PCI - 24 bit - Internal - MPN: 70SB055000002
Strengths: Amazing amount of connections, superb sound, professional capabilities.
Weakness: Remote lacks some functions.
To begin, let me just state that I do not think this unit is over-priced. Creative Labs continuously runs $100 rebates on this item, meaning that, after rebate, I bought this product for about $265, which isn't all that much more than the suggested retail price of the "lesser" X-Fi models.
Now, as for the product itself, it offers the absolute highest quality of any consumer sound card I have ever seen, as well as an external I/O box, which puts this card in line with professional-grade sound editing and creation solutions. With this card and a copy of Adobe Audition, Pro-Tools, or even Cubase LE (included with the product), you have a professional-level sound studio on your home computer for under $300.
Some people have complained that the I/O box is too big, but it is roughly the same size as other external professional boxes I have seen. For example, where I earned my degree we had a great deal of Pro-Tools stations, each with an external I/O box about the size of the X-Fi Pro box. To give you an idea of the size, it is roughly the size of the original model Playstation 2, meaning it is not too big, really.
The sound quality on this card is phenomenal. Also, the 24-bit crystalizer actually does add some extra oomph to your music, and the various CMSS-3D and EAX settings can give new life to your sounds. I figured this was all hype, but I was proven wrong and am truly enjoying these features.
On top of this, the addition of the included remote and software package turns your computer into a media center. You can watch DVD's, videos stored on your computer, as well as listen to music, etc. It also has an option to view pictures, but since the software drops the screen resolution to TV quality, hi-resolution pictures do not look very good. This quality is fine for DVD's, however,as they are NTSC resolution, anyway. The remote supposedly works with other non-Creative Labs applications, too, though I have yet to test this.
The only real complaint I have with the entire product is that the remote lacks some necessary features when viewing DVD's. For example, there is no menu button, which is just odd. On the plus side, though, the remote does include scroll wheels for the various settings (24-bit crystalizer, CMSS-3D, EAX, and 3DMIDI). Ultimately the lack of some buttons isn't a huge deal, given that I can now control my DVD's on my computer while lying on my bed (not a capability I was expecting when I first began shopping for a new sound card).
All in all, this is the best consumer sound card you can currently buy. It is a highly recommended purchase for any home audio enthusiast or pro-sumer audio editor/musician.
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Tophey dude u said u earned a degree..im guessing it was in music production?? if it is how many years did it take u cause im going for music recording/production too. Thanks
Strengths: crisp and clean sound quality, a lot of features which allow you to add extra sound effects
Weakness: none so far
I bought this card to upgrade from creative audigy 2 ZS. All I can say is that it is a even better sound card. The sound quality is crisp and clean, well balanced. You need to a good set of speakers to test the sound quality though (I have a logitech 5.1 speaker set). It comes with a lot of features which allow you add extra sound effects. It has a remote as well. Great product!
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TopStrengths: Great sound quality with the crystalizer and lots of inputs and outputs.
Weakness: A bit pricey at retail price and the external box is a fairly big. Remote doesn't work all functions that it should.
Installation was easy and the sound quality is great. Nice effects with the audio creation console and would make an ok inexpensive studio type recording card. Have had no problems so far and very pleased with the results. The $80 rebate that came with my purchase made this a better value.
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TopStrengths: Incredible Sound Quality, Best Gaming Sound experience, Amazing connectivity
Weakness: Requires internal power connector, Not sure Remote is so useful, Included drivers not recommended (get from website), Break-out box really big
I thought I was crazy, paying $200 for a sound card! But in my case, the extra connectivity appealed to me for music recording etc. If you can't find a connection with this thing than you havent tried. It has multiple channels of analog and digital in's and out's.
I installed the downloaded drivers first, then put in the CD and installed the applications I wanted (make sure to uncheck "Drivers" install).
The remote appears to only work in the provided "Entertainment Center" application, not what I expected. I wanted it to work in other applications and/or regular Windows, for at least volume control if not other options like the Crystalizer. I'm still looking into this.
Box is huge! If you can afford it, you will love this thing. Otherwise get a regular X-Fi for around $50 and you'll also be happy. Fwiw, you can add-on the I/O drive or the full break-out box later (albeit expensive).
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TopStrengths: Great sound quality with the crystalizer
Weakness: kind of expensive
The Installation is easy and the sound quality is great. Have had no problems so far and very pleased with the results. The sound quality is great! The price is kind of expensive, but really worth it. Highly recommend!
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TopStrengths: Great Sound, Aesthetics, Easy to Use design, expandable, High End sound card.
Weakness: Too expensive, needs to be able to connect directly to a dts component system out of the box , not as an accessorie (CreativeLabs DTS-610 $100). Software Package a little buggy (occasional PC lock up)
Great Sound card!! 24bit crystalizer really brings any sound source to new crisp level. The remote's scroll wheels need to be revisted because they stick when rolling making it feel cheap! Even with that the idea is good. It gives you the ability to adjust volume, EAX, CMMS3D, 3DMIDI, and 24bit Crystalizer on the fly; handy if you in the middle of a game. The Cpu's load is noticeable decreased due to the sound cards off loading. Brings my Sony dreamsystem to a totally new level of fidelity. A friend has the same card and loves recording off his digital turntable.
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TopStrengths: Great sound quality, lots of inputs&outputs
Weakness: Sligtly overpriced
I bought this card especially for gaming purposes. I am completely satisfied with this card. But I realized that I do not need such a high end card just for gaming. This card is for professionals. I'm only using the drive bay I/O panel for the headphone jack, platinum version should be OK for me and the price of the platinum version is much more cheaper than this card.
If you have the means and play through headphones, I highly recommend this card. It is THE BEST upgrade I have made to my PC in years.
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TopStrengths: Crystal Clear Sound and Functions
Weakness: Very surprise at external box.
I have switched from Platinum to Elite version and very surprise the external box. It is bigger than I expected. I used the Audigy 2 Platinum Pro and Audify 2 ZS Platinum Pro and see that the Box of Elite is so big. Anyway, it sound is much better than previous versions. Now I got what I want.
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TopStrengths: don't know where to start !!! love it !!! this sound card have it all bring all my mp3 to life !!!
Weakness: Huge Decoder !! look like a DVD player
i am not too happy about the shipping side on zipzoomfly they not willing to say admit that they need to request signature on delivery they left this 400 dollar sound card in fornt of my door and left. what if this card is lost ? who is going to pay for it ? well but the sound card is best it bring all life to all my mp3 i have to listen to all the song i own to see how much background music that i have miss !! i love this sound card ..
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TopStrengths: Sound card has multiple inputs and I/O console is convenient with easy access.
Weakness: Elite Pro is on the pricey side and I/O console is larger than expected.
I haven't had any problems with recording and sound editing. I haven't used all of the inputs, but so far I haven't had any problems with recording external sources. I can't tell a big difference in the sound, but sound is clear with clarity.
30% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
TopIt is given that users buy this soundcard for the inputs; that is obvious. A I/O console larger than expected would mean more features and inputs, not bulky.
Of course there wouldn't be any problems recording external sources.
The unit is supposed to be expensive in the first place so the price is justified.
The "clear with clarity" tells us a whole lot! If someone couldn't tell a big difference in the sound, then that would defeat the purpose of the X-Fi and its Crystalizer. Sound quality should be comparable to the other X-Fi's, not exponentially better.
Actually I think the price was ridiculous because I though the price would drop to around $250, which would be reasonable. But this is poor marketing how they would release the X-Fi Elite Pro $150 dollars more expensive than the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro, which is essentially from the same line.
I agree that the X-Fi has weaknesses other in its price, but I believe they are mostly limited to the "looks" of the X-Fi Elite Pro. I thought the external module could've been designed better aesthetically, use a USB connector instead of that absurd outdated serial port connector, and perhaps offer more color choices. The remote control looks a bit odd, different from the older ultra-portable Creative remotes.
Otherwise, why should you buy the Elite Pro in the first place if you're is not a hard-cored audiophile, musician, or both. Why even bother to give it a review that isn't helpful at all.
Strengths: excellent clean/bright sound quality with many sound tweaking and input/output options...
Weakness: there is a problem with the spdif input (or decoding dolby digital) from the xbox 360. drivers for vista still beta and lacking features found in xp drivers.
i connected a xbox 360 to the external console via optical spdif cable. im experiencing crackling/popping/distortion with louder noises in games. this is not the xbox 360 because there is no such issue when i use my logitech decoder with the same cable. i found several other users are having the same issue in the creative forums. hopefully creative will address these issues.
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TopStrengths: 10/10
Weakness: no weaknesses
everything i wanted in a sound card was in this card. I have to say i was quite impressed on the sound quality but a bit pricey. But it was worth every penny. Surround sound sounds AWESOME esp. for gaming and DVD's.
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Testseek.com has collected 13 expert reviews for Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite Pro PCI and the average expert rating is 80 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
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Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
Strengths: Sound quality and number of features
Weakness: somewhat price
This audio card was quite easy to set up and install and it works great. The sound quality is just amazing and there are so many different features and ways you can tweak the sound, that you just can't name them all and I don't even think I have used even half of them so far. The only negative thing was the out of pocket cost was a little high, but the $100 rebate helped that out (provided I receive the rebate). I definitely recommend this to anyone that is looking for a top of the line audio card that produces amazing sound.
100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?