• Includes 8-channel 108 dB SNR for unsurpassed audio fidelity
• 24-bit ADVANCED HD audio
• 108 dB SNR clarity across 8 channels
• Audio playback in 24-bit/192 kHz stereo and 24-bit/96 kHz 5.1 s From Walmart for $99.18
  
  

And now the performance. If this is your first plunge into the whole THX/true Dolby surround sound experience on your computer you won't regret buying this card. Since installing this card I have replayed Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, URU and other games and it's a whole new experience. With my 5.1 surround sound speakers the sound was crisp, clear and definately worth the $85.00. I am not a hardcore "tech guru" so I can't get into the serious stuff that some of the other people here have: They seem to have done a good job with those reviews, so I'll leave it at that. But if you are looking for great surround sound and don't want to spend loads of money this card is for you.

More Boom for your Buck.... (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I bought this card as an upgrade for my default Dell system, having done a little shopping around for a good deal. I was attracted to this card for several reasons - A) It supports 5.1 surround sound (just got some new shiny speakers to play with y'see), B) I trust Creative to make a reliable and compatible product, since I'm not a computer whiz, and I don't have the time or experience to reconfigure stuff just to get it to work, and C) The price is just about right.

Installation was a breeze - like always just follow the instructions carefully and make sure everything is connected before you close the case - this model comes with a separate cable to link the sound card to the digital port on the CD drive. My XP system detected everything right away, and the software installed without a hitch. There's a few different programs bundled with the card, including EAX, THX and speaker configuration support, all of which is nicely presented and was helpful when setting up my speakers. The 5.1 surround support is just as groovy as I'd hoped, and the card software made it a breeze to adjust the levels, configure Winamp 5 to play through all the channels, and add funky effects. I don't really have much use for all the software included, but I can imagine if you were starting from scratch, or, conversely, quite an advanced user, you might enjoy the various different functions included here. I'm a bit middle-of-the-road to need all the bells and whistles, but I appreciate them being there.

So, easy to setup, easy to use, simmering with latent power and nicely priced. I admit that I was also persuaded to get this card for secret reason D) It came bundled with Raven Shield (and Angel of Darkness, but I'm treating that as a fancy test for my speakers rather than a 'real' game...I'm such a snob) which sounds awesome through this card. A great buy for a lower end user who wants to ramp-up their audio experience without breaking the bank (or an eardrum). Recommended.

Underimpressed! (Rating: 1.00)
Review : The following is an email sent to Creative Tech Support over three weeks ago. They have not replied so I am writing reviews as I told them I would. (Problem 3 below was somehow resolved after unchecking Synchronize with Control Panel in Speaker Settings and then rechecking it several days later.) My system is a Dell Dimension 8300, P4 2.6 GHz, 512 MB ram, nVidia GeForce FX 5200 video, 5.1 speakers, Windows XP.

I have over 20 years experience with PCs and I have been a studious learner during that time. I have installed many peripherals and add-ons in my own and machines belonging to others. But I have never had as many problems installing any of them as with this sound card, even in the days before plug and play!

I have installed the programs and drivers along with updates from your web site three times now because of various problems. The last installation changed my nVidia display card settings which caused a greenish monochrome color in DVD movies, but I reset them back. After much work I now have the most trouble free installation so far. The following problems remain however.

1. Opening THX Console resets the speaker level settings under the advanced tab of Surround Mixer and opening other settings programs causes those in THX Console to change. Prior installations also caused settings in EAX Console to change. Apparently one can use either THX Console and not the others, or the others can be used but not THX Console. Seems to me your documentation needs a better explanation of the interactions between these three programs and Speaker Settings and how to use them together.

2. When using SPDIF output from my DVD player application, some sounds aren't played during initial screens, menus and credits and there are occasional skips and faltering as some movies start playing. But playback of the same DVD is perfect when I set the application to decode sound rather than send it to the card to decode.

3. Volume of CD and DVD playback is controlled by the Wave slider in Surround Mixer instead of the CD Audio slider when digital output is enabled for the DVD player in Device Manager (the digital cable isn't connected between the card and the player). So my DVD player resets the wave playback volume high when it is started, and I then get blasted when a true wave file is played, if Synchronize with Control Panel is checked in Speaker Settings and I forget to lower wave volume after a DVD. Your documentation may also need more explanation of this to prevent confusion and endless experimenting.

Any help you can give will be appreciated. I am about ready to pull the card, revert back to the onboard sound, and start writing some bad reviews on web sites, which I have done only once before.

I frankly don't see how an average user could be satisfied with this card unless they are oblivious to its problems.

P.S. The card is installed in a Dell Dimension 8300 with plenty of resources, and I could find no info on your site that recommends a bios update as for some earlier Dell units. I have tried installing the card in two different slots in the computer. The card shares an IRQ with a USB Universal Host Controller. No other resources are shared.

nice sound, nice price (Rating: 4.00)
Review : I got this card a long time ago and could tell a major increase in my audio quality when I had my 5.1 high end speakers plugged in, but ultimitely you need nice speakers to experience the full potential of this card. It has no 5.25 inch bay adaptor like the Platinum does, and although it is old, it is the best for when you have a tight budget.

No earphone internal connector !! (Rating: 1.00)
Review : What's the use of a sound card that has no internal earphone jack? My case (Antec P-160 bought here in Amazon) has an earphone jack in the front panel and I need an internal earphone connector from the sound card to connect to the front panel of the case, but this card, despite all the fuss about it, has none. To be able to get one, you need to spend tens of dollars more to get the so-called hub, that I dont want because it makes the product more expensive and requires a 5 pol. slot from the case (besides, I already have the front panel from the case itself). It's an absurd, I don't want to have to make a hack from the connectors in the bracket just to get an earphone jack. I'm returning this product and I will stay away from Sound Blaster products for as long as I can.

Fine for PC speaker setup - Not for PC Home Theater (Rating: 3.00)
Review : I recently connected my PC to my TV. (They are in 2 different rooms). The video runs via (5m) DVI cable and I was looking for a good way to connect the audio to the receiver-driven home theater 5.1 speakers. Silly me for thinking that a digital coaxial out from this card could simply plug into coax in on receiver and Dolby coding etc. would be recognized. (SEE other review regarding this below). So, after purchasing a 25' coax cable and miniplug connector, I was extremely disappointed NOT to have true 5.1 digital sound from my speakers.

Basically, I will have to run a bunch of (looong) analog connecting RCA cables to my receiver, instead of 1 digital coax - what a pain! Not to mention the headphone BS also mentioned.

Seems like they overlooked some very basic things with this card and focused on the the processing...