AUZENTECH X-Fi Forte 7.1 Sound Card

I have had this card almost 2 weeks and have to say I haven't regretted my choice for 1 minute. I spent weeks researching which card to buy. I wanted one that was fantastic for music as well as kicks ass in games. Alot of people recommend the Asus Essence which was tempting but missing the game support and was a little more expensive. Also considered the Creative Xfi Titanium HD but was concerned about the drivers from my own experience of crackling and popping sounds in Windows with my old Xfi Fatality. This card has the same chip as the Titanium but with full 7.1 support and an amazing headphone amplifier. Speaking of the headphone amp its currently burning in some Grado SR125i's which are amazing. My music has never sounded so detailed and clear and games like Crysis 2 are unbelievable. I bearly have the volume above 20% and its easily loud enough without killing my hearing. Installation took 5mins, downloaded latest drivers from Auzentech (didn't bother with cd as older drivers) and installed with no problems (Win7 Ultimate). <br /><br />
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Only minor gripe I can think of is when I used my MP3 headphones on the front jack on the PC case there was some hissing and slight 'noise' when not playing anything. I realise though thats to be expected with all the EMI inside the computer and the thin wire from the cases front panel. Haven't had the same issue with the back jack at all and no it wasn't the headphones as they're Sennheiser IE8 which are amazing.<br /><br />
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Hope that helps anyone looking into buying this card.

When you think of soundcards Creative springs to mind, as does the poor drivers and support that is received, but there is another way, both Asus and Auzentech produce soundcards as well.

As you can tell by the X-Fi name, the card has creative patented technology, but as always Auzentech has re-engineered the entire system into theire own card with full EAX support and XRAM.

My previous card was an Creative X-Fi Gamer Edition, the Auzentech X-Fi Forte however puts it to shame. The sound is much crisper and to the point.

The X-Fi has a headphone and microphone amplifier, which makes them great for gamers, the only choice a gamer needs to make is which headphone to use with the X-Fi Forte.

Recommended Headsets are HD555, HD595, ATH-AD700, ATH-AD900. Personally the ATH-AD700 is best for price with the ATH-AD900 been overkill. Although it is all down to personally preference of the sound not just the quality.
For those wanting the advantage in games, go with an open headset for best positioning, for best bass go with a closed headset.

Conclusion

For gamers - Auzentech X-Fi Forte
For audiophiles - Asus Xonar Essence STX

For those on a budget go with Asus Xonar D1 PCI-E version, with PC161 headset.

Well done to Pixmania for supplying the X-Fi Forte, one of currently only three UK suppliers of the product.
The only word of warning is that the support is based in the USA, so any RMA returns have a long way to travel.