CNET editors' review
CNET Editors' ChoiceDec 04-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 12/21/2004
- Released on: 10/01/2004
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook is downright unobtrusive. Inserted into our laptop's PC Card slot, the card stuck out approximately 1 inch from the computer's side. To preserve its small stature, the card has only three jacks, although two of them serve dual purposes: a minijack headphone output/optical out, a minijack microphone input/optical in, and a proprietary port to which you can connect an included adapter that adds three analog outputs for multimedia speaker sets with up to 7.1-channels. Creative will offer an optional adapter if you want to use the 1/8-inch minijack optical jacks with a digital receiver or other hardware that requires the more familiar, square Toslink optical connection.
The Audigy 2 ZS Notebook has neither the hardware controls nor the vast selection of configuration interfaces of the USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX, so you don't get as many options for fine-tuning. Given the convenience of simply slapping this small card into your notebook's PC Card slot, however, you won't mind the slimmer feature set. You can use the Creative software mixer, your laptop's hardware volume control, or your multimedia speaker system's controls to make any necessary adjustments. The only real downer is the absence of a remote control.
Setting up the Audigy 2 ZS Notebook is a snap in Windows XP. You simply insert the sound card into the laptop, cancel out of the "Windows new hardware found" wizard, load the included CD-ROM into your PC's drive, follow a few prompts, then reboot to complete installation. Although Creative supplies a well-conceived quick-setup poster, the full user guide is included only as a file on the CD-ROM.
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