14 DAY TRIAL // Every time a standalone audio product comes out I get my hands on it and try it as fast as I can. You must understand that I'm not talking about an internal sound card or anything remotely related to this concept. And this time, it's no soundcard either, at least not in the conventional way, motive for which I'm pretty curious about what it can do.
The Xmod is a portable soundcard. But it only acts like one if you place it in your USB connector. The idea behind this device is that because it uses a modified form of the X-Fi chip inside, it can preprocess the audio and the output audio can sound much better than the original. And this concept applies very well when you're listening to compressed music (such as mp3). The Xmod uses several algorithms such as CMSS 3D and the 24-bit Crystaliser in order to enhance your mp3. As a result, your speakers (headphones) will sound better and the compression effect will disappear. The guys at Creative say that the compressed music sounds even better than the uncompressed audio CDs. While this statement is somewhat overrated, it is not entirely false.
The Xmod places vocals in a different manner than the stereo outputs do. For instance, the sound (if you're listening through your headphones) seems to come from around you (it switches from front to back in correlation with the sound elements) rather than from your ear. The surround effect is good and it doesn't interfere with the stereo source. The music is very clear and the instruments are distinct. Lows and highs are good, but the medium band could be better on the stereo output. Overall, the Xmod is an impressive piece of hardware. Too bad it needs an AC adapter to work. Anyhow, it sounds good and the only alternative to it is an internal X-Fi card. But that's not portable.