Sound Blaster Z, Zx or ZxR?

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RealitySpeaks

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Sep 30, 2013
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So after reviewing all my components, I shaved off about 200-300$ off and I was thinking about investing in a Sound Blaster sound card. I am an audiophile and I have been told that my MoBo: Asus P9X79 Pro doesn't have the most fantastic sound ever. So I would love to hear your suggestions on the following: Should I buy one of these cards? If so, which one and why. Or should I skip a sound card all together? Thanks alot!
 
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The ZxR is definitely the best of the bunch, but all of them will be vastly superior to the usual Realtek suspects found on motherboards
 
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Most motherboards have RealTek and its audio is pretty bland.

If I were you, just get the Z. The Zx just has a sound controller and the ZxR has a bit better SnR but is still the same card.

I just got the Z and so far I love it. If you have high quality audio like FLAC you will love listening to it. Games and movies sound great. Also it has both a line out and dedicated headphone jack so no need to switch or worry about front panel connectors.
 
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What is the point of getting the Zx or Zxr? I mean, they are both awfully expensive and I don't know what they bring to the table besides the Zx introducing the little module thing and the Zxr having a daughter card. I do not mind spending a little more cash. Do you think I should get the Zx or Zxr? Or should I stick with the Z like you recommended?
 
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As I said the ZxR has a bit better SnR than the Z/Zx(124DB vs 116DB) but other than that its the same card as the Z and the Zx.

Unless you plan on using the sound module, then the Z is the same card and I can tell you it is still great quality audio and I would save the money and put the rest towards more RAM or a larger SSD etc.
 
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Don't get any of the Z series, the sound core 3d is just a glorified codec, not a true audio processor, if you want good real audio, get an X-fi Titanium, or X-fi Titanium HD if you need more power.
 
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Seconding the X-Fi Titanium Fatality (gaming) and X-Fi Titanium HD (audiophile). I use a Fatality Pro from 2008 and see no reason to upgrade.
 
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The X-fi Titanium is just a X-fi Titanium Fatal1ty card without the cover.

 
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Not quite. The Fatality has far more DRAM onboard and a fully functional DSP. The vanilla Titanium is somewhat crippled and has to perform certain DSP functions in software.
 
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They used to be, but most of the problems have been resolved. The only uncertainty that I'm worried about right now is whether or not the Windows 8 driver will work with Windows 8.1
 
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From what I have read, SoundCore 3D is actually the same processor as the X-Fi.

The difference is that they have actually integrated audio codecs into the core instead of having to have a separate chip

So what you have said is pretty much just bunk.

The X-Fis are great cards and not to be overlooked but the Z series also provides great audio and supports all the same features the X-Fis did, which would mean it could not be just a codec or it would lack the higher SnR rating, no 24Bit 192Khz sampling or some of the other features.



I can't speak for all of the X-Fis but my older X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatality Pro had issues with 8 and 8.1. XP, Vista and 7 were fine for the most part but in 8 I would have to change modes every boot up. Its a known issue with some of the X-Fis and they haven't fixed it. The last driver update was in January which was just the older 7 driver certified for 8.
 
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It will work with8.1 I can verify that as I had my X-Fi in 8 and in the 8.1 preview and it worked, minus the issues I had with it.
 
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To add my 2 cents, The X-fi titanium Vanilla does have a fully functional DSP. The Sound Core 3d is not the same audio processor as the X-fi, The X-fi can process sound all by it's self without any assistance from the CPU. The sound core 3d makes the CPU do all the heavy lifting, just like a audio CODEC. Gigabyte even has some motherboards with the sound core 3d chip intgrated on to the motherboard like a CODEC.

Creative's X-fi Titanium Drivers are fine, as long as you install from the disk, then update from the website.
 
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To add my 2 cents, The X-fi titanium Vanilla does have a fully functional DSP. The Sound Core 3d is not the same audio processor as the X-fi, The X-fi can process sound all by it's self without any assistance from the CPU. The sound core 3d makes the CPU do all the heavy lifting, just like a audio CODEC. Gigabyte even has some motherboards with the sound core 3d chip intgrated on to the motherboard like a CODEC.

Creative's X-fi Titanium Drivers are fine, as long as you install from the disk, then update from the website.
 
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You are comparing the onboard Sound Core3D to the discrete one? Its not even the same. Its based on Sound Core3D but its a lower power version for motherboards.

The Sound Core3D has 4 cores, each a fully functional DSP and has the CODEC also built into the chip itself. It also has a OPAMP, which is also what the X-Fis had to give higher SnR. You can't get 124db SnR (the ZxR which is higher than the X-Fis 122db SnR) out of a codec.

On the same note, there was also a mobile X-Fi:

http://techreport.com/news/12047/creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-goes-onboard

Does that mean the X-Fi was just a glorified codec as well? No.

Sound Core3D is not a codec.

BTW this:

g1sniper302.jpg


does not equal this:

creative-sound-blaster-z-pcie-sound-card-custom-pc-review-8.jpg



The top pic is from the G1 Sniper. That's the audio chip. Its not the same, although based on it, as the Z/Zx/Zxr
 
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If you were to remove the cover on the sound core 3d, you would find a very simmilar chip. The sound core 3d does have a higher SNR value, but the X-fi titanium has 32 bit audio, something that the Sound Core 3d can't match.
The X-fi can also process audio, without help from the CPU, also something the Sound Core 3d can't match.

 
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I've had the dreaded Snap Crackle and Pop return with my X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro on Windows 8.1 RTM (installed yesterday). It's not nearly as bad as it was on my old P45 platform but it was completely absent on Windows 8 with an X79 chipset.
 
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This is per Creatives website:

"•Max. Playback Quality

24-bit / 192kHz (Stereo-Direct Mode)
24-bit / 96kHz (5.1)

•Audio Fidelity

Up to 24-bit / 192kHz"

Not sure where you are getting your information but the X-Fi Titanium HD has the same audio specs (almost) as the Z series. 24bit is the normal max audio quality.

Also the X-Fi Titanium HD does not have a good of a headphone amp (330Ohms vs 600Ohms) which means it wont be able to drive higher end headphones as well as the Z series.

Pinhedd,

I had heard of that. I never got that just that I had to go in and change modes to get audio to work with every boot up of the system.

Honestly, you should move to a Z. Its just as good, if not better, and has some nice features.
 
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Thanks, I'm considering moving to the Z series when I get some spare cash
 
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First of all you have not had to restart to change modes, sense the first X-fi cards. The Titanium comes with audio mode switcher, so you do not even have to switch modes manually at all.

here is proof that you can get 32 bit 7.1 Chanel sound out of an X-fi Titanium.

X-fi Titanuim Windows 8 64 bit Sound Properties
 
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Bottom Line The X-fi Titanium, and the Z both have their strengths and weaknesses, but if you already have an X-fi Titanium, there is no need to upgrade. This does not go for the older, non PCIe X-fi models. For me personally, one reason that I will NEVER get a Z is the lack of 7.1 sound.
 
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As I said, I got my info straight from Creatives website about the X-Fi Titanium HD

So unless it really is 32Bit that could just be emulation.

And no, you didn't have to change the modes in 7 to get the audio to work again. In 7 I could set my Game mode to on and save the settings and it would boot with those settings. In 8/8.1 it never kept settings and the sound would not work until I changed the mode. After that it worked fine but every boot up I had to change the mode to get audio out, which is a pain in the ass.



So then the X-Fi you have is also no good. It only supports 5.1 total channels.

Again, per Creatives spec sheet.
 
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First of all I have a X-fi Titanium, not Titanium hd. Per creative's website, as well as the box, and creative console, my card is 7.1. the 32 bit is not emulated, I can hear a noticeable sound difference between 24 and 32 bit, and when playing a 32 bit audio file, the sound is not compressed down to 24 bit
 
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