USB - 24 bit - External - MPN: 70SB072000000
Strengths: This is a good product for laptops and it looks cool. The Crystallizer feature works well with digital music. It doesn't take much space, is quite light and doesn't need an external power supply.
Weakness: External power supply needed for MP3 players, 3D feature doesn't really work. Price is still quite high.
This is a nice product for laptops and it really crystallizes digital music. It is also quite loud. I think $70 is a lot for this product, so try getting it with an $20 instant rebate from somewhere so that you pay $50 or so. It's useful, however you need an external power supply to use it directly with an MP3 player. The 3D feature doesn't really work & actually tends to counter the Crystallizer. Overall good.
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TopStrengths: USB powered, excellent sound, small and compact, aesthetically pleasing
Weakness: No other inputs such as a 5.1 speaker input, $80 price tag
It would have been nice if creative equipped the Xmod with more input options to expand the Xmod's capability. Regardless, it still produces a better sound than my integrated soundcard. The $80 price tag was not too appealing. Other than that, I would recommend this product.
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TopStrengths: Expand sound quality. Simple
Weakness: No external power except USB, no internal battery, limited with sound options
Good expander for compressed music, but too expensive since it does not have any internal power, and can be powered only by usb. Nice for any MP3 device ( not just for laptop ). With PCs, it turns off PC speakers and drive through own one. Still expensive though. Nice as extra, but better to have for X-Fi internal card. It mostly produce expanded stereo ( but not a 5.1 and above ).
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TopStrengths: Magic black box (well white in this case) makes my MP3s sound great!
Weakness: No Software control of crystallizer or CMSS effects.
I use the XMOD in my car with my carpc. I was initially using an Audigy 2 notebook card, but now I use the xmod exlusively. It makes a night and day difference with my mp3 collection making them sound fuller.
For the most part, tracks sound better, but there are a few that the xmod's crystallizer struggles with. You can quickly turn off the effects or adjusting the settings in these cases though.
Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase.
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TopStrengths: easy to use, good sound quality
Weakness: usb connection
This is essentially an external soundcard, which gives very good sound quality, the setup is super easy, plug and play. But I did not expect usb connection, which is pretty cumbersome when you using it with a laptop.
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TopStrengths: Nice sound, looks cool, inexpensive
Weakness: None yet
This creative product has nice sound but I wish it had more inputs. It really shines when you use it with some quality speakers. It connects via USB which is a plus. It has been available for less than $20 after rebate with recent rebate offers.
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TopStrengths: excellent sound quality for laptop
Weakness: not big things, but no support for 5.1 or 7.1 channels..
It is an excellent companion to laptop if you enjoy musics with mobility. It produces a high quality stereo sound, which is much better than normal integrated-music-device-in-laptop producing one. But it cannot produce 5.1 and 7.1 channels, it is just for stereo sounds. However I love this product.
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TopStrengths: Pleasantly surprised at improvement in sound quality when used as an external sound card for a laptop
Weakness: No major complaints
Set up a laptop as a destop replacement for my wife. She wanted better sound than the laptop was providing, so we hooked up an Xmod between the laptop and her externally-powered speakers. The difference was surprising, especially with music CDs and (in particular) MP3s. Brighter, cleaner-sounding music, definitely with more sonic impact. Good investment for our purpose.
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TopStrengths: Good sound card for mobility. It looks cool.
Weakness: Not good for laptop. If you need a sound card for laptop, you can choose Audigy ZS 2 for notebook.
It provides crystal digital music and the output sound is powerful. More important, you do not need a power adapter. If you have a portable DVD player, this product is good for you. I do not think MP3 or CD player deserve that since Xmod is relative big for portable use. The price is still high. I think the reasonable price is around 40. Try to get it when there is any instant saving or rebate.
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TopStrengths: Works well if you're using it to improve a laptop's subpar sound performance. Does not require an external power adapter when using it with a laptop.
Weakness: If you're using it with line-in audio devices (like an MP3 player), you need an external AC adapter, which is not included.
This external sound card is a good solution to improve upon the typically depressed laptop sound performance. It connects via USB and does not require an external AC adapter when using it with a laptop. It will improve the sound of your MP3s, improving upon the typically depressed sound of MP3s. The reasonable price point is the cherry on top. If you like to enjoy your music, you'll want to get this device.
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TopStrengths: makes MP3 to become CD sound, Nice look
Weakness: None
When i bought this item I didn't think that it would make that big of a difference. However, when I got it and plugged it into my Logitech 2.1 speaker.The sound quality instantly became 5 times better.The 3D sound capability not only makes it sound like you have a 5.1 system, it also makes music much fuller sounding.And it really can make the MP3 becomes CD sound.So you don't need to buy CD for that kind of great sound,just play MP3 with this device, you also get the CD effect.
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TopStrengths: Good sound, looks nice, USB powered
Weakness: Can't play out of laptop speakers, must have another set of speakers.
The sound is pretty decent and it does add quite a bit of improvement. However you will need a set of decent speakers to take advantage of it otherwise it won't make much difference. It also would be nice to be able to use the Xmod on the laptop speakers as well. But other than that, it is a good product.
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Testseek.com has collected 24 expert reviews for Creative Xmod USB and the average expert rating is 77 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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The Xmod boasts support for the PC, Mac and standalone, this little device is meant to sit between your audio source and your speakers, acting in real-time improving your audio output.
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Initially, we were a tad skeptical of Creative’s much-hyped Xmod, a plug-and-play sound enhancer that connects to a notebook’s USB port for upconverting digital audio to surpass CD quality. But our suspicions were soon stymied after firing up this ingenious device. Whether we were listening using headphones or a set of 2.1 speakers, movies and music sounded clearer and crisper...
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Exceptional prodct - X-fi crystallizer brought to...
Strengths: Wonderful sound quality with 24-bit pass through SPDIF, CMSS 3D surround for ear phones is a winner, adjustable volume, great for a laptop (ideal)
Weakness: Requires a laptop, no external power supply (PS) available with it (must be bought separately), Too clunky to work out with
Overall, this is a wonderful product. If you get a steal on it, its even better. The X-fi crystallizer is solid, and I have been using creative products (PCI cards X-fi) for a while now (2006), upgraded from an Audigy. This product lives up to the X-fi line and is exceptional for people at work and for laptops looking for an alternative to onboard sound solution.
This product really shines for laptops if you are going to dock and use earphones to listen to music (or play games), or if you have a 2.1 speaker setup. Ther are no drivers necessary to install, and this gets its power through a USB 2.0 port. You can manually adjust the volume on this, and enable or disbale CMSS 3D (which makes the sound appear to be 3D on a headphone setup) and the X-fi 24 bit crystallizer (Which remixes and reprocesses the sound). The crystallizer is the biggest selling point of this, and could be a major plus or minus. If you are an audiophile who uses LPs, you should pass on this, because the X-fi does remove cracks and imperfections in the sound, but also further sanitizes mp3s past the point you might want. For most people who prefer CDs to LPs or mp3s, the crystallizer will be your best friend, and you will really appreciate the change in sound.
The caveat is 24 bit, CDs are 16 bit, and you cannot truly process sound in 24 bit unless it is encoded that way, so it is a bit of a distortion to call this true 24 bit sound, but you could argue, for example, that any sound processed as 24 bit is in fact, 24 bit....
This product is great for laptops, and also for people who listen to MP3s at work. You need to buy an external power supply that will plug into the "mini USB" port on this unit. Creative sells you a very expensive one, but I have found $x solutions for RAZR phones that use a charger with a mini-usb port to power this very well, and be much cheaper.
This product is NOT for desktop users, NOT for people who like to workout with their music and NOT for people always on the go or who have a 5.1 surround sound speak system.
Desktop users should purchase a PCI solution, its about the same price as this, and Creative sells many X-fi models to choose from. There is no substitute for that.
People who work out will find this impossible (literally) to use since it requires a power supply externally or USB port. Unless you go runnign carrying a laptop running its battery out or you run with an extension cord in your hand, this is not the product for you.
People with a 5.1 speak setup wont want this either, as it is only good for 2.1 setups. They are better advised to get a PCI solution or look elsewhere, otherwise, this is a GREAT PRODUCT.
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