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Let me start by saying that among the older generation of sound cards, the best model out there is the Sound Blaster SB0880. While almost any sound card will improve the quality of sound coming from your PC. Sound Blaster has been in the game longer than most. Everyone has access to the same chips, but Creative has invested a lot of R&D time and money into the algorithms that create the sounds from the digital files. While there are impressive offerings from some of the new players, they are pricey. Even the latest Sound Blaster cards are more expensive than the average listener would want to pay. Buying a top end card from a few generations back is a very viable choice for anyone except maybe the most hard core gamer who believes every Frame Per Second counts. The drivers for these older cards haven't been upgraded for several years and the add on ALchemy software will definitely cost you a few frames. But if your major interest is listening to and creating music files, these older cards do everything the new ones do at a fraction of the cost. I've got four of these now and combined they still cost me less than my first brand new Sound Blaster PCI X-Fi Extreme Audio card. There are two versions of this card. Shielded and un-shielded. Electrically they are the same. Shop around and never pay more than $40.00Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I am a huge fan of Creative sound cards. I still have some 17 yo creative cards that won't die. I purchased this card used in search of something better than the onboard sound. Unfortunately, this card was not it and not much better than the onboard sound. In it's day it probably was much better however. Sadly it sits on a shelf with many other sound blaster cards.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This, is basically Lostech but real, and you can own one. the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium was one of the most advanced SPU's ever made. this sound card for starters uses all hardware acceleration, even in windows 11. unlike modern sound cards which are all software DSP's, this was one of the last true hardware accelerated cards. Two main features that you will love. first: CMSS-3D, I guess the audio-nuts were right, it is the best. second: Crystalizer, yes, all sound blasters have that now, but this was the last hardware based one. crystalizer basically just makes EVERYTHING sound better. Now, if your a gamer like me, this sound card is gonna blow your mind. it supports 32bit 192khz over stereo and only drops down to 96khz in 7.1 whether over speakers or headphones. it also supports DTS Neo and Dolby Digital Live via optical, which basically allows you to hook it up to any modern SB card for extra oomph. using Daniel_K's driver pack for windows 10+ you can expect everything to work just as it did back when it was released, okay, almost as well. the mode switching is fudged, leave it on game mode anyway unless you really need editing. Next up, yes, this thing is a powerhouse for stuff like pro-tools and the like. the sound card also supports hardware accelerated EAX audio via Alchemy, and native Hardware accelerated OpenAL, though it takes some fiddling to make it work. While no, it doesnt give you more FPS like advertised back then, thats mostly because audio isnt the demanding nightmare it used to be. all the more reason there is no excuse. Back in 2005, we had better gaming audio than anything you could get today, and this sound card can beat dolby atmos at its own game by a vast margin, without native atmos or 9.1.4 game support. thanks to MacroFX and ElevationFilter, which im certain creative stole from Aureal, it can do everything dolby can, but better and at a significantly higher sampling rate. and yes, on this sound card, you CAN tell the difference between sampling rates, although anything above 24 bit 96khz becomes diminishing returns, you can google the science behind this if you like. furthermore, the sound card does in fact have some issues. for example, the volume control is misleading, as the sound card actually always defaults to max volume. the volume control actually controls boost, and has a range of -12 to +12 Db. and at max "volume" your headset is gonna probably start malfunctioning, then eventually explode. no, this is not a joke, as this sound card can drive high impedance headphones, even if it only has 3.5mm jacks. For all your "Gaming" headsets, that means your speakers are gonna have too much power going to them, and fry. so leave the volume at 50% unless your headphones are at least 250$ to start with. Lastly, i dont think i should have to say this, but it is a PCI-Express 1x sound card, it needs a slot, but any PCI-Express architecture will work. mine is PCI-E 4 so it works fine. This sound card is something i regret missing out on as a kid, but oddly, it does better now than it ever did back then. The Sound Blaster X-Fi titanium, or hell even maybe an audigy or something is still going to be VASTLY superior to your integrated realtek or what have you, and if this sound card blows your mind, their latest PCI-E sound cards such as the AE-9 may not have hardware acceleration, but they are VERY good nevertheless. in my opinion tho, they wont ever be as good as this. If you want to see what this technology can do with modern applications, buy a PS5, its Tempest Audio Engine is the closest your gonna get to a real EAX 6. To put it simply, they dont make em like they used to. this sound card wasnt just ahead of its time, its still ahead of its time, and hearing is believing.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Computers are my hobby. I build and upgrade computers for my family and friends. If the person is into gaming or music, I add a Sound Blaster. These X-Fi series cards used to be the top of the Sound Blaster line. When coupled with the software suite provided by Creative Labs, they still provide an immersive experience in music and games. While the X-Fi series may not be able to command a premium price, used cards such as those usually found here still function as they did when new. Most experts agree that any name brand sound card will sound better than the audio feature built into the motherboard. How much better depends on how much you're willing to spend. Additionally, with the PCI-e version, you're able to plug the front panel audio connector directly into the card without an adapter. It's a small feature, unless you use headphones. Then it becomes a necessity.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
For the price the sound quality is great. Drivers were easy to find and install. The only complaint was that I found the sound to be focused on the centre chanel and less on the rear chanels, which makes me feel that the sounds are coming from in front of me not all around me equally. The software doesnt allow me make all speakers sound equal.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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