Gametheater XP or Audigy Platinum EX. Which to get? (1 Viewer)

[James St]

I'm ready to upgrade my soundcard but can't decide which one of these to get. I use my computer for listening to music while I surf and also for gaming. I plan on drilling a small hole in the wall behind my computer to run audio and ethernet cables to the living room where my HT is located. I have read a lot of good things about both cards but nobody has compared the two yet. All reviews have talked about the previous SB Live Platinum, not the new Audigy. Is the new Audigy Platinum EX worth the extra $100?

P.S. I currently have a TB Montego with an Aureal chipset running in Windows XP. Since Aureal was bought out by Creative I doubt there will be any XP drivers released.

 

[Hugh M]

there is also some new external sound options to think about from Yamaha as well as Creative.

Check out the Soundblaster "Extigy" for instance. Its only connection is by USB. I have no idea how long you could make the USB cable, but that is an interesting idea.

I'd recommend the GTXP if you can find the retail box for $100. It is worth that. I use it. There are some problems I am having which I THINK are due to the newest drivers. I think it leaks noise like crazy. Sometimes my subwoofer hums like a banshee. I believe I can solve this by getting a MonsterPower 1000 or something, which I need anyways.

Also the GTXP has some known issues with some games. I play Hitman, Serious Sam, Max Payne...and I have no problems.

Maybe someone with an Audigy could tell you a bit about there experience. I do know that my GTXP works very well passing DVD soundtracks to my receiver. I have not heard similar about the Audigy however.

 

[Salvador]

i used to have an old SBlive 128 card that i used with Klipsch promedia 4.1's. The sound was alright but when i upgraded to Audigy platinum, i noticed detail that just wasn't present before. Clarity was also improved.

I don't have the promedias anymore but my Audigy is connected to a Denon 3802 driving a pair of Paradigm studio 20's. Needless to say, the sound is much better than the promedias but my only gripe is the difficulty of setting it up. I have mine though connected through an optical cable.

hope this helps

 

[James St]

Thanks for the replies. Over the past few days I've favored each card and have been changing my mind back and forth. After reading an a ton of reviews and posts from various tech and computer forums, I'm leaning more and more toward the Audigy.

Also I noticed that some of the Game Theater XP reviews date back to Dec/2000. If it has been out for this long could we expect a new version of GTXP anytime soon? Has anyone seen any info on this?

 

[Camp]

Hercules announced a new version of the GTXP as their competitor began shipping the Audigy. I don't remember the specifics but it obviously indended to be an Audigy killer.

I love my GTXP. Never had any problems with it. I use the digital audio out to run a cable to my HT (~80 feet away). Pipes my MP3s directly to my HT...changing CDs is a thing of the past now.

 

[Hugh M]

the game theater XP is at least a year old.

it was a 5.1 card.

they released new drivers in November.

it is now a 6.1 card. and has great functionality similar to DPLII on receivers...meaning any two channel source can be played back over all of your speakers, and it does a nice job at it too.

it was the first card to offer this I believe, and since then others have been released that do this (audigy I believe)

those soundblaster EXTIGYs look interesting though. I wonder when they will be available.

 

[James St]

Thanks for the help guys. I just placed an order for an Audigy Platinum EX as well as a 60GB hard drive and the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 optical mouse. As tempting as a new Hercules Audigy killer sounds I'm ready to buy a new card now. My Aureal based card is giving problems with Windows XP. Most are while playing games but I want to resolve this problem before Medal of Honor is released.

 

[Bob Hill]

I think you will like the Audigy. I just got one and have been using it extensivly the past few weeks without a hitch. The only bummer I see on it is that it only has a 16bit analog to digital converter for recording music with its various ananlog inputs, but other than that its great.

 

[JasonRH]

In several reviews, i read that the Game theater XP had compatibility issues with Athlon systems containing motherboards manufactured by Via.

Can anyone confirm this??

 

[Matt DeVillier]

My GametheaterXP works fine with my MSI KT266 Pro-2 (VIA KT266a) mobo and WindowsXP, FWIW

 

[Hugh M]

I also heard that every card known to man had compatibility problems with via chipsets.

in other words, I use the GTXP and I use an Epox 8K7A+, which has via 686b southbridge and amd 760 northbridge.

sound cards are indoubtedly one of the most evil compatibility components, right up there with NIC cards.

 

[Camp]

In several reviews, i read that the Game theater XP had compatibility issues with Athlon systems containing motherboards manufactured by Via.

I've had 2 Via chipsets with my GTXP and no problems at all. The GTXP did have issues with WinXP when the OS was released...new drivers have since fixed that.

The Soundblaster line (not Audigy) has had a long history of problems with Via chipsets. It's been an on-again off-again problem.

 

[JasonRH]

Thanks for clearing that up guys.