Creative X-Fi HD USB

Hi,

Have been looking around for USB soundcard options for the laptop and found these - has anyone got one or tried either of these before?

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD Review - Introduction
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro - THX TruStudio Pro entertainment system




Are they noticeably better than onboard sound (Realtek) for music/games?
How much CPU usage do they use?
What's the difference between the two? From what I can see, one supports 5.1 surround & EAX whereas the other one doesn't but is advertised as having better quality inputs.

Will be using it with ATH-AD900s or Koss KSC-75s.

Cheers.

 

I had the latter but it really sucked and wasn't better than my Realtek so I got rid of it. I heard the former (HD) is much better though. But IMO for the cost, there are a lot better options for DACs. I used them with my Alessandro MS1i and Head Direct RE0.

 

Found a bit more info here:

Creative X-FI HD USB revealed - Head-Fi.org Community

 

Oh lol, I was watching one on ebay (the first one) but forgot about it. It was $7 and no one had bid on it. (refurbished from a Canadian reseller).

 

I own and use the base Creative Labs X-Fi USB (SB1090), but not the specific models that you listed. I think it is fantastic.

The "Pro" level model you listed is THX certified. The "HD" level you listed is THX certified, and supports 1/4" jacks. As far as the internal hardware goes, I believe that all models use the same internal hardware. I chose the base level product, because I don't care about THX certification, and 1/4" jacks is actually a negative aspect (since it requires an adapter to use with 1/8" ministereo headphones).

Are they noticeably better than onboard sound (Realtek) for music/games?

Yes, the sound is noticeably better than onboard Realtek. The primary benefit is Creative Labs virtual surround sound mode via headphones (CMSS3D Headphones). This downmixing algorithm is fantastic, and works extremely well with high-clarity headphones (e.g. Audio Technica ATH-A900). You basically set your Windows Sound settings to a 5.1 speaker configuration, and then you just let the Creative Labs X-Fi USB do the downmixing for you into 2-channel stereo headphones.

You will be able to clearly distinguish one sound from another, where that sound is coming from, and how that sound is being filtered.

In a competitive FPS game like Left 4 Dead 2, you can tell that a (A) Boomer is (B) at your 2 o'clock (C) above you, on the roof, (d) hiding behind a wall. And you can tell all of that, just from the incredible amount of detail revealed in the sound. It gives you an unfair advantage in multiplayer. You might as well be wallhacking.

How much CPU usage do they use?

Don't know. The amount of CPU that is used is so small, that it is irrelevant. But also be aware that higher CPU utilization does not automatically equal lower framerates in games. It will only equal lower framerates in games if a game is CPU limited (which most games are not) and maxing out the CPU.

On top of that, lower framerates does not automatically equal a poorer game experience. In many cases, the whole point of an external sound card is to get superior sound effects (e.g. CMSS3D Headphone virtual surround mode on Creative Labs X-Fi sound cards). The increased immersion from convincing surround sound in headphones far outweighs the miniscule hit to CPU utilization. It is the heroin of PC gaming. Once you experience Fallout: New Vegas or Dead Space 1/2 on some high-clarity headphones + good surround hardware, you will be chasing that dragon for the rest of your life.

What's the difference between the two? From what I can see, one supports 5.1 surround & EAX whereas the other one doesn't but is advertised as having better quality inputs

They have the same featureset. All Creative Labs X-Fi USB sound cards support 5.1 surround, 5.1 surround downmixing into headphones (virtual surround sound), and EAX.

The Pro / HD level models you listed have THX certification. The regular model does not. That's about the only difference.

And the "better quality inputs" isn't true. Just because they are 1/4" inputs, doesn't mean that they are better. In fact, 1/4" inputs are inferior, because they require you to use adapters... which is just another bunch of cables to carry around.

Hope that this info helps.

 

Additional note:

Be aware that the people who post on Head-Fi are usually focused on getting the absolute best and most accurate "sound quality". And by sound quality, I mean clear, accurate, detailed reproduction of 2-channel stereo music playback.

The requirements for a gaming hardware setup are a bit different. Criteria such as accurate reproduction of surround effects and sound clarity are far more important than things that hardcore Head-Fi'ers value (e.g. soundstage, neutral response, etc).

So if you read a Head-Fi review that says a piece of hardware is great / terrible, pay close attention to why they say it is great / terrible. Do the characteristics that make a piece of audio hardware great actually matter to gamers?

 

That, or they can be spouting completely subjective BS allied to brand snobbery of course...

 

I have the Creative Xfi HD, and I absolutely love it. I was a very well worth upgrade as my onboard audio was terrible, and I recommend it for anyone.

 

Wow thanks for the replies guys, especially kent - that's an incredibly informative post.

I went with the X-Fi HD version - my headphones use 1/4" inputs so no big deal for me. I'll post back to let you guys know how it is once I've received it to help out anyone else reading the thread.

Cheers

 

Im quite interested in this too, but how does this compare with the NuForce uDac-2 in music quality? Im kinda torn between these two well reviewed products but i prefer to buy the 'better' one.

EDIT: I also do some gaming so some inputs on gaming sound quality is useful too. I would think the THX supported Creative ones would be better for gaming.

 

The NuForce DAC will have superior sound quality when it comes to music. If you're going to be doing any gaming, you'll want to stick with a Creative Labs X-Fi USB sound card, because of the sound processing support (EAX, surround sound, virtual surround downmixing, CMSS3D Headphone mode, etc).

But to be honest, comparing a NuForce DAC vs. Creative Labs X-Fi USB is well beyond the point of diminishing returns. Unless you are using some very high-end headphones, and have very well-trained ears, the difference will be nearly irrelevant when it comes to stereo reproduction of recorded music.

 

Thanks alot, i was expecting them to be quite similar, i think i would go with the creative x-fi hd, since i game. But i do use a pretty solid IEM for music listening (UE Triplefi 10) and can tell sound quality to some extent.

 

I have the Klipsch Image S4 and mostly listen to mp3s with medium quality I guess. Would the NuForce DAC improve the sound quality for me to a noticeable level?

 

Yes. It should be noticeable to quite an extent. And so would the Creative x-fi HD which is a DAC as well.

 

Great. Thanks for the quick reply. I've got another question... you know in Win7 how you can change the "default format" in the audio settings from dvd quality to studio quality and different bits and hertz and whatever...what's the optimal setting for that? Right now it's on the default "dvd quality"

 

Sorry, im not sure about this, mine is set to a 24 bit (studio quality) on default. Maybe someone else can be an assistant. For the record, if you do get a DAC, you need not worry about this settings as the DAC becomes your sound card.