses Windows? This is just the wildest incompetence of the developers. The E-MU 0204 USB - device for the same money - has no such problems! The feeling that one division of Creative is mercilessly competing with another: stubbornly developing a bicycle with square wheels, when a racing sports car has long been developed and tested in the next room.

Headphone sound

We used Sennheiser HD600 high impedance headphones (300 ohms) and Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250 ohms).

The volume is sufficient in both cases, but the Asus card has practically no headroom. Creative was able to surprise us once again. In terms of sound quality, the places were distributed as follows: E-MU 1616M ranked first, Sound Blaster X-Fi HD ranked second, E-MU 0204 USB ranked third, and Asus Xonar U7 ranked fourth. The professional E-MU 0204 USB interface, in principle, performed well, but X-Fi HD looked like a clear favorite against its background and had a significantly larger volume margin. The Asus Xonar U7 card is the quietest, but its volume rises sharply when processing is enabled. Perhaps this was done on purpose, so that there was a so-called headroom for Dolby technologies and other auto-equalizers. Thus, the Asus card is the least suitable for simple listening to music, the emphasis in it is placed on the effective processing. The screeching and hooting of the fans of the map remain completely incomprehensible to us.

Measurements in RMAA

Tests at the RMAA were rated Excellent. This means that the devices have no frank jambs. It doesn't mean anything else. (But as soon as artificial intelligence makes it unnecessary to analyze measurements by humans, we will be the first to inform you about it!)

Both cards have been tested through their own path as they have the same high quality CS5361 ADC.

Asus is slightly better in noise, Creative is better in distortion. We were concerned about the look of the Asus graph in the floating tone intermodulation test: usually anomalies in this test indicate frequency scaling or some other digital processing. We have checked all the settings several times. Results do not change. We ran additional tests with Windows XP and Windows 7 cleanly installed. The latest drivers and firmware were used. The bottom line is the same: the Asus card has about 10 times more distortion at high frequencies.