8. Creative Audigy 2 NX: Top Range With No Concessions, Continued

Fitting such an elaborate card into such a tight space obviously requires the right circuits. So the usual Audigy 2 circuit has changed for a much more compact one with the reference CAO186. It goes with a Sigmatel STAC9460 codec with two AD 24 bit/96kHz converters and six DA 24 bit/192kHz converters.

The use of motion picture sound standards is one of the major plus points in the Audigy 2NX; they work equally well on laptops and desktops. True to its policy, Creative does not provide DVD play software, so you have to buy your own (like Power DVD or WinDVD). Such software does not do the multichannel sound decoding (requiring S/PDIF mode configuration): the drivers on the Creative card handle this. So, you don't need a top-range version which decodes the most advanced standards, because it only has to handle video play.

When you look at the "Device Control", you find the Audigy 2NX has Dolby Digital EX but not DTS. If you want this, you'll need decoding software or an external decoder (for which you have to activate the S/PDIF output). While we may wonder what real use DTS decoding is for motion picture sound on a computer, we may be sure that a lot of people will still wish they had it.

On the software side, there is the Creative package with all its options and functions, which are similar to what the other advanced Creative cards offer: DVD Audio play, EAX effects (with limitations), 10 band equalizer. The performance levels we measured were good, though not as good as top-range internal models.