Creative announces Xmod external X-Fi module
By Donald Melanson 
posted October 3rd 2006 3:25PM
posted October 3rd 2006 3:25PM
Creative's much-ballyhooed X-Fi audio processing technology has been available in dedicated sound cards for some time, but the company's now seen fit to set it free from its PCI confines, announcing the more versatile and equally Xtreme Xmod external unit. As with other X-Fi gear, the Xmod promises to dramatically improve sound quality, with Creative even going so far as to claim that your MP3, WMA, or AAC files will sound better than the original CD quality (it says so in the press release, so it must be true). The difference with this unit, of course, is that you don't have to crack open your box to use it -- which also means that you can use it with a laptop or MP3 player. To do so, you simply connect the Xmod between your computer or MP3 player and your speakers or headphones, plug in the USB cable (or in the case of an MP3 player, the optional AC adapter) and let the magic happen. If you're skeptical (though we can't see why you would be) you'll be able to snag one of these later this month for $80 and check it out for yo' self.UPDATE: That was quick, generationmp3 already has hands-on shots of the Xmod. Peep a couple pictures after the break or head on over for the full set.
[Thanks, Pete]
question: is thing supposed to act as an audio scrubber for mp3 players or what? with the optional power adapter rather than USB connection, it would seem that the player simply puts the media through a filtering process and amp. And with a PC, I can see where it may prove useful after you install drivers, but I just cant justify using it as a viable decoder for anything hi-def related when it comes to movies or gaming.
Also, is the X-Fi really better than my Audigy2 ZS Platinum?
I love the graph they use to illustrate the quality boosts... According to the graph, a low quality MP3, when listened to while utilizing the X-Fi module, sounds better than actually being at the studio. That's amazing. For merely $80 you're getting a "better than live" listening experience.
I just wish they could apply similar boosts to my "compressed" wallet, my PC/dvd player, and my car...
haha, very mathmatecal graph there. It doesn't even do the audio processing for your computer.
the thing that will hamper you most in that setup is, well, the Bose sound system. :)
no offense but how does this thing work? i dont get it the USB is just for power and it has one line in (Analog) and 1 earphones out and line out , so what does this thing do? is just a filter ? i mean , to filter an analog signal is no much good supposedly the trick of the X-Fi was the sampling and some other stuff about the digital side of the sound, but if this works in the analog realm then it's like selling shark feathers!
Shark feathers? Where? How do I get some?
;-)
I dunno about this external module, but internal X-Fi's seriously rule. VERY audible difference, and even without the crystallizer turned on, it's still a damn nice card.
My source at the Best Buy down the street tells me they are adapting the "24-bit Crystalizer" hardware technology to work on other media and data also! All you will need is a firmware upgrade in the next few months, and you'll be able to take internet thumbnails and get the full 8 megapixel image, and take YouTube clips and get a full 3D IMAX quality movie!
I'm heavily investing in creative stock as we speak.
I dunno but this actually seems pretty cool to me. I don't think you need it if you already have some killer sound card in your PC but I think the point was to make this an easy (and portable) upgrade. I admit their graph showing mp3 + xFi = better than live is pretty silly, but I bet this thing works to improve the sound of compressed mp3s. I kinda like the concept and they did a nice job on the design, IMHO.
I have been using my X-fi since January and Stopped for a week and used Integrated(I was on somebody else's computer) and the difference between the X-fi and the Integrated was definitely noticable. Noticable on Headphones and painfully apparent in Speakers w/Subwoofer. The Bass of the X-fi is monster.
Any chance of OS X compatibility now that Apple and Creative have declared a detante?
I always get a kick out of people who think that Bose somehow represents quality.
I always get a kick out of people can't recognize sarcasm in a post...
The Bose in my RSX is awful!
Jeremy, it's Mac compatible
Just had a look on Amazon, and these are already for sale, priced about $70-$80. Seems a little odd as the fully blown cards are alot more than that, So I would guess this is a very basic version of the PCI card.
But if this price is correct and it did everything it said, i would pick one up.
Back in the 90s they had the WoW box from SRS. It was a like a preset V equilizer and it actually souneded not bad, but added noise. The old WoW Thing enhancer for WinAmp was actually better than the box. They gave it away free at a time. The one built into WMP for some reason just wasn't as good as WinAmps one. This probably does the similar. If you guys can dig out the wowthing for winamp, i have the serial number they were giving away.
I have been using my Fatal1ty Xfi card for 2 months now and It really does make a difference. Make sure you get the Fatal1ty or the pro version, they have the most xram to push the sound. I love my card one of the best investments i have made on my computer.
All you need is the Volume Logic plug-in for "real-time remastering". It's well worth $20.
http://www.volumelogic.com/
I do like the Xfi series, its good stuff and I would like to use something like this contraption to beef up the audio on 2 macs. I've had a look at the pics and the site, and it appears that this thing can run independantly of USB--with the included AC cord, which makes sense to me, and that would make it possible to plug this thing into an audio switching hub for a set of speakers used with more than 1 computer. Does that seem right? Or do I just want to think it can?
Need it to be black to match my system's color.