# X-fi Crystalizer: Complete Garbage?



## Duckydude

Yeah, it's completely useless, it was the first thing I disabled







. It's supposed to make the audio sound above studio quality as it says in it's description on the X-Fi site, this is obviously complete bull. Also, don't listen to music in anything other than Audio Creation Mode with bit-matched playback enabled, you thank me later







.


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## Stillhouse

Yep, I've never liked it myself. I can get better results from good EQ settings than the Crystalizer can muster.


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## CyberDruid

Yeah it's pretty much for really muddy crappy sounding tracks...pretty usesless if the source is already decent.


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## G|F.E.A.D|Killa

this is why i avoid Xfi cards. HT omega FTW.


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## ElMikeTheMike

Quote:


Originally Posted by *murcielago585* 
Does anybody else have an utmost hatred of the Crystalizer like I do. I have been running the crystalizer at 65% since I got my X-fi and lately I've been listening to some mp3's with a decent ammount of bass and found that everytime the song hit a low frequency for the bass is sounded terrible on both my Logitech X-540 speakers and my pair of ATH-A500's.

I decided to disable the crystalizer and now I'm in euphoria, it made a massive difference, especially on music with a lto fo bass. What is this feature supposed to do, I thought it was supposed to increasy sound quality from compressed audio, IMO is makes it worst. Anybody else find this feature ont he Xfi's useless?

The only thing I have the utmost hatred for is any product with the Creative label on it. Everything they make is garbage, from mp3 players to sound cards.

<------ too many bad experiences.


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## Murlocke

Sounds fine for MP3s/Games on my Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultras...

I turn it to 25% though... after that it does to much.


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## 98uk

I prefer it a lot more with my earbuds. The bass stays the same but it makes the higher notes much more crisp and sharp. It's like adding treble without the tinny effect.

Although, on large speakers it doesn't really help.


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## Duckydude

Quote:


Originally Posted by *G|F.E.A.D|Killa* 
this is why i avoid Xfi cards. HT omega FTW.

No... Auzentech FTW







.


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## murcielago585

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Duckydude* 
Yeah, it's completely useless, it was the first thing I disabled







. It's supposed to make the audio sound above studio quality as it says in it's description on the X-Fi site, this is obviously complete bull. Also, don't listen to music in anything other than Audio Creation Mode with bit-matched playback enabled, you thank me later







.

what does the bit-mtched playback do?


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## RonindeBeatrice

I use the crystallizer on my Z-5500's with my Prelude. It makes bluegrass shine.


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## Duckydude

Quote:


Originally Posted by *murcielago585* 
what does the bit-mtched playback do?

Here's the definition of bit-matched playback (For Creative and The Auzen X-Fi cards):

Quote:


Originally Posted by *digit-life.com*
It disables SRC and activates Auto Master Sample Rate - it's automatically set to the frequency of the currently played file (like in Envy24 sound cards). Interestingly, 192 kHz in the Master Clock list is not available.


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## RickJS

What is this crystallizer you guys are on about?


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## Duckydude

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RickJS* 
What is this crystallizer you guys are on about?


Quote:


Originally Posted by *Creative*
What is X-Fi Crystalizerâ„¢?

X-Fi Crystalizer instantaneously transforms your CDs and MP3s to crystal clear sound X-Fi Crystalizerâ„¢ analyses your audio file, identifies key elements that were lost or damaged during the compression process, and re-masters them using selective audio enhancement.

The mid-range and high-end (treble) becomes cleaner and clearer. Low-end (bass) frequencies are richer and more defined.

It's basically a load of bull in my opinion, it just artificially tries to make music (and other sound) sound much better.


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## purdueman

Well I personally think the X-Fi Crystalizer helps as I have lower end speakers.

Quote:

Thus, 24-bit Crystalizer will come in handy to owners of inexpensive acoustics or low end headphones, which automatically means insufficient LF and HF, as well as problems with medium frequency detailing. The good news for owners of high quality acoustics is that this technology can be easily disabled.
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/...tive-x-fi.html


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## CountChoculaBot

Question: what bit rate do you set bit matched playback to? I have it set to 48... should it be at 96 or something?


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## OmegaNemesis28

I like it at 50%.

>50% = static
<50% = nothing


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## DJ.BigBear

Crystalizer = OFF
Equalizer = OFF


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## Armadi110

tbh, id rather use the Crystalizer than f00kin SVM >


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## shajbot

SVM has its own usefulness. Don't bash it cuz you don't know how to use it.

But Crystalizer works fine for me at low %.


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## chanster

Noise sharpening DSP in Foodbar in BB's tute is much better than Crystallizer....


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## Sunburnti

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chanster* 
Noise sharpening DSP in Foodbar in BB's tute is much better than Crystallizer....

I agree. Someone on here helped me set up Foobar and the difference is amazing. Everytime someone comes over to my apartment I make them listen to my MP3's in Windows Media Player with the crystaliser and then I make them listen to Foobar with noise sharpening and they are blown away.

Although outside of Foobar I disagree with the crystalizer being useless. I think it actually does improve sound quality a decent bit.


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## thornygravy

I feel the crystallizer doesn't do much for me with music but helps with games that have low-quality wav files. Makes Gunshots footsteps and even voices sound more rich.


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## DJ.BigBear

gaming mode in X-Fi does require some out of ordinary audio settings....


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## GargantulaKon

Weird that most of you find no use for it and say that it makes it worse. I raised mine to 100% since it made my mp3s sound much clearer. Maybe Creative updated their drivers since the last time the posts were made.

Does it affects all sounds not just MP3s?


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## Conley

I use it occasionally. However, you shouldn't crank it to high %. Keep it at around 10-20% and it works pretty good. Makes songs a little punchier.


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## GargantulaKon

Weird because my music sounds punchier at 100% X-Fi Crystalization. I have Logitech Z-5500s running my MP3s through MediaMonkey. I have the Creative X-Fi Titanium.

How do I set up the Noise sharpening DSP in Foobar to see what people are talking about.


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## Stillhouse

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GargantulaKon* 
Weird that most of you find no use for it and say that it makes it worse. I raised mine to 100% since it made my mp3s sound much clearer. Maybe Creative updated their drivers since the last time the posts were made.

Does it affects all sounds not just MP3s?

It has zero to do with drivers. Very simply, you cannot "re-master"(as Creative puts it) what isn't there.


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## nathris

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Stillhouse* 
It has zero to do with drivers. Very simply, you cannot "re-master"(as Creative puts it) what isn't there.


Adobe would beg to differ.

I usually turn it off. Bit match sounds better most of the time, but Crystalizer really helps in some cases. It depends on your music as well as your speakers. Obviously someone listening to bass-heavy music with powerful speakers would turn it off.


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## Gref

Crystalizer ****s up any sound source thats "Good" or decent...the only thing it works on is if you're listening to 98kbps audio tracks I suppose.


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## Socom

Did you guys seriously revive a year old thread?


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## Sin100

hmm, I am unsure, it makes some songs sound more punchy (yeah, made that word up, but you know what I mean) and other songs really distorted.
Debating whether to turn it off or leave it on 15% and turn it off every time I put some songs on with heavy bass.

I think it's easier just to turn off.


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## AMOCO

i have mine set to 65% and i think i makes alot of my music sound better


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## Biscuits_N_Gravy

Don't use it if you listen to music on studio monitors, makes things sound horrible. Most of the time it will distort the quality of the music, making it sound different than it is supposed to be. Sure it will add some punch, but it usually adds way to much. You might as well turn it off if you have to run it at anything less than 15%.


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## HothBase

02-05-08









Anyway, I don't use it.


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## DK_mz

i personally use crystalizer @ 100% and master volume always @ less than 60% with EQ disabled on the player and enabled on the sound card, i think its great. have been using this way since the xfi elite pro came out 5 years ago or so


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## The Mad Mule

It's as effective as using a Band-Aid to cover up a bullet wound.


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## SlyFox

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Duckydude* 
Audio Creation Mode with bit-matched playback enabled

Only way to listen to music. Sounds wonderfull.


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## chinesekiwi

oh god...

Follow my X-fi tweak guide for music


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## DataMatrix

Sorry for reviving this, I just had to post my 2cents!









I have an Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 with Creative S750 and I use:

On the soundcard:
Game Mode
5.1 SVM Off
X-Fi CMSS-3D Surround 50%
X-Fi Crystalizer *100%*

On the speakers:
All channels 50% except for SUB which is at it's lowest.

I think the sound is BLOODY fantastic! The bass is not too bassy, just at my perfect taste and the treble is crisp.

I use these settings for everything and always get shivers down my spine with the sound quality.


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## sugiik

Quote:


Originally Posted by *purdueman* 
Well I personally think the X-Fi Crystalizer helps as I have lower end speakers.

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/...tive-x-fi.html

this what i think crystalizer for...
low end speaker, and bad source...

but remember if u have good speaker, good headphone,good source don't use ittt....

i've listen to it over and over via. my ultrasone hfi580, the sound are become baddd (even @25% crystalizer on my prelude, with itunes .m4a song)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Biscuits_N_Gravy* 
Don't use it if you listen to music on studio monitors, makes things sound horrible. Most of the time it will distort the quality of the music, making it sound different than it is supposed to be. Sure it will add some punch, but it usually adds way to much. You might as well turn it off if you have to run it at anything less than 15%.

definitely agree with this....

old thread,but nice talk here....


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## astrallite

As I understand it, the Crystalizer is to artificially add some highs and lows to an audio signal, and is meant to be used for low bit-rate mp3s (~128) which most encoders utilize the "karate chop" method of simply brick walling low bass and removing all output above a certain frequency--perhaps 14 or 15KHz.

At higher bitrates the chopping is less utilized, so using it on say, 320kbps mp3s wouldn't do anything other than distort the sound.


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## chinesekiwi

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DataMatrix* 
Sorry for reviving this, I just had to post my 2cents!









I have an Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 with Creative S750 and I use:

On the soundcard:
Game Mode
5.1 SVM Off
X-Fi CMSS-3D Surround 50%
X-Fi Crystalizer *100%*

On the speakers:
All channels 50% except for SUB which is at it's lowest.

I think the sound is BLOODY fantastic! The bass is not too bassy, just at my perfect taste and the treble is crisp.

I use these settings for everything and always get shivers down my spine with the sound quality.

As I said, follow my guide.


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## DataMatrix

Quote:


Originally Posted by *astrallite* 
As I understand it, the Crystalizer is to artificially add some highs and lows to an audio signal, and is meant to be used for low bit-rate mp3s (~128) which most encoders utilize the "karate chop" method of simply brick walling low bass and removing all output above a certain frequency--perhaps 14 or 15KHz.

At higher bitrates the chopping is less utilized, so using it on say, 320kbps mp3s wouldn't do anything other than distort the sound.

I agree to some extent. However even at 320kbps there is still loss which Crystallizer would improve.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chinesekiwi* 
As I said, follow my guide.

No. I like CMSS-3D, I don't want to lose it for "bit-matched playback". Personally I think it is worse. PS: Don't know what your guide says because the link is dead but I assumed this is what you were referring to.


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## chanster

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DataMatrix* 
I agree to some extent. However even at 320kbps there is still loss which Crystallizer would improve.

No. I like CMSS-3D, I don't want to lose it for "bit-matched playback". Personally I think it is worse. PS: Don't know what your guide says because the link is dead but I assumed this is what you were referring to.

In a nutshell, it amplifies certain aspects of an audio files dynamic range, which restores some amounts of detail that are "lost" during audio compression and conversion . . . really, the information isn't lost, it just becomes buried amoungst everything else.

The crystallizer feature works best with compressed audio (like mp3s) and game audio (as most in game audio is compressed), but it tend to detract from audio quality when using it with high bitrate files. This is where upsampling works better.


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## Bagheera

Ah, so much rants from people who have NO Idea what they are talking about. Please read up on the technology itself before spewing your blind hatred all over the Internet - Wikipedia is your friend.

Yes I agree Creative is horrible when it comes to their drivers and tech support, but this doesn't necessarily mean their product is garbage. Also, there seems to be a mass misunderstanding of what the Crystalizer function actually does.

The Crystalizer function does NOT repair damages done to an audio file due to lossy compression - what it does is restoring the dynamic range of the audio that is lost due to dynamic range compression (a popular technique done during sound mastering to improve the "perceived" volume of the recording). If you aren't sure what dynamic range compression is - just turn on SVM on your X-Fi - the SVM function does exactly that (meaning if you have both SVM and Crystalizer turned on, you are an idiot).

The "distortion" mentioned by the OP is simply his sound output peaking (likely because he turned the volume up to 100% in software while enabling the Crystalizer function) - this is a very common symptom in audio systems and anyone who actually has experience working with sound would know exactly what to do: Reduce the source volume. In fact, setting the output volume on the soundcard to 80% will allow you to turn the Crystalizer function all the way up to 100% without distorting the audio.

As for whether or not Crystalizer actually improves the sound quality of your music? That really is a matter of preference. Keep in mind: This feature does not actually "fix" any damage to the audio due to encoding. It only attempts to "restore" dynamic range to give the music more fidelity and depth. As far as I can tell (I think I have pretty good ears, anyway), Crystalizer does make the music much more lively - instruments (especially percussive) have much more definition and vocals are clearer. Personally, I like it - but this doesn't mean the sound is "better". The Crystalizer does alter how the source material sounds - a well-mastered soundtrack will do fine without it (though those are a rarity these days - this generation of audio technicians all compete to make the "loudest" sound possible rather than quality sound. In this case, when the source material from your CD or movies are crap, well... I'd say turn on that Crystalizer)


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## chinesekiwi

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/multimedia/creative-x-fi.html

scroll to '24-bit Crystalizer'.

Ok end thread.


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## unity100

I just registered in order to post this.

IF you have an acceptable quality speaker which can provide mid and high range sounds (actually most of the audible audio when you listen to music), then you have to have crystalizer.

it may be sound blaster's crystalizer, or it may be any DSP software's crystalizer, or it may be the crystalizer of a media player like audacious (available in windows too), but you have to have a crystalizer.

else, you are just listening to loud/booming bass pumped up bull**** that was dynamically compressed in order to fool more idiots into buying something because it sounds loud.

i actually have a few thousand $ worth pioneer rack in my house - with high quality speakers that are in themselves 500 or more worth each.

yet, with crystalizer with x-fi x-treme music (note, even that's an old card actually), altec lansing fx6021 (an old but very high quality speaker set that imitates concert arrays with 12 x microdrives), and srs audio sandbox (another DSP - postprocessor that enhances sound), i have never ever turned the pioneer deck on in 3 years' time.

yes, the sound quality became so much better. even so that, i am now hearing what i was not able to hear before - the sound the solist's lips made while singing the song, the breathing sound of the pianist -> imagine how good sound quality has become since so much 'silent' noises which were killed by dynamic range compression in a bastardly record studio are back.

however, if you have an average pc 'multimedia/surround/movie' set crap that can only produce booming bass even if they are priced in high $700 range, you wont get much out of these as sound quality.

it is a fault buying such crap and then expecting sound quality in the first place - they were made for movies that would have a lot of booming effects to awe the foolish movie watcher into stupor.

altec lansing fx6021 and its product line is unfortunately not produced by altec lansing anymore. the ignorant demand for 'oooh huge bass' movie 7.1 sets and the 'oooh cool shiny looking speaker' (thanks apple) enthusiasm in the market has overcome the demand for sound quality in pc speaker market. my friend has not bought these when i told him to back then, and now after hearing to my speakers, he is still searching to buy one for around 2-3 years.

however it is still possible to find 2nd hand ones in places like amazon :

http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-PT6021-Panel-Speakers/dp/B000LTKFDW/ref=sr_1_76?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312329362&sr=1-76]Amazon.com: Slim Flat Panel Speakers: Electronics[/URL]

(check out the reviews below in that page)

alternatively, harman kardon soundstick can also be used :






it has 2 less microdrivers per column than altec lansing fx6021, however, it still would provide much better sound quality than the bass box bull**** out there.

............

if you dont have a x-fi sound card so you can use crystalizer from the driver, you can still achieve that by using a dsp like srs audio sandbox. also, you can use a crystalizer plugin like audacious media player's plugin.

audacious is a linux player that completely duplicates winamp, but its also possible to use it in windows, available from the below official forum win builds link :

http://boards.audacious-media-player.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=491

(just download, put to a folder and run the binary in /bin).

............................

sound quality is most paramount - dynamic range compression, KILLS audio. it removes silent/low/ inaudible voices, totally removing fidelity from any recording. moreover, ears get tired if they listen to dynamic compressed sound for long, because ear gets constantly under bombardment with no low/silent volume ranges being present in the recording. in contrast, classic music pieces are never recorded with dynamic range compression. go figure.

i hope this will be of help to people who are confused with what a crystalizer does. crystalizers are things that we unfortunately need, and will need, as long as big recording companies who dont give a damn about sound quality and instead produce booming loud recordings to sell more to the fools exist.


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## edo101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *chinesekiwi;8586589*
> oh god...
> 
> Follow my X-fi tweak guide for music


link not working

and OT, when i had my titanium HD, my songs sounded wierd with Crystaliser so i turned that **** down.

I prefer Entertainment mode for movies and songs over Audio Creation. Yes I like my songs sounding richer (with more bass as well) than flat.


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## Draygonn

Wow, this thread has seen some major necros. I don't use crystalizer for music but I have used it for gaming.


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## paulerxx

Mine's set at 15%.


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## linkin93

I use the Crystalliser on 100%, because despite my best efforts, most of my music is still 320k MP3's. It really brings out the detail if you have good cans/speakers, or at least decent ones. It brings out the highs and the mids, and tightens up the bass as well. Of course, it all depends on the recording and how it sounds.

One album for example that does not need the crystalliser would be the black album from metallica, it sounds extremely tinny with the crystalliser. But for all my other music it really sounds better with the crystalliser.


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## HothBase

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *edo101;14445555*
> link not working


CK Presents: X-fi Sound Tweak Guide For Music (Version 3.5)


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## Skrillex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *linkin93;14445822*
> I use the Crystalliser on 100%, because despite my best efforts, most of my music is still 320k MP3's. It really brings out the detail if you have good cans/speakers, or at least decent ones. It brings out the highs and the mids, and tightens up the bass as well. Of course, it all depends on the recording and how it sounds.
> 
> One album for example that does not need the crystalliser would be the black album from metallica, it sounds extremely tinny with the crystalliser. But for all my other music it really sounds better with the crystalliser.


I think it fades the bass to be honest. Don't get me wrong the benefits you get from it are awesome with the highs and pitch but it seams to underpower the bass slightly.

Speaking from a pair of Denon AH-D7000's as well with FLAC/320mp3 so I have decent files and phones'.


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## EpicPie

Why are you guys reviving a hella old thread? lol


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## Skrillex

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EpicPie;14446444*
> Why are you guys reviving a hella old thread? lol


I love me some of dat necro.


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## Eugenester

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but is Crystalizer similar to the "compressed music enhancer" crap found in modern receivers?


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## linkin93

Not sure as I don't own any receivers...

But, without fiddling with the EQ, it improves MP3's, that's for sure. Everyone is different, so maybe you won't like it. Personally I like clarity in my music/games, as in, being able to hear everything, nothing overpowers anything else, well balanced. The crystalliser seems to do that for me.

As for thread necro, these cards are still being bought and sold, and the features still work, and this is one big thread instead of twenty other threads asking the same question.


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## HothBase

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *EpicPie;14446444*
> Why are you guys reviving a hella old thread? lol


Bumping old threads should only be looked down upon when nothing of use is added to the discussion, or if the thread is in the news section. This is neither of the two scenarios.


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## edo101

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase;14446322*
> CK Presents: X-fi Sound Tweak Guide For Music (Version 3.5)


I would like to increase the bass in my songs...(i'm a bass head and I can't mess with the bass with Audio creation mode)


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## HWI

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *HothBase;14446322*
> CK Presents: X-fi Sound Tweak Guide For Music (Version 3.5)


Thanks for the link. +rep


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## digitally

20-25% volume with 100% crystalizer.


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## Nixuz

I use it a bit, seems good for some files/apps.
I have no idea why people get so worked up about "intended" sound. The only way to really get it would be to build a professional level studio and then have the actual artist/producer come over and set the levels.


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## unity100

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Skrillex;14446420*
> I think it fades the bass to be honest. Don't get me wrong the benefits you get from it are awesome with the highs and pitch but it seams to underpower the bass slightly.
> 
> Speaking from a pair of Denon AH-D7000's as well with FLAC/320mp3 so I have decent files and phones'.


yes indeed. this is why i especially mentioned the speakers i am using.

most of the speakers for pc are geared for surround functions. and therefore has discrete small satellites that can only offer a certain range, and a big woofer to put out bass.

people use these, and when they hear booming bass and rather bassy midtones they think they have 'it'. and when they pump their volume and shake da house without distorting sound, they go blazing.

im not even mentioning the fools who think having a higher number for X in X.1 is 'higher quality' audio.

however this kills music quality. in reality there is a huge spectrum of sounds in all but few music recordings. a lot of sounds are lost with the current speaker understanding for pcs.

the speakers i am using intends to replicate concert environments in mini scale, and succeeds in that. the alternative would be to go buy speakers made for audiophiles after concert array speaker logic, but this would be expensive.

with such separately driven array speakers, sounds are reproduced in higher fidelity to originals, and also end up in clearer playback because they are divided into array's speakers each and played back - you will notice sounds you never noticed before.

the benefits with a crystalizer (or, more properly 'dynamic range expander') would not be too much with a X.1 set that was made for surround more than sound quality itself. this includes logitech 5500.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Eugenester;14446480*
> Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but is Crystalizer similar to the "compressed music enhancer" crap found in modern receivers?


first, the technical term is 'dynamic range expander', and second,

it is not crap.

almost all the music you have out since 1970s, have this ailment that is named 'dynamic range compression'.

as i told my in earlier post in this thread, dynamic range compression is a technology to LOSE more 'silent' sounds (sounds that were not too loud while recording) and make the audio appear much louder.

reason for the corporate music industry employing this practice at large was that, it was found out that louder music stood out more in radio, and sold more. it settled since 70s, and we have been listening to REAL crap since those times.

let me put it in layman's terms - dynamic range compression diminishes any sound that was not as loud as desired, and decreases nuances in the song. basically, you LOSE some sound ranges.

the result is a MUDDIER sound.

one of my friends was into movies, music with dedicated high quality speakers and rig. when i rather forced him to get a dsp (srs audio sandbox) and push the 'Definition' setting on it to max (its actually a dynamic range expander, aka crystalizer), he was flabbergasted and said 'all this time we were listening to music as if it was muddy'. and notice - he has a good rig, good speaker system (much better than 5500 or stuff) and has high quality recordings.

Dynamic Range Expanders, despite it is impossible for them to truly restore sound ranges that were killed in dynamic range compression (thank you, music industry), tries to restore some of that by pumping up ranges known to be generally killed during recording.

which is a Good Thing (TM). very, very good thing.

however no - you wont have much kick out of any kind of Crystalizer/Dynamic Range Expander in your TV set's in-built speakers, or crappy speakers. it is probably why you are calling Dynamic Range expanders 'crap' without knowing in detail about them.

However also notice that almost 80% of flat screen panels that are sold, use SRS audio sandbox versions. it wouldnt be put in all these expensive tvs if it didnt work at all.

.............

granted, not all recordings were muddied by dynamic range compression. it is not used in classic music recordings for example. however for any kind of mainstream music, unfortunately the chances are high that it was used, and its still being used.

so, you may need to adjust your crystalizer depending on the particular music piece you are listening to. a certain song may benefit much more from it than some other song.

however, any song that went through dynamic range compression, will benefit from it.

............

im using both crystalizer at 100%, and srs audio sandbox definition level at full.

depending on song i also employ equalizer to boost various ranges.


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## unity100

I also would like to mention that the effect of crystalizer can be produced with various DSPs.

For example, Installing Yegor's VST adapter, then chaining the following VST plugins from antress modern plugins with it, reaches a similar effect with some bit of tweaking :

Modern Expander
Modern Exciter

especially, expander restores dynamically compressed sound ranges, and exciter bumps up the higher or lower frequencies in the audio stream. Pumping up the high frequencies a bit in the exciter's control panel brings the sound with m-audio fast track pro quite closer to an x-fi with crystalizer. (both are installed as of now, and i have been testing, as you can imagine).

I have not yet been able to get full grasp of the expander, i believe when i do, it the resulting stream will be much better.


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## staryoshi

I'm going to add another bump to this old but relevant thread







I just got my titanium and this thread has actually proved a bit useful. I am using game mode with the crystalizer at 15% until I figure out how to configure it more thoroughly. I'll be looking into CK's write-up, too.


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## dmasteR

About to try out that Guide that was posted, now is there one for the "gaming mode" as well?


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## mtbiker033

I just followed Chinesekiwi's guide for setting up my X-fi Titanium HD in audio creation mode.

when I enable ASIO output, I get like distortion popping so I have to set it back to direct sound. It does sound really good in audio creation mode for music, using winamp pro equalizer!

other than that it's great.

I also was wondering if there was a set-up guide for gaming mode.


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## Blameless

IMO, Creative hasn't made a really compelling sound card since the AWE32/64, which had some of the best MIDI (not quite as good as n MPU-401, but it was much less expensive) for DOS games back in the mid 90s. I have used more recent Creative products, but looking back on it, I probably shouldn't have.

I don't use manufacturer software control panels for audio. I haven't see a single setting in any of them that was worth anything. I typically just install my audio drivers through device manager, use Windows sound properties for basic settings, and for music I just use kernel streaming or ASIO to bypass the Windows sound layer completely. Any other tuning that needs to be done, I do in hardware.


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## mtbiker033

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blameless;14795950*
> IMO, Creative hasn't made a really compelling sound card since the AWE32/64, which had some of the best MIDI (not quite as good as n MPU-401, but it was much less expensive) for DOS games back in the mid 90s. I have used more recent Creative products, but looking back on it, I probably shouldn't have.
> 
> I don't use manufacturer software control panels for audio. I haven't see a single setting in any of them that was worth anything. I typically just install my audio drivers through device manager, use Windows sound properties for basic settings, and for music I just use kernel streaming or ASIO to bypass the Windows sound layer completely. Any other tuning that needs to be done, I do in hardware.


I'm using winamp pro and downloaded the ASIO plug-in but when I enable it I get strange popping/crackling and go back to direct sound?


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## Blameless

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mtbiker033;14795975*
> I'm using winamp pro and downloaded the ASIO plug-in but when I enable it I get strange popping/crackling and go back to direct sound?


Sounds like a bad plug-in or a sound card without proper ASIO support.

Have your tried a kernel streaming plug-in instead?


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## 3dfxvoodoo

I love it
I set it at 100%


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## mtbiker033

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Blameless;14796005*
> Sounds like a bad plug-in or a sound card without proper ASIO support.
> 
> Have your tried a kernel streaming plug-in instead?


I can't seem to find the plug in for this to install it, all the links in the guide are dead. I'm going to google it now and try to find it.


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## unity100

since i posted in this thread, i acquired an m audio fast track pro sound card (usb).

i also bought a sb hd digital music premium usb or something (sb's non 5.1 usb card).

i can say that, fast track pro, naturally surpasses the sb usb hd premium, since it is an audio recording grade card.

if i forcibly resample the stream to 96 khz, the fast track can keep up and bring crystal clear audio, but sb usb despite being sold as 96 khz capable device, does not. stutters.

in any case, in relevance to this thread, i would like to stress the importance of the sound card - can quality in regard to these kind of things like crystalizer.

also, since then i had done some amount of research, and found out that crystalizer, srs audio enhancer and stuff are generally based on the 'exciters' that were found in 1970s amps. exciters bump up high and low ranges in a stream, in order to bring up the audio richness.

i used some vsts for foobar2000, and fooled around the exciter vst quite a bit. and actually many more other vsts ( i chained them ). i saw that, with good cans and card, these vsts/dsps can bring audio quality up a lot .

i also want to note that, a lot of the consumer devices now use enhancers/crystalizers like this. especially the SRS lab's stuff is found in a lot of flat panels, and even devices like asus's ee pad transformer. (their transforming tablet-netbook).


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## Tinton

Sorry for reviving a 3 year old thread, but I had to post about this.

I've got a X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro and I used to think Crystalizer was bunk. Then my Z-5500's died and I've had to use earbuds and ****ty speakers.

Crystalizer actually works. It doesn't remaster it or something like Creative says, but it does work. It seems to clear up some of the background noise/static/artifacts and make different parts of the audio sound stronger. It works well on lower bitrate mp3s, but I was surprised to find it also works well on flac 24/96 vinyl rips. It clears up the background hissing or w/e and pops and cracks. Vinyl rips typically sound kinda muffled unless you've got strong speakers. It doesn't work well for CD quality flac though, makes it sound too strong/unnatural. Though I think it really makes vinyl rips shine, to the point they sound better through crystalizer than CD quality flac does untouched. Crystalizer also works well for making audio sound "strong" on weak speakers, emulating a much better sound system. Makes my ultimate ears sound similar to my Z-5500's XD, at least as far as my auditory nerve is concerned. From what I remember of running Crystalizer on my Z-5500's though it didn't sound right, so it has limits, it didn't make them sound any better.

BTW you don't necessarily need Audio Creation mode and bit-matched playback. Supposedly, DirectSound won't resample if the input matches the setting in windows. So 24-bit 96khz files won't be resampled if you set it to 24/96 in windows. I used to think you needed to use ASIO and bitmatched playback to do that but apparently not. Though ASIO and bit-matched still access the API directly and provide excellent latency, so they're not useless.


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## rymn

Old thread, but update, sounds great with Klipsch! It's very similar to tuning eq, but seems to do a little more.. bass sounds fine, but then again maybe it's changed a little in 8 years


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## rymn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *rymn*
> 
> Old thread, but update, sounds great with Klipsch! It's very similar to tuning eq, but seems to do a little more.. bass sounds fine, but then again maybe it's changed a little in 8 years


I should have mentioned I'm using Klipsch Creative One and Status; both headphones


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