creative x-fi sound card rules

**pradecki** · 04-17-2006, 11:23 PM

I just built a carputer this past weekend. Mini-ATX form factor with this Aria case by Antec. anyway I got one of those creative x-fi pci cards and it is great. the cmss-3d improves music significantly-it really gives your music some depth in your car. I had an eclipse mp3 cd deck before but with the creative card CDs sound so much better. This past weekend I got second place in a sound quality at a car audio competition with the creative card and I think this was really a big factor.

my audio setup:
lightning audio strike series 4x6 in front
crossfire 6x9 in back
mtx 4 channel 75 watt per channel rms amp
single lightning audio strike series 12 in subwoofer
profile 1000 watt 2 channel amp (bridged for sub)
2 farad capacitor

all i can say is it is just amazing how much better the audio sounds in my car with the creative sound card.

btw i get no noise from the speakers too which really makes me happy, especially since I haven't cleaned up my wiring job (audio cables are running right through where 12v dc and 120v ac lines are sitting in my trunk currently w/ $4 walmart audio cables)

**ramy_zohair** · 04-18-2006, 12:36 AM

I agree with you. X-FI rocks.

I'm having a problem though in my audio connections. Hope ypu could help.

I'm having a 4 ch amp for my four speakers, and a 2 ch amp for the 2 subs. how do you get to wire all of these to the sound card outputs & how do you configure them (software), i tried 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 from the creative console but all i can get is sound to the 4 ch, the subs go on very low. when i put the subs instead of theh rear channel they go on hard.

how did you get them all to work good??
please help

**pradecki** · 04-18-2006, 12:56 AM

my mtx 4 ch amp has a sum out, so it takes the front right and rear right adn blends the signal to gether for a sum right out and does the same for a sum left out. I took a rca off of this and connected it to the input of my 2ch sub amp

if ur 4 ch amp doesn't have a sum out on ur amp then u have 2 choices. take rca splitters for the front right and front left out put. run one set to the front input on ur 4ch and the other set to the 2 ch sub amp and don't change the rear hookup to the 4ch.
all the above was w/ the sound card in 4.1 mode

the second option: put card in 5.1 mode. put a stereo mini to rca adapter cable into the 3rd output on the card. either the right or left output will be the mono sub output (the opposite output is center channel which you can ignore) hook the mono sub output to your 2ch amp and set the amp to use a mono input, if ur amp can't send the mono signale to both subs, use an rca splitter and plug into left andright ch on amp

does that work for ur setup?

**ramy_zohair** · 04-18-2006, 02:07 AM

my 4 ch amp does have the output your talking about. this would have surely solved my problem.

I was thinking of going with your 1st option. But was thinking if using the rear instead of front. Is there a difference & why do you advise using the fronts??
I tried the second option (5.1 with center channel connected to sub amp). but it doesn't work. I used a mono splitter (center channel is mono) to feed my 2 ch amp but it seems the center channel on the card has a very week output. I also tried using 6.1 with stereo (side speakers) output to the subs but it still is the same.

I think i will try your first option. And i'll get back to you. I always hated using splitters, but i have no other option

.

Thanks for the fast reply.

**pradecki** · 04-18-2006, 02:12 AM

don't use the center channel, use the sub channel it is the opposite channel on the 3rd output, the center channel will have like no bass as it is supposed to be used for a mid/high rnage speaker as you found out. just try useing the opposite channel w/ the splitter.

**ramy_zohair** · 04-18-2006, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by pradecki

don't use the center channel, use the sub channel it is the opposite channel on the 3rd output, the center channel will have like no bass as it is supposed to be used for a mid/high rnage speaker as you found out. just try useing the opposite channel w/ the splitter.

sorry i can't get you.
As a software config. I'm running 5.1

As for hardware here is my setup:

what i'm i doing wrong??? what is the sub output you talking about. i know there is front, rear & center, but sub, where is that??? what do you mean by opposite channel?

**lchatela** · 04-18-2006, 02:28 AM

the x-fi is really great.
One problem: in 4.1 mode the .1 is not active! It is a bug, I have seen some people complaining about it on creative forum.
I tried to use the x-fi adapter (jack with 3 channels) but nothing goes out for the sub (and in addition, this adapter is not shielded so you will get a lot of noise).
I have connected the sub on the rear channel (connected on the output of the rear output) but my sub supports natively speaker level as well as RCA.

The sub should not be connected to the third output. I think that it is coming also from the second (you need to use special jack with 3 channel+ ground not a traditionnal 2+1). The description is included in the help of the x-fi (chm file... I can't manage to open it to send you a screen copy, it is blocked by this stupid security strategy of windows)

**ramy_zohair** · 04-18-2006, 02:39 AM

Originally Posted by lchatela

the x-fi is really great.
One problem: in 4.1 mode the .1 is not active! It is a bug, I have seen some people complaining about it on creative forum.
I tried to use the x-fi adapter (jack with 3 channels) but nothing goes out for the sub (and in addition, this adapter is not shielded so you will get a lot of noise).
I have connected the sub on the rear channel (connected on the output of the rear output) but my sub supports natively speaker level as well as RCA.

Thats what i'm talking about

**pradecki** · 04-18-2006, 02:42 AM

on the diagram that cmae w/ my card it said that 3rd line was outputing 2 channels not just a mono center channel but a center channel coupled w/ a sub (the .1) output, so one of the channels should be the center and the other should be sub, its what the doc says but i haven't tried it so maybe their doc is just wrong

**lchatela** · 04-18-2006, 02:46 AM

The sub should not be connected to the third output. I think that it is coming also from the second (you need to use special jack with 3 channel+ ground not a traditionnal 2+1). The description is included in the help of the x-fi (chm file... I can't manage to open it to send you a screen copy, it is blocked by this stupid security strategy of windows)

In 5.1 you will have signal on the .1 of the x-fi but not in 4.1 mode. Anyway, I think you will have .1 output only for dolby or dts source, it does not seem to output anything from a stereo source.