psychok9

Hello everyone!
I have a little problem: I am a gamer, and I have a X-Meridian 7.1 with lack of good support. I know Asus Xonar D2 has a better driver, with better functions for gamers (maybe eax emulation?). I know it's the same card, and I've tried to install Asus Xonar D2 with success... modifing with this code XonarD2.inf:
Now the problem is Asus Audio Center crashes.
I've found out this letter on Auzentech site:
Someone can help me?

RIV@NVX

I believe that Xonar has a bit different hardware design from other CMI8788 cards, so I don't expect it to work so easily.
Can you verify that your card and Xonar at least use the same DACs and ADCs?

__________________
-- Vedran

GigaWatt

find some hardware specs for the cards, look at them (or post the links here so we can have a look at them too ), and as RIV@NVX wrote, see of thu use the same chip architecture, or atleast a similar one

__________________
It's not schisophrenia... it's just a voice in my head...

psychok9

Xonar D2 use the same chip CMI-8788 "remarked" from Asus (C-Media removed CMI-8788 logo/product from its website).
I know that DACs is custom for all brand, Auzentech, etcetc.
I've tried Razor AC1 driver + panel and work with success

I think that asus panel have a lock or something like that.

GigaWatt

whell, if Razor AC1 worked, good luck using the driver

__________________
It's not schisophrenia... it's just a voice in my head...

[hobo]eclipse

this is something that grabs my attention because i am running an x-meridian, would love to try out some "modded" or other drivers. Is there anything i can do to help? runnin vista x64 sp1.


*EDIT*

got the driver installed using the .inf mod u descibed, also found this post listing a few more changes
Guru3D.com Forums - View Single Post - Auzentech X-Meridian Discussion Thread Part 2

tried both ways and it just installs the driver, the shortcut s there for the CP but it just doesnt open, i think because it doesnt even get installed. does it install for u and crash while it is open? or just not even open?

tried with the newst vista x64 drivers from this asus page
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

__________________

RIV@NVX

Well, there is a reason why I was suspicious that ASUS drivers will easily work on other cards, and that reason is that ASUS cards use a different driver (virtuoso) from all the other CMI8788 cards (oxygen) in ALSA: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kerne...oxygen;hb=HEAD
Also, if you look at virtuoso.c - http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kerne...uoso.c;hb=HEAD - you can see that there are some routings commented in file header. This card has some kind of special design, apparently, so it's not realistic to expect it's driver to work on other cards.
(It used to be kinda similar for various ICE1724 cards back in the days; sometimes drivers were interchangeable, but most of the time they weren't because some cards had aditional chips (Xilinx chip for hardware routing, for example), that other cards didn't have which made them incompatible.)

But you can always try other drivers (as you did with Razer), especially if those cards have same DAC/ADC/DIT as yours. Then it's very likely that it will work. Good luck!

__________________
-- Vedran

Gregix

if razer panel work for u then use it, and install just asus driver
on other hand- i have razer card, and im using asus driver(asus cp doesnt work, but razors do)
with razer i got similiar problem - lack of support and panel isnt handy at all. and f.e. omega or meridian panels doest work together with this soundcard

but as it is, driver asus plus razer panel suits me, especially because i dont have any game related problems now, no bsods or so, and sound is awesome

psychok9

The Razor panel it's not good.
With last Auzentech driver and little modification that I have taken from Asus Xonar driver, i have EAX enabled drivers
This function, I suspect, is activated from "HsMgr" and "HsMgr64", and "SoftwareDriver\DLL" from Xonar drivers.
I've tried, also, CmAux3264 patch, but i don't know how work it .
I don't know if "openalweax", integrated on Xonar, it's different from standard OpenAL setup files.

ROBSCIX

If you want good EAX/OpenAL support on the X-Meridian card, drop in a old Audigy 2/4 or X-fi X-Music along side the X-Meridian and grab the Velbac software to link the two card using ASIO. This way when you play games the audio goes to the gaming card first for processing and then is sent in digital form over ASIO to the X-Meridian 7.1 for output. Worked great when we did the development...there is a download link at the top of the forum.
You have all the gaming features of the Creative card but the better sound quality and output features of the X-Meridian 7.1. Hope this Helps.
BTW, to note the Xonar drivers have Emulated EAX only...all softwareware based...

Per Hansson

I did some testing with Asus EAX emulation software DirectSound 3D GX 2.0 "Game eXtensions" on another C-Media CMI8788 based soundscard (Auzentech X-Meridian)

And while it was a success there have now been more recent driver updates with updated DS3D GX software, however those will not work together with the Auzentech X-Meridian anymore

The last release that worked was v1.0.8.814 (17.47)
It has some problems in World of Warcraft but going back to version v1.0.8.619 (17.38) fixed that
However now I've run into a problem that Fallout3 will not work well with any of those two versions, and of course there are many more recent releases but they don't work together with the X-Meridian it seems

If I try to use any of these versions;
v1.0.9.202 (17.64 & 17.63)
v1.0.9.115 (17.62)
v1.0.8.1225 (17.58)
v1.0.8.1028 (17.56)
v1.0.8.904 (17.51)

I do not get any EAX emulation at all, so that must mean that in version v1.0.8.904 some kind if check was added to make sure the software is used only with a Xonar based soundcard
The executable files HsMgr.exe & HsMgr64.exe have not changed at all in these driver revisions, so the check must be in the files HsSrv.dll & HsSrv64.dll

My best bet is that they check the PCIID of the soundcard and if it does not match that of the Xonar based cards the software is disabled from working
So does anyone know of either a way to change the PCIID of the soundcard, or a way to mod the dll so it does not do the check anymore?

psychok9

I'm using Xonar D2X (my) modded driver, with cutted stuff (all Asus Apps) and with last driver 17.64 on X-Meridian 7. on Windows 7 Public RC.
HsMgr & HsMgr64 seem to be launched at boot, but i don't know IF work correctly.
I'll test it soon.