Auzen X-Fi Bravura 7.1 review

Soundcards and Speakers 106 Page 12 of 13 Published by

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Electronics Overview -&Moddable options

 

User Mode Switches
This set of switches is very unique and allow the user to select certain hardware features which are not accessible by the end user through software.  The basic idea is they modify hardware settings to better tailor the cards resources and features to what youre using for output and input. 

Auzentech X-Fi Bravura 7.1 soundcard

 Without giving you the entire list of what these switches do, one switch is for microphone settings and the other is for speaker/headphones settings.

Ground Source Switch
This feature has not been seen on any consumer cards up until this point so we figured it was worth noting.  This switch changes the grounding source between the chassis or the signal.  We have all heard about audio products with hum and other noise issue that can usually be attributed to ground loops. 

Auzentech X-Fi Bravura 7.1 soundcard

This switch would effectively kill any such issue if your hardware configuration has such a problem.

 

Modification Options

This section is added for informational purposes only.  If these modifications are performed improperly you can damage your card and definitely void your warranty.  Perform these modifications at your own risk.

Opamps - Most Auzentech cards come with opamp sockets giving the end user the option to upgrade this part of the card or tune it more to their personal tastes or gear choices.  The Guru3D audio lab has a very extensive collection of audio opamps.  We figured we would dip into our collection and pull a few models for some testing.  The testing was done using the headphone output.

Disclaimer:  Peoples tastes and equipment vary greatly and what we hear may and will vary from what you ultimately hear.  Consider the tests findings as opinions on the opamp setups listed.

 

LME49710HA - This unit is very similar to the stock opamp for the headphones section and is from the same family but higher up the ladder then the stock opamp.  We have been using this opamp in our audio lab for quite some time and it has become one of our favorites for upgrading soundcards.

Auzentech X-Fi Bravura 7.1 soundcard

During testing notable improvements were found in the sound staging and channel separation.  The mid-bass seemed to recess somewhat and this unit produces more impact towards the lower end of the bass spectrum.  Clarity and detail also seemed to improve over the higher end of the spectrum. 

OPA637SM - We had to pull out this unit as it is considered one of the best audio units out there. Although this unit is worth almost double the price of this card we figured we would have a listen.  The 637 has always been a personal favorite for its quality and high end extension.  Using this amp for the headphones output offers balanced bass and higher end frequency aspects but still offers an analog flavor that is hard to find in an opamp.  The soundstage produced is quite wide and detailed offering great instrument separation.

Auzentech X-Fi Bravura 7.1 soundcard

AD797 - This opamp also showed great promise in this circuit, adding more of an analog flavor to the cards headphone output.  The bass improved somewhat over the stock opamp and clarity and detail were also noticeable different.  The AD797 is a more balanced opamp without highlighting or hiding any aspect of the spectrum.

Auzentech X-Fi Bravura 7.1 soundcard

Final Testing Notes
With an opamp layout such as this, you can use different opamps for each channel pair to maximize the channels function.  For example you can use an opamps know for clarity in the front channels and an opamp known for great bass in the subwoofer channel. We also built a special adapter to split the bass and center channels for further testing but we wont bog the review down with too many details on opamp testing as the above is just part of the opamp testing performed.

That being said, we can't help but show you atleast one shot of our test card laid out after stock testing was finished.  For those interested one test set was comprised of:

  • Head Amp: Dual LME49710HA module
  • Front channels: Dual LME49710HA module
  • Rear channels: LME49720HA module
  • Center/Sub Channels: LME49710NA/OPA277 on custom built adapter
  • Side channels: LME49720HA module

Custom-opampsdfgd4.jpg

Maybe this opamp configuraiton  will give some of you some ideas.  All the above opamps were built in the Guru3D audio lab for testing and tuning our cards.  At Guru3D we take everything a step further...

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