Karajen or SB X-Fi?

[Smoken Joe]

This is weird - I installed the nVidia drivers, and my sound and eveyrthing is detected as nVidia's. However, once I installed the RealTek driver (whichi s also on DFI's website), the nVidia is complaining that the hardware is gone, but my sound still works fine. Instead of an nVidia sound card, it says its a Realtek 97. Seems like the Realtek driver took over.

 

Which should I have done? Just used the nVidia's driver, or use Realtek's?

 

I will probably go for an X-Fi MusicExtreme (dont need any extra breakout boxes) in the future, but not now (money is tighter, now that I got my rig together - even THAT I bought in pieces over a couple months, haha).

 

So for reference for people who would use the onboard on a perm basis, which driver to use?

 

Thanks for the replys so far.

use either one but not both. I cant easaly notice a diffrence between the two though the Nvidia ones are a little easer to tweak.

[sQuid]

As Smoken says, pick one. I don't notice any dif between the two (but I'm not that picky). As far as onboard sound goes the Karajan is pretty good, and when compared with other onboard sound it has relatively lower cpu usage for the most part--one of the advantages of DFI. But if you are an audio lover you will no doubt love the X=Fi when u get it. :drool:

[naddie]

You'd need good speakers though. what do you guys recommend? I read that the Logitech ZX5500 are great for 5.1. I wonder if 2.1 is dead - not sure how many people are willing to arrange that many speakers in a small room.

[DublinGunner]

I use a set of Creative Labs 2.1 speakers, and they're great.

 

I play BF2 with a guy who just got an X-FI and he uses headphones and reckons the sound is superb!! So 2.1 will work ok, just not sound as good as 5.1 or 7.1

 

Also, I would personally use the Realtek drivers, as you are using the Realtek codec, not nVidia.

 

The only cross-over with the board is the SPDIF out/in, which can be controlled by either the nForce chipset, or the realtek codec, and that would probably be better of using nVidia, as this wont accrue any CPU usage

[one30eight]

I just got an ultra d and have not installed it yet. What I was planning on doing is running out of the digital coax into my Yamaha reciever. Doing this I wouldn't need to even put the karajan in right? Since the Yamaha is doing all of the decoding, the Xfi wouldn't do me any good would it?

[Angry_Games]

the onboard nF4 audio is decent, and actually quite good if you use full-digital (either coax or optical)

 

but

 

it just doesn't compare to Audigy2, and I cannot imagine that the X-Fi would be anything but better than an Audigy2

 

i only use Audigy/Audigy2 in my main rigs as I never rely on onboard sound (except Soundstorm on the NF2, which was, in my opinion, the greatest onboard audio option ever, even better than the MSI use of Creative Live onboard)

[Guest Booger]

Just got the xi-fi extreme music with a set of logitech 5500's and it just sounds absolutely gorgeous! I've never had anything but onboard sound coupled with cheap desktop speakers so this is a huge step up. Am using the digital flex connector out of the xi-fi and am still tweaking stuff for my room. Can't wait to watch a movie and play a newer game with it. HTH

[naddie]

I guess for now, I can just use the decent onboard sound with some decent 2.1 speakers until I can afford the x-Fi and ZX-5500s (and when I have a bigger room for the 5.1 setup, lol).

 

I don't feel the need to buy the X-Fi until I get a nice speaker set. Otherwise, it would seem a waste to buy the X-Fi just to plug in my $25 Altec Lansings 2.1 speakers.