Creative X-Fi Range Changing... NEW models coming called Core3d

[walker_2003]

Looks best to stick with xfi titanium for budget alrounder

[Thalyn]

Originally Posted by lithos

Or they're naive as to the desire for more profits, indeed.

I'm usually the first to be pessimistic. I thought I'd try something different for a change. Though the Fatal1ty series is clearly adding to the price with no reason, in the same way that shoes and clothes are sold for the name more than the product.

Realistically, the only people who know for certain are Creative themselves. They haven't exactly come out and made a claim either way, which could be taken as a sign that they have applied liberal amounts of snake oil in its creation.

As a case of pure theory, though, it's entirely possible that they have made some strides in miniaturisation. It's not exactly like there's any real competition to speak of when it comes to sound cards, requiring the marketing boys to come up with all manner of new and exciting buzz words like with graphics cards. The sound market appears to be fought on very, very different grounds which have only two levels: good enough and paper champion.

Realistically, all Joe Public cares about is the words "quad core", Dolby and perhaps SNR (despite anything over 96dB being redundant for everything outside studio purposes) - talking about much else related to the hardware doesn't help when your only compeition comes from the known software codecs of Realtek and Cirrus Logic. Though not talking about it clearly hurts them in the enthusiast market, so perhaps they need to find more of a middle-ground.

Still, I bought a second one after killing my first. No regrets. Still not convinced hardware acceleration is missing, either - I'm yet to find a means to confirm it through actual testing, rather than a simple capability list, and the tests I have been able to run suggest it's alive and well.

[smiddi]

My thoughts on Recon3D are that the card is good for gaming. But that’s all.
I think its up there with the better X-fi offerings, again only for gaming.
I also think its a better gaming card than the Xonar range.

For music its not very good. It has a saturated bass - common with low-end audio gear.
The actual sound quality isnt too bad, but the ridiculous bass destroys the midrange.
Audio noobs should love that bass though.
As others have said above, it should appeal to the "average Joe".

My main gripe with the card is its "cheap" feel.
You open the cheap feeling box and you get a card with basically one chip on it, and that’s about it (and that chip has a plastic cover over it to make it look bigger).
I just felt ripped off as soon as I opened the box.

I def would NOT buy this card for music, If you don’t mind the feeling of being bent over by Creative, in all fairness it is a good gaming card.

I wouldnt but another one and the fatal1ty version looks to be a badge rip.

[Camm]

So if I have a 5.1 system that I'm not using thru a reciever (Swans M60) and want to both listen to music and game (have a decent set of cans as well), whats the verdict and what should I be using? I've currently got a forte which I'm kind of happy, but considering I'm going to move to a Asus Maximus V with XFI MB2 and is isolated with a headphone amp, I'm not sure where I should be going and thought about the Recon3D but is kind of obvious that its woeful for music.

[Thalyn]

"Woeful" is perhaps a bit harsh. Perhaps its timbre won't be to everyone's tastes, but it's hardly bad at reproducing music. I've fed it everything from Phantom of the Opera and Brassed Off to CoLD SToRAGE and Apocalyptica, with just about everything in between, and I've never been disappointed with the results.

But, for some people, "good enough" won't ever be good enough. If that's you, maybe you'd be better off looking into something like the ODAC (Objective DAC). While I can appreciate the ability of the guy who designed it, it goes back into the "paper champion" category I mentioned earlier - if it's as good as he claims, you'll never be able to hear how much better it is than anything else because your equipment (including your ears) simply won't be good enough.

*edit*
I should mention that my own listening contradicts Smiddi's opinion of the bass. In particular, listening to the Brassed Off sountrack you're still able to hear the valves operate on their tubas during the quieter sections, as well as the musicians breathing. These are very small sounds which would easily be drowend out by heavy-handed bass. Having spent a number of years in my youth playing tubas (and other instruments), such sounds something I remember very clearly - and they're in no way diminished.

[swong]

Reading through all these posts on the new core3d cards, it seems that there is not really any improvement on the X-fi series? In fact it's gone backwards since there is no longer any hardware acceleration?

I'll be outputing via optical to a DAC, so all I care about is positional/gaming processing. So from this perspective, can it be safe to say that getting a titanium HD will not only be better quality but also cheaper?

You'd think that there would be some sort of improvement in the couple years since the x-fi first came out...

[MR CHILLED]

Originally Posted by swong

Reading through all these posts on the new core3d cards, it seems that there is not really any improvement on the X-fi series?..

Ive noticed an improvement as I say, not huge, but some....may just be in my head though

[Thalyn]

Originally Posted by swong

I'll be outputing via optical to a DAC, so all I care about is positional/gaming processing. So from this perspective, can it be safe to say that getting a titanium HD will not only be better quality but also cheaper?

Not sure where you got "cheaper" from. My (and I'm sure Chilled's) base-line Recon3D cost just over the $100 mark, where a Titanium HD will run you over $200. Unless you start importing or buying second hand, in which case I've no idea on either of them (I have a slightly-used/-abused Recon3D Fatal1ty Pro which still works fine as an encoder or 5.1 card - only the headphone and HDA output jacks don't work and I've pinched the shroud. Still with original packaging!)

Since you're also planning on using outboard DACs, it's as you said in that it really comes down to the raw processing. In which case, I'm personally of the opinion that the Recon is the better of the two. The caveats, of course, that I haven't ever used a EMU20K2-based X-Fi, and I only have one usable ear.

If I were you, I'd be trying to decide between a standard-issue Titanium PCIe (approx. $90) and a standard-issue Recon3D PCIe (approx. $110). Since all the onboard quality-boosting stuff is virtually meaningless when you bypass it, the HD is pointless. Unless you have a case window and particularly like the look of the HD over a normal Titanium...

[TheBear21]

Would this card suit my needs?

I currently run on-board audio through a set of Logitech G51 5.1 speakers. Now I have set up a DJ mixer and studio monitors I figure I may as well get some better use out of some $600 speakers so will also connect up my PC to them for audio.

I play some games and will use this setup as my primary music source in my house. Surround isn't necessary so I will ditch the logitechs. I mostly game with headphones anyway.

One thing I do like about the logitechs is they amplify my headphones, making them sound better. Will I miss this if I connect the headphones straight into a sound card? Or is this sound cards headphone output considerably better than on board audio?

So primary use is stereo music out put and driving headphones with some gaming as a 3rd priority.

Would something like a Asus Xonar STX better a better option?

[boron boy]

I think the general consensus is that the xonar STx is better for music, the creative titanium HD better for games (especially 3d audio on headphones). Probably not much in it either way though.7

[Muddy Funster]

Originally Posted by smiddi

My thoughts on Recon3D are that the card is good for gaming. But that’s all.
I think its up there with the better X-fi offerings, again only for gaming.
I also think its a better gaming card than the Xonar range.

For music its not very good. It has a saturated bass - common with low-end audio gear.
The actual sound quality isnt too bad, but the ridiculous bass destroys the midrange.
Audio noobs should love that bass though.
As others have said above, it should appeal to the "average Joe".

My main gripe with the card is its "cheap" feel.
You open the cheap feeling box and you get a card with basically one chip on it, and that’s about it (and that chip has a plastic cover over it to make it look bigger).
I just felt ripped off as soon as I opened the box.

I def would NOT buy this card for music, If you don’t mind the feeling of being bent over by Creative, in all fairness it is a good gaming card.

I wouldnt but another one and the fatal1ty version looks to be a badge rip.

So did you time travel to the future or did HArdOCP steal your thoughts for their reviews conclusion

[smiddi]

Originally Posted by Muddy Funster

So did you time travel to the future or did HArdOCP steal your thoughts for their reviews conclusion

??
what do you mean? - im confused.

[Muddy Funster]

Originally Posted by smiddi

??
what do you mean? - im confused.

Sorry mate, being a smartarse, your brief review came out before the review at HardOCP, and their review has the same conclusions as yours.

SO either you traveled forward in time to read their review, they copied your review, or you both independently came to the same conclusion.

Option 3 is not as interesting as the first 2.

[smiddi]

Originally Posted by Muddy Funster

Sorry mate, being a smartarse, your brief review came out before the review at HardOCP, and their review has the same conclusions as yours.

SO either you traveled forward in time to read their review, they copied your review, or you both independently came to the same conclusion.

Option 3 is not as interesting as the first 2.

found it:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/...card_review/10

.

[squall_leonhart]

Soundblaster Inferior3D