By
John Lui, CNET Asia
05/02/2002
URL:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/pcperipherals/0,39051168,39014931,00.htm
Computers sold these days come with bare-bones sound chipsets that handle the basics. However, games and DVD movies today offer a lot more than basic stereo, which such no-frills audio boards can't handle.
This is where the Creative Sound Blaster Extigy comes in: It's a stunningly simple way of adding more oomph to PC audio through the USB port. It's a paperback-sized box of audio tricks that will transform any plain-jane PC or notebook into a Dolby-Digital decoding, MIDI-composing, 5.1 channel all-singing all-dancing beast. At least, that what Creative says it can do.
Software Simplified
Installing the Extigy was as simple as advertised. We plugged the supplied USB cable into a Twinhead N2300 notebook with a 1 GHz Pentium III, 376 MB of memory and running Windows XP. The Extigy won't work with anything earlier than Windows 98SE, because USB audio support is essential. The decoded analog signal was sent to a Creative Inspire 5300 5.1 channel powered speaker system.
Thankfully, Creative has made sure that a single installer program installs everything in one go, unlike the
Audigy sound card software, with its multi-window madness. What's not so great is that Creative sticks to its "more-is-better" approach, filling the Programs menu with an array of program groups and sub-groups. At least they've stopped placing a banner menu across the stop of the screen.
The software package will take pages to write about, but it is a gamut of apps that pros and newbies alike will find useful. For example, Creative PlayCenter 3 helps organize and create music playlists; Creative Recorder will let you digitize audio from tapes, records or the microphone; and the Creative Minidisk Center which allows you to line up MP3s for minidisk recording with pauses inserted for correct track indexing.
DVD Movies Dazzle
We tested the Dolby Digital decoding with a Star Wars Episode 1 DVD. We could get only plain vanilla stereo but after a call to Creative, we were told that the PowerDVD playback software had to be set to pass-thru audio to the SPDIF port--an unintuitive option but we guess strange things have to be done to pass audio through the USB port. Anyway these settings are covered in the guide program, which we had overlooked.
Happily, after we followed Creative's advice the Dolby Digital light on the Extigy's front panel flashed on, signaling it was receiving a 5.1 audio signal. We played Chapter 20, the pod race section. It's a torture test in which audio from several sources--the engines, the stadium crowd, the dialogue, the crashes--spins madly from left to right, front to back. The Extigy's spatial placement of sound was flawless and squeaky clean.
A Remote Possibility
Part of the Extigy's charm is that it allows you to remote-control multimedia apps. The supplied infra-red remote is the standard device that comes with other Creative products such as the Audigy.
It's a well-designed tool that offers effective control of Creative apps that play and record audio, letting you select, play, pause and even eject CDs. You can assign other apps to it for control, such as Cyberlink's PowerDVD. However, don't expect total control as you would a hi-fi or DVD player remote. While you can play, pause and stop movies, you can't select chapters, slo-mo or skim forward.
Standing Alone
The Extigy can operate untethered from the PC as a living-room decoder for DVD players and game consoles such as the Playstation or GameCube. Thanks to it's array of analog and digital inputs--both electrical and optical--it can handle anything a Dolby decoder amp can.
It does have limitations however. It's only a decoder-preamplifier. It can't drive speakers. You'll need to connect it to a powered 5.1 speaker system and Creative recommends its own Inspire 5300 model. While it's good for close range use, the 5300 lacks the volume and bass for larger rooms. The Extigy too, lacks some functions that proper living room decoder-amps have, such as source selection. It will play every live source simultaneously. And if your speaker system doesn't let you fine-tune individual volume levels for each speaker, you're out of luck; you can't set these from the Extigy's hardware.
Agony or Extigy?
As a hybrid device that straddles the world of computers and consumer electronics, the Extigy covers some important bases. It's a sonic docking station for notebooks that turbocharges their fun value. For desktop PCs, it takes the hassle out of installing a sound card and as a bonus, can be plugged into various home entertainment devices.
If you just need basic 5.1 channel support and don't mind twiddling a screwdriver, the
Sound Blaster Audigy DE (US$80, S$160) is the cheaper solution, and adds a high-speed SB1394 (or IEEE1394 FireWire) port to boot. On the opposite end, the US$249 (S$469)
Audigy Platinum eX adds the FireWire, remote control and an external patch box, and heaps more near-professional music-editing software.
Where the Extigy will make the most sense, however, is if you have a PC or notebook lodged somewhere in the home entertainment center--that way, you get the best use of the dual-personality features of this US$149 (S$289) hybrid device.
| Quick
Facts |
| Product: |
Creative Sound Blaster Extigy
|
| Compatible OS: |
Windows 2000, 98SE, ME,
XP |
| Price: |
US$149.99 (S$289) |
| Software bundle: |
Creative PlayCenter 3, Creative Audio
Stream Recorder, Creative RemoteCenter, iM Tuner, MixMeister, Creative Recorder
|
| Digital Decoder technology: |
Dedicated Dolby Digital (AC-3)
hardware DSP decoder with support of up to 24-bit I/O data format
|
| Formats supported: |
Sound Blaster MIDI and General MIDI
Plug and Play, EAX ADVANCED HD for music, EAX, Microsoft DirectSound,
DirectSound 3D & derivatives, Dolby Digital, USB 1.1 |
| Processor: |
Audigy, 24-bit DAC (digital to analog
convertor), 24-bit ADC (analog to digital convertor) |
| Front panel hardware: |
Optical SPDIF in and out, headphone,
MIDI in/out, stereo line in, mic in, IR sensor for remote control, control knobs
for mic input and master volume; CMSS and power buttons. LED indicators for
power, remote control, CMSS and Dolby Digital. |
| Back panel hardware |
Front left and right speaker, rear
left and right, center and subwoofer speaker outs (line-level); SPDIF electrical mini-jack out, coax SPDIF in, MIDI
output and input, USB connector, power supply connector. |
| Audio quality: |
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) exceeding
100dB, 24-bit converters with resolutions of up to 96kHz; 24-bit / 96kHz
Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for various analog inputs; 24-bit / 96kHz
Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) for 6-channel analog speaker and headphone
output |
| Dimensions: |
19.5cm (W) x 20.5cm (L) x 3.9cm (H),
650g |
