So Much for that Front Panel
Posted 12/05/07 at 08:00:48 PM | by David Murphy
Oh, Creative. This has not been the week for you.
About a week or so ago, I came upon the startling realization that no sound was coming from my computer. It's a great feeling, especially when you haven't touched a single bit of the case for God-knows-how-long. Rudimentary physics tells us that in the absence of meddling, external stimuli, or cats, an object in a particular state should stay in that state forever. Seriously, it's science.
In theory, the same should hold true with geeky pursuits. If I haven't messed with my computer's internals, and have tread nowhere near the special cords that attach to its butt, then why -- oh why -- would sound stop coming out of my computer speakers?
I never did figure out what the problem was. I'd unplug and replug the front speaker cord, which fixed the issue a little bit and let me go back to enjoying my massive iTunes library. It was but a brief comfort. A few days later, no amount of unplugging or jiggling would give me a sustained bit of sound from the speakers. Not unless I sat behind my case and physically held the wires at a few particular angles. Alas, my cat could not be trained to do the same, so this idea was scrapped in favor of replacing the semi-functioning card.
I decided to swap my Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Awesomeness WooHah (I didn't think the name was long enough) for its fatter brother, a Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro Series (just right) sound card. The installation was as easy as a sound card installation could be, and I now get fully functioning sound from my speakers one-hundred percent of the time. Mission accomplished.
Sort-of.
For while I have fully functioning audio coming from the rear of my case, I now have front panel audio jacks that are utterly worthless. Creative, in its infinite wisdom, decided not to include any connection mechanism for front-panel case audio with the Fatal1ty series of cards. The little jack is right there on the XtremeGamer -- I almost wish I could solder it right off one card and onto the other. But alas, I will never be able to plug my headphones into the handy front part of my case. I'll now have to go behind the case each time, unplug all the speakers, plug in the headphones, then reverse the process when I'm done fragging Will and Friends in Team Fortress 2.
Sigh.
I'm not sure why Creative wouldn't slap such a useful and important feature onto a sound card. Perhaps they want to encourage more support for their proprietary 5.25"-bay i/o drives. Maybe they just hate freedom. Either way, buyer beware -- be sure to check the exact technical configuration of your sound card prior to purchase, else you might end up with a bunch of wires that now have nowhere to go. Frown.
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OK, I know this subject has
Submitted by yogurt80 on Fri, 2008-04-11 08:00
OK, I know this subject has been dead for a while, but I was wondering if anyone found a way to get front panel audio connected to the fatal1ty card. Maybe from the AD link port? I have a HTPC I recently built into a silverstone case. I acctually have two sets of front panel ports, because I have a card reader installed which also has HD audio jacks. I'd love to be able to use at least one set for my headphones, and don't want anything I have to plug into the back of the unit and rub back out the front. I do have the 5.25" front bay, but I'm not using it because I already have 2 dvd drives hooked up.
Fatal1ty Case
Submitted by KainAzeroth on Sun, 2007-12-23 13:28
Doesn't the Fatal1ty brand case have front panel audio connectors? I thought Fatal1ty personally approved these things, tsk tsk tsk. Honestly, I'd never buy anything with the Fatal1ty name on it even if it was better and less expensive.
Submitted by Ottore on Wed, 2007-12-12 04:38
Hi David and everyone else here:
Creative actually stopped releasing products with proprietary interface.
Instead all of their new sound cards have standard front panel connectors. Chronologically, David, you did not upgrade but you "downgraded" to the Fatal1ty card. Latest cards such as Xtreme Gamer and XtremeAudio (PCI and PCI Express) have standard front panel connectors already. Sure Fatal1ty is not any worse then Gamer card, quite contrary, but it is an older product afaik.
I wish all cards had both Intel HD FP and creative FP connectors. I have an old drive bay (creative FP) that I want to use with PCI Express X-Fi but have to figure out how..
Submitted by the hapless gamer on Sat, 2007-12-08 08:28
I use Plantronics handy little hocky puck size speaker switcher that allows me to go from headphones to my speaker setup with just a push of the button, right next to my keyboard.
Still, I agree that Creative should understand much of their products are for DiYer's like me so I can wire up my front case sound ports (if any) to my X-FI soundcard
Can do what i do and buy a
Submitted by Kerzon on Fri, 2007-12-07 07:52
Why not just go and buy a USB mio/headphone and plug it into a front USB port on your computer or keyboard.
Problem solved.
Submitted by DRAGONWEEZEL on Thu, 2007-12-06 15:57
Here's the link to the "new" version where the volume control works on the headset too!
http://www.buy.com/prod/logitech-x-540-speaker-system-5-1-channel/q/loc/111/202985108.html
THERE ARE ONLY 11 TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD. Those that think binary jokes are funny, those that don't, and those that don't know binary
Submitted by nsvander on Thu, 2007-12-06 18:07
If you wont want to reach to the nether regions behind your case, and you dont want to wire into the AD-Ext connector pins, why dont you give this little cable from Front-X a try.
http://www.frontx.com/pro/p090_036.html
Submitted by DRAGONWEEZEL on Thu, 2007-12-06 15:23
That is what I do, I have the Logitec x-530 set. The only problem I have is that the volume control on the speaker does nothing for the headphones. When you plug in headphonese it simply cuts out the speakers and jumps you up to line volume.
Outside of that caveat, in my opionion these things rock! They are not the loudest set in the world, but I am rarely allowed to play at that kind of volume anyway. But by far the best 5.1 system I have seen for the dollar. (about $65 is what I paid)
THERE ARE ONLY 11 TYPES OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD. Those that think binary jokes are funny, those that don't, and those that don't know binary
Submitted by maxpcrocks on Thu, 2007-12-06 13:51
Wouldn’t BE easier to get speakers that have a headphone jack?
Submitted by Shalbatana on Thu, 2007-12-06 12:05
I feel your pain... sort of.
My front mic port is on the fritz. It wouldn't be a problem, but my headset only has about three inches from where the mic and audio jacks split.
I have a short jumper running around the back for now. If I can't fix port, I'll just wire this jumper internally.
If you want both, the solution is called a Y-cable. Sucks that it's needed, but it works.
P.S. Dave - remember with computers, sometimes "you get what you pay [more] for."
Submitted by HeartBurnKid on Thu, 2007-12-06 11:37
What does the X-Fi Fatal1ty series provide that the regular X-Fi does not?
I'm just a little curious as to why this upgrade was done at all.
EDIT: Pays to RTFA, I guess... didn't realize the old card was introducing noise.
Submitted by LouisGi on Thu, 2007-12-06 07:38
Creative's refusal to provide standard headers for front panel connectivity on their soundcards is infuriating.
I solved the problem by using components from FrontX. They're a tad flimsy, but they work.
Submitted by nsvander on Wed, 2007-12-05 22:40
I am wondering if you could reverse engineer the connectors on the AD_Ext port on the card that work with a Live drive? I am sure that with an ohm meter, the card removed from the comp, and a live drive that you could ohm out the headphone circuitry to the drive and then find what ports it connects to on the card?
Submitted by MrBlonde81 on Thu, 2007-12-06 00:26
There is a way to get headphone and mic from the small 1x10 connector on side of the SB X-Fi Xtreme Music and Audigy 2ZS cards I own. I used instructions from http://audigy2zshowto.blogspot.com/ and a few other sources I found on google. Unfortunaly my crimping didn't work well, so next I'm going to try solder.
re: MrBlonde81
Submitted by TheMurph on Thu, 2007-12-06 12:27
Ahh yes, I've seen those. But the last thing I want to do is crimp cables for a functionality that should already be built into the damn card. At least, this is the first Creative card I've ever used that *hasn't* had some kind of easy front-panel solution.
I suppose I'll just have to get the freakin' accessory kit, or whatnot.
that is a little sad
Submitted by whelderwheels613 on Wed, 2007-12-05 19:12
that is a little sad concidering that Creative knows that thousands of people all over have modded and created an adapter to fit on that connector. i have a working one, taking the glorious sound of the X-Fi to my front panel poerts, so i can listen to the ear candy without having to reach around to the back of the box, and to wander through a jungle cables, in order to listen to the sweet sound of BF2 in its full glory. I will take notice of this.
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