Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Rx - 7.1 PCIe Sound Card with High Performance Headphone Amp

As always with Creative products, this is excellent quality and performance. The downloadable software provides a rich variety of FX for environment, karaoke etc. The audio is just great.

It works! It works very well. I am not an audiophile, but I do like good music well delivered by my sound system. This board is installed in a PC running Windows 8.1 and it is driving a Logitec Z906 5.1 surround sound system via the three 3.5mm jacks.This is definitely an improvement over the onboard sound from the PC in which I installed it. I can actually tell where on stage individual singers/instrumentalists are standing. It also has a connector for the front panel audio, which was a pleasant surprise as I was expecting to lose the use of that.One thing. Do follow the instruction that says uninsatall any existing sound drivers first before installing the Audigy. It is not a disaster if you don't but it is a pain because you have to do a bunch of fiddling with windows sound settings to get it to work.Also, you may have to set it to 7.1 surround sound in order to get the rear speakers to work. As far as I can discover this is a common problem whether using onboard or add-on sound and it seems to be a Windows issue.

Pros+ Nice build quality with gold sockets+ Extra mic socket+ Moderately small size (will fit directly under a NZXT Kraken with a Corsair H90)+ Audio quality is good for the priceCons- Software is adequate but not great- Packaging is basic but again adequateOver all this card is really quite good, looks nice and performs well considering its price point. Over all I'm happy with this product.

Bought this card because of the background hiss, speckled crackling and hums from the on-board sound. Initially very disappointed as I got very similar problems from the Audigy.I had read somewhere regarding the same problem, that you needed to use the card for a couple of days before these background noises resolve themselves. Couldn't see how that could work. Tried reseating the card with no improvement. Persevered for a couple of days checking drivers and sound applications. I had recently updated my Slackware system to 14.2 and was having trouble anyway with to the move to pulse.Gave up and decided to return the card and try one of these USB external sound adapter but it was a couple of week before I could get round to shutting down and removing the card. At this stage the problems were so bad I stopped listening to sound fed from the computer On the appointed day before I started I fired up BBC iplayer and lo and behold the sound was perfect. With some excite I then tried Spotify. Utter silence between tracks. If I'm not playing something I forget that I have the amp turned on, it is absolutely silent. I'm astonished. Why this happens I have no idea but the sound quality and stereo separation is now better than anything I have had in the last 20 years. My speakers are still the old Wharfdale based boxes that I built over 45 years ago while still at college. The amp is an old Trio that I inherited nearly 10 years ago. The combination is perhaps a bit boomy on the bass (I don't even have the sub-woofer connected at the moment) but this is just joy and bliss.

Update.The original review was written when using the newest driver from creatives site. Using the disc that came with the card allowed for 96 kHz to be played without any harsh noises. 5.1 via optical still doesn't work when selected and only can be achieved if an audio bypass is done within VLC. I still think £50 is far too much for this soundcard due to the 5.1 audio issue via optical and the issue persists regardless of what kHz has been chosen but I don't have much of a choice, as 2nd hand cards of a similar spec in reasonable condition are nearly the same price in the current chip shortage climate.Original review with new driver from Creative*Bought this as my optical out on my motherboard is shot as the cable will keep falling out and then finally stopped outputting sound (tried multiple optical cables). All my audio equipment is connected by optical, so was in need of a USB adapter to optical which doesn't seem to exist? So picked this as the cheapest alternative. No 5.1 out of optical which is quite a disappointment, the software doesn't detect that I have plugged through optical either. If you choose 96 kHz, it turns it off when not playing audio but then switches it back on which makes a stupidly loud noise that has hurt my ears several times now. 44.1 and 48 kHz seem to be absolutely fine however.It's connected to my SMSL M200 which feeds audio to SP200 and xDuoo MT-602 for headphone use and speakers are Logitech Z-906.If all you're gonna do is listen at lower frequencies with gaming, Etc then this is totally fine but if you're planning on hooking this up to your surround sound set up optically and/or want to listen at 96K Hz, I'd look elsewhere and would not recommend this card at all.

This sound card delivers excellent mid-range sound quality and truly shines when paired with headphones. Using my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, the audio experience was pure bliss—crystal clear, powerful, and immersive. When combined with Boom 3D, an incredible online sound enhancer, the volume and richness of the sound are almost overwhelming (I’m pretty sure my hearing has taken a hit—worth it, though!). While it also supports Dolby Atmos flawlessly, I personally prefer the audio depth and customization offered by Boom 3D. If you’re on the fence, trust me—try this combo out, and you’ll be blown away.