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HDA Digital X Mystique 7.1 Gold
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music is a product of which we're big
fans. Not only is it a great sound card, but it overturned conventional
wisdom. Prior to its arrival, few people thought there would be any
point in paying £90 for a sound card, given the relatively high
standard of motherboard audio. Yet the X-Fi was an absolute revelation.
Not only did it supplant integrated sound, it even convinced me to
listen to my old 128Kb/sec Shed Seven MP3s again.
This month, we have another sound card hoping to overturn conventional
thinking and topple the reigning sound champion, the HDA Digital X
Mystique 7.1 Gold.
The question is whether it's worth saving money and opting for the
Mystique. The Mystique's box makes a big song and dance about the
card's Dolby Digital Live (DDL) abilities, and of the card's features,
it's certainly the 'Hey Jude' of the bunch. The Mystique has a Dolby
encoder, so it can take any audio source and output a digital
bitstream, which, if you have a Dolby Digital decoder connected,
results in true 5.1 audio. For DVDs, this feature isn't that useful, as
most discs already have Dolby Digital soundtrack ready for a decoder to
pick up. For music and games, though, it's potentially great, as it
means your speakers are fed discreet 5.1 audio, rather than having to
upmix. The X-Fi can't do this, so it seems like quite a big advantage
for the Mystique.
However, in order to get any use out of the DDL capability, you need
5.1 speakers and a Dolby Digital decoder, like the Logitech Z-5500
speakers. We connected the HDA to the Z-5500s using an optical cable,
and tested it against a PC equipped with an X-Fi. In Need For Speed:
Most Wanted, the HDA triumphed, producing superb and very precise
surround-sound effects. Our car's engine noise was rooted to the centre
speaker, while signposts and other cars whipped past in the left and
right satellites. The X-Fi wasn't quite as strong on the positional
audio - the effects were much more mixed together, with our car's
engine echoing through all the satellites.
In Battlefield 2, however, the X-Fi was superior. Battlefield 2 makes
great use of EAX Advanced HD 5, so the X-Fi can generate a
great-sounding battle. The Mystique's C-Media CMI8768+ chip is only
compatible with EAX1 and 2, so while it does a good job of job placing
sound effects in the satellite speakers, the game still runs in
'Software' audio mode, and doesn't provide the full range of effects.
When it came to music playback, the X-Fi came out on top: the 24-bit
Crystallizer really helps boost MP3s, although again, the Mystique
didn't put in a poor showing. The Dolby Digital encoder meant that it
filled our 5.1 speakers with crystal clear sound, and provided an
enveloping sound field.
As soon as we disconnected the Z-5500s and plugged in headphones, the
Mystique's performance plummeted. One of the X-Fi's best features is
CMSS-3D, a virtual speaker technology that works especially well if
you're using headphones. The Mystique offers a similar effect in its
control panel, allowing you to create a set of 7.1 virtual speakers,
but it sounds as if you've thrown a bunch of musicians down a large,
deep well. CMSS-3D is far more impressive.
The rest of the Mystique's control panel features a variety of options
that range from mildly and briefly entertaining to completely useless.
There's a karaoke button that quite effectively strips the vocals from
the music track that's currently playing, which could conceivably be
fun, and then there's a set of audio filters, such as Psychosis, that
ruin whatever you're listening to in a variety of ways.
As you'd expect from a card that features a Dolby Digital encoder, the
Mystique is well outfitted with both digital and analogue ports. There
are four analogue outputs for 7.1 sound and two 3.5mm mini-jacks for
input (microphone and line in), and two digital S/PDIF outputs, one
coaxial and one optical.
CONCLUSION
Unless you have 5.1 speakers and a Dolby Digital decoder, the Mystique
is useless, and you should buy an X-Fi. However, if you have the right
kit then the Mystique is worth considering, since, in some scenarios,
it's a worthy alternative to the X-Fi. There are no ASIO drivers, so it
isn't good for music production. It's great for DVD, as it has digital
outputs; it's good for music, although it isn't quite a match for the
X-Fi. The Mystique really shines in games though. The X-Fi has the edge
in games that use EAX4 or 5, but in other cases, the Mystique is
superior, and will really give your surround-sound speakers a workout,
providing a truly scintillating experience.
It's a shame that the Mystique isn't cheaper, and has so many caveats,
but at least there's now a viable alternative to the X-Fi for gamers.
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