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Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Opamp Upgrade
RayvenX 21 May 2007

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A short background to the mod

The Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi, based on the all-new CA20K1 DSP created a storm upon release in August 2005. It brought new technologies to the already well established Creative live range, including EAX 5.0, supporting 128 hardware voices and up to 4 effects on each, and on some models a dedicated 64MB buffer for sound; the card was a boon for gamers. Technology familiar to users of the SB Live/Audigy families, like ASIO 2.0 support ensured it remained a feasible entry-level audio production card. Once the usual Creative glitches with chipset compatibility were resolved, the card established itself as a firm favorite with gamers, home cinema buffs and amateur audio producers alike.

One group, however, remained quite unsatisfied with Creative's new offering: audiophiles. Despite using a quite respectable CS4382 digital-analogue converter (and the even better CS4398 on the high end Elite Pro cards) and offering vastly superior quality to most of their previous consumer sound cards, the X-Fi was let down by a poor choice in opamps and too many cheap capacitors in the signal path. In late 2006, a little known company called Auzentech claimed this small market all for itself upon the release of the incredible X-Meridian 7.1. They used socketed opamps, high quality polymer capacitors throughout the card, superior DACs and a better designed analogue stage. Subjective audio tests suggested that Auzentech's offering had vastly more detail, tighter bass, more natural highs and provided a much less tiring 'live' sound when compared with Creative's card. However, Gamers were left unimpressed, as like so many cards before it, the X-Meridian only supported EAX 2.0.

The aim of this modification is to bring the sound quality of the X-Fi somewhat closer to that of cards like the Auzentech X-Meridian, meaning you will end up with a card with excellent sound quality and retain good gaming performance. Although listening tests are obviously subjective, I have yet to meet anybody who's performed this mod who has not been bowled over by the quality improvement. If you take the time to do it properly, it is unlikely you will regret it. It goes without saying that this mod is irrelevant to anybody using only the digital output of the card, since the DAC + analogue stage will be in the target device and those on the card go unused.

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