Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Sound Card (70SB006003007) | List Price: $54.03
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Brand: Creative Labs
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 1 year warranty
Features: - Experience real-time digital audio & effects with head-turning 3-D positional audio from the EMU10K1 Digital Signal Processor
- Create CD quality MP3 or WMA files with a 320Kbps encoder & up to 9x encoding acceleration
- Surround yourself with theater-like Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in movies
- Easily connect to Cambridge SoundWorks DTT3500, DTT2200 and other Dolby Digital-ready 5.1 home theater systems
- Compatible with Windows 95/98/98SE/NT/2000/ME
I let my daughter install the card. [Posted on 2004-09-26]
I've read the poor reviews for this soundcard. However, I thought for the price of this card (30 bucks), I'd give it a try.
In other Amazon posts I've said, "When all else fails read the directions," and this installation is no different. I went through the installation procedure with my 12-year-old daughter. I did help her with lining up the card on the board, but after that we turned on the machine and booted into XP (we put the Sound Blaster installation CD into the CD drive before Windows fully loaded). The system found the card immediately and pulled the driver from the CD.
She said, "Is that it?" I said, "I believe so," and yep it sure was. Now we have pure, crystal clear surround sound from a thirty dollar card!! I also do not have any hissing or cracking noises out of the speakers others mentioned.
The Sound Blaster Live! CD also lets you install apps that work with the card and they were just as easy to install, but I did not install all of the apps.
Now I am not saying you will not have any problem (how would I know that?) as I have had some Creative issues with some other products, but I have always gotten around them.
Some tips:
1. If you are going to purchase this card online goto the Creative website and do some research. (e.g. is the card compatible with your Operating System? do you have any available PCI slots, how much memory does it require? THE BASICS!). Otherwise, just goto your friendly neighborhood office supply store and read the specs there (and be careful when the friendly clerk wants to give you a lesson in sound cards, you'll pay more in the end).
2. Consider which other devices you may wish to connect to the soundcard e.g. a mini disc player, microphone, etc.
3. Consider whether you need a full or half-duplex card. Full-duplex cards can record and play back sounds, while half-duplex cards can do one or the other, but not at the same time.
4. If you have onboard sound on your current computer, don't forget to disable that before you go installing this card or for that matter, any sound card.
Hopefully, if you do choose this card, it will work as seamlessly as it did for my daughter. Maybe she'll turn into a computer geek yet.
A decent little card [Posted on 2005-03-13]
I bought mine off of Ebay. Got all the hardware and software. I put it in my system after pulling my old Aureal Vortex 2 (Creative labs bites for buying them out) I turned on my system and it works perfectly. I have thrown audio conversion, mixing, recording, running about 64 channels and more at it and so far it has done just fine. It is a decent card for a cheap price. I does everything I need. I have not had any crackling, popping, or snapping. I would say if you want a decent card for a cheap price this is a good one to go with. It handles 2 channel, 4 channel, and 5.1. It also has a SPIDF connector, and a game port connector for those who have not upgraded to a USB joystick yet.
Wrong chipset [Posted on 2005-04-18]
This card does NOT have a EMU10K1 chipset as advertised, so it does NOT work in linux.
This sound card is quality [Posted on 2005-07-08]
This sound card is of high quality and is quite versital. I would recomend it
What morons [Posted on 2005-12-11]
I laugh at the people who say they cant install this card, or it wont work, crash, bad drivers, etc. I am only 17 and I have installed the card on several different computers without a problem ever. Just uninstall your current sound card, or go to Sound Properties and disable the current sound card drivers. If you have a motherboard sound card, just do the same, and when your PC starts press delete and in the Bios disable onboard sound. From there snap the new sound blaster in the PCI slot and install your new drivers. It isnt that friggin hard, and the Sound Blaster 5.1 is the best sound quality I have heard for the money. If you want better, go for a high end Turtle Beach card or a Sound Blaster Platinum/Audigy but it will cost you more. Anway, you have to have the brains to install a sound card in the first place no matter what card you install. Otherwise, take it to your computer shop and let someone else do it for you!
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