Creative labs sound card

Creative labs sound card

When I ordered this external sound card, I was skeptical, but when I received this card,hooked it up,it sounded fantastic. I had realtek onboard sound. I disabled it in the device manager tab, before i downloaded the drivers for the sound blaster live card, and without any problems. I'm running windows XP, with service pack 2. There is a big difference, no hiss, or distortion,and you can turn the speakers up louder, without sacraficing clarity. I would not hesitate to buy this card, even though you can't get updated drivers, the ones that come with the CD is just fine, and they are certified by Microsoft. Thank You for reading this. And remember, you can always switch from one sound card to the other.

Creative Labs 70SB049000000 USB SoundBlaster Live 24-Bit External Sound Card

Product Features and Technical Details

Product Features

• High-resolution stand-alone sound card with abundant inputs and outputs
• Simple hookup via USB 1.1 port; no power supply required
• The perfect tool to help you put your LPs and cassettes on CD, create MP3s, and organize music
• Audio enhancements include bass boost, smart volume management, a multi-band graphic equalizer, and audio clean-up (hiss and click removal)
• Encodes and decodes audio at up to 24-bit/96 kHz resolution; offers 5.1-channel output for use with 5.1 speaker systems

Technical Details

• Model: 70SB049000000

Billed as the easiest way to upgrade from basic built-in PC sound to home-theater audio, Creative's USB SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit external sound card is an affordable stand-alone audio interface for your PC that hooks up to your computer via a single, simple USB 1.1 connection (cable supplied). The card offers analog inputs for a microphone and an audio component (CD player, DVD player, etc.) and outputs including optical and coaxial digital-audio jacks and a trio of minijack analog audio outs that you can use with 5.1-channel surround-sound speaker systems. Your music and games will never be the same.

Now you can create MP3s from your CDs easier than ever and digitize your old cassettes and LP records, cleaning up the sound as you do so using Creative's supplied software. (Be aware, however, that LP record playback requires, in addition to a turntable and cartridge, an outboard phono stage or an integrated amplifier equipped with a phono preamplifier; the USB SoundBlaster Live! accepts only line-level analog inputs.)

The unit's onboard 24-bit Advanced HD and EAX Advanced HD technologies encode and decode (record and play back) audio at up to 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution, though you must disable realtime audio monitoring at the highest settings due to limitations in the USB 1.1 data-throughput spec.

Creative Multi Speaker Surround (CMSS) multispeaker technology lets you "upmix" stereo sources to 5.1-channel surround sound. The software includes a professional-quality panning and mixing algorithm, front and rear balance controls, muting, and panning control for mixer sources.

Realistic EAX reverb, panning, and elevation effects bring your music and games to life. The kit also includes advanced time-scaling (which allows variable playback duration without altering the pitch of your original content), an audio clean-up feature (which removes noise and clicks from playback of vinyl disk or cassette recordings), bass boost, smart volume management, and a multi-band graphic equalizer.

Use of the sound card is as simple as plugging it into any available USB port: there's no power adapter required. The card has an infrared receiver for use with an optional Creative remote control, which will let you operate your computer from the comfort of your sofa or bed, at a distance of up to 13 feet.

What's in the Box
USB SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit external sound card, a USB cable, a quick-start guide, and an Installation CD (containing drivers for Windows XP, SP1, and 2000, SP4; Creative Software Applications Suite; and a user's guide).

Product Description

Includes: USB cable, 9-pin speaker DIN cable, & Creative software applications suite.Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 24-Bit External - This external audio device is an easy way to add amazing audio capabilities to your PC. Simply plug in the USB cable, install the drivers, and you're ready to go. No power adapter needed! Just use an available USB port. You get crystal clear 24-bit audio reproduction, support for 5.1 surround sound speaker systems, EAX ADVANCED HD for gaming, & more. SVM - automatically match volume levels across music tracks CMSS 3D - enjoy virtual surround sound on stereo speakers/headphones Bass Boost 10 Band Equalizer Minimum System Requirements-Intel Pentium III or Celeron class 800Mhz / Microsoft Windows XP (SP1) or 2000 (SP4) / 128MB RAM / 340 MB Hard Disk Space / Available USB 1.1 port / Headphones or amplified speakers (available separately) / CD/DVD-ROM drive for software installation. NOTE - Due to data transfer limitations of the USB 1.1 connection, it may not be possible to play back, record or simultaneously record and play back content at the highest bit rate and/or frequency supported

An outstanding and innovative product. What's cool about this product is that you can place it anywhere near your computer, allowing you to have all your sound ports/jacks and volume controls within quick and easy reach: With its microphone port, in/out line ports, speaker ports, and multiple other ports, you can connect just about any type of audio device directly to the SoundBlaster External Card.

The multiple media software applications that are included free (on one CD) is alone worth the price you pay for the sound card. With the SoundBlaster External hardware and the included recording software, you can record anything (CDs, casettes, old vinyl records, your own live voice and music) and easily convert it to a digital audio file. From there you can use the editing software to clean-up and enhance your recording. Once you have saved your sound file, here are some ideas for you: email the sound file, or convert the file to an mp3 for use on a portable music player, or burn the file onto a CD: All of these you can do with the SoundBlaster External Sound Card. And, oh yes, the SoundBlaster External will make your computer sound absolutely great!

For the very best functionality, be certain to get the updated driver to the SoundBlaster Live External Card at the Creative.com website:

http://us.creative.com/support/downloads/