Auzen X-fi Prelude Specifications!
 

Hey guys, I have been a around for awhile and notice a few guys were asking about gaming cards and or which card to by. Here are the specs for the Auzetech Prelude card. This card is different from normal X-fi's in alot of ways. It uses alot better components for the output section ecodes Dolby Digital on the fly so you can play games in full 5,1 over a digital conection. I should also mention there will be a HDMI board coming for this card aswell that will boast Dolby Digital-HD and DTS -HD. This card will easily sound better then the Best X-fi to date. I am personallynot that much of a gamer and I own a X-Meridian but I am interested in this card for sure. Seems to be the first card that truly does have it all..:punk:

Key Components
Creative X-Fi CA20K Audio Processor
One AKM AK-5394 super high performance 192kHz 24-bit ADC for analog input
Four AKM AK-4396 192kHz 24-bit advanced multi-bit DAC for analog output
64Mbytes of memory for audio processing
High fidelity audio OP-Amps for analog input and output
Front L/R output OP-Amp is replaceable by end-user
Dual mode SPDIF receiver and transmitter

IO Connectors
One 3.5mm MIC input connector in rear panel
One 3.5mm line input connector in rear panel
One 4-pin AUX connector on board
Four 3.5mm 8 channel line output connectors in rear panel
(FL/FR/C/SW/RL/RR/RSL/RSR)
One S/PDIF combo input connector in rear panel for receiving either coaxial
or optical digital
One S/PDIF combo output connector in rear panel for transmitting either
coaxial or optical digital
16-bit to 24-bit recording sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32,
44.1, 48 and 96kHz
One 10-pin front panel connector on board for MIC input and headphone support
One 40-pin digital extension header on board to support AD-Link and other
digital functionality

Technical Specifications
24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96kHz sample rate
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96kHz to analog
7.1 channel speaker output
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of stereo digital sources at 192kHz to
stereo output
16-bit to 24-bit recording sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32,
44.1, 48 and 96kHz
ASIO 2.0 support at 16-bit/44.1kHz, 16-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/44.1kHz
24-bit/48kHz and 24-bit/96kHz with direct monitoring.
Enhanced SoundFont support of up to 24-bit resolution
64MB of X-RAM

Is this a creative branded card or is Auzen a brand name and they use some creative chips?

Ok I answered myself by looking around, (Azentech is a brand), but I've got a technical question.......

I stream music from napster to my amp (Coax SPDIF) to power a standard 2 speaker setup......

Would I notice much difference in quality over an Audigy2 or is the 128bit WMA format already limiting the quality beyond anything that better hardware would be able to do?

Probably not if you are using a digital interconnect. The X-Meridian for example has alot of digital features but alot of people were really surprised at the quality of the analog sections. Moreover they found that their X-Meridian sounded better in analog mode connected to their recevier then the X-Meridian in digital mode connected to the Recevier. The DAC's and opamps were better then the ones in the recevier. Does that answer your question?

If I'm reading between the lines properly.... I think that you're saying I might actually get better quality using analog out rather than digital.... is that what you're suggesting?

The only issue I have with that is the requirement for a "level" line out which can be limited to certain O/P.

Currently with my Audigy2 when I set bit accurate playback, the first App I start playing will OP at a line level to my coax spdif with the OP being strictly the music content (gaming or normal windows sounds are not included). Can that be done with an analog OP? (Am I explaining what I'm looking for well enough?).

Yes, that is what I am saying. Digital is not always the best. If you have a great soundcard for analog and you connect it to a subpar peice of audio gear the digital will sound worse then analog. Some soundcard these days can easily best mid level receivers. it depends on the device and the card.

Question:

In what range is the bluegears b-enspire in soundcards? Because i always heard they were supposed to be good, so when i was looking for a soundcard someone was selling theirs for 100CAD shipped (it was 75 shipped in the US, so shipping to Canada +currency change = $100.) i grabbed it right away as lots of people were interested. Do you think its a good soundcard? I cant really notice a difference in sound over my 6 y/o SoundBlaster Live! which died a month ago because i have really old busted 6 y/o speakers, but i'm hopeing to get new ones soon.

Yeah, I am eagerly awaiting a review on this card, that X-fi I picked was a joke.

I hope to god it doesn't have the snap, crackle and pop issues that plagues the X-Fi

Well it will sound alot better then the current X-fi line-up in games. I currently own a X-Meridian and if you listen to that card you know Auzentech makes high quality soundcards. They are a little more expensive then Creative Labs cards but you get what you pay for so to speak.