Creative Software Boosts On-Board Audio to Hi-Fi

Looking forward already to Daniel_K's version of this..

Yea, you just can't get "aorund" some things

This is true. There's only so much that software emulation and programming can do.

I wish EAX would just die already. There needs to be a non proprietary equivalent so we don't have to rely on their shoddy drivers. Just wishful thinking though.

I think I will stick with my X-Fi anyways. Betetr quality parts means better true HD audio.

Creative... you can't produce "premium audio" through software. It's just another deceptive quick money grabbing scheme meant to prey on the ignorant and ill informed. Congratulations Creative, you can add this to your repertoire of terrible customer service, shady business model, and horrible driver support. It's just as Mr. Parrish stated, no matter how much you pretty it up, there's no getting around the cheap integrated audio components. Although something like this might do well in a laptop, merely enhancing the sub par audio performance of an integrated audio solution, it's still far from a "premium audio" experience.

Creative has been providing this software to motherboard manufacturers for a while now. This is just the latest revision. Too bad it can't be purchased separately.

However, given Creative's track record in regards to support and updates, you're probably better off purchasing a motherboard with a Realtek chipset and Dolby Home Theater. You get all the same features (minus EAX5,) but support is much better. Realtek releases new drivers approximately once a month. When I reported a bug, I received a prompt reply, and the bug was fixed in the next release.

creative drivers and support sucks!

but it is nice of them to restore old game's sound. wtf MS?? why did you break everything with vista? audio? openGL? wtf?

Nothing more than a mobo bullet point. Software emulation is nothing with a lousy DAC or cheap speakers, it's not like the Realteks don't come with "sound boosting" technology as well. Computers just can't replace a decent receiver, especially not with the "protected path" garbage.

I have laptop with no dedicated sound card + windows 7 + surround sound headset (that uses directsound) and all I play is BF2. Too bad they aren't selling the software IMO. Seems like it would improve my experience.

using more software emulation you would expect cpu and ram useage to jump somewhat....I dont want that

I have a XFi Fatality, but I have seen lots of boards with cheap sound solutions and it's quite acceptable to most users.

Somehow I doubt your using Windows 7 AND Direct Sound. Or did Microsoft add that back in after they did not put it in Vista? I remember thats where the drivers for my Audigy and my X-Fi really took a nose dive (thankfully they have gotten a lot better over time now)

buggy drivers, lots of issues. and i wont forget what you did to Daniel_K, not just that, but doing that just to make consumers buy you newer products? that is just plain wrong creative, shame on you

Too bad they cant fix the issue with their audigy/x-fi cards and vista/win7 first. No mic is no fun when you play online with a gaming clan.

Where can you buy this software?

I had the same problem then i realised that the driver itself is missing one important component which you`ll have to download separately from their site. It`s called Creative Console Launcher and it looks like this:

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2971/consolee.jpg

The only problem i see with realtek`s integrated solution is the lack of amplification on their soundcards ... i have a Logitech sound system and it doesn`t offer amplification for headphones and my Pioneer SE-M390 are too much for my realtek onboard so here i am on a Creative x-fi sound card. And yes driver support blows.

My question is, how much does it tax the CPU? It seems like with the ever increasing abundance of CPU power that it makes sense to rewrite software to take advantage of the extra cores, etc. I mean, if my game or music isn't using all my system resources then I might as well have better refined and re-sampled audio.

interesting to see Creative and ASUS as partners... i thought they were rivals in the sound card field...

Yeah, but the computer business is incestuous. Sony and MS are rivals in the console market, but every Vaio PC has a copy of Windows, and Samsung makes their own line of MP3 players, but still sells memory to other manufacturers.

I rather use dedicated sound cards.

I got 1 PC with Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty and another PC with
Sound Blaster X-Fi Gamer (this one I beleive is NOT a TRUE Sound Blaster X-fi)

Creative produce trash quality sound cards at astronomical prices

Do i have to buy it for my X-Fi?

X-Fi gamer is a true X-Fi card, X-Fi Xtreme Audio is the junk old card

I have a X-Fi Fatal1ty and it is much better then any integrated crap. Even after the whole Vista x64 driver debacle, Im still happy I bought one. I find a 5.1 analog headset to be better for gaming, versus a USB based one. And I still have a SPDIF out for bit-streaming movie audio.

im going to have to check this out..
I had an X-Fi card on my old PC, and when I upgraded the new one had onboard sound. the sound Quality was much much better.. But OMFG the Realtek UI designer should be taken out and shot.. that stuff just sucks.

When this whole Creative software thing began was a couple of years back when they tried to sell me a Dell XPS 13" laptop with Creative labs Xfi audio, clearly listed on the item list which later turned out to be a software only patch to the built in lame device. After arguing with Dell tech support that there was a difference between Creative hardware and software emulation they finally sent me an express card Xfi card. They removed all mention of Creative as an audio item from their laptop listings and changed it to clearly state that it was a software package just like Word or Excel or the tons of crapware they load.

I bought a pair of usb headphones and am going to remove my Xfi music card from my computer this weekend. The headset is good and onboard audio is good enough for everything else.

I've been fed up with Creative and their drivers (their volume panel app is about the clunkiest thing ever)for sometime. I hate that SPDIF and front-panel connectivity have always been premium features with them.

When is Creative going to finally release a decent sound card????