Sound Evaluation

Sound Evaluation

Without a doubt, the eX is one fine sounding card.  It is far better than your average Sound Blaster, and gives the Terratec DMX 6-fire a run for its money.  In fact, the eX sometimes produces even better sound than the DMX 6-fire.  It pains me to say that, but that's the truth, folks.  There are still some upsampling artifacts as found in the Audigy1 and Audigy2 line-up while playing 44.1 kHz wave files, but it is less than it was.  The eX does lean towards an emphatic sound, rather than a neutral sound.  Personally, I lean towards neutral sound, but the eX is nonetheless very enjoyable to listen to.

There were a few problems with playback.  Only very rarely, it will hiccup playback.  I could not reproduce it faithfully, but for some unknown reason the eX will pop and click.  The other problem with the eX that I experienced is that it will, even more rarely, play at FULL VOLUME!!!  It seems to do that if it has been turned on for a prolonged period.

That all being said, let's get to the subjective review.  I chose a wide variety of music to play through the eX.  Each example was played through the eX and then directly compared with the DMX 6-fire.  I used Winamp3 simply because it allows easy switching from card to card.  None of that click-intensive control panel business.  Winamp3 also includes the MAD plug-in that Winamp 2 folks have been using for superior mp3 playback.

We Are Building a Religion

First up is some Cake, in a 320kbps LAME encoded mp3.  Cake is a weird-ass band out of Sacramento, CA.  They used to be weirder before they signed with Sony Music.  Signing with a big label seems to come with some compromises.  Anyway, Comfort Eagle is their latest, uh, extravaganza, for which I chose the title track, Comfort Eagle.

I love the wit John McCrea's lyrics.  I still don't know what "comfort eagle" actually means, but I suppose it will be food for thought.  I also didn't expect the eX to present any more wit than I'd already missed.  But I did notice a few more things in the recording.  The vocals on this track are layered with some kind of echo effect that sounds like a phaser (phaser is usually a guitar effect, and not a Star Trek invention).  In lesser sound cards this effect is hard to follow around the stereo field.  On top of all that, Comfort Eagle is a many layered song in its presentation.  The eX got it all sorted out quite well.  Low level detail, reverb and instrumental timbre were also excellent, being bested only by the DMX 6-fire.

Next up is a little something called Megadeth, or MegaDave if you're in the know.  Since it's Gulf War II time, I popped in a 44.1kHz wave of Architecture of Aggression off their Countdown to Extinction album.  This song deals directly with US military power and policy, complete with news reports of AAA fire over Baghdad.  The most immediate difference is that the eX is brighter in sound than the DMX 6-fire, and its stereo field is wider, but not deeper.  Also of note, is that the DMX has better bass response, going deeper and much more detailed.  The kick drum, for example, has more weight and authority with the DMX 6-fire than the eX.  This might be cured if Creative ever ships an Audigy product that has the ability to disable preset equalizations, which I find highly annoying.  Don't anybody use the 'headphone' settings while using headphones: It's ugly, at best.  At the other end of the spectrum, the DMX 6-fire sounds lighter (perhaps more delicate is the better word) and doesn't convey as much instrumental timbre with cymbals as does the eX.  The cymbals and instruments simply had more tone to them, making them sound, well, more like live instruments.  Rhythmically, or dynamically, the eX can sound a little 'unexciting', compared with the DMX 6-fire which is more punchy and seems to have more dynamic range.

After such rampant aggression, it is time to soothe the savage beast with a little Bach.  In a 320Kbps LAME encoded mp3 of Bach's Fugue No. 4 in c-sharp minor, BWV 849, from the WTC book I, as played by Glen Gould, the first noticeable difference was in the piano timbre.  The eX has excellent instrumental timbre, that is a piano sound a lot like a piano.  The DMX 6-fire has a lighter, more detailed sound, but the eX has a full, lush, sound that sucks you right into the recording.  They both sound cards convey enough detail to uncover flaws in the original recording, including tape hiss and a little IM distortion from the digital conversion.

In a 128kbps mp3 of Beastie Boy's Intergalactic off the Hello Nasty CD, differences abound.  This is my bass test.  The two cards are so close as to be splitting hairs with their respective sound.  The DMX 6-fire has deeper, cleaner bass, and the eX has better timbre.  The DMX clearly has more extension at the extremes.  The eX had a startling sense of depth, with the space-birdie sound flying back to front of the soundstage believably.  This is something that the DMX 6-fire didn't get quite as accurately, being too far away and then coming too close too suddenly.

Getting Your Vinyl On

Some of you may be wondering about ADC, so I fired up my trusty (and dusty) Rega Planar2 turntable to digitize a little White Stripes.  From the Elephant LP, I recorded a number of tracks with 24 bit/96kHz accuracy with WaveLab Lite 2.0 (included in the eX's and DMX's software bundle).  The one track that sticks out most is the "There's No Home For You Here," the last song on side A.  After a loud opening the song settles down into a light texture of just voice, cymbal, and strummed guitar.  The sibilances (the sssss sound) were handled better by the eX than the DMX 6-fire, and the eX captured a better stereo image.  In addition, the cymbals and the snare were both better and snappier with the eX.  This was unexpected, and impressive.  In another song, "Black Math," however, it was clear that the eX rolled off the high frequencies to some extent.

You can be sure that both cards will digitize the full performance of your vinyl system.  The eX has a slight lead over the DMX 6-fire, however. The eX adds a very pleasing warm sound that is both dynamic, detailed, and smooth, which can be a desideratum of the analog sound of vinyl.  The DMX 6-fire might be better for some folks, however.  It is just more straight-forward to use than the eX.  At full gain, the eX provided just enough to get a decent volume.  The DMX 6-fire can provide up to 18dB of extra gain, if needed.  It can also tell you at a glance whether you are clipping an input with the LED's in the front.

Overall, the eX has about 85% of the DMX 6-fire's sound.  The eX has a lush and full bodied sound that offers plenty of detail.  It also has excellent timbral accuracy, which will excite musicians and music lovers on instrumental music.  Low-level detail, like room reverb, was also superb, but not quite to the level of the DMX 6-fire.  The eX does tend to sound a little emphatic, which is enjoyable, but I tend to prefer the more neutral and uncolored sound the DMX 6-fire.  It's a personal preference, and I can see lots and lots of customers being quite happy with the eX.  I am, generally, very satisfied with the sound of the eX.  It is a lot better than your stock Audigy2, that's for sure.