Sound Blaster Audigy
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Sound Blaster Audigy is a PCI sound card from Creative Technology. It is an add-on board for PCs.
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[edit] Overview
The Sound Blaster Audigy (August 2001) featured the Audigy processor (EMU10K2), an improved version of the EMU10K1 processor that shipped with the Sound Blaster Live!. The Audigy could process up to 4 EAX environments simultaneously with its on-chip DSP and native EAX 3.0 ADVANCED HD support, and supported from stereo up to 5.1-channel output. The audio processor could mix up to 64 DirectSound3D sound channels in hardware, up from Live!'s 32 channels.
The Audigy was advertised as a 24-bit sound card. However with some controversy, the Audigy's audio transport (DMA engine) was fixed to 16-bit sample precision at 48 kHz (like Live!), and all audio had to be resampled to 48 kHz in order to be rendered through its DSP, or recorded from its DSP. As a result, the card did not support playback of individual audio streams at 24-bit / 96 kHz precision through its 24-bit / 96 kHz DAC's, a fact that was not immediately obvious to those examining the spec sheets.
Creative later gave customers in the US who purchased an Audigy card 35% off a Creative product up to a maximum of $65 in a class-action settlement.
Despite being a high end card, the passthrough of Dolby Digital and DTS streams to the SPDIF digital out has issues that Creative does not appear to want to address since the product has been End of Life'd.
Some versions of Audigy also featured an external break out box with connectors for SPDIF, MIDI, SB1394, analog and optical signals. The significance of the break out box was that it was the first physical sign that the "home studio" was for the first time becoming a mainstream market.
[edit] Sound Blaster Audigy ES
This variant uses the full EMU10K2 chip and is, as a result, quite similar in feature-set. It is only missing its firewire port.[1]
[edit] Sound Blaster Audigy SE
It is a stripped down version of the Audigy, software-based EAX 3.0 (upgraded to software-based EAX 4.0 with a driver update), no advanced resolution DVD-Audio Playback, and no Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Digital EX 6.1 playback.
[edit] Sound Blaster Audigy LS
Similar to the Audigy SE in that it does not support any hardware acceleration. LS uses a smaller board, with no firewire as well. [2]
[edit] See also
- Sound Blaster
- Creative Labs Model Numbers - Resource of all Creative model numbers. Good for board indentification.
