Which to get, Sound Blaster Z Or ZX ?

[Dicehunter]

My "Titanium Fatal1ty Pro" has just died due to old age and need's to be replaced as onboard isn't cutting it.
Now the only 2 difference's I can see is that the ZX come's with a control box and the "Z" doesn't and the "ZX" comes with Nichicon FG caps *the same as the ZXR* and the "Z" doesn't, But would I notice any difference in sound ?

 

[jamesriley94]

What about looking into a Xonar?

I don't think you'll notice much difference in sound between the two you listed. Xonars are built better and tend to be better quality afaik.

 

[Dicehunter]

If I'm honest I'd prefer to stick with Creative

 

[tinytomlogan]

Xonars are actually SO much better

 

[Dicehunter]

Ok well I've had a look at the 2 best Asus cards I can get that aren't for £300 Pro headsets.

The Asus Xonar D2

Or

The Asus Xonar D2X

Now the only difference I can find is the price which is like £2 and the name, Is there anything else, different caps etc... ?

Plus didn't the D2 and D2X got released like 4 years ago ?, Wouldn't I be better off going for newer tech ?

 

[jamesriley94]

One's PCI the other's PCIE. Just depends what would fit best for you really.

What speakers are you using it with?

 

[Dicehunter]

Razer Tiamat 7.1's in my main rig in sig.

 

[jamesriley94]

I'd get the D2X. Considering the Z77 sabretooth doesn't have a PCI slot, you can't really get the D2.

You'll be happy with your choice though. Xonars are brilliant.

 

[Dicehunter]

I'd get the D2X. Considering the Z77 sabretooth doesn't have a PCI slot, you can't really get the D2.

You'll be happy with your choice though. Xonars are brilliant.

Yeah but 4 year old tech ? Surely the new Creative Z Range are going to be better than a 4 year old soundcard ?

 

[tinytomlogan]

Lets put it this way Im still using the D2X....

They do have soundcards built for headphones though......

 

[jamesriley94]

4 years old and they're still the best out there.

Soundblasters just aren't as good. They use cheaper components, whilst Xonars go for the highest quality there is, hence why they're still the best after 4 years. The price hasn't even come down in 4 years which I think means quite a lot too.

 

[Dicehunter]

Just got off the phone to a mate, He works in a local computer shop and has said I can Borrow the Creative ZX and the Xonar D2X, With a down payment of cash just incase I break anything
So then I can make my own mind up.
I'm guessing though the newer ZX will be ahead of the D2X unless Asus somehow are 4 years ahead of every other sound card maker which I can't see.

 

[Dicehunter]

4 years old and they're still the best out there.

Soundblasters just aren't as good. They use cheaper components, whilst Xonars go for the highest quality there is, hence why they're still the best after 4 years. The price hasn't even come down in 4 years which I think means quite a lot too.

I know Asus use good quality parts but so do creative, the ZX uses gold nichicon capacitors which is the same as the D2X.

 

[Dicehunter]

Ok I've had a good few days to test both cards and to be quite honest I cannot tell the difference between the Sound Blaster ZX or the Xonars plus they are pretty much the same price so now its going to have to come down to the nitty gritty stuff, Power Usage, Warranty, Customer Service, Driver Support and what it looks like through the side window of my case^_^

 

[student]

The Z-Series cards come in three flavors: the basic Z, the ZX and the ZXR. The Z and ZX are essentially the same card. Both have 116 dBA S/N ratios, low distortion levels and flat frequency response out beyond human hearing. Each includes a single Quartet DSP. The ZX includes one of the best audio accessories I’ve ever used, a volume control knob with a built-in beam-forming microphone. (The Z doesn’t have the control pod, but includes a separate mic.) More on the microphone in a bit.

source: http://www.tested.com/tech/pcs/454839-tested-why-high-end-pc-sound-card-matters/

 

[Timeless]

The Z series are just as good as the Xonars and also use high quality parts.
They made some bad cards in the past and now people see the "Creative" name and automatically say they suck.

 

[Vlada011]

Sound Blaster Z

The Z series are just as good as the Xonars and also use high quality parts.
They made some bad cards in the past and now people see the "Creative" name and automatically say they suck.

I bought Sound Blaster Z before few days and apparently Creative made good product. I'm very satisfied. But for someone who cross from Realtek it's nothing weird.
This times drivers are good, sound manager is full of options.
I hit model with Nichicon gold capacitors. People say same as on ZX and ZxR
Sound Card is closed, protected, look nice, red led shine good part of case.
Now I don't need to look on motherboards with Supreme FX like advantage for shoping.
And reviews are very good.
I wait really long on this card but I'm glad because bought newer series. Ok I had option to bought Recon with same Core3D and 600AMP, but people talk Sound Blaster Z is little better and have that Gold plated connectors and caps and software.
Recommend to everybody for gaming, music and movies.
Lot of options and settings in manager.
OK I have little older Speaker but it's still Creative Inspire 5.1 and sound good now. No cracking, noise, clear sound. I have similar modul for speaker because of that I don't need ZX with ACM, that would be second. I use G510 volume for everything.