Topic on Glossary talk:Sound card
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
- EAX1: indirectsound has a setting to toggle EAX 1 and 2
- EAX2: same
- EAX3: Check below. AdvancedHD logo/designation starts here. 64 simultaneous voices are the highlight and potentially suggest at least this version
- EAX4: These are pretty difficult to distinguish. Xonar GX's OverwritePolicy seems the only easy way to determine
- 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
- EAX1: VMware XP virtual machines uses an Ensoniq ES1371/ES1373 virtual audio device (aka Creative PCI128). Remember to install drivers.
- 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
- EAX3: I think that original Audigy series is the only one that ever had EAX 3 without EAX 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..)
- 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.