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Audigy @ ALive! » Audigy Forum Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Launch Written by Clarence Song Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX With the Audigy 2, we finally have the capability to record in 24-bit 96 kHz, after being misled by the marketing of the Audigy as a "24-bit, 96 kHz" sound card. (Many musicians and enthusiasts who bought the Audigy were nothing less than outraged when they found out that they could only record at 16-bit 48 kHz.) But wait! If you do any form of music or digital audio, we would advice you to hang on until the first quarter of 2003 for the upcoming Platinum eX version. ASIO The press kit revealed that only the Platinum eX version of the Audigy 2 will feature ASIO 2 support and more flexible audio routing. The Audigy 2 and Audigy 2 Platinum products will only have ASIO 1 support. The ASIO drivers on the Audigy 2 are limited to 16-bit 48 kHz recording, while 24-bit 96 kHz recording will be available only in the Platinum eX version. The press kit states that the Platinum eX will also have "advanced I/O on the Audigy 2 external drive than on the Audigy 2 internal drive." Inspire 6.1 6600 Over at the corner of the lobby, we spotted tall boxes of the brand new Inspire 6.1 6600 speaker system, which is an upgraded version of the Inspire 5.1 5300, with a new rear center speaker to be placed directly behind the listening position, and a larger 6.5" woofer driver. The 6600 is the first 6.1 multimedia speaker system available, and they nicely augment the 6.1 output capability of the Audigy 2. The speakers are powered with a total of 120 watts (W) of amplification: 22W for the subwoofer, 20W for the front center speaker, and 8W each for the remaining speakers. They list at an affordable US$109. The back of the 6600's box If you are wondering if you can use them for your 5.1 Live! or Audigy, the good news is yes, you can! The 6600s have a CMSS upmix feature that will use Creative's CMSS algorithm to create a virtual surround center channel from the surround left and surround right channels. The CMSS upmixing can also be turned off for a standard 5.1 output. The Inspire 6.1 6600 with a newly designed wired remote with knobs for volume and bass Upon close inspection of the box contents, we found that no speaker stands are included (like the existing Inspire series of speaker systems). If your room requires speaker stands, the cost of the entire setup will be increased by quite a significant margin. And you'll need an additional stand for the rear surround speaker too. Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks THX 550 With Creative's rumored investment in THX, their products have expectedly gone the THX route. The Audigy 2 is THX-certified, along with this upcoming set of speakers from Cambridge SoundWorks. The satellite speaker with a THX logo. The wired remote control unit with lots of LED indicators. You can control the volume of each channel individually. It also comes with an interesting X-shaped holder that can hook to the side of a PC casing. These speakers are an upgraded version of the MegaWorks 510D, sporting the same design, including the BASH amplification circuitry, but in slate grey finish (instead of black on the 510D). The 510Ds have garnered very favorable reviews and many happy owners, and the THX 550 looks set to continue this tradition. The back of the THX 550's subwoofer These speakers will be coming out by the end of the year. For our readers in Singapore, you would be happy to know that Creative will retail the THX 550 in the country. For some reason, the 510D was not sold here despite of the demand. Sound Blaster Extigy 2 On the minds of many reporters was the release of the Extigy 2. (To find out more, read our coverage of the first Extigy's launch event, and our review.) Mr Sim highlighted that bandwidth was a problem when streaming multiple channels of digital audio. He hinted at 2:1 lossless compression, USB2 support as some of the probable features that would alleviate the bandwidth problem. No release date was mentioned, but if Creative's pattern of releasing products yearly stays, expect it by the first quarter of 2003! In Closing... That's all we have for you for now. It was an exciting launch and we thank Creative for the opportunity for us to bring this to you! Can't wait for the Audigy 2? It should be rolling into stores worldwide in October.

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