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Installation is easy and although Creative drivers on Windows Vista are still under development, I haven't been experiencing any problems under Windows XP.
The chip on the X-fi is the same as the one used on the high-end models, with the lack of more memory (64 MB for the Fatl1ty version) ... Read review
Advantages: High quality sound, excellent features set Disadvantages: Driver software on CD differs from the Auto-update
...Installation is easy and although Creative drivers on Windows Vista are still under development, I haven't been experiencing any problems under Windows XP.
The chip on the X-fi is the same as the one used on the high-end models, with the lack of more memory (64 MB for the Fatl1ty version) and the front panel connector box (which can make it very expensive indeed).
After I managed to lose the installation disc and needing ... ...
With this card, Creative has been able to launch an affordable and high-quality solution, with a very good Signal-To-Noise ratio (>108 db/mA, although it will be your speakers or media that will be the limiting factor).
Please note that upscaling any music from 16 to 24-bit via the Crystallizer function will result in varied results, determined by the original quality of the media.
I bought the Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music to complement my Grado SR325 + Creek OBH-1 Headphone Amplifier system, so I could enjoy the music at the best possible quality without having to endure the on-board sound card (although the nForce 680i HD Azalia sound + Realtek chip are fairly good themselves).
The card came with the standard installation CD and the card, installation is easy and there are a whole lot of connecting options, if you want to upgrade to 7.1 at some stage (haven't got the floor space at the moment).
Installation is easy and although Creative drivers on Windows Vista are still under development, I haven't been experiencing any problems under Windows XP.
The chip on the X-fi is the same as the one used on the high-end models, with the lack of more memory (64 MB for the Fatl1ty version) and the front panel connector box (which can make it very expensive indeed).
After I managed to lose the installation disc and needing to reinstall my system, I found out that the Creative Driver through auto-update didn't have the fancy User Interface anymore, which meant that I have to manually go into Control Panel->Audio options to change the sound mode etc.
If you are a audiophile, you will love the fact that the card can do bit-matched recording and playback, as well as being THX certified and Dolby Digital EX / DTS Decoding and Creative's own EAX effects for games that support it.
This card should be perfect for a home media system, although I have yet to try and connect it via optical output to a receiver system.
With this card, Creative has been able to launch an affordable and high-quality solution, with a very good Signal-To-Noise ratio (>108 db/mA, although it will be your speakers or media that will be the limiting factor).
Please note that upscaling any music from 16 to 24-bit via the Crystallizer function will result in varied results, determined by the original quality of the media.
All in all, the card is recommended for audiophiles, gamers and movie fans alike, including three different operating modes (Media, Gaming, Audio) to suit your taste.
Advantages: Amazing sound, excellent upmixing Disadvantages: Software can be a pain.
...bought this card with some Creative 5.1 Speakers (T6060). The sound quality going from standard MP3, with no upmixing, 24Bit Crystaliser and no EAX effects, to everything turned on, is STUNNING! There is no other word for it. However, the software is slow and there are to many menus to do a simple task.
PERFORMANCE:
To establish this I had to start by taking a 235Kbps (VBR) track, kindly delievered from ripping a Linkin Park album. I started by ... ...turning on CMSS-3D in the Creative Console, more of an application sweet (but I'll get to that later), the track was playing in 5.1, stunning, somehow, the Creative X-Fi had pulled out every instrument and given them an appropriate speaker!? I don't know how it did it but it was pretty amazing, vocals in the centre, beats on all channels, other instruments on the left, background vocals on the rear speakers. Sensational.
After this I turned on Creative's ...
ratkid132 30.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Advantages: Crystal clear sound with a comprehensive software package Disadvantages: Features can be a bit daunting for the novice
I've used all the creative card models from the soundblaster 5.1 to this latest card, and I can say it is an amazing leap forward. Even using headphones the differnce in sound quality from the Audigy 2 is noticeable, with truly amazing effects during both games and DVD playback. There is no distortion or noise whilst playing music, which was the case with some of the earlier cards. However plug in to a decent 7.1 speaker set, like the creative inspire ... ...Software as usual with creative packages will leave you wanting for nothing. The entertainment centre allows fine tuning sound for music/DVD or games independantly. Creative mediasource player is the best player/MP3 decoder I've used, and with the ability to plug in any musical instrument (I've plugged in my base and had a play with the recorder and audio creation packages), and tweak till you're hearts content. Short of full on proffesional suite ...
Dave1508 20.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Advantages: its just so damn good. Disadvantages: pricey for a sound card
...My previous card was a creative also, a basic soundblaster live card, the x-fi improves the quality of sound sooo much. Ive used it with online gaming, mp3s & dvds and have noticed a vast improvement in all areas.
The main use for me is with online gaming. The biggest issue with these games is squeezing frames per second -FPS - out of the machine. Remarkably this sound card gave me an instant boost of about 20fps, which was about 30% for me. The ... ...competitors can do this, but any card that can give me surround sound from a basic 2.1 speaker setup is a huge thumbs up for me. No moving of the speakers, they stayed infront of me, but the sound didnt.
The only downside is the cost. My previous card cost about £30, this was a big jump upto £80. Given that people are willing to spend £250 on a graphics card i think this is a worth while investment as it gives a similar increase in performance in ...
Daimonde 07.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Advantages: Awesome Sound Quality, Easy to install, Drivers easy to get, good support Disadvantages: Clicks in Entertainment Mode
...an OEM Version of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music from eBay for around £30 around 3 months ago. It is very easy to install, simply slot it into an empty slot and install the drivers and software.
Wow! What a difference! I upgraded from onboard sound and the quality difference is unbelievable. I have the card paired with Logitech z-640 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers and a Medusa Speedlink 5.1 Surround headset. Not only does the card come ... ...use and configure with the Creative Audio Console.
The card make sounds in games beautiful and music is perfect. However.
I had a lot of teething problem with the card. At first, whenever I reset my PC, the card settings were defaulted to headphones, when my speakers were plugged in, muting my speakers. This problem eventualy went away however.
Another problem I have is when I switch modes (Game mode -> Entertainment Mode) there is a horrible ...
Xlixen 13.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Advantages: Amazing sound quality, great for gaming, looks cool, less lag/stuttering in games, transforms music Disadvantages: Still driver issues and some problems in games, price may still be too steep for some
...newest ones out direct from Creative to be sure you experiance as little of this as possible.
I have been using P5800's and a Plantronics Gamecom1 headset and both had the sound sound increased greatly on products that were already of high standard (search them for reviews). All in all its the perfect soundcard for anyone other then extreme autophiles, once the driver issues are sorted out there is nothing to worry about at all, you can even grab ... ...quite exellent value for money, because for some people its still way too much to spend on a soundcard, and there are very good options for cheaper.. the older audigy and soundblaster ranges are both great. But once you have heard it you wont want to go back :)
Jake's Reviews ...
jake_m_06 17.09.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
Product Information for "Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic" »
Processor / memory
Signal Processor
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity
Audio output
Sound Output Mode
7.1 channel surround
DAC Data Width
24-bit
Sample Rate
8 kHz (min) - 192 kHz (max)
Signal-To-Noise Ratio
109 dB
Max Speakers Qty
8
Features
Dolby Digital ready, EAX ADVANCED HD, THX certified, SuperRip, Creative Multi Speaker Surround (CMSS) - 3D, EAX ADVANCED HD
Compliant Standards
ASIO 2.0, EAX ADVANCED HD, Digital Theater Systems (DTS), Dolby Digital EX, EAX ADVANCED HD
Audio Modes
Record : 24-bit 96 kHz
Playback : 24-bit 96 kHz 7.1 - 109 dB 10 Hz to 46 kHz
Playback : 24-bit 192 kHz stereo - 109 dB 10 Hz to 88 kHz
Response Bandwidth
10 - 88000 Hz
Manufacturer's product description
The Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic delivers amazingly clear, crisp Xtreme Fidelity music playback, incredible surround sound over headphones or multichannel speakers and the fastest, smoothest game play with hardware-accelerated game audio. The modular architecture ensures optimized performance, quality, and capabilities with dedicated modes for music, movies, gaming, and audio creation.
Related tags for Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic »
