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Creative Labs Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX
Reviewed by
Don Labriola
on 09/26/2001
Creative Labs Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX
CNET Editors' ChoiceSep 01

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$192.99

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  • Quick specs
  • Audio output interface type: PCI
  • Operating system: Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
  • Sound output mode: 5.1 channel surround
  • See full specifications

Add to my list Product summary

The good: Built-in IEEE 1394 port; 24-bit/96KHz digital inputs and outputs; wireless remote control; huge software bundle.

The bad: Pricey; elaborate installation; hard disk recording and playback limited to 16-bit/48KHz resolution; huge feature set can be complex to navigate.

The bottom line: The Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX boasts a huge selection of multichannel sound-processing capabilities, I/O options, and bundled software and accessories. The inclusion of IEEE 1394 connections makes this a nearly perfect product.

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CNET editors' review

CNET Editors' ChoiceSep 01
  • Reviewed by:
    Don Labriola
  • Reviewed on: 09/26/2001
Creative Labs has done it again. Like its previous top-of-the-line models, the Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX boasts a huge selection of multichannel sound-processing capabilities, comprehensive I/O options, a wireless remote, and an over-the-top bundle of software and accessories. But it also adds cutting-edge features, such as a 400Mbps IEEE 1394 port, 24-bit/96KHz digital-audio support, a flexible external I/O box, innovative 3D-gaming capabilities, and a turbocharged digital-sound-processing (DSP) chip that's more than four times faster than earlier models.Creative Labs has done it again. Like its previous top-of-the-line models, the Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX boasts a huge selection of multichannel sound-processing capabilities, comprehensive I/O options, a wireless remote, and an over-the-top bundle of software and accessories. But it also adds cutting-edge features, such as a 400Mbps IEEE 1394 port, 24-bit/96KHz digital-audio support, a flexible external I/O box, innovative 3D-gaming capabilities, and a turbocharged digital-sound-processing (DSP) chip that's more than four times faster than earlier models.

The good news for those whose budgets preclude them from owning the Platinum eX is that Creative Labs is offering the same Audigy card in three less expensive packages. The Platinum edition ($199.99 list) requires internal installation of the Audigy Drive in a PC drive bay and comes with a slightly less robust software bundle. Neither the X-Gamer nor the MP3+ version (each sell for $99.99) include the Audigy Drive or the remote control. The X-Gamer software bundle leaves out the Platinum's music-production software, adding Deus Ex instead, while MP3+ offers Beatnik Mixman Studio Remixer and MixMeister Technologies MixMeister 3.0 in lieu of gaming software.

The Audigy Platinum eX package consists of three discrete components joined by a variety of cables and connectors. Its main PCI board provides line in, mic in, and 5.1-channel analog and digital outputs; an Audigy Extension daughterboard adds a joystick/MIDI connector; and the external Audigy Drive I/O module offers aux in, MIDI, and coaxial and optical S/PDIF connectors, as well as headphone and Mic 2 jacks equipped with dedicated volume controls. All three components also include high-speed IEEE 1394 interfaces designed for devices such as camcorders, external CD recorders, MP3 jukeboxes, and other IEEE 1394-networked PCs.

Not surprisingly, installing the Audigy takes some work. The two boards must be connected by multiple ribbon and 1394 cables, plugged into an open power connector, attached to modem and CD- and DVD-audio outputs, then routed to the Audigy Drive with a massive, multiheaded cable. The software installation is fairly straightforward, but it can take quite some time if you choose to load all of the card's many bundled applications, including music-making software such as Sonic Foundry Acid DJ 2.0, Steinberg Cubasis VST, and Image-Line Fruity Loops. Continue reading

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Creative Labs Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX

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