Sound Blaster Audigy
Encyclopedia
Sound card
A sound card is an internal computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces that use software to generate sound, as opposed to using hardware...
s from Creative Technology
Creative Technology
Creative Technology Ltd. is a Singapore-based global company headquartered in Jurong East, Singapore. The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries consist of the design, manufacture and distribution of digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal...
. The flagship model of the Audigy family used the EMU10K2 audio DSP, an improved version of the SB-Live's
Sound Blaster Live!
Sound Blaster Live! is a sound card from Creative Technology. It is a PCI add-on board for PCs.-Overview:Sound Blaster Live! saw the introduction of the EMU10K1 processor, a 2.44 million transistor audio DSP, rated at 1000 MIPS...
EMU10K1, while the value/SE editions were built with a less-expensive audio controller. The Audigy family is available for PCs
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
with a PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect
Conventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
slot or a USB port.
First generation
The Audigy cards equipped with EMU10K2 (CA-0100 chip) could process up to 4 EAX environments simultaneously with its on-chip DSPDigital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
and native EAX 3.0 ADVANCED HD
Environmental audio extensions
The environmental audio extensions are a number of digital signal processing presets for audio, present in Creative Technology's later Sound Blaster sound cards and the Creative NOMAD/Creative ZEN product lines...
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
Sound Blaster Live!
Sound Blaster Live! is a sound card from Creative Technology. It is a PCI add-on board for PCs.-Overview:Sound Blaster Live! saw the introduction of the EMU10K1 processor, a 2.44 million transistor audio DSP, rated at 1000 MIPS...
32 channels.
Creative Labs advertised the Audigy as a 24-bit sound card, a controversial marketing claim for a product that did not support end-to-end playback of 24-bit/96 kHz audio streams. The Audigy and Live
Sound Blaster Live!
Sound Blaster Live! is a sound card from Creative Technology. It is a PCI add-on board for PCs.-Overview:Sound Blaster Live! saw the introduction of the EMU10K1 processor, a 2.44 million transistor audio DSP, rated at 1000 MIPS...
shared a similar architectural limitation: the audio transport (DMA engine) was fixed to 16-bit sample precision at 48 kHz. So despite its 24-bit/96 kHz high-resolution DACs, the Audigy's DSP could only process 48 kHz/16 audio sources. This fact was not immediately obvious in Creative's literature, and was difficult to ascertain even upon examination of the Audigy's spec sheets. (A resulting class-action settlement with Creative later awarded US customers a 35% discount on Creative products, up to a maximum discount of $65.)
Aside from the lack of an end-end path for 24-bit audio, Dolby Digital (AC-3) and DTS passthrough (to the S/PDIF
S/PDIF
S/PDIF is a digital audio interconnect used in consumer audio equipment over relatively short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable with RCA connectors or a fiber optic cable with TOSLINK connectors. S/PDIF interconnects components in home theaters and other digital high...
digital out) had issues that have never been resolved.
Virtual Studio Technology
Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
(VST) instruments. Some versions of Audigy featured an external break out box with connectors for S/PDIF
S/PDIF
S/PDIF is a digital audio interconnect used in consumer audio equipment over relatively short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable with RCA connectors or a fiber optic cable with TOSLINK connectors. S/PDIF interconnects components in home theaters and other digital high...
, MIDI, SB1394
SB1394
SB1394 is Creative Labs implementation of IEEE 1394 interface and was included on the Sound Blaster Audigy and Audigy 2 family of sound cards....
, analog and optical signals. The ASIO and break out box features were an attempt to tap into the "home studio" market, with a mainstream product.
Sound Blaster Audigy ES
This variant (SB0160) uses the full EMU10K2 chip (CA-0100 chip http://images.62live.ru/pic_b/d22ec3017d578b0fa7c01bb982134651.jpg) and is, as a result, quite similar in feature set. It is only missing its FireWire port.http://www.driverheaven.net/showthread.php?t=52826&highlight=audigy
Sound Blaster Audigy SE & Audigy Value
The Audigy SE and Audigy Value are stripped down models, with a less expensive CA-0106 audio-controller in place of the EMU10k2. With the CA-0106, the SE/Value are limited to 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. With these cards only one of the mic, line in, or AUX sources may be unmuted at a time.The SE is the only low-profile PCI card in the Audigy family, and still has many unsold units at online retailers unlike the other Audigy cards.
Sound Blaster Audigy LS
The Sound Blaster Audigy LS (SB0310) is similar to the Audigy SE in that it supports neither hardware acceleration nor FireWire. http://www.driverheaven.net/showthread.php?t=52826&highlight=audigySound Blaster Audigy Platinum EX
The Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum EX (SB0090) is similar to the Audigy ES, but supported a external break out box instead of the standard internal versionSound Blaster Audigy 2
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 (SB0240) (September 2002) featured an updated EMU10K2 processor, sometimes referred to as EMU10K2.5 (CA-0102 chip is separate version of the Emu10k2 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a-prima-donna-pc,544-3.html). To address the biggest shortcoming of the original Audigy, a revised DMA engine allowed end-to-end high-resolution (24-bit) audio playback: 96 kHz 6.1 channel recording, and 192 kHz stereo. However, the high-resolution audio was achieved by bypassing the DSP, being decoded directly by CA0151 chip also known as "p16v" to take advantage of which Creative substituted CA0102 for the old CA0100 used in Audigy 1. Using the DSP with high-resolution audiostreams resulted in the Audigy's characteristic downsampling (to the EMU's native-rate of 48 kHz), for mixing with other audio sources.The Audigy 2 supported up to 6.1 speakers and had improved signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...
(SNR) over the Audigy (106 vs. 100 decibels (A
A-weighting
A Weighting curve is a graph of a set of factors, that are used to 'weight' measured values of a variable according to their importance in relation to some outcome. The most commonly known example is frequency weighting in sound level measurement where a specific set of weighting curves known as A,...
)). Audio output was supplied by the AC'97 codec on the front outputs and I²S
I²S
I2S, also known as Inter-IC Sound, Integrated Interchip Sound, or IIS, is an electrical serial bus interface standard used for connecting digital audio devices together. It is most commonly used to carry PCM information between the CD transport and the DAC in a CD player...
on the rear. It also featured built-in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
decoding for improved DVD play-back. A IEEE-1394 (FireWire) connector was present in all modifications except Value.
Audigy 2's 3D audio capabilities received a boost when compared to its predecessors. Creative created the EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD
Environmental audio extensions
The environmental audio extensions are a number of digital signal processing presets for audio, present in Creative Technology's later Sound Blaster sound cards and the Creative NOMAD/Creative ZEN product lines...
standard to coincide with Audigy 2's release. The chip again can process up to 64 DirectSound3D audio channels in hardware. It also has native support for the free
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and open source
Open-source software
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
OpenAL
OpenAL
OpenAL is a cross-platform audio API. It is designed for efficient rendering of multichannel three dimensional positional audio. Its API style and conventions deliberately resemble those of OpenGL.- History :...
audio API.
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS (SB0350) improved upon the Audigy 2 by having a slightly improved signal-to-noise ratioSignal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...
(108 vs. 106 dB) and added built-in DTS-ES (Extended Surround) for improved DVD playback. The AC'97 codec was removed entirely - the ZS series uses I²S
I²S
I2S, also known as Inter-IC Sound, Integrated Interchip Sound, or IIS, is an electrical serial bus interface standard used for connecting digital audio devices together. It is most commonly used to carry PCM information between the CD transport and the DAC in a CD player...
on all outputs. The Audigy 2 ZS supports up to 7.1 speakers (although the 4.1 speaker configuration was still in reality only 4.0; a dedicated low-frequency-effects channel output was only available with 5.1 and higher, requiring the presence of a center speaker). Most widespread card of Audigy series.
There was also a cardbus version of the ZS for use with notebook computers.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value (SB0400) was a somewhat stripped down version of the Audigy 2 ZS, with an SNR of 106 dB, no IEEE-1394 FireWire connector, and no DTS-ES 6.1 playback. It is, however, fully hardware accelerated for DirectSoundDirectSound
DirectSound is a software component of the Microsoft DirectX library for the Windows operating system. DirectSound provides a low-latency interface to the sound card driver and can handle the mixing and recording of multiple audio streams....
and EAX 4 and was sold as a cheaper companion for the more expensive ZS.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 SE
This card is similar to the Audigy SE and Live! 24-bit edition in that it does not have a hardware DSP as part of the audio chip. As such, it puts far more load on the host system's CPU. The card is physically smaller than other Audigy 2 cards. It is designed as an entry-level budget sound card.Sound Blaster Audigy 2 PCMCIA
A CardBus version of Audigy 2 ZS was also created in Fall 2004, for the notebook market. It had nearly all of the capabilities of the PCIPeripheral Component Interconnect
Conventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
edition, but in a far smaller form factor. Reductions in capability included somewhat limited MIDI capability (compared to the PCI version) and the loss of FireWire. It was the first gaming-oriented sound hardware add-on board for notebooks that offered full hardware acceleration of 3D audio along with high-fidelity audio output quality. The card struggled with compatibility due to quality issues with the CardBus host chipsets in many notebooks of the time, a problem also suffered with other companies products, such as Echo Digital Audio Corporation's Indigo product.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NX was an external USBUniversal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
soundcard, supporting 24 bit playback, but with no DSP chip.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor was an external USB soundcard, which combined audio playback, accelerated video editing and a 4-port USB 2.0 hub in one solution. It featured accelerated video encoding with DoMiNoFX video processing technologies. The audio system provided THXTHX
THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. The current THX was created in 2001 when it spun off from Lucasfilm Ltd...
certified sound and 24-bit EAX ADVANCED HD in 5.1 or 7.1 surround.
The video capture of the device is hardware-accelerated; encoding it in to a complex format in real-time rather than asking your CPU to do it. While this gives you excellent video results on even mediocre systems, the device cannot be used by software that uses the standard DirectShow
DirectShow
DirectShow , codename Quartz, is a multimedia framework and API produced by Microsoft for software developers to perform various operations with media files or streams. It is the replacement for Microsoft's earlier Video for Windows technology...
or VfW
Video for Windows
Video for Windows was a multimedia framework developed by Microsoft that allowed Microsoft Windows to play digital video.-Overview:...
interface. Because of this limitation, one is forced to use the supplied software to capture video, rather than using their own program. This also prevents someone from using this device in conjunction with a video camera as a webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
; standard webcam interfaces use DirectShow
DirectShow
DirectShow , codename Quartz, is a multimedia framework and API produced by Microsoft for software developers to perform various operations with media files or streams. It is the replacement for Microsoft's earlier Video for Windows technology...
.
Creative has more recently made a free applet - VidCap - available on their website. This applet allows quick and easy capture and output to devices. Captured files can then be imported into your favorite video editor application or DVD authoring program.
Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition
Also known as Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED MB, it is similar to Audigy 2 SE, but the software supports EAX 3.0, which supports 64-channel software wavetable with DirectSound acceleration, but without hardware accelerated wavetable synthesis. DAC is rated 95dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio.It is available as an integrated option for Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
Inspiron
Dell Inspiron
Dell's Inspiron computer product line started as a range of laptop computers targeted at the entry-level, budget, a Mobile Celeron or Mobile Pentium II processor with SDRAM, and had a high starting price of $2,799...
, Studio
Dell Studio
Dell's Studio brand is a range of laptops and desktops targeted at the mainstream consumer market. The computers sit above Dell's Inspiron and below the XPS consumer lines in price and specifications...
and XPS notebooks.
Of note is that Creative hardware is not necessary for this device. It is entirely a software solution that is adaptable to various DACs.
Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit
The Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit (SB0410) lacked the EMU10k1/10k2 processor. It uses the CA-0106 Family chip like Audigy Value, with an SNR of 100 dB, software based EAX, no advanced resolution DVD-Audio Playback, and no Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Digital EX 6.1 playback. A proof of this is that on LinuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating systems, when using the ALSA sound system, the module that is used for the Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit is snd-ca0106, while the module that is used by the Sound Blaster Live!
Sound Blaster Live!
Sound Blaster Live! is a sound card from Creative Technology. It is a PCI add-on board for PCs.-Overview:Sound Blaster Live! saw the introduction of the EMU10K1 processor, a 2.44 million transistor audio DSP, rated at 1000 MIPS...
is snd-emu10k1. Windows XP will also display SB-Live! 24-Bit on the sound profile page within the Control Panel, using the Audigy SE drivers provided from the manufacturer's site.
Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro
Sound Blaster Audigy 4
The non-Pro version of Sound Blaster Audigy 4 (SB0610) uses CA10300 (CA0108's counterpart) DSP instead of CA10200 (CA0102's counterpart) and does not have external hub, FireWire port or gold connectors. The board layout is similar to the Audigy 2 Value. The SNR is rated 106dB. http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=soundblaster&message.id=65724Sound Blaster Audigy 4 SE
Sound Blaster Audigy 4 SE is a Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro without the remote control. However, it uses the same audio DSPDigital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
and is functionally as capable as the Audigy 2 and 4 series (other than Audigy 2 SE). It features full hardware acceleration of DirectSound and EAX.