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Creative PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook

REVIEW DATE:12.29.04

Creative PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook

REVIEW

Just when it seemed like Creative couldn't possibly shoehorn any more functionality into its Sound Blaster product line, the company surprised us once more by reinventing its state-of-the-art Audigy 2 ZS sound board as a credit-card sized model designed for notebook computers. It's a boon not just for gamers, but also for music hobbyists and pros who want to use a notebook as a mobile audio lab.

red arrow Read the Creative PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook full review

Company

Creative Labs Inc

http://us.creative.com

Spec Data
  • Price as Tested: $129.99 Street
  • # of channels: 7.1
  • Analog Inputs: Shared 1/8" Mic In / Line In
  • Analog Outputs: 7.1 Line Out, Headphone
  • Digital Inputs: Optical S/PDIF
  • Digital Outputs: Optical S/PDIF
  • Breakout Box?: No
  • 3D APIs Supported: Open AL, DS3D, EAX
  • Max Playback Bit Depth: 24
  • Max Playback Sample Rate: 192
  • Max Playback # of channels: 7.1
  • Max Rec Bit Depth: 24
  • Max Rec Sample Rate: 96

Bottom Line

Creative has done a commendable job of converting its popular Audigy 2 ZS high-end sound card into a notebook-ready PC Card sound board. This Sound Blaster doesn't offer all the connectivity options of its PCI siblings, but it does come remarkably close to matching their superb sonics and rich feature sets.

Pros

PC Card form adds high-quality audio to notebook PCs. Enormous feature set, including 7.1-channel output. Low noise levels and 192-kHz DVD-Audio playback.

Cons

Lacks FireWire ports. No multichannel recording.

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