What's the difference between sound cards for audio and for games?
- Thread starter JohnJSal
- Start date
The lowest in the Creative X-Fi lineup will also run games and multimedia as well as any other card. The frequency response times and other factors according to the speicications are what most look at right away when going to choose a card.
Creative labeled the card this way since the encluded software as well as card design will tend to favor one over another to some degree. In actual real world application you can simply any model for whatever.
Creative labeled the card this way since the encluded software as well as card design will tend to favor one over another to some degree. In actual real world application you can simply any model for whatever.
Beyond
Active Member
The difference between sound cards for music and games?
All gaming sound cards (Creative.. anything by them. I don't care if it's X-Fi Fatality or Music or whatever they call them. Anything from Creative is for games) will sound more bloated. The bass will not be as detailed, and will sometimes overpower the rest of music.
Music sound cards, however, particulary the EMU 0404 (which is actually made by Creative, but not plastered with the X-Fi jibber jabber), will sound more flat, ideally at least. Flat? Nothing overpowers anything. Is this exciting? No. But, it allows the end-user to enjoy the system being listened to. Ideally, there will be no coloration from the sound card.
Music sound cards typically don't have "EAX" support or any of the other techno babble associated with gaming cards.
Another thing to consider is the DACs (digital-to-analog converters) built onto sound cards. All gaming sound cards mentioned above and on this forum are built onto the card. This means if you ever plan on using external amps or DACs, the sound card will interfere with the rest of your equipment's processing.
Music sound cards, however, only deal with the digital signal. As a result, there will be less ground noise (that is, hissing caused by fans in a computer). This is because the conversion to an analog signal is done externally, outside the computer and away from the fans circulating air.
All gaming sound cards (Creative.. anything by them. I don't care if it's X-Fi Fatality or Music or whatever they call them. Anything from Creative is for games) will sound more bloated. The bass will not be as detailed, and will sometimes overpower the rest of music.
Music sound cards, however, particulary the EMU 0404 (which is actually made by Creative, but not plastered with the X-Fi jibber jabber), will sound more flat, ideally at least. Flat? Nothing overpowers anything. Is this exciting? No. But, it allows the end-user to enjoy the system being listened to. Ideally, there will be no coloration from the sound card.
Music sound cards typically don't have "EAX" support or any of the other techno babble associated with gaming cards.
Another thing to consider is the DACs (digital-to-analog converters) built onto sound cards. All gaming sound cards mentioned above and on this forum are built onto the card. This means if you ever plan on using external amps or DACs, the sound card will interfere with the rest of your equipment's processing.
Music sound cards, however, only deal with the digital signal. As a result, there will be less ground noise (that is, hissing caused by fans in a computer). This is because the conversion to an analog signal is done externally, outside the computer and away from the fans circulating air.
diduknowthat
formerly liuliuboy
X-Fi has a pretty confusing lineup of cards.
Basically the Xtreme-Audio is a rebranded Audigy SE/Live! card with software emulation of X-fi effects, thus resulting in horrible performance when gaming.
The X-Fi Xtremegamer and Xtrememusic (discontinued) use the real x-fi chip without the front panel I/O box and stuff. These cards has 2 megs of cache.
The Xtremegamer Fatality has 64 megs of X-ram, and otherwise is almost exactly identical to the Xtrememusic.
And Finally the Elite Pro has some higher end parts, 64 megs of X-ram, and the I/O console.
Basically the Xtreme-Audio is a rebranded Audigy SE/Live! card with software emulation of X-fi effects, thus resulting in horrible performance when gaming.
The X-Fi Xtremegamer and Xtrememusic (discontinued) use the real x-fi chip without the front panel I/O box and stuff. These cards has 2 megs of cache.
The Xtremegamer Fatality has 64 megs of X-ram, and otherwise is almost exactly identical to the Xtrememusic.
And Finally the Elite Pro has some higher end parts, 64 megs of X-ram, and the I/O console.
JohnJSal
Active Member
So probably the best choice for music and games would be the Xtremegamer?
jacklazara
New Member
yes,you are right
JohnJSal
Active Member
Thanks. But does this mean music won't sound quite as good? Or does it require switching settings every time you want to listen to music or play games?
I ran both Xtreme Audio and Xtreme Gamer cards here with the Gamer model in current use to find that Creative's XP driver updates where a "web updater3 for Vista" when initially going for the July 07 release. Both cards sounded the same in games and media players alike while the driver support was "Vista geared" when selecting XP as the OS.
Once you get past that and choose the Dec. 06 update which turns out to be the "web updater1 for XP" and don't allow the software installer to automatically go for updates or allow the MS Windows update site to do the same if running XP you will be set with any of their models. Never saw that crap with the Audigy line.
Once you get past that and choose the Dec. 06 update which turns out to be the "web updater1 for XP" and don't allow the software installer to automatically go for updates or allow the MS Windows update site to do the same if running XP you will be set with any of their models. Never saw that crap with the Audigy line.
PunterCam
Active Member
You could, but it really doesn't matter; your ear will adjust to the sound in a few seconds anyway and it will just sound normal, as long as the EQ is roughly balanced.
The only reason you'd want to take a digital out of a card is for proper professional music production, where you need to hear everything, and for that you need more than a stereo/5.1 output (you want at least 32 digital outs really). And then you need to convert it to analogue which is where the real money is spent - you'll spend thousands on the ProTools i/o's.
I reckon the difference between most so called 'gamer' cards and the 'pro audio' cards is the software provided, and the style of the literature/box that comes with. Just buy a cheap one!
Beyond
Active Member
What?!?!?!?!?!?
I think what PunterCam is trying to get at there is that you would need professional equipment to actually distinguish the actual tecnical differences between the different model cards like spectrum analysis or whatever. Generally different models simply see different software as well as patch in options for input and output. One card will see a separate line in from the mic jack while the new models see a flexi jack for both types.
PunterCam
Active Member
I made perfect sense!
Basically no matter how the card is advertised, and no matter what the price ($30 - $150) it will sound rubbish if it's outputing through a minijack. These cards aren't physically big enough to have good DAC's, so buy any of them, they will all sound 'fine'.
If you want to listen to an uncoloured sound as it sounds sitting on your hard drive, then you have to take the digital out and convert it elsewhere.
I'd be surprised if there was one physical difference between the gamer and music card.
Basically no matter how the card is advertised, and no matter what the price ($30 - $150) it will sound rubbish if it's outputing through a minijack. These cards aren't physically big enough to have good DAC's, so buy any of them, they will all sound 'fine'.
If you want to listen to an uncoloured sound as it sounds sitting on your hard drive, then you have to take the digital out and convert it elsewhere.
I'd be surprised if there was one physical difference between the gamer and music card.
I didn't notice any actual difference between two models here namely the Audio and Gamer. Ar first it looked like the software that came with the Xtreme Audion model was bad until seeing the same Vista drivers downloaded onto XP!
The installer, the MS update site with the custom option for optional hardware/software updates, and even when selecting "XP" as the version of Windows Vista drivers still went on! Lately Creative finally added release notes when selecting XP and seeing two updates with the same stating on the second that it is for XP!
Between the Audigy 4 Pro and the current Gamer model I yet have to see more then simply being Vista ready and now seeing the flexi jack that eminates the need for two by tying the mic and line in to one. For WMP and most other players the software and new OpenAL to replace EAX plays a larger role there. The rest is marketing for the most part.
The installer, the MS update site with the custom option for optional hardware/software updates, and even when selecting "XP" as the version of Windows Vista drivers still went on! Lately Creative finally added release notes when selecting XP and seeing two updates with the same stating on the second that it is for XP!
Between the Audigy 4 Pro and the current Gamer model I yet have to see more then simply being Vista ready and now seeing the flexi jack that eminates the need for two by tying the mic and line in to one. For WMP and most other players the software and new OpenAL to replace EAX plays a larger role there. The rest is marketing for the most part.