New technologies enter your computer  

With the arrival of the Sound Blaster Audigy series of cards comes a new era for digital audio destined for the mass market, in other words the day-to-day consumer. Since Creative launched their EMU10K1 based sound cards some years ago, there has been little going on in the company's sound card sector. Up until recently, the Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 cards were the top of the line offerings Creative had on display. With computer related technology always on the move at a rapid pace, it was time for a new wave of sound cards that took the user to new heights in computer audio and more. This is how the Audigy chipset came about refreshing the Creative audio card line-up. However, there are lots more than meets the eye, so allow us to endeavour into the new technological advances implemented within the new Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum sound card, bringing you nearer to the real logistics in the hardware. We shall discuss these in more details as we progress through the article.

• Audigy Processor

With the retirement of the EMU10K1 sound processor that formed the digital heart of Sound Blaster Live! cards comes the brand new Audigy audio chipset pioneering audio a step forward. With quadruple the power of its predecessor, it offers innovative new performance enabling in-built hardware acceleration of EAX ADVANCED HD taking EAX 3D sound into a new dimension. In real terms this should mean the Audigy rendering engine is equivalent to around about a 664MHz Pentium MMX, if one were to exist. In a slightly more modern context it nearly has the same audio performance of a Pentium III 400-450 processor has.

• 24bit/96kHz/100dB SNR

The onboard 24bit/96kHz multi-channel digital to analog converters (DACs) as well as the analog to digital (ADCs) converters provide a new level of fidelity in consumer digital audio playback. These advances (normally only found within high end consumer stereo equipment) are designed to convey immense high quality 5.1 multi-channel audio output to the ears of the consumer. It would be meaningless to internally render high definition audio if there was no means of sending it to the speakers leaving no distortion. For this purpose the Audigy compliments itself with an ultra quiet SNR of 100dB leaving noise unfamiliar to your ears.

• Audigy Drive (Internal)

Outfitted with a comprehensive feature set of connectivity the Audigy Drive is the successor of the famous Live Drive! used in previous Sound Blaster 5.1 Platinum audio cards. Its new incarnation has been updated to permit connecting external equipment including DV camcorders, NOMAD JukeBox players, external SB1394 compatible devices, microphones, DAT recorders, electronic musical instruments etc.

• EAX ADVANCED HD

A technological advancement being the next generation of EAX fulfilling a new host of high definition audio features for gaming and music alike. EAX ADVANCED HD offers dramatically increased 3D audio performance and functionality delivering rich environment effects for an unsurpassed entertainment experience. It can render up to four complex simultaneous audio environments in real time making it ready to take on the next generation of PC games.

• SB1394

SB1394 is Creative's IEEE-1394 compatible standard for high speed (~400Mbits) digital audio transfer (FireWire). The SB1394 standard ensures optimal performance with 1394 equipped devices  providing a seamless user experience for transferring massive MP3 collections, DV editing, easy networking and more. Connectors can be found both on the cards backplate and Audigy Drive.

• ASIO (Audio Stseam Input Output)

Built-in ASIO support provides ultra low latency digital recording (~2ms) allowing Sound Blaster Audigy users to take full advantage of the many ASIO compliant music creation software programs. Due to this precision, the end result is a much finer recording that sounds more natural, reflecting the impact of sound realistically upon playback.

• DREAM

DREAM - Dynamic Repositioning of Enhanced Audio & Music. This enables the Audigy create a "disco-like" surround sound for any stereo source by selecting an audio frequency and directing its path across multi-channel speakers. The effect becomes whirlpool of sound passing by your ears from alternating positions.

• Time Scaling

Adjust the speed of any audio of speech without changing the pitch or distorting the original sound quality. If you happen to be learning a foreign language and have difficulty in understanding the words slowing them down will yield better comprehension of the pronunciation found in the given language.

• Audio Clean-Up

In addition to the feature set is an advancement called Audio Clean-up, which is designed to remove unwanted noises like "cracks" and "pops" present in the recording during playback. Older audio files still in use today may contain polluted sounds that are not intentionally part of the stream. The result is much cleaner sounding music that can bring classics back to life again.

New technologies sound your room

The Inspire 5.1 5300 speakers mark a change for Creative as they are part of a brand new range of Inspire speaker systems designed for a broad audience depending on their needs. This 5.1 5300 speaker system we look at here is described as a powerful solution adding Dolby 5.1 home-theater quality audio to your movies, music, and games. What technological promises will bring sounds to our ears? To find out, allow us a look of what's on offer.

• Maximum performance when combined with Sound Blaster® Audigy™ series audio cards

• Dolby® 5.1 surround sound when combined with Sound Blaster Live!!™ 5.1 or Sound Blaster Audigy audio cards

• Contoured satellite face-plate provides optimum sound dispersion and precise sonic imaging

• Compact satellites engineered with high performance drivers for optimum sound quality

• 18 watts RMS subwoofer plus 5 satellites with 6 watts RMS each

• Creates a 5.1 sonic soundfield with 4-channel sound cards

• Heavily reinforced cube-style subwoofer with protective coating for solid bass and durability

• Enhanced 5.1 sound quality on EAX™ and Microsoft® DirectSound® 3D supported games

• Ergonomically designed volume control with power switch and LED indicator for convenient power, volume, and balance control

• Built-in amplifiers tailored to optimize the sound of the speakers to produce smooth natural sound typical of high-end speakers

• Attractive design enhances any desktop setting

• Customizable satellite and subwoofer grills with optional colors
   

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