Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD Internal Sound Card with THX SB1270

by Creative Labs

Review

This card is one of the best to play back your digital music from your computer through a receiver and nice speakers. Headphone listening is also well executed. This is by far the best sound card Creative has ever made for music playback. The DAC (Digital to Analog converter) on this card is high quality and is the same DAC (Burr-Brown PCM1794) used in some very expensive and high end CD players (Cary Audio Design CD 306 and Halcro EC800). Be sure to use the analog RCA outputs to see the benefit. Of course this is good for games too but music playback is where this card really shines. If you just play games then the previous versions of X-fi cards should be enough for you. If high quality music playback is important to you get this card. Creative obviously needed to up the ante to create something that people would want to buy if they already own an X-fi card and they did it here.

Product Description
The Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD provides the highest quality audio playback of any sound card Creative has ever introduced and includes THX TruStudio PC audio technology, bringing together two of the most respected names in sound quality to provide an unparalleled audio experience on the PC. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD features audiophile-grade components for high-quality playback of music, games and movies, including 122db SNR Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs), the highest signal-to-noise ratio ever produced by a Creative sound card.

From the Manufacturer

Engineered for high-end sound performance, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD internal sound card offers an exceptional signal-to-noise ratio for high-quality playback of music, games, and movies. This sound card has been constructed using high-grade components, which help minimize distortion and augment audio playback. The card also features customizable op-amps, so you can tailor sound to fit your preferences. And thanks to EAX 5.0 technology, your games will sound more realistic. Optimized for use with Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Vista systems, the X-Fi Titanium will satisfy demanding audiophiles.

NOTE: this sound card is not compatible with Mac systems.

Card frees up resources for a gaming
experience without any slowdowns.

High-Fidelity Components Deliver Pristine Sound

The X-Fi Titanium HD offers a significant improvement over a standard motherboard's onboard audio. The card delivers a signal-to-noise ratio of 122 dB, which ensures that audio playback is pure and distortion-free. The card's components make a particular difference when playing music: high and mid tones are reproduced with pitch-perfect detail, and lows are defined and tight.

Outfitted with audio-enhancing technologies, the Titanium HD features THX's TruStudio Pro technology, which helps preserve the original balance and timbre of film audio. The card also supports Dolby Digital and DTS decoding formats, giving it multichannel and surround sound capabilities.

Swappable op-amps allow you to customize
your sound coloration and listening needs.

Swappable Op-Amps for Customizable Audio

The Titanium HD features fully customizable components-the card's op-amps are swappable, meaning that they can be switched and tweaked to fit your desires. This allows you to adjust sound coloration and personalize your listening experience. Audiophiles will be able to create a sound profile to fit tonal preferences.

EAX 5.0 Enhances Gaming Audio and Performance

The Titanium HD has been specially engineered to handle gaming applications. Using hardware-accelerated EAX 5.0 technology, the sound card delivers crisp, deep audio that will fully immerse you in the game.

In addition to enriching your gaming audio, the Titanium HD will boost your PC's gaming performance as a whole. By functioning as a dedicated sound unit, the card frees up resources that would otherwise be tied up in audio processes. This allows your PC to dedicate more of its processing power towards other tasks, like graphical and AI processing. The result is a gaming experience free of hiccups and slowdowns.

Supports Wide Range of I/O Connectivity

Built for versatility, the Titanium HD supports connections to a variety of devices. It features ports that can accommodate microphones, headphones, home studio speakers, portable music players, AV Receivers, game consoles, and more.

The sound card is designed for solid headphone performance: the card supports up to 115 dB and 24-bit/96 kHz output, allowing for high-definition headphone playback. Microphone recordings are noteworthy, too, thanks to the card's latency-reducing ASIO technology.

Compatibility and System Requirements

The Titanium HD sound card is compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit) and Windows 7. (The card is not Mac compatible.)

To install the card, you'll need an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD equivalent processor; an Intel, AMD, or compatible motherboard; 1 GB RAM; at least 600 MB free hard disk space; an available PCI Express slot; and a CD/DVD drive for software installation. Headphones or amplified speakers are also required to use the card.

Product Features and Technical Details

Product Features

High-Fidelity audio performance D/A, A/D converter with SN ratio of 122dB with 0.001% (THD) distortion

Headphone out with 115dB, 24bit/96kHz support High-Definition (HD) quality sound for original playback

THX TruStudio PC effects transforms your experience into a true High-Definition (HD) multimedia emotional journey

Hardware-powered 3D positional audio and EAX 5.0 effects provide stunning audio realism over headphones and speakers.

ASIO recording support with latency as low as one millisecond with minimal CPU load. Dolby Digital and DTS encoding enables one-step single-cable connection to home entertainment systems, with included optical cables

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 12 x 2.4 x 8.7 inches ; 1.7 pounds

ASIN: B0041OUA38

Item model number: 70SB127000002

Technical Details

High-Fidelity audio performance D/A, A/D converter with SN ratio of 122dB with 0.001% (THD) distortion

Headphone out with 115dB, 24bit/96kHz support High-Definition (HD) quality sound for original playback

THX TruStudio PC effects transforms your experience into a true High-Definition (HD) multimedia emotional journey

Hardware-powered 3D positional audio and EAX 5.0 effects provide stunning audio realism over headphones and speakers.

Video Gallery:

Creative Labs SB0880 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Sound Card
by Creative

Creative Labs SB0880 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Sound Card

I was interested in this card because I was looking to upgrade my old Sound Blaster Audigy 2 on my Win XP desktop for two reasons. One was that I could tell my card was clearly outdated in terms of gaming features because the sound would not work at all for some games (Call of Duty 4) and I could tell a lot of sounds were missing from others (Far Cry 2) even after updating the drivers and editing all of the game settings that I could. The second reason was because I now have my desktop hooked up to my living room's HDTV and I wanted to have the capability to run my computer sound on my TV's 5.1 receiver by using the card's optical out (TOSLINK) feature. By searching around, it seemed to me that this was one of the only card's that had the optical feature within a decent price range.

So, in terms of what I was looking for, this card has excelled in both areas. After installing it on Win XP SP 2 (where I did not run into any of the driver issues described by others in their reviews...perhaps Win 7 capability was the main issue there), I booted up Far Cry 2. Let me tell you I was VERY impressed with this new card. The EAX 5.0 clearly made a huge difference. Playing this game with the X-Fi Titanium made it a whole new experience. I then checked out Call of Duty 4. Great surround sound as well. This card honestly blew my expectations out of the water for how much better Far Cry 2 could sound.

The optical out feature has also been great. To refute another reviewer's post, the optical out DOES output in 5.1 surround sound. You simply need to switch on the "Dolby Digital Live" feature within Creative's provided software console. When you first hook your card up to your receiver, it will only push out sound in 2.1. You will need to switch this setting on to get 5.1 surround, a process which takes all of about 5 seconds.

Another aspect that I would like to refute from a previous reviewer's post is that switching between the sound modes (entertainment, gaming, etc) is some kind of difficult, annoying, or tedious task. Actually, I think it is so easy and a nice little feature to have. To switch the sound modes, all you have to do is click "mode" in the software console and then click a picture for one of the three different modes -- and that's it! Compare it to the amount of time you spend clicking between two browser window tabs, two IM windows, or two Google chat windows. It is seriously so easy.

Finally, another great feature is the "X-Fi Crystalizer". Since I didn't see it on the Amazon product description, I figured it's a worthy mention. When you switch this feature on, your mp3 music becomes much cleaner and clearer. Using it with iTunes, I could hear a noticeable difference. I only listen to music with this feature on now! From Creative's site: "The X-Fi Crystalizer(tm) analyses your audio file, identifies key elements that were lost or damaged during the compression process, and re-masters them using selective audio enhancement. The mid-range and high-end (treble) becomes cleaner and clearer. Low-end (bass) frequencies are richer and more defined."

Ian Satya's Guide to Gadget

Pages - Menu