Sound Blaster audigy EX worth it??

[FerrariF50]

First of all I have a question....The Ex version of the audigy has the 2 pci cards right?? So that would mean I would need 2 pci free?? And how does it sound and all that?? if I do get it..I would get upgrageing from a Hec Forssimo II card...It's good but I can't play Flight sim 2000/2002 or train sim... Something happens and I get a bsod...and i'm not the only one.... I only had the card for less then 3 mo.

[FrozenInHI]

i totally think the audigy line has a lot to be desired for the price they're trying to get for them. I really think the value to be had is in the hercules gametheater xp, it's an awesome card, and it's sound quality is better IMO since there's none of that crackling stuff. What type of speakers are you going to use? if you dont' have the speakers to show the card off, don't waste the money, but if you do, go with the XP, you won't be sorry. I mean, they release a driver and bam, ya got 6.1 audio, true 6.1 that is, not simulated like creative's 5.1 stuff is, so disappointing. anyhow, it's cheaper and i think it's better, no 2xpci needed, just one and the rack is very connectable to any digital media.

[FerrariF50]

Well as you see I have a Hec fossimo II sound card.... this sound card works in all other games but Microsoft train sim and Flight sim 2000/2002.....After playing for 20 sec. I get the bsod and the game goes byebye...I have not tryed it under Windows Xp yet...as I have not had a bsod yet..

[FrozenInHI]

I've got the GameTheater XP and I play MSFS2k2 and 2k1, both work flawlessly, consider this card seriously before you go with Creative for sure, Creative's still got issues with chipsets these days, i can assure you that you won't be sorry if you get this card.

[FerrariF50]

I don't know if I want to stay with hec. anymore...I mean it's a great vaule for the money....but I can't get those 2 games to work...

[Blackearth]

in all the reviews i've read about the hec gamexp, live!, audigy, heres what seems to be the thing: before the audigy people were saying that sure the hercules xp is good for the money but still not as good as the live. when the audigy was released the word was that unless you compared them side by side the average user is not going to notice a major difference in sound-but theres still that little difference. everybodys probably still dumping their Live! stuff cheap in favor of the audigy. but personally, i'm so getting the audigy. it has a built in firewire port . . . not the only reason, i just want the best. how does it sound? heavenly, my friend landed one and it sounds beutiful, then again it may have been the klipsch 5.1's. . .hehehe. dont settle for anything less then the best-get the audigy!

[FerrariF50]

hmmm....it's like $300 right?? geeez... I wont be able to get the Kipsch 4.1 if I keep this up.... I think i'm going to wait a little....No rush.

[PJD]

I have an SB Audigy and it was the 2nd most stable card in my new machine considering I'm using a totally a new chipset + mobo + cpu + memory AND its VIA. As for sound quality: no distortion whatsoever. Even cranked at 80%! So far it's the only card I've bought that actually sounds great in Digital. I paid $85 for an SB Audigy and you guys say it's not worth the price. I still remember paying $200 for an SB Awe 32.

[NASsoccer]

get the game theater xp. the sound blaster is overrated and overpriced and all for a stupid remote. I think the game XP is the best value out there and the performance is great i can tell that,

[FerrariF50]

I would of picked up a game theater xp...but to tell you the truth all the sounds cards out now seem to suck...or is it just me asking too much from one?

[FerrariF50]

Originally posted by NASsoccer
get the game theater xp. the sound blaster is overrated and overpriced and all for a stupid remote. I think the game XP is the best value out there and the performance is great i can tell that,


Are the rear speakers ampfied? or not

[DeepScience]

Originally posted by FerrariF50
First of all I have a question....The Ex version of the audigy has the 2 pci cards right?? So that would mean I would need 2 pci free?? And how does it sound and all that?? if I do get it..I would get upgrageing from a Hec Forssimo II card...It's good but I can't play Flight sim 2000/2002 or train sim... Something happens and I get a bsod...and i'm not the only one.... I only had the card for less then 3 mo.

umm, I didn't think any of them had two cards. It comes with a gameport/midi port that can occupy a space on the back panel but only if you want to plug it in.

Sounds quite nice.
Apparently it isn't full 24 bit recording - it fudges it somewhat but it's nicer that the Live for recording with I think.
The firewire implementation doesn't seem the best. It wasn't going with Premiere at all and then *pop* it decided to. I don't know what it'll do tommorrow.

I got it because I was running out of pci and irq space and I think it has pretty much done the job.

[nil_esh]

The Audigy isn't true 24-bit playback, either. It downmixes to 16-bit. You can play 24-bit audio, and playing from multiple 16-bit sources is supposedly mixed better, but its all 16-bit once it leaves the sound card. False advertising? Yes. I bought it knowing this and for the 3 days I've used it, it's pretty good. Great card for mp3-listening and movies. And sub crossover is great, that's probably the feature that won me over. Haven't tried recording yet, though. I plan to get a true 24-bit card once I decide to do some guitar/bass recordings (gotta recover from some injuries before that happens). Although with the equipment I have right now 16-bit is quite good enough. The listening equipment, guitars, amps, and microphones I own are all pretty low end. Though my bass amp kicks! :)
(1978 Peavey Mark IV, half stack w/ a new 15" black widow)

Another note for people considering Audigy: The firewire support is passive mode only, it only supplies 2W to the device(s) meaning many hard drives are unsupported and supposedly could even damage your card.

[FrozenInHI]

, i just want the best

I'm tellin ya, i've got the best as it stands. the xp is a much better card. it comes with better components and playback, i'm done sayin that. The audigy in my buddie's system is less than desirable on the same speaker systems (midiland 8200s), and like i said, the whole simulated sound channel is just pathetic, why cant you supply a true decoder for that price? Sampling rates suck, chipset incompatibilities. I tell you one thing, if a video card came to market that had just one issue on any chipset, then people wouldn't touch that company's products just based on that, but when it comes to sound, so many people are washed into Creative's lake that it's not even funny. Then you start seeing all these posts "my sound card wont' work" and "why won't creative release new drivers?". I'm not an "I told ya so" kind of guy, but I'm sure i'll see something similar in subject from one of the folks here that gets an audigy.

[FerrariF50]

Hercules was a little slow makeing new drivers for Windows Xp.... over at their site we had to get on their case...