Higgins

ok so we seem to have a lean toward the prelude in this thread.

I do game a lot but i want the card with the best sound quality.. but i dont want to get the xonar and have it crap out a day out of warranty.

You guys saying Prelude then?

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txtmstrjoe

For the sake of balance, here's a review favoring the Xonar D2 over the Auzentech Prelude.

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biftek

I'd still stick with the Xonar.

Mhill2029

Prelude is the superior model

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sccr64472

I own both a Creative and an Auzentech and can tell you that they do not sound the same. The Auzentech has a softer, less harsh sound than the Creative. It's definitely noticeable. Music sounds much more realistic and less "digital".

txtmstrjoe

Cool beans.

Perhaps my opinion shouldn't be weighted as much, as my experience is not with the two cards being considered. Rather, my cards are older examples of the same basic hardware. As your input suggests, even products with the same basic chip can perform differently, with the newer product gaining more refinement.

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slytown

Mod an x-fi music and you're sitting pretty for half the price.

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Higgins

Hmm.. well i really want the led port lighting lol

there are more people saying prelude, but more info in favor of the Xonar.. atleast being provided in the thread.

And what about that X-Fi IRQ problem?

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txtmstrjoe

I can attest to that.

My gaming rig (see current rig) ran a CMI8788 (HT Omega Claro) for a very long time sans any software/driver problems whatsoever. I decided to put in my X-Fi, and even with updated drivers it caused BSODs. I took the X-Fi out, put in another CMI8788 sound card (Razer Barracuda AC-1), and unsurprisingly the BSODs never happened again.

My research suggested that there might be some cases of nForce4 SLI x16 (and other flavors of nF4) and X-Fi drivers not playing nice with each other; this was clearly the case in my situation. Just for reference, I'm running WinXP Home SP2.

Here is a slightly more detailed account of my sound card adventures of recent times.

Hope this helps you make a more informed decision.

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t213646

For what it's worth, that could just be because Creative drivers are steaming piles of crap packaged in inconspicuous .exe's - they repeatedly bluescreened a brand new XP pro installation for me installation until I gave up and took out the card. Auzentech's drivers are reportedly much better.

I don't mean to discredit your overall point, though. I'd probably go for the Xonar myself. I read the same article as the OP and it seems to make good points in favor of the Xonar. Plus who can resist the shiny backlit ports?

edit: the Xonar also comes with a lot more stuff (cables/whatever) included in the box