ESI Prodigy X-Fi NRG
Contents
1. High Quality 24 bit 6kHz pe PCI us onian User s Guide ESI Copyright 2010 Revision 1 February 2010 www esi audio com ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG INDEX PS TRC POCUCUION Sn sde ttes ant entes sens n den ent tn e de pen e EOR 4 2 SY SUCTIVAIR COUIPOTING HUES ER tit 4 SoC ONMCCCOI AY OU orisii eaae aE eE oar AEAEE EEEE she trente 5 Hardware UNS CAN ALION ess is NAE NONE 6 Al Preparation fOr Hardware Installationen A aac aca eg aie ee ae eee 6 42 PCIE CA Iaa 0 a ene eee Rene He RU rt E NOTE 7 Ds SOP W ae nstallati OM ssl esse tie este etes tbe e redonne 8 6 Connection DATA Sn AA aider t ttes 10 7 Functions of control panel Software ssccccccssssssssscccccsccccssssssssssssssssscccccccccsssssssssssseceees 11 WM MAUS UATINTANS IN Console sigh ces ha asec mL dde NN a ne 11 12 Audio C ONTOL PIDE ESS ASS AR ennui an Ro 15 7 3 Karaoke PIAYET nn 16 7 4 Creative ALchemy Windows Vista amp Windows 7 ssssscccccccccceeeeeusssssssssseeecceeeececeseeeesesaaasassseeeeeseseeeeaaaas 16 8 FAQ Frequently Asked Questions sscsccsccccssssssssssssccccccccsssssssscccccssccsssssssssccsssssssssssssees 17 D ODECHICAHONS N EAE EITTEA EIE E SEIRE E TEE TA EIIE PEETS 19 10 General IN TOEMATION nn teen SEA E 19 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG 1 Introduction Thank you for choosing the ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG Prodigy X Fi NRG is a PCIe PCI Express audio interface providing more stable and higher bandwidth than usua2. Console Jacks FlexiJack Mode Speaker Jack Detection FlexiJack 1 i e Front Left Front Right Line In V0 CY Side Left Side Right Microphone gues Front Center Subwoofer Rear Left Rear Right Le Main Display Volume Default Us ve Performance Windows XP The playback resolution and sample rate can be set as 48 96kHz and 16 24bit depending on your requirements under Windows XP Entertainment Console Performance Lets you customize high performance audio computing on your system Higher sampling rate and bit depth produce best audio quality while lower sampling rate and bit depth achieve best performance Master Sampling Rate Bit Depth 96 kHz 24 Bits Le Main Display Master Volume Default n gt g are De re Under Windows Vista and Windows 7 these settings can be done in the audio device properties in the Windows Control Panel 7 2 Audio Control Panel The Audio Control Panel configuration screen can be accessed from the Volume Panel control panel It provides basically the same functions as the Entertainment Console in a traditional Windows style dialog box It is shown on the following picture 15 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG E Audio Control Panel Select Device BS Prodigy X Fi NRG _ Fi Crystalizer Headphone Detection Performance Restore Defaults Device Information Speakers EAX Effects API CMS 5 30 Wave Device Prodigy amp Fl WRG MIDI Device
3. Creative SoundFont synthesizer Mixer Device Prodigy amp Fl NRG 7 3 Karaoke Player The Karaoke Player can be accessed from the Volume Panel control panel It allows you to play files change tempo and add microphone effects P KARAOKE PLAYER Voice Suppress E 00 00 00 Please add track to Song List and play Time Scaling 0 Mic Effects 0 Mic Vol ist Ci Lyri a s i pame Song List g4 Lyrics Ua C 6 4 3 2 1 O l 2 3 4 5 6 ee Mons re EF 4 OO CPO ASS NUL AS Microphone monitoring is deactivated in default in Windows XP but can be activated by launching Karaoke Player Functions like microphone effect and microphone volume are not fully supported in Windows Vista amp Windows 7 7 4 Creative ALchemy Windows Vista amp Windows 7 The Creative ALchemy control panel is an application for Windows Vista amp Windows 7 provided to use EAX function through OpenAL As by default Windows Vista amp Windows 7 does not provide EAX functionality due to limitations in DirectSound 3D compared to Windows XP providing EAX 16 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG functionality via OpenAL is the solution To launch it go to Start gt Programs gt Creative gt Creative ALchemy The following dialog will appear Creative ALchemy No supported games detected Default Software Update It automatically shows a list of supported games that are installed on your computer To use it select a game you want to pl
4. 1 channels A Check 5 1 Speaker in Entertainment Console activate CMSS 3D and Stereo Expansion Q What if I cannot listen to the 5 1 channels during movie playback A To separate the sound of the 5 1 channel speaker check 5 Channel Speaker in Entertainment Console and set the configuration of your movie playback software to 5 1 channel speakers as well 17 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG In some cases a special codec filter might be needed for your playback software Check the manual of your movie playback software for details Q What do I need to check for 5 1 playback AC3 DTS via the digital output A 5 1 channel is supported for playbacks of Dolby Digital AC3 and DTS format 5 1 channel movies as well as DVD through digital output setting in movie player programs Set the movie player as a digital output device and sample rate as 48kHz Select S PDIF Output or Use External Decoder for output of the movie player program In some cases a special codec filter might be needed for your playback software Check the manual of your movie playback software for details Under Windows Vista amp Windows 7 the Dolby Digital and DTS file types in Audio Device Properties should be checked Q What do I need to check when exchanging OPAMPs A Included in the Prodigy X Fi NRG for the front and headphone outputs is the NE5532 OPAMP It is on a socket and replaceable so that you can enjoy your own sound taste by replacing it with another Check th
5. Enhances musical dynamics by emphasizing sharp percussive sounds and transients creating a punchier and more dynamic listening experience 8 Minimum Default Maximum Le Main Display Master Volume 0 Default ane De FES re EQ The EQ Equalizer allows you to adjust the sound in frequency bands in the range of 31Hz 16kHz There are 10 prepared presets with different settings and you can save your own configurations as well 13 Prodigy X Fi NRG ESI Entertainment Console EQ Presets EQ Flat 7 Enable EQ 12dB 08 0D 1G G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 4 25 250 500 Main Display Master Volume 0 Default d s Oe ve Mixer The Mixer section provides playback setting and volume settings as seen on the following screen Entertainment Console Mixer Playback T CD Audio S PDIF In te Main Display Master Volume 0 Default PS De PE There are also recording related functions allowing to record signals from microphone or line input O Entertainment Console Microphone FP D Line In Output Selection 0 Speakers Prodigy X Fi NRG Digital In SPDIF 0 o Main Display Volume Default Ue PE 14 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG Jacks Windows Vista amp Windows 7 Windows Vista and Windows 7 have a automatic detection function on how the jacks of the card are used This is displayed in the Jacks section Entertainment
6. Output 10 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG 7 Functions of control panel Software Click the control panel icon on the taskbar and then Volume Panel control panel for Prodigy X Fi NRG appears on the screen You can select Entertainment Console Audio Control Panel Creative Karaoke Player F 7 OLUME PANEL Mamai Entertainment Console Audio Control Panel Creative Karaoke Player tel Mixer 7 1 Entertainment Console Prodigy X Fi NRG is optimized for playback of movies and music for this the Entertainment Console provides the required functionality O Entertainment Console Speakers 2 2 1 Fi CMSS 3D Master Volume 0 Default Master Volume Bass Level Volume Mixer settings 11 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG setting up speaker environment and headphone playback settings Equalizer settings Effect Environment settings Multichannel Expansion settings Virtual and General Surround settings X Fi Crystalizer settings Speakers and Headphone This section allows you to select the speakers or headphones you are using and it allows you to test your configuration by sending out noise to each channel If you use the internal FP_AUDIO connection the headphone output of the soundcard is automatically detected Entertainment Console Speakers and Headphone Speakers and Headphone Selection 2 2 1 Speakers g Synchronize with Control Panel Bass Advanced Channel When headphone jack is conn
7. ay click the arrow button to the right to enable ALchemy for that game and it will appear in the list of ALchemy enabled Games After that you can launch the game and you can enjoy EAX sound Via the Edit button you can make detailed configuration changes folder location buffer change number of voices With Add you can add games that are not automatically detected With Default you can reset all settings so the default configuration of ALchemy The Software Update button allows you to check and update ALchemy with the latest version through the internet 8 FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Q How can I remove the driver A If an error occurs during installation of the driver or the driver should be removed for installation of another sound card you can remove the driver by executing SETUP EXE file in the installation CD or by clicking Uninstall in Control Panel gt Program Add Remove Q What if the computer does not recognize the device A Your computer may not recognize the sound card that has not been installed perfectly into the PCIe slot In this case reinstall the sound card mechanically If this does not work try another PCIe slot instead If this does not work try to clean the connection part that goes into the slot with an eraser or clean it up with an alcohol absorbed swab before trying it again If it still does not work contact technical support Chapter 10 gt Correspondence Q How can I expand 2 channel to 5
8. cal TOSlink Connects digital output from a source device like a MD or CD Player FP_AUDIO front panel audio only for an HD Audio connection and is not compatible with an AC97 connector Therefore when connecting the cable connector with the computer front panel you must check if the cable connector is to be used for HD Audio If you connect an AC97 or other connector to the computer front panel severe damage to the system as well as the sound card may occur S PDIF OUT coaxial output connector for internal connection with HDMI supporting graphic cards or expansion connection 1 e for case front bay Hardware Installation 4 1 Preparation for Hardware Installation The Prodigy X Fi NRG PCle card and other components in the computer can be damaged easily by electrical shock You should use an anti static device that can discharge the static electricity of your body to avoid potential static damage to the cards If you do not feel capable of installing a PCIe card into your computer please contact a computer specialist Turn off the computer power and remove the power cable from your computer power supply Disconnecting the Power Cord ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG Refer to your computer user s manual and remove the computer cover Make sure that you have an available PCIe slot on your motherboard to install the Prodigy X Fi NRG Removing the computer cover To avoid possible static shock damage to the computer parts discharge
9. e companies 19 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG The FCC and CE Regulation Warning This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation Caution Any changes or modifications in construction of this device with are not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user s authority to operate equipment Note This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense If necessary consult an experienced radio television technician for additional suggestions Correspondence For technical support inquiries contact your nearest dealer local distributor or ESI support online at Www esi audio com Disclaimer All fea
10. e following pictures for information about orientation of the OPAMP Supported OPAMPs are dual type DIP type and OPAMPs that can be driven by more than 9V 18 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG 9 Specifications Interface PCIe PCI Express Analog Input Maximum 24 bit 96kHz Combined Microphone and Line Input 1 8 Stereo mini jack Output Maximum 24 bit 96kHz 7 1 channel Output 1 8 Stereo mini jack x 4 Headphone Output 1 8 Stereo mini jack 16 300 Ohm Digital Input Maximum 24 bit 96kHz Optical Input TOSLink Output Maximum 24 bit 96kHz Optical Out TOSLink Internal electrical S PDIF Output AC3 output supported F_P Audio Terminal Intel HD Front Panel Audio standard D A Converters AKM AK4358 112dB 7 1 channel Output AKM AK4388 106dB F_P Audio A D Converters AKM AK5358 102dB OPAMP NE5532 Socket Type Front Output Headphone output applied simultaneously Device Drivers DirectSound MME WDM OpenAL Driver API DirectSound DirectSound 3D EAX 1 0 2 0 Samplerate Windows XP 48 96kHz Windows Vista amp Windows 7 44 1 48 96kHz EAX ADVANCED HD 3 0 4 0 OpenAL OS compatibility Windows XP XP64 Windows Vista 32 64 bit Windows 7 32 64 bit 10 General Information Trademarks ESI Prodigy and Prodigy X Fi NRG are trademarks of ESI Audiotechnik GmbH Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation Other product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respectiv
11. ected Noise 7 Automatically enable headphone settings 7 Automatically mute speakers Le Main Display Master Volume 0 i Default g die De PE EAX Effects Eight different sound effects are provided to create a different playback experience With the level control you can adjust the amount of effect that is mixed to the audio signal Below you can select the effect itself For the original untouched sound disable Enable EAX Effects Entertainment Console EAX Effects 7 Enable EAX Effects Effects Amount O 0dB Amphitheater Orchestra Pit Jazz Club Recital Hall Opera Hall Royal Hall E Main Display Master Volume PT Default g aul on Se FS 12 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG CMSS 3D X Fi CMSS 3D provides a virtual expansion of the output signal from a regular stereo 2 channel source to a 7 1 channel speaker Also when using headphones it provides a simulated 3D sound effect for more realistic and effective sound Entertainment Console X Fi CMSS 3D Enable X Fi CMSS 3D Surround Stereo Envelopment a Front Upmix Stereo Xpand Stereo Surround Surround Le Main Display Master Volume Default i a hf Sd Ce a X Fi Crystalizer X Fi Crystalizer provides dynamic and more clear and rich sound by restoring parts of the sound removed during generation or compression of the sound Entertainment Console X Fi Crystalizer
12. it by touching the computer case or something grounded We recommend you use an anti static device such as an anti static wristband When holding the Prodigy X Fi NRG card touch only the guide or the edge of card Do not grab the card by the board or connector 4 2 PCle Card Installation Find an empty PCIe slot on the motherboard If you are unsure please check the manual of your mainboard or computer to identify the PCIe slot or consult a computer specialist PCI PCIe EEE Gma Typical PC Motherboard Slot Configuration If a faceplate or cover is behind the PCIe slot you can remove it by removing the screw holding it in place or by prying it off with a screwdriver ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG Removing the slot faceplate Insert the Prodigy X Fi NRG card into the PCIe slot firmly pushing the card into the slot until it is seated securely Replace the screw and tighten Prodigy X Fi NRG Installed in a PCIe 1x slot next to two standard PCI slots Once finished close the computer case 5 Software Installation Before you are installing the software and driver for Prodigy X Fi NRG you should make sure to have the latest chipset drivers installed for your mainboard and Windows version You can usually find those drivers on the website of the manufacturer of your computer and or the motherboard of your PC Also it might be better in most cases to disable any unused onboard devices in BIOS of your computer i e the
13. l PCI solutions It has a high performance D A converter supporting 24 bit 96kHz 112dB of dynamic range and boasts an exceptionally stable circuit design and built in high quality condenser for the best quality sound with 7 1 channel surround output Using EAX 3D functions from Creative the best functionality for home theater and computer games is provided High level multimedia functions like the integrated headphone amplifier digital in and output microphone and line level input are also provided High Performance D A Converter 7 1 channel 24 bit 96kHz supporting AKM high performance D A converter AK4358 to provide 112dB dynamic range High quality condenser and a special circuit design provide best HiFi level sound quality PCIe PCI Express Interface using Creative X Fi Chipset The Creative X Fi provides excellent performance for game play 3D surround sound and other consumer applications The PCIe interface provides more stability and higher higher bandwidth compared to general PCI solutions Headphone Amplifier The built in headphone amplifier works with up to 300 ohm impedance and provides excellent driving force and high resolution even when using a high impedance headphone 7 1 Channel Surround Virtual Surround System Prodigy X Fi NRG supports up to 7 1 channel analog output and output channel expansion functionality for stereo signal Exchangeable Socket Type High Performance OPAMP The OPAMPs for both headphone ou
14. onboard soundcard if you intend to no longer use it after installing Prodigy X Fi NRG If you are unsure about this you might want to ask a computer specialist for help ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG After completing the sound card hardware installation as described in the previous chapter restart your computer If you are prompted for new driver found simply cancel the process until Windows has completely started Now then insert the bundled installation CD into the CD DVD ROM drive If the installation does not automatically start launch SETUP EXE via My Computer gt CD ROM drive Now follow all the instructions on screen After completing the installation restart your computer only if prompted After restarting your computer and the driver installation has been finished the gray silver Prodigy X Fi NRG control panel icon is created in the task notification area of Windows EEE Rju E 12 16 AM In addition several entries to the start menu programs have been created ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG 6 Connection Diagram The following picture shows in symbols the typical connection of external devices to Prodigy X Fi NRG Mic TV receiver card CD Player Receiver Decoder 7 1ch Speakers Headphone i a yy sa ETa ke A K X A 1 ri T a n F7 TM i A m j l s O oo E gt _ i dl et C a pr O O ee ee Front Pannel HDMI output HD Audio VGA Card
15. speakers with amplifier 2 channels stereo 8 active speakers or passive speakers with amplifier 2 channels 5 1 or 7 1 surround Please note that for very high system performance a graphic card with the latest technology is required for playback of 3D games and Blu ray HD DVD or any other high definition formatted movies such as MPEG 4 AVC H 264 VC 1 A high performance dual core CPU and 1 GB or more RAM plus special graphic card are required for DirectX 10 compatibility 3 Connector Layout ral a o E c de i if j Fa hn Wa 5 wa ra YN FUN A Vo M at Le gt Fa b Fa he i en F l M W LS er a Fi a ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG 10 4 Mic Line In Connects a microphone or external line level source such as a TV receiver card tape deck analog output of CD player etc Headphone Out Connects a headphone or earphone Front Out Connects the front speakers This is the main stereo output for 2 channel stereo playback and connection to your amplifier amp speaker Back Surround Connects the back surround speakers in a 7 1 setup Center Woofer Out Connects the center woofer surround speakers in a 5 1 and 7 1 setup Rear Out Connects the rear surround speaker in a 5 1 and 7 1 setup Digital Out optical TOSlink Connects to an external D A converter or to a receiver amplifier with digital input Digital In opti
16. t and front line output are changeable allowing you to adjust the sound to your own custom taste Digital In Output The optical digital in and output supports up to 24 bit 96kHz for PCM signals and AC3 DTS output perfect for connection to an external D A converter such as our Dr DAC prime or decoder and receiver 2 System Requirements In order to take full advantage of all the high quality sound and multimedia features provided by Prodigy X Fi NRG it is crucial that the minimum system requirements are meet As a general rule a faster and better system always provides better results 4 ESI Prodigy X Fi NRG Minimum Requirements Recommended Requirements 1 Intel Pentium 4 CPU LGA 775 or higher or equivalent AMD CPU Socket 939 AM2 AM2 AM3 2 Intel VIA nVidia or AMD chipset motherboard with 1 Intel Core2 Duo LGA775 Core 17 LGA1366 equivalent AMD CPU AM2 AM2 AM3 2 Intel AMD nVidia chipset motherboard with PCIe slots PCIe slots 3 512 MB main memory 3 2 GB or more main memory 4 one vacant PCIe 1x slot 4 one vacant PCIe 1x slot 5 Microsoft Windows XP Vista 5 Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Vista SP1 Windows 7 6 Hard disk supporting UDMA 100 133 at least 500 MB disk space are needed for installation 6 S ATA S ATA IT type hard disk at least 500 MB disk space are needed for installation 7 CD ROM 40X or higher 7 DVD ROM 8X or higher 8 active speakers or passive
17. tures and specifications subject to change without notice Parts of this manual are continually being updated Please check our web site www esi audio com occasionally for the most recent update information 20
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