Creative Sound Blaster ZxR Sound Card Discussions | Drop

Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

Showing 1 of 78 conversations about:

Oct 6, 2016

I wouldn't recommend getting this sound card. The driver support is terrible and constant connectivity issues is a major problem. especially when recording the latency is terrible. Yes, the audio quality is great but if you're going to spend $175 on the thing I would want it to at least have good customer support and work. If you don't believe me check out reviews at amazon, newegg, etc. they all say the same thing. save yourself the money and buy a good soundcard or DAC/Amp.

Oct 6, 2016

seamon

Oct 6, 2016

Darkworld-SiegeI call BS. Maybe you just got a dud. I suggest you get it replaced. There are absolutely no connectivity issues/driver issues with this card. This has worked flawlessly from the beginning. Besides, this is the best sound card on the planet.

Oct 6, 2016

ApexCore

Oct 6, 2016

seamonI was kinda gonna believe you until you called it the best sound card on the planet. (/s? much)

Oct 6, 2016

seamon

Oct 6, 2016

ApexCoreI am sorry? Is there any internal sound card better than this? If yes then I'd like a link.

Oct 6, 2016

Vote

ApexCore

Oct 6, 2016

seamonWow i supposed there arent that many soundcards out there. Im not using one myself which is why i havent researched the subject

Oct 6, 2016

seamon

Oct 6, 2016

ApexCore....and thus this is the best. I rest my case.

Oct 6, 2016

Thujan

628

Oct 10, 2016

seamonThis conversation was cringe worthy.

Oct 10, 2016

seamon

Oct 11, 2016

ThujanDeal with it.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote

Darkworld-Siege

Oct 11, 2016

seamonseamon, respectfully, this is not my card and i borrowed it from a friend to try it out. in my config Gigabyte G1 sniper B85 mb, it kept disconnecting and i would either have to do a full restart or open my case and pull it out and plug it back in. So it may have just been a dud but I also know by no means is this the best sound card on the planet. Trust me, there are much better soundcard/dacs/amps out there, really it's just all a matter of what you want out of it and how much you're willing to spend. I say this that personally I have experience in high-end recording studios such as Skywalker Ranch, where its 8k an hour just for facilities and 2k an hour for the sound engineer and they are using equipment that blows this thing away. So please if you think this is the best sound card ever I strongly urge you to look around at some high-quality audio to properly evaluate this product, as for my instance this was going to be used as a cheap alternative for recording while providing a decent enough headphone amp it seemed like a good solution. Although, I can't be restarting my computer when I'm working in cubase. Well, I cant but for $175 I shouldn't have to do that.

Oct 11, 2016

Darkworld-Siege

Oct 11, 2016

seamonhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G28N5278&cm_re=asus_soundcard-_-29-132-072-_-Product. It is $70 more but I would recommend at this price an external if possible to eliminate any inconsistencies that can occur unless there's no desk space to offer sound cards are the way to go. Although, the Schiit stack(Magi & Modi) is a great option at $200 but does run alittle hot if that's a killer setback for you. Also its a pick a chose of your flavor for externals, but for soundcards you either pick ASUS or Creative, unless you want some $1000+ range equipment that's when you'll see any noticeable differences.

Oct 11, 2016

seamon

Oct 11, 2016

Darkworld-SiegeI am only talking about internal sound cards.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/728124/asus-stx-ii-vs-creative-zxr
It was tested in this thread that creative overall has better sound quality.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote

monkeyah2

Oct 11, 2016

seamon"To put simply,the creative ZXR have better channel separation, more "in your face" sound,while the STX II is more musical,more forgiving,more rounded."
"No matter What opamp I used in the ZXR(except for the very expensive MUSES02),the bass is just bloated,the highs on heavy rock music is harsh,and I always had the impression that the card is trying too hard."
"So,to sum things up,my winner is the Asus STX II,its fun,forgiving,musical,spacious,airy. Although sometimes I miss the "in your face" presentation of the ZXR,I couldn't get over that annoying bloated bass."
"the ZXR sounds bloated.the bass is HEAVY,unbearable,I couldn't stand it."
"The STX II in my opinion has the strong sound signature of the ZXR with the neutrality of the Titanium HD."
"its true,the ZXR has better positioning in games." -which does not necessarily represent sound quality
-raymond555, http://www.head-fi.org/t/728124/asus-stx-ii-vs-creative-zxr
You are not intelligent as you think you are Seamon, stop being arrogant. Look at the facts, the source you have listed claims the opposite of what you have claimed.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote

seamon

Oct 11, 2016

monkeyah2"The AD827SQ arrived today,put them in both the ZXR and then on the STX II,and totally transformed the ZXR into a different beast. In the ZXR,aside from the overwhelming lower bass,performed way better than the STX II,sound is warmer,punchy,fast,agressive without being offensive,mid bass is awesome,mids are great,trebel are crystal clear and with soft end to them.also stereo direct is great for music. With the AD827SQ in the I\V in the STX II & Muses02 in the buffers,the sound is natural and cold,spot on,kinda boring and dull. channel speration improved drastically,from avarage to great,but still not excellent as the ZXR. "
"After spending time and money :wink_face: on both cards,I came to the conclution that the 200$ we pay for each of those soundcards,is for the board only,we pay for the basics,and we must replace those ****ty opamps that creative and asus deliever with thier cards. Now With the AD827SQ,the ZXR rocks,change of heart I guess... Update 14/11/2014 Just recieved the AD797B for the ZXR buffers. sound is more rounded,fake,highs are way too soft,details are missing."
"Im back to the Signetics 5534N for the buffers,those old opamps simply rock! forget data sheets and measurements,those one of the best sounding opamps out there when it comes to sound stage,clarity,with warm sound,especially with the AD827SQ in the I\V. So Im sticking to the ZXR with AD827SQ in the I\V, Signetics 5534N in the buffers,smokes everything I've tried so far."
"New Discrete Opamps arrived! The Sparkos Labs SS3602 http://sparkoslabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SS3601_SS3602.pdf All I can say my dear fellas,is screw all Opamp from TI,Muses,ADI etc The Sparkos Labs SS3602,Discrete Opamps,are put simply,just amazing. The sound is very warm,wide and analog,specious without feeling distant Like AD8599 for example,noise and distortion....well there isn't any..:) Although expensive,they worth every penny. Sound is well balanced,without favors to any scale,Bass is tidy and clean,vocals are pleasant,Mids are present without being harsh,the highs are the best I've heard lately from any sound system,crystal clear and soft to the ears,without losing ground. First I tried them in the I\V section in my Asus STX II,with muses02 in the buffers,while they sounded great and punchy,Asus were dumb enough to share the same screw for the bracket and shield,and since those SS3602 are huge,I had to gave up the shield. So I went back to the creative ZXR,put them in the I\V,combined with LT1028ACN in the buffers,and compared to the STX,sound is just as great and even maybe more specious and more controlled,just amazing job by sparko's labs. Finally an Opamp that is true to its meaning and claim,A first class audio Opamp,A new champ,the high claimed Muses02 costs almost the same price,and doesn't deliver half the sound quality of the SS3602."

And you are just blind mate. Use your fkin eyes.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote

monkeyah2

Oct 11, 2016

seamonAnd you are delusional, we were discussing the boards, not which opamp works best. The source you've listed states "So,to sum things up,my winner is the Asus STX II." If you want a different experience from your soundcard, that's fine, if you want to defend and be proud for buying something, that's fine as well, but don't go around saying that this thread proves the ZxR to be better when it says the polar opposite.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote

seamon

Oct 11, 2016

monkeyah2With op amps, ZxR is the best sound card there is. Without op-amps, ASUS STX II. That said, with this deal you can afford both op-amps and ZxR at the price of the STX II.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote

monkeyah2

Oct 11, 2016

seamonUnfortunately, the Sparko Labs opamps are too big and require either modifications to the EMI shield or complete removal of the EMI shield. Currently looking for some mod options in that situation.

Oct 11, 2016

Vote