3DsoundSurge Press Release: Creative Launches Sound Blaster Extigy, Its First External Sound Card

Creative Launches Sound Blaster Extigy, Its First External Sound Card

USB connectivity plus stunning sound quality make Sound Blaster Extigy the first choice for notebook or desktop users who demand better audio that’s simpler to install.

Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer and the Internet, announces the Sound Blaster® Extigy™, the first external Sound Blaster in the company's history. Designed for notebook or desktop users who cannot open their PCs or would prefer not to, the Sound Blaster Extigy installs quickly and easily via USB. Harnessing high-quality 24-bit DACs, and with 24-bit/96kHz compatible connectivity, it delivers stunning multi-channel audio at a class-leading 100dB signal-to-noise ratio to ensure exceptional audio quality across a wide range of applications. These include digital music, DVD movies and everyday gaming. Connecting to desktop PCs or notebooks via USB, and with a remote control as standard, the Extigy is compact and easy to use, coming with a raft of flexible, powerful software and drivers that make its versatility and power exceptionally easy to deploy. As a further aid to compatibility, the Extigy includes a coaxial S/PDIF in, optical S/PDIF in/out, digital out jack, a line-in, a microphone socket, headphone jack, MIDI connectors and support for digital or analogue 5.1 surround speakers.

According to Sim Wong Hoo, founder and CEO of Creative, "The Sound Blaster Extigy introduces a new era in PC audio. We have shipped more than 150 million Sound Blaster audio cards to date; and the exciting new Extigy extends our leadership in PC audio by delivering stunning digital audio clarity in an external audio solution for the first time. We are excited to meet the demands of notebook and PC users who have been demanding a convenient, easy-to-use external Sound Blaster solution with exceptional digital audio fidelity. Notebook users in particular will be delighted by the freedom Extigy gives them to enjoy great multi-channel MP3 and digital music, DVD movies and games."

In addition to enhancing the audio experience on desktop and notebook PCs, the Sound Blaster Extigy will function as a stand-alone device. In this mode it can be used as a Dolby Digital decoder for a set-top DVD; to provide 5.1 surround sound from a video gaming console such as the X-BOX™ or PlayStation 2™; or as a convenient connection point for CD, minidisc or digital audio players. It will also enhance audio quality and provide CMSS (Creative Multi-Speaker Surround™) functionality, which enables users to up-mix stereo content for a 5.1 surround sound experience.

The Sound Blaster Extigy also features EAX® ADVANCED HD™ technologies for music. These include audio enhancement features such as Audio Clean-Up, which removes scratches, pops and hisses when recording from tapes and LP records; Time Scaling, which allows the user to speed up or slow down audio or spoken word content while maintaining accurate pitch - ideal for musicians, students and executives; DREAM™ (Dynamic Repositioning of Enhanced Audio and Music) which allows the interactive repositioning of stereo content in a surround 5.1 environment by redirecting the path of a specific frequency range; and other audio effects which enable the user to customise the listening environment to replicate specific acoustic venues. Everyday gamers can also enjoy 5.1 multi-channel positional digital audio combined with EAX 1.0 and 2.0 technology - generally accepted as the standard for gaming audio and incorporated in most mainstream games.

Also in the box are powerful applications such as Creative PlayCenter™ 3, the personal digital music centre that enables users to create and organise digital quality music, play-back Dolby Digital® files, and burn CDs.

"Use it with a PC, use it with a notebook or use it on its own … However you look at it, the Sound Blaster Extigy delivers better audio to users who want quality with simplicity," says Franco De Bonis, European Brand Manager for audio with Creative Labs Europe. "Its performance is outstanding, and with stand-alone flexibility and on-board Dolby Digital decoding as part of the package, it's a uniquely powerful and versatile hub for audio and entertainment. It's the start of a new era in audio."