Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

[donpost]

So for you techheads out there, how much will this card improve my audio experience in BF2, an in what way?

I'm currently using on-board sound at the moment, with some ****e speakers, so I was thinking about getting this card and some nice 5.1 speakers, just want to know if it's really worth it before I spunk > £100 on the lot

Will there be any performance hit? I'm running:

2.8Ghz P4e
1Gb Ram at Dual Speed
9600XT 128mb

[dyslexixboy]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Any audio card is better than onboard sound but that one will do the job just fine. I've got one and the sound is amazing with a good set of speakers you'll be amazed at the difference.
if you can afford a wee bit more i'd go for the x-fi card

[Kattspya]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

So for you techheads out there, how much will this card improve my audio experience in BF2, an in what way?

I'm currently using on-board sound at the moment, with some ****e speakers, so I was thinking about getting this card and some nice 5.1 speakers, just want to know if it's really worth it before I spunk > £100 on the lot

Will there be any performance hit? I'm running:

2.8Ghz P4e
1Gb Ram at Dual Speed
9600XT 128mb

It will probably give you a few more frames and a much higher SNR. You won't notice much differance in over all sound quality (other than SNR).

[donpost]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Sorry, what is SNR? EDIT: Ah, signal-to-noise ratio

My current speaker setup is just two small desktop speakers. I assume the 5.1 speakers will be neccesary to enjoy the full quality of the sound this card will produce.

What differences do you notice in BF2 with higher quality sound? Is it of the standard that shocks you into looking around when something makes a noise behind you?

[pYura]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

update diver from here: http://ordorica.org/31

[Red Devil]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

I think it uses 7.1 speaker config too.

[DrunkenPirate]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Moved to tech center.

[[2bit]Modmaven]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Get the X-fi and a good set of headphones instead.

http://www.medusa-usa.com/medusa-51-original-single-user-p-782.html?osCsid=ceb832c06cb0c55a301ab92a9296ff95

[donpost]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

I'm in the UK. The reason I'm interested in this card is because it's on offer for £70 from ebuyer and has had some good reviews. I'm only poor so I like a good offer Xi-Fi is too expensive for me.

This card plus some 5.1 speakers comes to £100, bottom line is, will this be worth it? (I use my computer for music also).

[SERIALBUTCHER]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

This is the card I use, I love it, but I would rather spend $50 on a great 2.1 set of speakers, as opposed to $50 on a mediocre set of 5.1 speakers

3 good speakers, instead of 6 "cheesy" speakers

You really only need suround sound when watching movies

IMHO

peace:)

[donpost]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Ok I splashed out on this card and some nice 5.1's. Hope I have spent wisely!

[Fakky]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

My current speaker setup is just two small desktop speakers. I assume the 5.1 speakers will be neccesary to enjoy the full quality of the sound this card will produce.

What differences do you notice in BF2 with higher quality sound? Is it of the standard that shocks you into looking around when something makes a noise behind you?

In the past I played with a 4.1 speaker system (hooked up to an aging stereo receiver) and an Audigy X-Gamer sound card with EAX enabled. It was a blast. I thought that bullet casings were really falling at my feet. I kept looking under the table to see if something fell down there.

Nowadays, I prefer to play BF2 with headphones. They cost a lot less than a good set of speakers and they seem to give me a better idea of where enemies are or where specific sounds are coming from. And I don't keep the kids awake when I'm playing.

I recently upgraded to an Audigy 2 ZS and the sounds are really nice. I've cranked the audio settings to high and enabled EAX. The music at the ends of rounds no longer stutter and overall I've seen a pretty decent framerate increase. There have been a few times that the sounds were so realistic that I thought something was making the noise outside of the game.

Example: on the Gulf of Oman map (large version) I was capping the flag at that little-used docks flag and I was hiding under the docks themselves. The sound of the water lapping against the wooden dock supports was so realistic I thought some water was leaking into my computer room.

The sounds of the crickets chirping in the Dragon Valley, the wind whipping around your ears when you're way high up on other maps, not to mention hearing the crunching of footsteps behind you really add to the game for me.

Plus, when I'm using Ventrilo to talk with my buddies, when I'm in a hard enclosure (concrete buildings, warehouses, etc.) I hear their voices with a bit of echo to it. Not sure how realistic it is, but it's a cool effect.

I've heard that the Creative X-Fi experience is loads greater than even the ZS on high settings. I have a hard time believing that, since the audio on high with EAX enabled sounds great to me.

Also, I purchased the eDimensional headphones with force-feedback built into them. So when a tank rolls by or you're being artied, the suckers vibrate and make the concussions feel more real. The force-feedback function is pretty cool, but the headphones are somewhat lacking in the mid and high ranges (sounds aren't as crisp as they should be), so I don't know if I'd recommend these. Perhaps I just need to do some more equalization with the sound card to get it to sound right.

[TokenBrit]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Never ever buy anything from Ebuyer unless you want to receive the incorrect product, late and broken.

[donpost]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Never ever buy anything from Ebuyer unless you want to receive the incorrect product, late and broken.

Only problem I ever had was my 9600XT's RAM buggering up causing graphics spams about 4-6 months after buying it. They replaced it without a fuss.

Fakky - That's what I wanted to hear! I want teh realistic sound, not the tinny parp I get at the moment. Those force-feedback earphones sound pretty funky.

[Kattspya]

Re: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum - Advice please

Only problem I ever had was my 9600XT's RAM buggering up causing graphics spams about 4-6 months after buying it. They replaced it without a fuss.

Fakky - That's what I wanted to hear! I want teh realistic sound, not the tinny parp I get at the moment. Those force-feedback earphones sound pretty funky.

Assuming you can run the sound settings at high with your integrated sound card you shouldn't hear that much differance without getting a good pair of headphones. Don't expect miracles with an audigy 2 CZ.

The ultra high settings you can use with the X-FI card is that just more processing and more sounds or is the sound bineural? Or do the X-FI card actually have a good amp?