Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD Review
Introduction
Product on Review: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD (USB)
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Creative
MSRP: £89
It'd be fair to say that Creative have been fairly quiet with regards to sound card releases over the past few years. The most recent sound card being the X-Fi Fatal1ty series, For audiophiles the X-Fi Extreme product-line has been a popular choice, so in one sense you can understand why Creative haven't needed to be concerned - this range has been very successful.
In September Creative announced the release of a brand new series of sound card coming under the HD classification, because Creative have been fairly dormant in this division this makes for very interesting news. It's good to see them launching new audio products onto the market, and in particular sound cards. So today, I will be taking a look at the X-Fi HD. There are two versions of this sound card, one is installed onto the motherboard and the other resides on your desk being USB. I will be reviewing the latter.
Creative's Take:
Specifications
Playback
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources in 24-bit with sampling rate of up to 96 kHz without audio monitoring.
Recording
24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog sources in 24-bit with sampling rates up to 96 kHz without audio monitoring.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Front Channel Out/Headphone: 114 dB (20kHz Low-pass filter, A-Weighted)
Audio Technology:
THX TruStudio Pro
Connectivity
* Microphone input (1/4” jack)
* Headphone output (1/4" jack)
* Line in / Phono in* (2 x RCA jacks)
* Line out (2x RCA jacks)
* Optical SPDIF input and output (2 x optical connectors)
* Equipped with RIAA EQ (Equalization), which allows recording from a turntable directly without a pre-amp.
Interface
USB 2.0
Product on Review: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD (USB)
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Creative
MSRP: £89
It'd be fair to say that Creative have been fairly quiet with regards to sound card releases over the past few years. The most recent sound card being the X-Fi Fatal1ty series, For audiophiles the X-Fi Extreme product-line has been a popular choice, so in one sense you can understand why Creative haven't needed to be concerned - this range has been very successful.
In September Creative announced the release of a brand new series of sound card coming under the HD classification, because Creative have been fairly dormant in this division this makes for very interesting news. It's good to see them launching new audio products onto the market, and in particular sound cards. So today, I will be taking a look at the X-Fi HD. There are two versions of this sound card, one is installed onto the motherboard and the other resides on your desk being USB. I will be reviewing the latter.
Creative's Take:
USB Sound Blaster X-Fi HD is an audiophile-grade sound system with premium connectivity for your Notebook or PC.
The front panel includes a conveniently located 1/4” microphone input and 1/4” headphone jack with a studio quality headphone amp and volume control. The rear panel features optical I/O, gold-plated stereo RCA I/O plus an integrated phono preamp for direct recording of your vinyl collection from your turntable.
The bundled Media Toolbox software lets you record, convert, enhance and organize your digital music files easily while THX TruStudio Pro technology brings you the same great audio experience found in live performances, films, and recording studios.
The front panel includes a conveniently located 1/4” microphone input and 1/4” headphone jack with a studio quality headphone amp and volume control. The rear panel features optical I/O, gold-plated stereo RCA I/O plus an integrated phono preamp for direct recording of your vinyl collection from your turntable.
The bundled Media Toolbox software lets you record, convert, enhance and organize your digital music files easily while THX TruStudio Pro technology brings you the same great audio experience found in live performances, films, and recording studios.
Specifications
Playback
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources in 24-bit with sampling rate of up to 96 kHz without audio monitoring.
Recording
24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog sources in 24-bit with sampling rates up to 96 kHz without audio monitoring.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Front Channel Out/Headphone: 114 dB (20kHz Low-pass filter, A-Weighted)
Audio Technology:
THX TruStudio Pro
Connectivity
* Microphone input (1/4” jack)
* Headphone output (1/4" jack)
* Line in / Phono in* (2 x RCA jacks)
* Line out (2x RCA jacks)
* Optical SPDIF input and output (2 x optical connectors)
* Equipped with RIAA EQ (Equalization), which allows recording from a turntable directly without a pre-amp.
Interface
USB 2.0
