Key features
The X-Fi has rather too many features to cover in the time available to us. So, knowing that Creative has bundled three audio-creation applications, and also having seen the functionality the audio-creation mode provides, we gave that a miss, particularly as recording equipment isn't something we have in ample supply. Instead, we're focused on what our readers are more likely to do with an X-Fi – play music and games.
24-bit Crystallizer
This feature of the X-Fi is potentially the most interesting, given what it claims to do:
First it converts the audio into 24-bit/96kHz quality, then it re-masters and selectively enhances the audio by analysing and identifying which parts of the audio stream have been restricted/damaged during the compression stages to 16-bit and then to MP3. The result is music that sounds cleaner, smoother and has more sparkle, and movies that sound more realistic than ever before!
The box even says you can make MP3s sound "better than the original CD". Think about that for a moment. MP3 is a lossy audio format. Data is stripped out from the audio and thrown away to reduce file size. That data isn't there any more, it's gone. You can't possibly recover the missing data, although in theory you could have a guess at what it was supposed to be. Consider us sceptical about the claims, then.
Turns out we were right – but, to our surprise, we could detected some real improvements. A naff 56kbit MP3 doesn't sound like its coming from the Albert Hall, the change isn't that great. Yet, turning on 24-bit Crystallization did make individual instruments more distinct and music, overall, didn't sound quite as flat. We found that setting this feature to about 50 per cent gave consistently better-sounding music. If the setting is any higher, certain instruments began to sound a little weird or out of place. Could you achieve the same affect with a bit of EQ tweaking? Well, that can certainly improve the sound of a piece of music, but we couldn't get as good a result as the Crystallizer.
So, despite our misgivings, there is an improvement to be had from this feature even if nothing like as radical as Creative claims. Furthermore, you can rip audio using the same technology, applying the same enhancements. The difference isn't so great that it's going to revolutionise the world of compressed audio playback, but it's a benefit you can experience at the push of a button.
CMSS-3D
CMSS-3D offers several surround-sound features. The first, CMSS-3Dvirtual, aims to provide more accurate 3D positioning. When it's enabled, sounds moving around the listener do seem to travel in a more accurate manner, rather than just fading between speakers. However, to our ears, 3Dvirtual didn't make a massive difference.
CMSS-3DSurround allows stereo sound to be up-mixed into multi channel surround. An expanded 3D effect or a multi-channel stereo effect can also be applied. 3D expansion sounded odd for music on our sound system, so we left it off. But, CMSS-3DSurround did make a real difference. With it off, you're listening to music, with it on, you're in it. However, similar results can be had from onboard sound, so this feature alone isn't going to persuade anyone to purchase an X-Fi card.
Plug in a pair of headphones, hear the relays click, and CMSS-3DHeadphone comes into play. It attempts to deliver surround sound through stereo headphones. Tossing a few grenades about in Half-Life 2, we found it worked quite well, although the source of the sound seemed more elevated than without the feature enabled. It's not a significant change, but switching the feature on and off does make you aware of the shift.
EAX 5.0
Name a game that supports EAX 5.0. The only one that springs to mind right now is Battlefield 2. So, we fired up the demo of that much talked about combat FPS and took the X-Fi for a spin.
Only with the X-Fi can you enable "ultra high-quality" sound and EAX 5.0 support. Does it make a difference? Getting a bit trigger happy with a grenade launcher, the environmental effects were slightly more realistic than standard EAX and definitely better than no EAX at all. 3D positioning was more realistic than the software-rendered audio output. There's also more detail in the sound effects, for example from dust and stones settling after an explosion. If you have some nice speakers and can get away with turning them up loud then you'll get a more immersive experience.
More games supporting EAX 5.0 will surface in due course and, hopefully, the programmers will make full use of it, as there's potential for some good effects.
A quick mention for EAX in entertainment mode. This reviewer isn't a fan of setting music or DVDs with environmental effects, preferring to listen to things as they were recorded. However, the ease with which you can control the level of EAX applied means you can add a slight effect without it sounding absurd, which is much better than being bombarded by reverb and chorus.
