SUMMARY: A quite good external USB audio solution

The kind folks at Newegg have sent out a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 NX for us to have a look at today.

I'd like to start off with a quote from the retail packaging:

Revolutionize your PC and Notebook Music, Gaming, and Movies with the Ultra-Premium Sound of Sound Blaster Audigy2 NX with Remote.

I found this to be a very good device for all three. I would have liked to test this out with my laptop, as the Audigy2 NX seems that it would be well suited for this type of application, but my laptop doesn't meet the hardware requirements to use this with it.

The Audigy2 NX is an external, USB 2.0 connected sound card. Built into this small device, are a double handful of really neat features and functions. For the physical size of the Audigy2 NX, it surprised me with it's capabilities.

Let's look at what ships with the Audigy2 NX;

Across the top back, are the power adapter, audio cables, USB and power cables. Below that, is a software bundle including a Microsoft demo CD, the Creative Installation and Applications CD, a DVD - Audio Sampler disc, and a Feature Showcase Demonstration CD. In the middle of them is the manual, which folds out not unlike a road map into a poster sized sheet.

In the front are the remote control, the Audigy2 NX, and a case badge.

The cables are actually quite long, with the USB cable being 58 inches (1.4 meters) long, and the audio cables a bit longer at 62 inches (1.5 meters) long.

As the remote control uses IR technology, a direct line of sight to the Audigy2 NX is necessary.

System requirements:

• Intel P/// 500MHz or AMD Athlon/Duron 600MHz or higher
• Windows 98SE/ME/2000 SP3/XP SP1
• 128MB system memory
• 600MB free hard drive space
• Cd-ROM drive
• USB 2.0 port

Additional System requirements for DVD-Audio:

• Intel P4 1.3 Ghz or equivalent AMD or faster processor

Technical:

Channel Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted)

• Front/Rear/Centre/Sub: 102dB @ 2Vrms
• Headphone/Side: 96dB @ 2Vrms

• 24-bit/96kHz Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for various analog inputs
• 24-bit/96kHz Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) for up to 7.1 channels output
• Supports Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) format input signal of up to 24-bit/96kHz quality
• Recording/Playback: up to 24-bit/96kHz*
• SoundFont 2.1 Support for Midi playback

* USB 2.0 audio support is required for 24-bit/96kHz Multi-channel playback, and simultaneous playback and recording. USB 2.0 is only supported in Windows XP and requires online software update from Microsoft and Soundblaster.com when available.

Connections and Controls:

• USB connector
• Line In
• Mic In
• Optical S/PDIF In
• Line Out (Front/Rear/Center/Sub)
• Optical and Coaxial S/PDIF Out
• Master Volume Control
• Mic Volume Control
• LED Indicators; Power, Dolby, Mute, IR, CMSS

Convenient Music Playback with Remote Control:

Creative Remote Center lets you play back and adjust the settings of your DVD-Audio, MP3s/WMAs or CDs at the click of a button of the handy remote control. And you'll be enjoying your audio entertainment with absolute ease.

Here's a look at all of those ports mentioned above:

The image above gives a quick overview on how you might connect everything to the Audigy2 NX. As there are multiple scenarios and methods to hook up speakers to this device, referring to the Support page at Creative HERE should answer any questions you might have on connectivity.

The Audigy2 NX ships with Creative's Mediasource suite of software. Incorporated in this, are several features, including equalizers, speaker settings, bass management and boost, and more. The EAX HD console included offers several different effects options, even karaoke.