News

• Available for: Windows PCs
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• The Good: Easy setup; fabulous sound quality; remote control.
• The Bad: Not much to pick on here.
• The Verdict: An upgrade that your ears won't regret.
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REVIEW:

I've always been deeply skeptical of products with the word "extreme" — or any variant thereof — in their name. When it comes to computers, pragmatism is my most basic rule: I want a solid, non-flashy part that delivers consistent performance, reliability, and is well-supported. That means through good drivers, ease of installation, or whatever other features are necessary to maximize my use of that product — I want it done right. Everyone, however, has an obsession with strange names for sound cards: Xi-Fi Xtreme, XtremeSound, even Thundersound.

I asked myself — why upgrade something that has reliably worked since 2001, the last time I even thought about soundcards? With a name like "X-Fi Xtreme Gamer" ($120 U.S. retail), what really sets it apart from my previous soundcard, a Soundblaster Audigy from 2001? My Audigy played sound just fine, never once complained or malfunctioned, and sounded great for all my gaming, music playback, and internet voice chat.

Out of the Box and Into the Computer

I've assembled many computers over time, so being handed a box with a sound card in it wasn't a problem for me. For those interested in installation, I'm happy to say that removing the old soundcard and placing the new one in is nothing unusual — the card is far smaller than I'd expected. I was surprised to find another piece to install, though: A drive-bay insert for my computer that fit into a normal slot, like a CD-ROM drive. It contains a variety of utility pieces, such as a headphone jack, optical audio input and output, and a receiver for the included remote control. The installation for this piece isn't as simple, since it involves screws and some lengthier cable wrangling if your case is full — like mine is. Nonetheless, everything came with clear instructions and labeling, and I was all set in about 20 minutes. So far, so good.

The Sound of Music

Power on, computer's set back up. Time to install the best part of the whole kit: the drivers and software that make this card work with the computer. The installation of the drivers took a while, and I proudly say I did not pay any attention whatsoever to the process. I obsessively listen to music all day, and a silent computer drives me slowly crazy, so I wanted everything back up and running as soon as possible. After restarting my computer to complete the driver installation, I recalled that I hadn't removed the software from my previous sound card. I went to uninstall the old software, carefully avoiding uninstalling my new software — they had separate entries in the Add/Remove software list, after all!

To my surprise, this uninstalled the old software anyway! Oops. I was left with a silent computer again. Thankfully, instead of running through the installation from Creative's bundled CDs, I just went to their website and used their Software AutoUpdate (http://www.creative.com/support/) — and got even more recent drivers than their CDs had provided. All was once again good. Just remember to always remove your old drivers and software for any hardware before upgrading it. It will save you confusion and annoyance, which computers provide free of charge even when you're not installing new hardware and software.

I have a good speaker system — 5.1 surround speakers. My older soundcard hadn't supported them properly, and I'd had to adjust it so the subwoofer in my system faked output to the speakers by taking what my soundcard supplied and splitting it up. In my new setup, the Xi-Fi Xtreme Gamer gave me true 5.1 sound, and I could hear the difference right off the bat. After using the Speaker Connection Wizard to make sure my speakers were all in the right position, I started blasting some of my favorite stuff: heavy metal, high female vocals, and some pure instrumental. The sound was more diffuse, uncentered, and my speakers no longer felt as if they were just blaring out music directly at me. My music had gained real depth and I wasn't even toying with settings yet — or my remote control. I'd never realized how much of a difference hardware can have on sound generation and quality, but everything was already more vibrant. I asked a friend for her opinion, and although she hates my taste for thrash metal, she agreed that the music did sound much better than ever before.

I snatched up my remote control and walked across the room. I cranked my volume up. I turned it down. Aside from accidentally blasting my poor friend's ears, I realized I could have music on all the time and control its volume whenever I got a phonecall, someone knocked, or I just didn't like the song but was feeling lazy. I was somewhat disappointed to see that some of the remote's features only work with Creative's proprietary media player, though — which I found intrusive and flashy — and not my preferred WinAmp, but the overall convenience is too much to pass up.

During the setup of the driver software for this card, I was asked to put in my choice for one of three modes: Game, Entertainment, or Audio Creation. I'd chosen Game mode, since I do a lot of gaming. Having satisfied myself with the remote, I decided to play around with what Creative offered me — without reading the manual. I'm used to presets not doing anything differently, except perhaps adjusting a little volume, tremble, or bass — what more is there to music, anyhow? And yet, when I went into the Audio Console and chose a different mode for my card, the sound was radically different. The sound card actually changes the way it processes your music, your games, all your outgoing audio, depending on which mode you choose. Though each mode theoretically has its own purpose, they all do sound different and give the user choices. Use Entertainment for games if you think it sounds better! Choice is always good, especially when it is presented as simply as pressing a button on my keyboard and getting noticeable results. I chose to stick with Gaming mode due to the flashier edges it gave my music and effects.

The Audio Console has many other options. One, which is ominously named the "24-bit Crystalizer," caught my eye. The help button on the Crystalizer window talks about audio processors extending dynamic ranges "beyond what would otherwise be feasible" for music with "sharp attacks." That sounded like my thing, so I enabled the crystallizer and moved the slider up to 75%. Wow. The sound difference was amazing, especially on my loud, already vibrant music. This card can teach every song on your computer and every second on your CD a new trick or two. I've not moved the slider since then — it's one of my favorite features of the card, bar none.

The Audio Console offers a large number of other doodads, including enhanced recording options, headphone detection, a slider for adjusting stereo effects, and a lot of other things that only an audiophile in his most devoted moments could explain. I found it very easy to test each setting and match the card to my taste in every way. I enabled a dynamic volume readjustment, so when my loud music comes on, the card automatically softens the loudest notes — this gives all my music a more even, balanced feel. And worry not, the card is forgiving if you change a setting to something you don't like and want to get everything back to the way it was — it's easy to reset to factory defaults.

For those of you into the more obscure details of sound management or creation, SoundFont support, a DVD-audio player, and even a Music Creation guide are all there, completely ready for use. This card, while perfectly suited to people who want an excellent listen in no time flat, can do so much more.

Yes, a product with the word "Xtreme" in its title actually managed to show me what I was missing. It's easy to install — especially if you decide to forgo the remote receiver and additional inputs. It's easy to set up. It's easy to configure. And, most of all, it delivers on its promises to enhance your audio experience. It does so in a highly customizable and user-friendly way, while still providing a large number of features. I would recommend this card to anyone looking for a new audio experience. Your speakers — and ears — won't regret it.