Auzentech X-Fi Forte Review

Creative’s Sound Blaster series of audio cards once set the standard in positional sound effects thanks to their proprietary EAX audio acceleration. While on-board has caught up in many ways to dedicated audio cards in regards to measurable performance, it still leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to audio quality. This is especially apparent if you are using a decent set of headphones or speakers. Distortion, stereo crosstalk, and especially interference are some of the great extras one can experience when using on-board audio solutions. This is even more exacerbated if you have a small form factor PC, where high quality, low profile audio solutions are few and far between. Auzentech seeks to remedy this with their just released X-Fi Forte 7.1 sound card, based on the X-Fi Professional chipset.

The X-Fi Forte is a PCI-Express based sound card that comes in low profile form factor, allowing it to fit in small form factor cases. Designed in conjunction with Creative, Auzentech has put their own spin on the X-Fi standard while also retaining a lot of the features of the X-Fi Professional, such as EAX 5.0 support. Let’s take a look at how the two cards break down technically before we explore some of the additions and changes Auzentech has engineered into the Forte.

Auzentech X-Fi Forte Vs. Creative X-Fi Professional
	Auzentech X-Fi Forte	Creative X-Fi Professional
Audio Processor	EMU20K2	EMU20K2
Signal to Noise Ratio	115dB	109dB
On-Board RAM	64MB	64MB
Max No. of 3D Voices	128	128
Max. Playback Resolution and Quality	24-bit/192kHz - Stereo 24-bit/96kHz - 7.1	24-bit/192kHz - Stereo 24-bit/96kHz - 7.1
Max. Recording Sampling Rate	24-bit/96kHz	24-bit/96kHz
DAC	Front Ports: AK4396VF (120dB SNR, 24-bit/192kHz) Others: CS4382A (114dB SNR, 24-bit/192kHz)	CS4382 (114dB SNR, 24-bit/192kHz)
ADC	WM8775 (102dB SNR, 24-bit/96kHz)	WM8775 (102dB SNR, 24-bit/96kHz)
EAX	EAX 5.0	EAX 5.0
Connections	7.1 Analog, TOSLink Optical Output, Intel HD Audio Front Panel Header Compatible, Compatible with Creative's Titanium Front Bay	7.1 Analog, TOSLink Optical Output, Intel HD Audio Front Panel Header Compatible, Compatible with Creative's Titanium Front Bay, TOSLink Optical Input
Optical Support	Dolby Digital Live, DTS Interactive, DTS:NEO	Dolby Digital Live
Price	$129.99	$139.99

Auzentech hasn’t strayed too far from Creative’s reference design in a majority of features listed on the Forte. Both utilize Creative’s updated EMU20K2 audio processor, as well as the same digital-to-analog converters for the rear panels. The EMU20K2 remains very close to the original chip used on the first generation of X-Fi cards, however the processor does feature native PCI-express support as well as some hardware bug fixes. Also, both cards have identical sampling rates for recording and playback. Finally, both cards support Dolby Digital Live optical support and CMSS3D stereo upmixing in place of Pro Logic II, Dolby Headphone, and Dolby Virtual Speaker. While the Forte may look like a low profile copy of the X-Fi Professional, it does change a few design features up a bit in an attempt to stand out from its reference brother.

One of the big features is the dedicated DAC for the front panel connectors, which functions separately from the CS4382 that powers the rear connectors. Auzentech also boasts an improved SnR on average over the vanilla X-Fi. Taking into account dedicated headphone users, Auzentech included swappable OPAMPs into the front panel headphone connector, allowing users to cater the Forte to their particular tastes. On the software side, Auzentech included DTS: Interactive and DTS:NEO support in addition to Dolby Digital Live. This gives the Forte more flexibility in regard to audio formats than the X-Fi Professional. Finally, the Forte supports both stereo and balanced microphones, which allows it to be used for professional recording should you choose.