Hardware & Technical Just installed a SoundBlaster Z... ...w-o-w...

[PiLhEaD]

As the title says, I've recently upgraded my PC, and for an extra 60£ decided to try this soundcard.

Previously I had an Asus mobo, with it's own 7:1 card - not built-in, but a unique plug-in - which I thought was pretty good. My new MSI mobo only has stereo built in, and even that sounded pretty good when I loaded up Elite.

However, yesterday, the SoundBlaster Z arrived (...I had to chuckle to myself, SoundBlaster... now, there's a name from PC gaming history...), and in it duly went, no dramas.

I opted for the night-time sound profile, and o-m-g Elite's soundscape has become even more astonishing. Whilst all the elements were 'sort of there' before, now they are crisp, clean, clear, and the dynamic range is huge.

I was hoping I'd notice a difference, but never expected such a jump in quality!

So, if this has been on your mind, dither no more... jump in!

...terms and conditions apply, and ymmv...

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Good to know. Planning on replacing my aging 2500k with a skylake when it launches and my main descisoon is to use onboard sound or discrete thanks

 

[kile]

However, yesterday, the SoundBlaster Z arrived (...I had to chuckle to myself, SoundBlaster... now, there's a name from PC gaming history...), and in it duly went, no dramas.

Does it have a gameport? Heeeheeee...

On a more serious note, what kind of speakers/earphones do you have? I guess it does not make much sense to upgrade if you have el cheapo speakers...

 

[mono]

I've been very happy with the Soundblaster Z (I bought one after they launched) though I'll bet you'll get some naysayers telling you how bad it is. I also use mine for recording, whether it's 'what you hear' or from my amp (connected to 2x 1210s/Vestax mixer) it's been great for that too.

 

[SquidgyB]

I use an Auzentech Prelude, but the company in now sadly defunct. They basically took Soundblaster X-Fi chips and built their own boards around them - swappable Op-amps for the main channels and everything.

I flip flopped a bit between two pairs of headphones - a Tiamat 7.1 set and a pair of JVC HA-S500... The JVCs are so good for cheapish headphones, particularly for music, but I find that Elite has quite a strong stereo effect, to the point that sounds are too separated for my liking. The Tiamat certainly doesn't have the same overall sound quality, but the positional audio is pretty decent, and the external noise blocking is much better too - I prefer these for gaming, but will swap to the JVC if I'm only listening to music.

The Tiamats aren't too bad for music, particularly after a good day or two of intermittent EQ changes to get rid of some of that hollow mid-range. I've modded them though - some foam in the cans to reduce boomage, and I've stolen the +/- 5v line for one of the LEDs to power my IR LED clip for head tracking

 

[Deleted member 38366]

-- Deleted --

 

[hoodini]

I also plan to buy the Z, thanks for the feedback, now i will get it faster
btw what is it connected to? type of speakers/headphones etc?

 

[PiLhEaD]

My speakers are (very old) cambridge soundworks desktop theatre 5.1 dtt2200.

I have had them for ages, always liked the sound of them, and they have outlived several PCs.

They have never sounded better - imho - and are giving the same results with Arma 3.

Will try with headphones and let you know how I get on...

The only downside... sorry kile... no gameport...

Does it have a gameport?

 

[PiLhEaD]

Just to update: I've tried the headphones and... hmmm... the amount of bass (as well as all that overall additional dynamic detail), when combined with decent headphones, does make headphone wearing a bit tiresome now.

I've not played around with any soundcard EQ, but I have tried all the ED sound profiles, and alas have to report with the thunderous bass can get tiring.

Given the noticable increase in sound fidelity when using speakers, for this and other uses, I'm 100% not bothered.

I somehow doubt there are any modern PC Motherboards that only have "Stereo built in"...

Guess again: MSI Z97 PC Mate - three jacks only - line in, line out, mic. Whether USB connected speakers would work is moot as my speakers are old (and very good) and use jacks. Whether the three jacks are reassignable from in's to out's is also moot, as I need the in's.

In any event, my experience suggests that upgrading to the SoundBlaster is an upgrade in audio quality over my previous on-board 5:1. ymmv

 

[Flimley]

I always wondered if upgrading the sound card would result in a noticicble audible improvement. ....... And now I do. Many thanks.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Soundblaster is a cult name as ... Elite

 

[PiLhEaD]

Soundblaster is a cult name as ... Elite

I know, it felt more than a bit weird buying one - and it took me right back to my early 486 PC gaming days.

Ooh the rush when I upgraded to a dx2, with its 66mhz.

I've got a horrid feeling that my cooker has more processing power these days.