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Creative Debuts Two X-Fi USB Sound Blaster Audio Cards

Nov 15, 2010 07:29 GMT  ·  By
The two new Creative sound-blasters
   The two new Creative sound-blasters

Creative seems to be keeping itself pretty busy lately, since the company recently rolled out, beside those gaming headphones we've talked about on Friday, a couple of USB audio solutions featuring THX TruStudio Pro audio technology, namely the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro and the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro cards. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro connects to a desktop or notebook PC via USB to upgrade it to a THX TruStudio Pro entertainment system with 5.1 surround sound. The external audio card features a high-quality, gold-plated RCA stereo and optical digital out for 24-bit/96kHz playback performance when connected to the PC via USB 2.0, delivering, in the same time, recording capabilities of up to 24-bit/96kHz. Moreover, the card allows users to enjoy Dolby Digital Live! with a single cable connection to a decoder or home theater system, and it's accompanied by a compact IR remote that controls mute, volume and playback. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro, on the other hand, is described as being the most portable Sound Blaster, this USB solution being only about the size of a thumb drive so users can easily take it with them to experience THX TruStudio Pro audio technology at home or on the go. The card features a 3.5mm stereo jack for microphone-in, a 3.5mm stereo jack for analogue line-out or headphones, support for EAX 5.0 for accurate audio environments in-game, as well as Creative ALchemy to restore EAX and surround sound that is otherwise lost in DirectSound game titles running under Vista and Windows 7. "Creative has always been recognized for creating the finest PC audio solutions, and by featuring THX TruStudio Pro in our Sound Blaster audio range, we’re taking the best audio products in the industry and introducing an unprecedented level of listening quality," said Steve Erickson, VP and GM for Audio-Video Group at Creative. "Sound Blaster once again leads the industry in innovation with the only audio solutions in the world to offer THX TruStudio Pro audio technology," added Mr. Erickson. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro and the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro will be available from mid December 2010 at the suggested retail prices of US$59.99 and US$39.99 respectively.