Auzen X-Fi Prelude VS Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic 

     Next we tested the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music using the same settings.  The results are offered below.  Each chart shows the results of both cards foe easy comparison.  Simply click on the thumbnail to see the results up close.  Or simply skip over to the results tables just below!

From left: Frequency response, Noise Level, Dynamic Range, THD, IMD, and Crosstalk.

     The results of the testing can be summarized here.  As you can see the Creative offering is no slouch.  In fact most of us on the ClubOC Staff agree the Xtreme Music was the best X-Fi for the buck.  Sadly Creative does not agree and has discontinued this budget minded offering.  The same chipset can be found in all of the top tire creative X-Fi offerings today ranging all the way to the Platinum or Fatal1ty models.

Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic Summary

Audio Winbench 99:

     This test shows the percentage of system resources used by the Auzen X-Fi Prelude using most common sound card settings.  Every percentage here is a hit on performance that must be taken by the rest of your PC.  So lower numbers are good.  quite frankly the numbers look outstanding across the board.  This is where a sound design and quality components really manifests, the Auzen X-Fi Prelude passes with ease.  No pun intended?!?

     Lets take this same test and compare the two cards again.  The numbers are nearly neck and neck.  This is to be expected with the same chipset used in both designs.  Comparing this set of numbers back to the last couple generations of cards shows just how much better the X-Fi Prelude really is.

Testing in the real world:

     Some sites are big on real world testing these days.  To perform my own real world test I hooked the Prelude up to my home theater system using the included TOSLINK cables.  Using the same setup as the previous Auzen cards I fired up two of my favorite test DVDs; Blue Man Group's Audio in 5.1 and Lucas Films THX Wow! demo DVD.  The resulting sound was astonishing, I was shocked at how much better it sounded over my last two attempts.  In fact it may be time to replace my aging Kenwood with a new loss-less unit to match my PS3.

     I also ran the Prelude for a couple of weeks in my main gaming rig.  Spending several hours in team Fortress 2 and Battlefield: 2142. For speakers I  used a set of Tritton AX360 headphones on the Optical out and the ButtKicker for added bass.  The crisp sound and clear separation were especially distinct in Battlefield: 2142 Thanks to the EAX sound separation.  To satisfy my curiosity I also ran things without EAX for a session.  The good news is things sound fantastic with just the Prelude hardware carrying the load.  I think I have found my new gaming card!

The Driver Situation:

     The Prelude launch did not escape the Creative X-Fi driver issues completely.  I tested the card in Windows XP to avoid any additional functionality headaches.  so in the interest of a complete review, here is a complete list of the current driver issues and updates as of this review.

Additional X-Fi Prelude Features Coming Soon

Dolby® Digital Live
for Vista and XP
Coming Soon
About DDL

DTS® Interactive
for Vista
Scheduled for Q1 of 2008
About DTS Interactive

DTS NEO:PC™
for Vista and XP
Scheduled for Q1 of 2008
About DTS NeoPC

Linux Driver
for X-Fi Prelude
Scheduled for Q1 of 2008
(limited feature set)
More info

Creative ALchemy
for Vista.
Available Now.
Download Info
About ALchemy

     In all fairness the Prelude does work in Windows Vista right now, it just doesn't offer all of the features yet.  The Driver leverages heavily on the Creative ALchemy drivers as a result there are a few known issues:

Dolby Digital Live Issue in Vista

• Test files : MP3, AC3 DVD , DTS Audio CD

• Playback Device : WMP, KMP 

• In Entertainment mode, we cannot get 5.1ch surround sound with DDL function. Only 2channel sound comes out.

• 5.1ch sound come out properly in AC and Game Mode and the DDL Logo appears on our decoder.  

     As always with Beta drivers, your mileage may vary.  However, it is nice to see Auzen has committed to addressing these issues and is upfront about the current issues and the scheduled release dates for proposed fixes.  With XP support only the Drivers Rating would have easily been a 5 out of 5.

Conclusion:

     The Auzen X-Fi Prelude isn't just good, its scary good.  The testing shows just how much better Auzen can make their card over the same chipset from Creative.  And we haven't really touched on the advantages Auzen brings to the table with Dolby Digital and DTS modes coming soon.  Heck they even have a functioning Vista driver.

     Ultimately it all comes down to how it sounds.  Back to back tests with games and music just sounded better on the Prelude.  Sound separation is clearer, individual voices are crisper and the entire experience just sounds more alive.  Its just hard to define just what it is exactly that stands out above our Creative X-Fi, but the Auzen X-Fi Prelude does stand out.

     This is one of those cases where the Auzen X-Fi Prelude costs a little bit more but you do get what you pay for.  I highly recommend this card for peak performance both in games and for audio enthusiasts.

Note: Club Overclocker is now using a new rating system based on a score of 1 to 5.
Please go to our rating system page for more information.

Performance:	5 out of 5
Innovation:	5out of 5
Quality:	5 out of 5
Stability:	N/A
Aesthetics:	5 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	3 out of 5
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	4 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5