Creative X-Fi HD

Advantages: price, ease of installation and ease of use, appearance, sound is not bad

Disadvantages: I don't see any

Comment: I have been using the device for six months already. at first, the sound did not please at all, on the first day I was even going to change it, because the difference between x-fi and realtek was minimal. asio is not there, so foobar had output from the standard driver. but then I read smart people on the forums, and did this: -updated the firmware of the card itself through the office site creative -installed the WASAPI plugin in foobar, and chose the output directly to the card -installed the resampler in foobar at 48kHz -and, OH GOD !!, she started playing! I didn't even think that there could be such a difference in learning due to different outputs and drivers! the sound has become much more lively, the constriction of the stage has disappeared, the bass is incredibly musical. now listening to Genesis - Selling England By The Pound via AKG K550 - awesome! there are no thoughts about changing the card now! wins back 100)

Advantages: Compact size, sleek design. The presence of an optical output that allows the card to be used as a pass-through USB-SPDIF converter without internal signal processing. Application of top-end precision DAC AKM AK4396 and analog playback path similar to the professional E-MU 0404 USB. Perhaps this is the best solution in the segment of external USB-cards, which do not have the requirements of professional sound recording, as for the aforementioned E-MU, and the main task is high-quality reproduction.

Disadvantages: No.

Comment: I use it as a headphone amplifier and to connect a laptop with an external DAC as part of a Harman Kardon HK990 + HD990 stereo system in two connection options: First, using my own DAC card for listening in headphones. Quite decent sound processing and an amplifier that easily drives the Sennheiser HD 598. The second is the main variant for which the card was purchased, with the SPDIF output connected. The optical signal pre-tuned to 24 bit / 96 kHz is fed to the input of the Harman Kardon HD990, which is used as an external DAC with 24 bit / 384 kHz processing and then connected to the HK990 amplifier with balanced cables. The sound is mesmerizing, the depth of detail is striking. Bass, mids and highs are all in place. In both use cases, the card demonstrates excellent stage design and generally light, transparent sound. _ P.S. Some settings in Foobar for correct map operation: 1.Playback - DSP Manager: Added Resampler (SoX) with Target samplerate - 96000, Quality - Best, Passband - 99%, Allow aliasing / imaging checkbox and Phase response 50%. Also, the Advanced Limiter plug-in has been added to the DSP Manager to limit the level of the components of the audio stream that, as a result of resampling, can turn out to be above the maximum level, causing unpleasant clicks. 2. Playback - Output: Set WASAPI (event): Speaker (USB Sound Blaster HD) when using headphones and line-out or WASAPI (event): SPDIF-Out (USB Sound Blaster HD) when using as USB-SPDIF converter. 3. Also, do not forget to set the software settings for the card itself. For Windows 8, right-click on the volume icon in the lower left corner, then "Playback devices", right-click on "SPDIF-Out (USB Sound Blaster HD", "Properties", "Advanced" tab and here set "Channel 2, 24 bit, 96000 Hz (Studio recording) ". And repeat the same in" Playback devices "for" Speaker (USB Sound Blaster HD) "

Advantages: - Excellent sound - Decent look - Availability of SP / DIF optical input / output, i.e. can be used with media players as an external DAC

Disadvantages: For this price - practically not.

Comment: As it turned out, the quality of the DAC of the device is quite at the level, all the shortcomings are associated with the confusing data transfer algorithms in the drivers and players and their settings! What I had to do: - I updated the firmware of the card itself, took it from the officer. site - installed the foobar2000 player with a special plugin Kernel Streaming support 1.2.2 - displays the data stream from the player directly to the card - in the foobar settings DSP Resempler set 48000 Hz. AND EVERYTHING PLAYED !! those. the sound when playing flac or ape has become indistinguishable from playing CDs recorded from them, or even better due to a more fine tuning of the equalizer. Winamp, AIMP, Foobar with WASAPI or ASIO methods of sound output - nothing too, but the "volume" and "air" in the music is lost. My audio system is YAMAHA Piano Craft (CD reseiver) + Castle Knight 1 (shelf units).

Advantages: The main thing for me is that the sound has gotten better in the end. This is my first not built into my mother's audicort. And I am not disappointed with the purchase. The sound has become more .. I don't even know ... not blurry anymore, sometimes some tracks could just be viewed as a bunch of noise, everything is fine with this card, besides, a lot of possibilities in the software setting have been added, besides the good old equalizer, there are also settings THX, while watching films I turn on all the functions there, everything is very worthy. Before the purchase, he straightened the sound with various software as best he could, so that it was more and more detailed, the best thing I found was SRS products. He really did something about what I wanted, but the details and airiness fell victim to this, that is, the sound was simply killed. As a result, I decided to do it; besides, 3 thousand is quite an acceptable amount for me to just spend on something new.

Disadvantages: Light weight, for some reason I expected it to be more weighty. And the legs are not serious, they look like Velcro for chairs so that the floor does not scratch. Meager equipment. They could have made it more expensive, but put everything that might come in handy. The set included a 3.5mm jack (dad) -> two tulips. Where to stick it at all? Personally, I needed two tulips in two tulips, since I had such a house. Someone generally needs optics ... I would also not mind.

Comment: All software works with Windows 8 x64, although I didn't install it from the disk, I downloaded it from the site right away. The device was generally identified without problems (the drivers, of course, were immediately replaced with branded ones). Adjusting the volume in the OS through the wheel on the device works in the same way as mute when pressed. Even a baby can figure out the settings in the software, but it is not translated into Russian. I spent 3-4 hours tuning, listened to different genres a lot to make some universal settings, listened, naturally in flac, finished, was delighted, because the difference is really significant and my Sven Royal 2 played unprecedentedly cheerfully ...But then he began to listen to mp3 and realized that the media library would have to be rebuilt in a more decent quality, before the difference between compressed formats and no was not so obvious. In general, if you like listening to music and have money - buy it! For professionals who choose a tool for work, I can't say anything, I'm completely incompetent))

Advantages: It does not require the installation of drivers (at least under Windows 7), there are inputs / outputs for all occasions, when you turn on / restart the computer, no extraneous sounds are emitted into the headphones, everything is quiet.

Disadvantages: 1. On standard drivers (Generic USB audio) it works in USB 1.1 mode, which is why you sometimes hear clicks when listening to music. But the drivers from the disk can be installed through the device manager, bypassing the installer, which traditionally fouls the system. It works with them in USB 2.0 mode and no clicks are noticed even in 24/96. 2. The volume control is software, just turns the volume of the system mixer.

Comment: In general, I am completely satisfied with the purchase. If you need a high-quality external sound card, then this is the best option in terms of price / quality ratio.

Advantages: Finally, the Pioneer HDJ-1000 headphones, which had been lying for 5 years, rejected for poor sound (I thought I bought a fake), sounded, and even like, elastic bass, amazing middle, top without enthusiasm, but very good. Conclusion, for high-impedance headphones you need an amplifier, this device has it)))

Disadvantages: The price, but I found it on Avito for 3 thousand, so I don't care)))

Comment: For those who are not subject to audiophile kinks, but who appreciate decent sound

Advantages: -clean sound, not decorated with effects -the presence of inputs for digitizing analog sound -produces good volume

Disadvantages: -bad software

Comment: I use Sennhizer HD 202 headphones, I am completely satisfied with the sound. Many people write that there are no equalizer settings, I believe that it is simply not needed. Equalizer is in any player, adjust to your health. The sound of the card must be clean so that it can be corrected during recording and mixing.

I bought a Sennheiser HD 380 Pro about a year ago. I use it for listening to music and video with pleasure, later buying studio monitors KRK RP5-G2 SE for it. I use it via foobar2000 with DSP Resempler 96000 Hz and Kernel Streaming plugin, only Lossless (FLAC, APE, WV). The sound quality is great. The volume margin is large. I realize that this "HD box" is the weakest link in my system, but I am in no hurry to take something expensive and professional, because operational amplifiers, transistors, resistors and cables are the second thing, because (ARGUMENT - http://www.youtube. com / watch? v = TgnZgGK1AJw), watch this argument on YouTube. Directly to the card, there are no complaints, people have: supposedly there is no hardware support for the sampling rate of 44100Hz - indeed, no, but this is compensated by a very high-quality hardware resampler. There is no ASIO, but bitwise output can be organized with the Kernel Streaming or WASAPI output plugin. With the correct adjustment, the card sings "bless you"! A good amplifier for the ears is built in. It is a pity, only that no one made measurements of the sowing device, there are no graphs anywhere. If the budget is limited, then take without a doubt, if you can spend more "babloids", then look towards EMU, it will be better according to the characteristics, the question is, will you understand this difference ?!

Advantages: clear, high-quality, deep spatial sound. The feeling of three-dimensional sound. Nice appearance. Pleased with the build quality.

Disadvantages: There is no on / off button (increasing the volume is a button, but it is not clear what this button is responsible for - when pressed, the indicator starts blinking and that's it). There is not enough weight - high-quality thick cords pull the device off the table ...

Comment: I took it to replace the built-in sound of a laptop with the further prospect of connecting to a hi-fi amplifier and passive acoustics. While working in conjunction with Mikrolab SOLO 7C. The sound is simply amazing. I heard all my favorite songs in a new way! I haven't used headphones yet - they write on the forums - the sound is even better than with speakers. I highly recommend it to those who are looking for external sound for listening to music in good quality and, possibly, watching HD movies and do not want to overpay for unnecessary gadgets for a common man in the street, such as recording music / voice, connecting guitars, etc.

Advantages: Naturally the price of the device Excellent sound in skilled hands (for this money) Built-in headphone amplifier

Disadvantages: Didn't reveal.

Comment: I have been using this device for about a month. It was bought primarily for headphones because it has a built-in amplifier for them and a completely adequate price. Currently works in conjunction with Sennheiser HD 25-1-II. Some here write that they did not notice practically the difference with the built-in sound))) Well, guys ... it's not just a bear stepping on your ear ... he was still trampling it .. trampling it .. trampling it! The card starts playing ONLY after tuning (which the blonde can handle) and provided that the material is listened to in quality, and not compressed mp3! Purely for listening to music, this card is enough with ears. It is imperative to take it because there are no analogues for that kind of money and will not be.