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Topic on Glossary talk:Sound card

Checking EAX feature level

One comment • 15:21, 20 July 2020 15:21, 20 July 2020
1
Mirh (talkcontribs)

The following are qualitative tests. This is different from looking to sound quality/accuracy.
They are just supposed to quickly point out whether EAX game setting can be enabled or not with X version.

ALchemy and 3Dsoundback can't be set to show the exact supported version, neither will work with OpenAL games

EDIT: indirectsound now logs queried EAX versions. Remember some games won't check for EAX 4/5 if EAX3 is not there (as indeed happen with this dll hack), but most times this should be enough EDIT2: DSOAL at least advertises EAX4, so its logging should be preferred
These were the previous methods

  1. EAX1: indirectsound has a setting to toggle EAX 1 and 2
  2. EAX2: same
  3. EAX3: Check below. AdvancedHD logo/designation starts here. 64 simultaneous voices are the highlight and potentially suggest at least this version
  4. EAX4: These are pretty difficult to distinguish. Xonar GX's OverwritePolicy seems the only easy way to determine
  5. EAX5: May be assumed if game supports more than 128 voices. Again, Xonar GX is the only easy switch

Having said that, please take note that if you have X version (but game supports up to or only X -1) no one can guarantee it will work (e.g. this happened to me with DSGX and EAX 4 with splinter cell: double agent)
On the other hand even if in-game setting can already be enabled with X version, nothing stop additional effects to be applied with X +1 without further notice.

And this is where quantitative analysis comes into play.
Quantitative means that audio output is accurately measured and compared.

Indirectsound has fake EAX support, thus it can't be used. And Asus GX's cannot be scientifically recorded.. so things get really tougher
  1. EAX1: VMware XP virtual machines uses an Ensoniq ES1371/ES1373 virtual audio device (aka Creative PCI128). Remember to install drivers.
  2. EAX2: Under Windows XP(bugged implementations aside) the majority of sound chips should reach this level, just make sure to check actual support with previous method
  3. EAX3: I think that original Audigy series is the only one that ever had EAX 3 without EAX 4..
  4. EAX4: Besides hacked drivers, story is similar, with Audigy 2 and 4 series though. ALchemy may be used, as long as exact EAX version has already been determined (except in OAL games..)
  5. EAX5: There's so few games using this that.. it's not such a big deal. Though if really questioned a X-Fi would be needed.
Edited 15:21, 20 July 2020 15:21, 20 July 2020