Auzentech Preps HDMI 1.3 PCI Express Audio Combo Card

[MilkyWay]

just had to ask but why would a sound card need hdmi? i thought HDMI was for displays?
either way it looks like a good sound card but ive always had the impression that without good speakers a good soundcard is useless.

 

[btarunr]

My desktop is at home so I can't check, but I got it in November 2005 so I'd assume a first revision. The only cards and news I've seen regarding the XtremeMusic have talked about 2mb of cache. Of course, most of that was around its initial release so it probably changed once it was transitioned over to OEMs.

After some googling I couldn't find anything.. the only info I found was talking about the 64mb vs. 2mb on the various models. Did you find anything?

I'd written a detailed atricle about that in my blog sometime back. In short, cards with the 2MB memory differ from the ones with 64MB in the only feature being AL_eaxram, an AL extension for X-RAM. The X-Fi Processor (CA20K1) is driven by a microcode that's stored in the memory, the microcode weighs about 1~1.5 MB, each time the OS loads the driver, the processor's (APU's) microcode (that's part of the driver) is transferred to this 2MB SDRAM bank. In Game Mode, the processor is activated, audio stack is diverted to the processor (which functions on the microcode stored on the bank). In cards with 64MB bank(s), apart from the microcode, the bank stores raw samples when an app calls AL_eaxram functions. The CA20K1 requires at least 2MB of onboard storage for this microcode. In Entertainment mode however, the OS does the usual route for processing audio, the system CPU processes audio, the CA20K1 acts as a audio controller for the DAC/ADC. The way the southbridge of your motherboard acts for the onboard CODEC. That explains how the OSS module sbxfi.so runs the card in Linux. The card is treated as just another HSP audio card.

 

[Mussels]

just had to ask but why would a sound card need hdmi? i thought HDMI was for displays?
either way it looks like a good sound card but ive always had the impression that without good speakers a good soundcard is useless.

HDMI is for displays. displays with speakers

It gets audio and video over the one cable, a noble goal.

 

[WarEagleAU]

Here it is for the person asking on the other thread about the combo card

 

[Steevo]

Or you could just use a ATI card with built in 7.1, save a PCI slot and money.

 

[Mussels]

Or you could just use a ATI card with built in 7.1, save a PCI slot and money.

the difference is that these cards can encode analogue into 5.1/7.1, i think the AMD's only pass through digital audio (EG, a 5.1 game is 2.0 only, until its encoded) i am NOT sure on this, but its how digital audio works.