Audigy 2 question

[Chankama]

What are the major differences between these cards guys?.
Audigy 2 ZS, value, etc.

They have some stuff listed on the creative page, but not being an audiophile, I am not fully confident in which is relevant and which is not.. Obviously, I'd like to just buy the "value" edition because its cheaper. What is this card lacking for me to spend more money over the ZS for example?..

Please be more specific than "better audio quality" .. In what respect, why, etc. etc. And I don't much care for any packaged software/games either.. Thx.

 

[003]

All you need is the audigy 2 ZS. all the "platinum" versions just feature more recording options. Anything lower than the zs, such as the value for example, is cuting out quality. the zs is fine for most gamers.

 

[Chankama]

Cutting out quality in what respect? Features and which aspect of sound quality, etc. etc.

Any thing actually "wrong" with the value version for anyone to move up to the ZS?.. The description on creative only goes so far. It's just words..

And what are the issues associate with the value card and:
SNR, multi channel weaknesses, load on processor, available codecs, MIDI capabilities, general input/output ports, etc. etc. etc.

Nothing better than first hand experience. Couldn't really find any good reviews on the net.

 

[Chankama]

Uh huh.. never mind.. Didn't see this link:

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=204&product=4915&nav=3

Other than the joystick port, the value seems to be pretty good.. But I think Creative have had false advertising issues before.. So if u guys know anything not told by these specs, let me know

 

[003]

Let me just tell you what I know. Don't get the value. It uses a modified audigy 2 chip with some undoumented features and stuff cut out. Trust me, you'll be much happier with the ZS.

 

[aj2003]

i personally use the audigy 2 nx (the external version of the zs) the best thing ive noticed over my old audigy (the original one) was the SNR i think this means when u start turning the volume up, if there is nothing playing u start hearing a fuzzy buzzing noise. the higher the SNR the higher you can go without this buzzing. im a totaly audiophobe so i hope thats right.

 

[dale5605]

I have a good amount of experience with Creative and trust me you will want to get the Audigy 2 ZS. It is only a little more than the value but it is a much better card. The value is basically like a nvidia "le" card or an ati "se" card, i.e. downgraded and not as good.
If you are only planning on using stereo headphones or speakers then the value will do you fine. But since you are considering audigy 2's I only assume you intend to use surround sound. The ZS has gold plated connectors whereas the value does not, and this helps for a smooth connection to surround sound headphones or speakers and less interference.
Also the ZS has better SNR which is one of the important measures of audio quality.
Also the ZS is THX certified and the value is not. This means that the Audigy 2 ZS was tested by THX and found to be a superior audio product. The value card didn't pass mustard with THX.

Just get the full ZS and don't settle for a depleted value version for a few less dinero because you will be disappointed.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

SNR has nothing to do with sound quality at all...

Learn before you speak

 

[dale5605]

SNR has nothing to do with sound quality at all...

Learn before you speak

Yes it does, learn before YOU speak.

"In analog and digital communications, signal-to-noise ratio, often written S/N or SNR, is a measure of signal strength relative to background noise. The ratio is usually measured in decibels (dB).

If the incoming signal strength in microvolts is Vs, and the noise level, also in microvolts, is Vn, then the signal-to-noise ratio, S/N, in decibels is given by the formula

S/N = 20 log10(Vs/Vn)

If Vs = Vn, then S/N = 0. In this situation, the signal borders on unreadable, because the noise level severely competes with it. In digital communications, this will probably cause a reduction in data speed because of frequent errors that require the source (transmitting) computer or terminal to resend some packets of data.

Ideally, Vs is greater than Vn, so S/N is positive. As an example, suppose that Vs = 10.0 microvolts and Vn = 1.00 microvolt. Then

S/N = 20 log10(10.0) = 20.0 dB

which results in the signal being clearly readable. If the signal is much weaker but still above the noise -- say 1.30 microvolts -- then

S/N = 20 log10(1.30) = 2.28 dB

which is a marginal situation. There might be some reduction in data speed under these conditions.

If Vs is less than Vn, then S/N is negative. In this type of situation, reliable communication is generally not possible unless steps are taken to increase the signal level and/or decrease the noise level at the destination (receiving) computer or terminal.

Communications engineers always strive to maximize the S/N ratio. Traditionally, this has been done by using the narrowest possible receiving-system bandwidth consistent with the data speed desired. However, there are other methods. In some cases, spread spectrum techniques can improve system performance. The S/N ratio can be increased by providing the source with a higher level of signal output power if necessary. In some high-level systems such as radio telescopes, internal noise is minimized by lowering the temperature of the receiving circuitry to near absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius or -459 degrees Fahrenheit). In wireless systems, it is always important to optimize the performance of the transmitting and receiving antennas"


Hence less backround noise for better signal and therefore a better quality sound.

 

[Chankama]

Yeah Chris. It does matter.. I do a fair bit of data mining stuff and the SNR is a big issue. Sometimes, it's ok for the noise to have a high noise power as long as u can model it properly... Then u can remove it.. Otherwise, its hopeless.. You usually want SNR to be a big number. How big depends on the accuracy you want.. But there's always some uncertainty when you add random noise..

Thanks for the feedback guys.. Some people have talked about the Turtle Beach Catalina. How does this compare to the Audigy 2 cards.. Especially ZS?.