blppt
11-06-2002, 07:56 PM
I "upgraded" from the SBLiveXPDrvUpdate.exe drivers to the LiveDrvPack.exe drivers at the end of the summer like probably most people have.
This is the thing that doesnt make any sense: The older drivers SOUND better with mp3s for some reason. Bass is punchier, and highs sound crisper and more present. Midrange is more balanced and less harsh. And the hardware bass and treble controls work better with them as well. The newer drivers bass would be very muddy and undefined. When i tried to increase that with the hardware tone controls, it seemed like the upper bass frequencies were being augmented, making it even more muddy. Now, i can accept the fact that the EQ might not work the same way, but leaving it at default settings still has the muddy problem mentioned before.
Shouldnt drivers not really affect direct PCM sound? I didnt have EAX enabled or anything like that.
In any case, i'm back to the old drivers.
This is the thing that doesnt make any sense: The older drivers SOUND better with mp3s for some reason. Bass is punchier, and highs sound crisper and more present. Midrange is more balanced and less harsh. And the hardware bass and treble controls work better with them as well. The newer drivers bass would be very muddy and undefined. When i tried to increase that with the hardware tone controls, it seemed like the upper bass frequencies were being augmented, making it even more muddy. Now, i can accept the fact that the EQ might not work the same way, but leaving it at default settings still has the muddy problem mentioned before.
Shouldnt drivers not really affect direct PCM sound? I didnt have EAX enabled or anything like that.
In any case, i'm back to the old drivers.