Creative set to release X-Fi-equipped X30 iPod dock
By Donald Melanson 
posted Mar 14th 2008 4:25PM
posted Mar 14th 2008 4:25PM
It's been a little while since we've seen a new X-Fi device from Creative, but it looks like the company's now set to expand it's audio-enhancing empire a bit further, with its new X30 iPod dock apparently nearly ready for a release. While there's unfortunately no wireless streaming going on here, the dock will at least let you hook your iPod up to a stereo or pair of speakers, as well as a TV thanks to the dock's s-video port, with that much-hyped X-Fi technology promising to make everything sound better than ever. Look for this one to set you back just under €80 (or about $125) when it hits Europe next month -- no word on a release 'round these parts just yet.
Yawn....
PC Fanboy: Engadget! Why are you like, talking about stuff that I hate? I'm gonna protest your everlasting love for Apple by posting 30 comments bashing Mac users and by refreshing this page 2000 times, just so you know I'm angry.
*eyeroll*
joystiq+engadget+maximumpc = balanced fanboyism.
The real news is how they're trying to rip us off. $125? WTF, that costs nearly as much as their high end sound cards.
Don't you mean half as much?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102015
Regardless, it's still overpriced. The big draw of the x-Fi is for audio recording or for gamers to offload audio processing from their CPU. You'd probably have to be a pretty heavy audiophile to notice the difference.
The folks over at Head-Fi audio forums seem to really like the X-Fi hardware. There is also a big movement of people getting their ipods retrofitted with some new internals to make their line out sound better. Maybe this thing will be the new alternative to the expensive line out mod.
Or simply a poor excuse for not buying a Zune 80 which reproduce unbeatable and flawless sound without the use of an EQ. No other portable DAP sounds as good, it's a perfect match with my Shure e2c.
It's called the X-mod, and it only works on the 5G ipods. The new ipods don't have the same high quality DAC as the old ones, but you know what, and iPod is an iPod. Unless you have extremely good headphones/speakers, you can't really tell the difference. I can't see how this is going to be much different than the Xmod [http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=668&product=15913]. I highly doubt that it's going to have the actual x-fi chip in it..
I think the x-mod will work for any source you can connect a headphone to. The mod I was referring to in my post is the iMod @ http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/how-red-wine-imod-different-sik-pocketdock-147697/.
"The folks over at Head-Fi"
Crap I have been reading Engadget for too long....
I replaced my X-Fi devices with coat hangers and had no noticeable loss in sound quality.
Oh God... that was the worst purchase I ever done... So many issue with new hardware and nForce's chipset motherboards.
how...
did you wire that into a mobo?
@ Good_Bytes
I haven't used anything made by Creative in six years or so, and that's one of the reasons. That, and their drivers don't just have issues, they have subscriptions...
@ wootman:
Oh, they were all external devices. I have a hanger jammed into the dock connector of a 4G iPod, going to a USB port. I call it the iBortion. My patent application has been denied seven times.
Wait creative making device for OTHER music players?!... Now I know it is not new... but come on.. they just say in front of your face that their own product sucks, and not worth of making such add-on.
Actually, when Creative successfully sued Apple for patent infringement of their DAP GUI, the deal they worked out included a giant wad of cash to Creative, and a deal where Creative would produce accessories for Apple.
Not true the creative zen 32 gig has a better quality then the Ipod Touch or Classic, but not much. Honestly most poeple wouldn't notice.
look
watch all those trolls from EpiZENter flood this comment page with crap