Mason Blake
Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX) is a set of digital signal processing presets for audio, first introduced by Creative Technology Ltd. in their Sound Blaster sound cards. EAX was designed to standardize 3D audio for Microsoft Windows, adding environmental audio presets to DirectSound3D's audio positioning capabilities. Over time, EAX evolved to offer more advanced features, with each revision increasing the number of available effects and improving support for environmental transitions. While EAX was discontinued in 2005 due to compatibility issues with Windows Vista, it remains popular among gamers who enjoy older titles. Today, there are various methods and software solutions available to restore EAX functionality on modern operating systems, even without a dedicated sound card.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| EAX Support | Requires Windows XP or older operating systems; Windows Vista and newer operating systems require software workarounds |
| Software Workarounds | OpenAL, OpenAL Soft, Creative ALchemy, 3D Sound Back, Rapture3D, Wine, DSOAL, IndirectSound |
| Sound Cards | Audigy series, Sound Blaster Z, Creative X-Fi Titanium HD, Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD, Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro, Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional |
| EAX Versions | EAX 1, EAX 2, EAX 3, EAX 4, EAX 5 |
| Other | EMU20K2, CA20K2, EMU20K, EMU chips |
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What You'll Learn
Creative Technology Sound Blaster sound cards
Creative Technology's Sound Blaster sound cards are well-known for their support of Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX), which enhances audio ambiance in video games by simulating real-world audio environments. The specific EAX support varies among the different Sound Blaster models.
The Sound Blaster X-Fi series, including the Titanium and Titanium HD variants, generally support EAX. The X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion/Professional, in particular, offers EAX 5 support. However, the ""Xtreme Music" and "Xtreme Gamer" lineups within the X-Fi series are recommended to be avoided due to subpar drivers.
The Sound Blaster Audigy series, including the Audigy 2/4 and Audigy RX cards, also support EAX. The Audigy 2/4 cards meet the EAX 1-4 requirements, while the Audigy RX card features hardware-accelerated EAX effects and supports the EAX Studio software for adjustments to EAX Advanced HD settings.
In addition to physical sound cards, Creative Technology also released the Creative ALchemy software, which provides EAX emulation for computers and motherboards with Creative-made onboard audio. The Sound Blaster PLAY! 3, Sound Blaster X7, and Sound BlasterX G6 models are listed as ALchemy-compatible, suggesting potential EAX support.
It is worth noting that Creative Technology's support for EAX has diminished over time, with the company keeping the latest EAX versions proprietary to its own sound cards. As a result, hardware 3D audio has lost prominence, with alternatives like Dolby Atmos taking its place.
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Audigy series sound cards
The Audigy series of sound cards from Creative Technology supports EAX, specifically EAX 4.0. The Audigy 2 ZS, Audigy 2, and Audigy 4 are all compatible with EAX 3.0. The Audigy 2 ZS is also compatible with EAX 4.0. The Audigy Rx, based on the Audigy 4, supports EAX through software emulation but does not officially support Windows XP. The Audigy SE only supports EAX through software. The Audigy 1 has been known to suffer from driver detection issues.
The Audigy series is not the most recent line of Creative Technology sound cards. The X-Fi series supports EAX 5.0 and is considered an upgrade from the Audigy series. The X-Fi Titanium, X-Fi Titanium HD, and X-Fi Elite Pro are all compatible with EAX 5.0.
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Sound Blaster X-Fi
The X-Fi lineup ranges from the XtremeMusic (lower end), to Platinum, Fatal1ty FPS, and Elite Pro (top of the range). The Elite Pro model was aimed at musicians and was bundled with the X-Fi external I/O box, offering various inputs and outputs, as well as remote control. The Platinum and Fatal1ty FPS models both offer a front-panel drive-bay control unit and remote control, while the base model was supplied without accessories.
In 2007, Creative Technology unveiled PCI Express x1 and ExpressCard/34 versions of the Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio. The company did not release PCIe versions of their EMU-based X-Fi cards due to reported design difficulties, latency problems, and delays. In 2008, the X-Fi Titanium series was announced, featuring a revised CA20K2 chip with an integrated RISC processor and a DDR SDRAM interface.
The Sound Blaster X-Fi supports EAX 5.0, which offers 128 simultaneous voices processable in hardware and up to 4 effects on each. Creative cards are generally backward compatible with older EAX versions, although hardware-accelerated DSP processing of these effects only occurs on cards with EMU chips.
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EMU20K-based products
If you are looking for a sound card that supports EAX, you should look for one with an EMU20K or CA20K chip. The EMU20K chip supports all EAX versions natively.
The Titanium HD is the last card from Creative with an EMU20K chip, but it does not have XP drivers. The Titanium with CA20K2 has 16MB of RAM, while the Titanium Fatal1ty with EMU20K2 has 64MB. The Titanium Fatality Professional and Champion versions also feature the full EMU20K2 (EAX1-5) and are PCIe.
The X-Fi Titanium is based on the EMU20K core and supports all EAX versions natively. The Audigy Rx, while technically the best card in Creative's current lineup, does not have an EMU20K chip.
If you are looking for a PCIe sound card, the EMU20K X-Fi boards are better than the Recon3D and Z series. They have a hardware MIDI synth, ASIO, and hardware EAX effects.
For a Windows XP machine, the X-Fi Titanium is your best bet as it supports native EAX 5 and older EAX versions. The Audigy 2/4 cards can also handle EAX 1-4 requirements and are cheaper.
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Windows Vista compatibility
Windows Vista discontinued DirectSound3D, which affected EAX compatibility. Microsoft removed the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for DirectSound and DirectSound3D, which was the software layer that enabled audio accelerators to provide hardware-accelerated audio. This change meant that soundcards could no longer perform tasks such as sample-rate conversion, mixing, 3D spatialization, filtering, and effects processing.
As a result, EAX sound effects were disabled on Windows Vista unless a specific set of conditions were met. To use EAX on Windows Vista, users required a Creative-branded sound card and a program that could pass or convert EAX sound effects to OpenAL, such as Creative Alchemy. Creative Alchemy translates native EAX calls into OpenAL calls, allowing advanced hardware support. However, this method only works for Creative's own sound cards.
Additionally, specific sound cards like the Audigy series, including the Audigy 2, and the X-Fi Titanium, support EAX on Windows Vista. The Audigy Rx and Audigy 4 also technically support EAX through software emulation, but they lack official support for Windows XP.
It is worth noting that EAX support has become less common in modern games, and OpenAL has largely replaced DirectSound3D. As a result, many older PC games that support EAX may not function as intended on Windows Vista, producing stereo output instead of the intended surround sound experience.
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Frequently asked questions
Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX) is a set of digital signal processing presets for audio, used by many older games for realistic reverb, surround sound, doppler effect simulation, etc.
If you have an older Creative Technology Sound Blaster sound card, starting with the Sound Blaster Live and the Creative NOMAD/Creative ZEN product lines, your sound card supports EAX.
EAX was discontinued in 2005 due to the absence of HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) and Directsound in Windows Vista and newer, breaking compatibility with EAX. However, EAX support can be restored on modern operating systems using wrappers such as Creative ALChemy, 3D Sound Back, and DSOAL.
Realtek released the "Realtek 3D Soundback Beta 0.1" software package to allow Realtek cards to play EAX and DirectSound3D on Windows Vista and newer operating systems. Rapture3D also supports EAX and is a commercial wrapper for OpenAL.
