I bought this so I didn't have to open up the PC and put in yet another AV card. I was a bit skeptical that something so small could work, but it did and it continues to work a month in. The sound quality is excellent, especially on medical dictations where doctors, residents and physician's assistants speak so softly even at full volume. It is a godsend. The Soundlbaster also pointed up another problem; my earphones needed to be replaced.
With the new earphones and the Soundblaster, I am back in business and don't have to strain to hear any more. Makes a big difference in my work and my income. Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Go! Pro USB Audio System with THX SB1290
The audio jack on my netbook stopped working, so I was looking for a usb sound card as a quick, cheap fix. This one worked okay. I don't think there was any improvement in sound quality over my netbook's original sound card, but it was definitely louder (which was nice because the volume wasn't so great with headphones before). However, there were some problems with hissing, stuttering, and delayed sound. The delayed sound was a particular problem because I use a screenreader because of vision problems and the sound delays made the screenreader almost useless. But the delay was not really noticeable at all with most other programs, like for playing music or audio files. I also thought this usb sound card came with too much unnecessary software. Maybe the software would be useful for someone who's actually doing sound editing or something, but it's a lot of software to install if all you need is more volume or a way to bypass a broken audio jack. In the end, I ended up buying the Turtle Beach Amigo II, which installs very quickly and doesn't come with any additional software. And most importantly, it doesn't have the problems with the hissing or delayed sound.
I got this around new yaer, size of the device is really ideal, and setup was easy. But I got big back ground niose when I use it with my laptop, so I gave it to my friend which he didn't sense the niose that much.
I got this because one place I play is huge and the sound system is somewhat "challenging." If you take the time to really understand how the various features of the Soundblaster X-FI products really work together, you'll get a better result than you ever imagined. I now use it everywhere I play - wish I had picked up on this when it first came out!
Use the "Crystalizer" to counteract the effects of MP3 compression - The "Dialogue Plus" to bring vocals forward and improve clarity - The "Equalizer" to set up the balance for all your venues and save them for future use. Add to this a heap of other effects and you have a winner.
Best decision I made for very little money. No negatives at all.
Great product. I'm giving it 5 stars because I'm rating it on what it is and what it does. It is a USB soundcard. It doesn't offer any audiophile qualities such as a better headphone amp, or SPDIF connections. It is a plain and simple headphone or 2.1 audio enhancer. The THX (Creative) Crystalizer is pretty cool, it only boosts certain frequencies and basically brightens the mix a bit. The THX Surround effect is also pretty cool to simulate 5 speaker systems. The Speaker effect essentially adds a bit of bass to your speakers in case you don't have a sub woofer and you can adjust your crossover as necessary if you have a 2.1 system. I'm really impressed with the product though. I am still using my on-board Realtek chip for SPDIF coax to my receiver, but for my Plantronic GameCons and Sennheiser HD428's I love this thing. Its funny I used to have a SoundBlaster 2 ZS and have "downgraded" to a $40 stereo card. I would recommend this to people who have noticeable crappy on-board audio and want the EAX 5.0, THX TruStudio PC, and Crystalizer effects.
The distortion produced by this sound card is audible even over music playing. i am extremely disappointed with this product, will not buy from creative again. this card was not defective, just junk. poor shielding from internal devices, its picked up and amplified its own digital noise. last time i had something that sounded like this it was a cheap MP3 player i spent 10 bucks on at walgreens. - External Sound Card - Usb Sound Card - Usb Audio - Usb Audio Interface'
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