Test setup

Benchmarks 

To test the X-Plosion to its fullest, we will be using a mixture of my own subjective experiences with the board, coupled with some more 'traditional' benchmarks, testing the part in a number of disciplines from gaming performance to crosstalk and dynamic range.  We start with these more standard benchmarks, using RightMark Audio Analyser to check out the playback abilities of the X-Plosion against an integrated AC '97 solution from Realtek, the SoundBlaster Audigy, and the X-Plosion's predecessor from HDA, the X-Mystique.

RightMark Audio Analyser

First up, we test using the board's 16-bit, 44.1KHz mode.

16-bit, 44.1KHz testing

Noise level (16-bit, 44.1KHz)

Dynamic range (16-bit, 44.1KHz)

The X-Plosion continues to give the Audigy a run for its money with regard to dynamic range, beating it out at the low end of the spectrum and generally offering more consistent results than the Creative labs part.  The X-Mystique is noticeably outperformed by HDA's new part.

THD (16-bit, 44.1KHz)

RMAA's THD test continues the trend, again outperforming the Audigy at the low-end and only marginally losing out at the other end of the spectrum.

Intermodulation distortion (16-bit, 44.1KHz)

Our distortion test at these settings prove to be a close call between the Audigy and the X-Plosion, with HDA's part just shading it overall.

Stereo crosstalk (16-bit, 44.1KHz)

The X-Plosion rules the roost when it comes to our stereo crosstalk test at these settings, beating out the Audigy without too much difficulty and offering a vast improvement over its predecessor.

IMD (Swept frequency) (16-bit, 44.1KHz)

The results are equally impressive in the swept frequency test, with a superior showing all-in-all than any of the other solutions.

16-bit, 48KHz testing

Next, we move on to run the same gamut of tests in 16-bit, 48KHz mode.

Noise level (16-bit, 48KHz)

The X-Plosion again offers up a decent result in the dynamic range.

THD (16-bit, 48KHz)

The THD test also sees an 'as you were' final result for the X-Plosion.

Intermodulation distortion (16-bit, 48KHz)

Not too much to choose between the X-Plosion and Audigy in the distortion test, but the HDA offering just shades it.

Stereo crosstalk (16-bit, 48KHz)

The X-Plosion again wins out in our stereo crosstalk test, giving very impressive results indeed.

IMD (Swept frequency) (16-bit, 48KHz)

The same can be said of the swept frequency test at these settings, with the X-Plosion giving a result which is beyond compare.

24-bit, 96KHz testing

Our final set of RightMark Audio Analyser tests focus on 24-bit, 96KHz playback.  The X-Mystique is missing from these tests due to its inability to record at these settings, but all of the other parts are present and correct.

Noise level (24-bit, 96KHz)

The same applies to our dynamic range results.

THD (24-bit, 96KHz)

Indeed, this can be said of our THD testing as well.

Intermodulation distortion (24-bit, 96KHz)

The Audigy comes out on top in our distortion test at 24-bit, 96KHz, although the X-Plosion still manages to run it close.

Stereo crosstalk (24-bit, 96KHz)

While the SoundBlaster Audigy suffers badly from crosstalk at these settings, the X-Plosion sets down a steady, impressive result.

IMD (Swept frequency) (24-bit, 96KHz)

The swept frequency test gives a similar outcome, with the X-Plosion largely speaking ruling the roost.

RightMark 3D Sound

For the rest of our benchmarking, we move on to examine the performance of the X-Plosion when using any form of 3D sound.  Our first test in this discipline is RightMark's 3D Sound application, which tests performance of 2D and 3D sound by playing sounds over a particular duration of time (120 seconds by default) and measuring the CPU hit for that period to assess how much workload the sound card is taking off the CPU.  The final result is then displayed by way of a line graph showing the percentage of CPU used against time.  To see the results of this, we have tested the X-Plosion up against three other parts, as before, and you can see the results of the various boards in the animated image linked below.

Click for animated comparison image

In this particular test, the HDA X-Plosion comes out well and truly on top, holding steady at a constant 2% CPU utilisation, whereas all of the other boards spike to higher figures at certain intervals.  An impressive feat, but let's see how it translates to an actual in-game situation.

Unreal Tournament 2004

Our final test takes in a classic real-world game, in the form of Unreal Tournament 2004.  This is a handy title to use for our testing due not only to its enduring popularity, but also the fact that this game supports both hardware 3D and EAX sound, without utilising the more advanced EAX versions which the X-Plosion lacks support for.

For our testing here, we use a custom timedemo run at 640x480, firstly with no sound enabled and then both hardware 3D followed by EAX sound enabled, to measure the performance in these various modes of operation.  Running at this low resolution ensures that the game is CPU limited, and thus accentuates any performance hit seen by the addition of any form of 3D sound.