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Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum

Overview | Features | Specifications | Accessories | Software | Installation

Overview

Experience world-class audio! Sound Blaster® Audigy™ 2 Platinum gives you the ability to record audio at an amazing 24-bit/96kHz quality and comes complete with a convenient internal Audigy 2 drive for easy front-panel access to an expanded array of all the connectors you'll ever need.

You can hear the amazing difference that 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ delivers through high-fidelity audio playback and full Advanced Resolution™ DVD-Audio support in up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution. And with 106dB SNR, you'll experience audio clarity in games, movies, and music that's impossible on 16-bit sound cards. In addition, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 offers 6.1 speaker support in the latest Dolby Digital® EX movies, DirectSound® 3D games, and stereo music content with the CMSS® 3D up mix feature.

• Audigy™ 2 Internal Drive with infra-red receiver - All the analog and digital ports you'll need for simple desktop connectivity including a super-fast SB1394™ FireWire® port

• DVD-Audio - The only PC solution to enable the Advanced Resolution™ era of 24-bit music fidelity with 192kHz in stereo and 96kHz in 5.1
• 106dB SNR - The best Sound Blaster® clarity ever, rivaling home-theater audio quality for music, games, and movies
• 6.1 surround sound - Experience superior multi-channel audio from MP3s, CDs, 3D games, and Dolby Digital® EX movies with a rear center speaker
• Creative MediaSource Player - The most exciting features yet with library search, automatic play list volume matching, and hiss removal for MP3s
• Audigy™ 2 chip & EAX® ADVANCED HD™ - The ultimate platform for delivering unparalleled audio realism from the hottest gaming titles and pure 24-bit/96kHz recording to capture subtle details in your audio creations

Features and Benefits

• Convenient internal Audigy 2 Drive and wireless remote
  • Gain expanded connectivity with the internal Audigy 2 drive. Offering easy front-panel ports, this module features all the analog and digital audio connections you'll ever need. Connect a guitar, microphone, or MIDI keyboard. Record to or from a MiniDisc or DAT via the S/PDIF or Optical connectors or even connect to external AV amps or decoders. Also included is an additional high speed SB1394™ FireWire® connector for super-fast audio, video, or data transfer to external devices like digital audio Jukeboxes, DV camcorders, external hard disks, CD-RWs, and more.
  • You can also use both SB1394 ports to easily connect up to 63 PCs for LAN gaming or file sharing. A SB1394 network is at least twenty times faster than a traditional 10baseT network, used in many homes, and twice as fast as a 100baseT networks, used in many modern offices.
  • Control the playback of audio and video experience from the comfort of your chair with the infrared remote control.
• Advanced resolution music
  • DVD-Audio Support: Sound Blaster Audigy 2 delivers an exceptional experience with Advanced Resolution DVD-Audio! Delivering playback at up to 24-bit/192kHz in stereo or 24-bit/96kHz in 5.1 you will experience the most powerful audio clarity, separation, and depth in both resolutions.
  • "Lossy" compression formats like MP3 and Dolby Digital 5.1 deliver reduced audio fidelity. The "Lossless" (MLP) compression format provides up to 5 times more detail for DVD-Audio. This is fully supported by Sound Blaster Audigy 2, which ensures that the content is identical to the recording, so that none of the original detail is lost.
  • DVD-Audio boasts a dynamic range of 144dB as opposed to other formats limited to 96dB. This delivers the entire frequency range of the most demanding music, such as a live symphony orchestra, for a true to life audio experience.
• Highest resolution Sound Blaster for playback and recording
  • Direct 24-bit/96kHz recording and ASIO support
  • 24-bit/96kHz recording capability allows you to capture the subtleties and detail of your source material to the PC without any detrimental re-sampling processes.
  • ASIO support provides low latency, multi-track recording at 16-bit/48kHz of less than 2ms.
  • Sound that's faithful to the original
    At 24-bit/192kHz, all the subtle elements and the ambience of the original audio recording are accurately captured and reproduced on your PC.
  • Multiple 24-bit/192kHz DACs for ultra-quiet 106dB SNR
    The premium quality 24-bit/192kHz DACs and improved audio path of the new Audigy 2 chip ensure hiss-free audio fidelity and exceptional clarity with a spectacular 106dB SNR surpassing most high-end home stereo equipment.
  • Full Windows Media™ Audio 9 support
    Sound Blaster Audigy 2 is the perfect platform for Windows Media Audio 9 content, including full 24-bit/96kHz audio resolution in discrete 5.1 channel surround sound.
• THX® Cinema-quality audio
  • Sound Blaster Audigy 2 with THX is the perfect choice for PC audiophiles seeking the very best music and movie experiences.
• Next generation digital music player
  • Manage, create, burn, play, record, search and enhance digital music easily with this new generation digital music player.
  • Organize and manage your music and MP3 library with features such as the quick music "Search" engine, automatic music library import and MP3 tag-editing feature.
  • Provides single click access to EAX® ADVANCED HD™ MP3 enhancement features such as SVM™ to automatically match volume across tracks in a play list, CMSS® 3D for a virtual up-mix or stereo content up to 6.1 or "virtual 3D" experience over headphones or 2 speakers, Audio Clean-up for hiss removal and Time Scaling for playback speed control.
• Rear Center Channel For Precise Surround Sound
  • Superior 6.1 support in existing DirectSound® 3D games
  • Multi-channel sound is perfect for gaming. Now, with a rear center channel, you can better hear fly-bys, fly-arounds, and rear ambient sounds in addition to thunderous special effects that completely immerse you in your game!
  • Never have an opponent sneak up on you again. 6.1 support along with 24-bit ADVANCED HD gives you the edge!
• Get the true cinematic experience in DVD Movies supporting Dolby Digital EX
  • Sound Blaster Audigy 2 has a built in Dolby Digital EX decoder for the most dramatic movie audio. With full support for 7 audio channels, you can enjoy the excitement and power of a movie theater experience on your PC.
  • The rear center channel reproduces important audio cues between the rear left and rear right channels especially creating an intensified realism in movies during fly-overs and fly-bys.
• Experience encompassing 6.1 audio quality on stereo music
  • Enjoy a home-theater ambience with your stereo music files like CDs or MP3s by playing them back in virtual 6.1 surround with Creative's proprietary CMSS 3D technology.
• Unchallenged Powerhouse for Gaming Audio
  • Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum can process multiple simultaneous EAX ADVANCED HD effects in hardware. This enables the gripping realism of technologies such as Environment Morphing, Environment Reflections™, Environment Panning™, and more to create an unbelievably true-to-life game play environment.
  • It also supports fast hardware mixing of up to 64 simultaneous 3D voices, which ensures smooth delivery of audio details without affecting frame-rate.

Specifications

• Audio Performance

  Signal-to-Noise Ratio with AES17 filter (A-Weighted
  		2V Rated Output		1V Rated Output
  Stereo Output		106dB		102dB
  Front and Rear Channels		106dB		102dB
  Center, Subwoofer, and Rear Center		~90dB		~86dB
  Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz		0.004%		0.004%
  Frequency Response		<10Hz to 46kHz		<10Hz to 46kHz

• Technical Specifications
  • High Definition Audio Quality for Playback and Recording
  • 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion during playback with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, and 96kHz in 5.1 mode and up to 192kHz in stereo mode
  • 24-bit Analog to Digital conversion during recording in 8, 16 or 24-bit at sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, and 96kHz
  • S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) input at up to 24-bit / 96kHz quality
  • S/PDIF output up to 24-bit at 48 or 96kHz
  • ASIO drivers for low latency (=2ms) multi-track playback and recording at 16-bit/48kHz)
  • Wave-Table Synthesis and Midi Features
  • Creative Hardware synthesizer (2x16 Channels) with 64-voice polyphony featuring E-MU's patented 8-point interpolation technology for accurate sample reproduction
  • Creative Software synthesizer - multitimbral wave-table (16 Channels)
  • SB1394/FireWire® Connectivity
  • IEEE® 1394 / FireWire® / i-Link® compatible interface with up to 400Mbps transfer rate
• Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum On-Board Connectors

  

  • Line level out (Front / Rear / Center / Subwoofer /Rear Center)
  • Digital Out for 5.1 support (6-channel S/PDIF Output)
  • Line in
  • Microphone in
  • SB1394/FireWire port
  • Telephone Answering Device in
  • Analog / Digital CD Audio in
  • 15-pin MIDI / Joystick port extension header
  • Internal SB1394/FireWire header to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Internal Drive
  • AD_EXT extension header to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Internal Drive
• Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum Internal Drive Front Panel Connectors
  • Headphone Out (1/4" Stereo Jack with Volume control)
  • Line In 2 (1/4" Stereo Jack, shared with Microphone In 2)
  • Microphone In 2 (1/4" Jack with Gain control)
  • MIDI In (mini DIN)
  • MIDI Out (mini DIN)
  • Optical S/PDIF In and Out
  • Coaxial S/PDIF In and Out
  • Stereo Auxiliary In (2 x RCA/Coaxial Jack)
  • SB1394/FireWire port
  • Infrared Receiver

Accessories

Software

• User Manual (on CD)
• Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started Demonstration
• Sound Blaster Music Creation Guide
• Creative MediaSource
  Creative MediaSource is a brand new digital music player for creating, playing, organizing and transferring digital music. Designed to complement the Sound Blaster® Audigy™ 2, it features DVD-Audio playback and EAX® ADVANCED HD™ audio processing for music, ensuring the ultimate digital entertainment experience.
• Creative Audio Stream Recorder 2
  Select and play Internet streaming audio from iM Networks, the premier provider of hundreds of high-quality stations from all over the world. Schedule and record streaming audio for your listening convenience later.
• Steinberg - Cubasis™ VST 4.0 Creative Edition + WaveLab Lite 2.0
  The complete music production solution. Low latency multi-track ASIO™ recording and playback of up to 32 audio channels and 32 MIDI channels with integrated SoundFont® support plus VST instruments and effects with mixer automation.
• Ulead® VideoStudio® 5.0 SE DV
  This award winning, easy-to-use video editor allows you to unleash your movie-making skills. Edit and enhance your video clips from your DV Camcorder by adding title pages or including background music from your CDs or MP3 collection.
• Native Instruments - Traktor® DJ Creative Edition
  Create custom mixes from your favorite MP3 or WAV tracks with Pro DJ features including Crossfade, Frequency Kill, Scratch and Tempo match. The dual outputs allow you to cue up your tracks in real time to create the ultimate DJ mix.
• Soldier of Fortune® II: Double Helix
  Plunge into the secret and deadly world of the modern day mercenary as they race around the globe to stop a bio-terrorist organization in Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. (EAX ADVANCED HD title)
• Hitman 2: Silent Assassin™
  Step into the world of a cold-blooded killer for hire, hunting and stalking your prey in a deadly game of cat and mouse. (EAX ADVANCED HD title)
• Creative Software Pack
  • Drivers for Windows® 98SE, 2000 SP2, Me and XP
  • Creative Applications:
    • Creative MediaSource Go
    • Creative MediaSource Organizer
    • Creative MediaSource Player
    • Creative Audio Stream Recorder 2
    • Creative Audio HQ
    • Creative Diagnostic
    • Creative MiniDisc Center
    • Creative Wave Studio
    • Creative Restore Default
    • Creative Speaker Calibrator
    • Creative SoundFont Bank Manager
    • Creative Surround Mixer
    • Creative Speaker Settings
    • Creative DVD-Audio Sampler Disc
    • Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demonstration CD for:
    • DVD-Audio, EAX® ADVANCED HD™
    • Dolby Digital® EX
    • SoundFont Sample Banks
    • Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started Demonstration
    • Sound Blaster Music Creation Guide

Installation

The on-board audio, game board, and MIDI I/O were disabled in the BIOS. The drivers for the on-board sound chip were uninstalled. Also see this section.

After booting into the O/S, cancelled out of the hardware detection dialogs. Then the installation program from the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 drivers and applications CD was executed.

AutoUpdate in Creative Labs support was enabled.

Audio Connection between Video Card and Sound Card

The audio signal from the video graphics card must be delivered to the sound card. This can be achieved with an external cable at the back of the case, an internal connection, or through DAE without any cable at all. The TV sound is picked up by the sound card through DAE, at least with ATi’s Multimedia Center version 9.08 and that is the current configuration in my system. If you opt for a cable an internal connection between the LINE OUT header of the AIW 9800 and the AUX IN header of the Audigy 2 sound card can be established.
Sound card – AUX IN header
The Line Out header of the AIW 9800 card is a small 4-pin header with 1.57 mm pin distance. The black audio adapter cable is in the foreground.