SUMMARY: Sound Blaster. The name is synonymous with what is considered an industry standard for audio playback on the PC. Join Cameron "Mr. Tweak" Wilmot as he takes a look at the newest Creative sound solution to wear that name; the Sound Blaster Extigy. It uses the new Audigy sound chipset and creates an external sound experience that makes upgarding a breeze. Come join us as we see whether or not it can live up to the Sound Blaster reputation.
The Extigy has a bunch of physical and audio standard features; allow me to explain them now.
The Unit – In a word, Beautiful
As you can see from the shot above, the actual unit of the Extigy is very stylish and modern looking, a perfect match for my Lian Li casing; certainly something which I don’t mind having to look at every day in all it’s sleekness. The unit is light in weight, but at the same time remains sturdy and solid. The front of the Extigy gives you easy access to headphone, microphone and line-in ports, instead of having to go behind you PC like you’d normally have to.
One thing I have noticed is the top and bottom sides of the unit can warm up slightly, however not to the point where it caused any system stability problems, and it does tend to get a decent workout playing MP3s for the majority of the day. The unit does have “breathing holes” for heat dissipation on both top and bottom sides, so it isn’t really much of a concern.
Creative also include two stands to mount the unit vertically, as shown in the picture above. However, I don’t care too much for this style. I prefer the first style I showed you. I guess it really comes down to personal opinion on this one.
Remote Control – Laziness for All
Being an external sound card, it is only natural that the Extigy have some type of remote control to handle various aspects of the system. The remote control included with the Extigy is slim, sleek and stylish. These three words seem to be synonymous with this product, and rightfully so.
The remote control allows you to adjust the volume (of course), CMSS, onscreen EAX options and a bunch of other things which become useful when you are on the other side of the room outside of hands reach of the Extigy unit.
