Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi External USB - 5.1 Channel eXtreme Fidelity Surround Sound Audio Solution For Notebooks
Creative have announced their latest Sound Blaster X-Fi (eXtreme Fidelity) based sound solution for notebooks in the form of the Sound Blaster X-Fi External USB sound card which brings full multi-channel surround sound capabilities, as well as Creative’s X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer technology, to any notebook sporting a USB connection.
The Creative USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1, to give it it’s full official title, simply plugs into any USB 2.0 port and is billed by Creative as being the first USB 2.0 audio solution that provides users with ‘the easiest upgrade from basic, built-in audio to a premium Xtreme Fidelity experience on PCs and notebooks’.
Notably, just like internal Sound Blaster X-Fi sound cards, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 comes complete with Creative’s X-Fi 24-bit Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D technology offering enhanced clarity of downloaded audio files – compensating for audio detail lost during file compression – and dynamic processing of 2-channel stereo audio – either music files or game audio – into surround sound with virtual positioning, even when using headphones.
Creative USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Features:
- Supports USB 2.0 for high quality 5.1 audio.
- X-Fi audio enhancement technologies.
- USB bus powered.
- Gold-plated RCA front outputs and mini-jack surround outputs for maximum fidelity.
- Optical output for connectivity to surround sound systems.
- 24-bit playback and recording (ADC, DAC).
- IR remote and Full Screen Entertainment Centre software turn any PC into a home cinema.
- Easily accessible headphone-out and mic-in for use with headsets.
- Convenient volume control with push-to-mute feature.
- Line-in monitoring.
- Host-based EAX Advanced HD 4.0 and OpenAL support.
The Creative USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 will purportedly retail for around the $70 price point when it becomes available next month though, of course, you’ll also have to factor in the cost of a decent 5.1 channel speaker system unless you’re happy to get by with headphones. That said, being that this device is aimed specifically at notebook users, one can only wonder as to just how many people will want to cart full 5.1 speaker solutions around with them. Still, for home use, we don’t doubt that Creative’s Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 will prove particularly alluring for both audiophiles and gamers alike.
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