When it comes to upgrading your PC's audio capabilities, the traditional solution is to buy a new sound card. If, however, you've got a notebook or don't fancy delving inside your desktop, things are a little more complicated. Aiming to solve these headaches, Creative has come up with the Soundblaster Audigy 2 NX - an external version of its latest sound card that connects via USB2. Annoyingly though, the NX doesn't draw power from the host so you'll need to find a spare power socket.

Designed to give the same facilities as internal cards, the Audigy 2 NX boasts a 24bit/96KHz DAC, 7.1-surround sound, Creative's EAX environmental audio, Dolby Digital decoding and compatibility with DVD-Audio discs. Connectors on the sides and rear provide audio input and output, while volume controls sit at the front. There's no joystick or Midi port but you do get a slim and useful, remote control.

Setting up is straightforward - just connect the unit and install the drivers, which include Creative's Mediacenter suite. Along with configuration software the suite includes Creative's Mediasource DVD-Audio player, Audio Stream Recorder 2 and the excellent Wavestudio sound editor. All of these applications can be accessed via a pop-up panel.

In tests, the Audigy NX was difficult to fault. Sound quality was better than onboard sound, while EAX truly enhances games like Halo and MP3s sounded great. That said, audio quality dropped when moving from a USB2 to a 1.1 connection. This is due to lack of bandwidth and is a letdown considering the most of the target market will have USB1.1. Multichannel recording and playback at high levels is also unavailable without USB2.

Contact: Creative
www.creative.com

Specifications:

• 7.1-surround sound
• Dolby Digital EX, EAX Advanced HD
• Recording/Playback: up to 24bit/96KHz
• Soundfont 2.1
• USB
• Line in, Mic in, optical S/PDIF In/out
• Line out (Front/Rear/Center/Sub)
• Line/Headphone out (Side)
• Two-year limited hardware warranty