Creative Xmod

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc. Part number: 70SB072000000

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$70.95 - $83.99 at 8 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 22 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The reasonably priced Creative Xmod does a remarkable job of making audio sound brighter, deeper, and more vibrant.

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CNET editors' review

Creative Xmod

price range: $70.95 - $83.99

The reasonably priced Creative Xmod does a remarkable job of making audio sound brighter, deeper, and more vibrant.

The good: Creative's Xmod enhances compressed audio by effectively converting it to 24-bit audio; attractive and easy-to-use hardware; no drivers required; PC and Mac compatible; works with any audio source; priced right.

The bad: The Creative Xmod requires an AC adapter for use with line-in audio devices such as an MP3 player; does not ship with an AC adapter; not a true portable solution.

The bottom line: The reasonably priced Creative Xmod does a remarkable job of making audio sound brighter, deeper, and more vibrant.

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Creative's recently announced Xmod made it into my cube this week, and I have to say, I like what I hear. This palm-size, slick-looking device is designed to improve the quality of MP3s and other compressed audio, as well as audio CDs. Creative even goes as far as saying this $79 external sound card (which also works with MP3 players) will produce a "cleaner, richer sound that surpasses the original audio CD." While I don't blame skeptics (after all, I was skeptical), I can say that I'd rather use this product for listening to audio than not. However, I'd love to see this enhancement built right into an MP3 player since it cannot be used on the move.

The Xmod is a 4.5x1.8-inch white plastic rectangle with curved edges and corners, and it features a fat 1.25-inch diameter metallic knob used mainly for adjusting volume (push down on it to mute or select). It's powered by USB, and it defaults as your sound card once it's plugged into a computer--no driver is required. The device is compatible with both Mac OS X (10.3.4 and higher) and Windows XP.

The Xmod's rubber feet keep it in place on your desktop (where the attractive unit fits right in). On the side opposite the USB port is the headphone jack. Basically, the device takes source audio and, in real time, applies Creative's X-Fi (Xtreme Fidelity) technology to the audio, and the results are pretty substantial.

Creative has lifted the X-Fi features related to music from its SoundBlaster cards and packed them into the Xmod. The features, CMSS 3D and the Crystalizer, each have their own switches and are user-tweakable, though they both default at 50 percent. At the heart of the technology are algorithms that upconvert (or as Creative says, "restores") music to 24-bit surround audio (audio CDs are 16-bit).

The CMSS 3D adds a nice surround effect to audio, and it works particularly well with movies. Sound is less hollow or tubular than some surround DSP effects I've heard, though it isn't ideal for all content. It works well with some music, too, and it's especially noticeable using headphones, where an instrument coming strictly from one channel is nicely meshed with the other. The device is compatible with files that are encoded in multiple surround channels. Creative emphasizes that the surround effect does not utilize reverbs, unlike many other surround technologies. While the effect is effective, it's the aptly named Crystalizer that gives the Xmod its street cred.

MP3s do sound better
The Crystalizer upconverts music to 24-bit audio and fills in the missing gaps in lower and higher frequencies. There is no interpolating going on--instead, Creative sound engineers have come up with a secret formula that identifies certain instruments (such as cymbals or kick drum) and fills in the data that was originally trashed during compression. The more I use it, the more I realize it's doing more than just boosting frequencies. Bass is more punchy and prominent, and highs are crisp and alive but without jacking up levels. Listening to various electronica, ripped vinyl, live acoustic performances--anything with sound waves--I sensed underneath the enhanced lows and highs, an energy that just made my music sound nicer. And extraneous hiss is minimal at worst.

The Creative Xmod boxed.

Of course, I compared some MP3s to their CD counterparts and though I can't vouch for the sound being better than a CD, I did prefer the aforementioned energy of the Crystalized MP3. Audio CDs sounded punchier with the Crystalizer on as well.

Both effects can be adjusted (in three levels) by tapping on the unit's upper right corner, where there's a button nested underneath the panel. When the appropriate light turns on, you twist the volume knob to get to your setting, which is indicated by the frequency of flashing lights.

Since it's an external device, the Xmod is particularly useful with a laptop. Controlling your computer's system-level volume using the metal knob is nice, too. It can also be used with any audio device by way of the line-in port, next to the headphone jack, though you'll have to use an AC adapter via the USB port (not included). A line-level output is located next to the USB port. While the Crystalizer works just as well for an MP3 player (I used it on an iPod), it's not as practical since it forces you to be stationary. We'd love to see the technology built right into an MP3 player someday (that is, a Creative Zen featuring X-Fi). Various players from Cowon (BBE effects) and SRS Wow-powered players already exist, and they too enhance sound--just not the way the Xmod does.

The Xmod package includes Creative earbuds, a USB cable, a soft case, and a user's manual.

Overall, I'm impressed with the Xmod, and at $79, it's worth checking out--even with all the PR marketing hoopla surrounding this technology. I don't like that it limits your "Crystalized" audio to the nearest power outlet or computer, but I think Creative's X-Fi technology will make it into portable devices soon.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 22 reviews

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 22

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9 stars

WOW, WOW, WOW

by TPendo on December 14, 2006

Pros: Amazing Sound

Cons: Needs a battery pack, can't take it on the go

Summary: This thing is AMAZING. I'm one of those people that dislike MP3's that sound tiny. I like to hear good quality music. I plugged this thing in and ...

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Summary: This thing is AMAZING. I'm one of those people that dislike MP3's that sound tiny. I like to hear good quality music. I plugged this thing in and used it with a pair of cheap noise canceling headphones. I didn't read the directions right off the bat so I had a difficult time getting the music to sound good. Once I scanned the booklet and got the Crystalizer and 3D turned on, my chin was on the floor. All I could say was WOW. I heard things in the music I never heard. I then tried it with my Shure EC2's, and it got even better. I play the Nora Jones CD and was blown away because it was as if she was right in front of me singing. Voices, sounds and instruments hang in space infront of you. If you close your eyes you swear your in the studio. The quality is almost too good as I have to take my headphones off to find out if the sound was real or off my mp3 player.

I took the XMod into work and tried it with a friends Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones and some mp3's ripped at 128k. To say I was amazed again was an understatement. I kept having people come over and listen. I'd turn off the Crystalizer and 3D then turn each on seperately. Not to be redundant when both were enabled everyone of them when, WOW!!!

Ok, now the bad. It can only be used with a laptop or PC unless you get the power adapter. Can someone make a powerpack for this thing??? I'm now spoiled.

I would have giving it a 10 except for the portability drawback.

Creative, build the technology into a 30 gig IPOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

I registered just to review this product.

by D.A.W. on January 19, 2007

Pros: Sound is AMAZING! Seriously it's that good. It is also sharp looking.

Cons: Just as reviewer said, it's not too portable. But it can be used in your car with a USB car charger.

Summary: So I read about this product and was intrigued. I saw it on the store and out of curiosity decided to buy it with the intention of returning a day ...

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Summary: So I read about this product and was intrigued. I saw it on the store and out of curiosity decided to buy it with the intention of returning a day or two later. Well that plan is out the window. I've had my headphones on all day long. I've starting noticing entire instruments in some of my favorite songs that I never knew where there before. The effect is especially noticeable on drums (in terms of crispness; rim shots and cymbals jump out) and keyboards (you can actually hear them when they are only providing filler). The overall effect is nothing short of wonderful. Having had an Ipod the last 2 years, I simply forgot about the sound quality lost in 128 mp3s. Well now I'm never going back. One more time, the sound is nothing short of stellar.

The reviewer pointed out the lack of portability as a problem citing the lack of it's own power source as the culprit. While this is true, the unit would be rather bulky to carry around in addition to Ipod if it had a battery anyway (notice the giant volume knob). It clearly was not designed with the idea that it would be carried around.

Another worry I have is that creative is not doing a good job selling the Xmod so far. For starters its packaging doesn't really explain to well what it is and what it does. An Ipod can have its packaging be the way it is (stylish and minimalist) because everyone knows what an Ipod does. For the Xmod, however, it is not intuitively obvious what it does. Creative needs to explain what it does in big letters that don?t get hidden behind price tags.

Creative also needs to get stores to set the Xmod up in the store so customers can try it out. I would imagine a lot of customers would be dubious about how good the Xmod actually works. I was. If they set these up in stores and let people listen to the difference in sound with it off and on, they'd sell millions of these things.

Finally, if creative can get this into one of their mp3 players and markets it right, there might finally be a serious challenger to the Ipod. I know I would switch instantly, and I love my Ipod.

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4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

A terrific addition to your laptop

by robertncasper on April 8, 2007

Pros: Easy to use, great improvement in sound, inexpensive

Cons: Front button hard to push

Summary: Makes a huge difference w/ my iBook -- a much fuller and more dynamic soundstage, with detail that jumps out at you. I haven't had a problem w/ static, ...

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Summary: Makes a huge difference w/ my iBook -- a much fuller and more dynamic soundstage, with detail that jumps out at you. I haven't had a problem w/ static, either -- something I've read about. Used it w/ two 2.1 systems (JBL Creature II and Acoustic Energy Aego M), and it's improved both -- the latter less, but still noticeably.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Simple to use and sounds GREAT

by kreiben on April 6, 2007

Pros: Good sound, easy to use, easy to reach.

Cons: None for me yet. Takes up another USB port, but thats what hubs are for.

Summary: My sound port on my main board was no longer putting out sound on the left speaker, and all my PCI slots are full. Plus my wifes laptop headphone jack ...

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Summary: My sound port on my main board was no longer putting out sound on the left speaker, and all my PCI slots are full. Plus my wifes laptop headphone jack is not working, so it fills my needs. Plus its nice that I now have my sound port up on my desk where I can easily get to it. I must say this for sure. The sound is even better than that of my older creative internal card.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Much better than SRS technology

by F1gadget on March 15, 2007

Pros: The sound is crisp and not distorted. Bass is deep. Normally I like my music bass heavy but this bring out th trebles so nicely it amazed me.

Cons: Would have like to have seen pasue and next/prevous track controls for media player

Summary: Overall I think this is a great product it greatly exceeded my expectations. I have it hooked up to Sony's high end headphones and the sound is fantastic. I ...

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Summary: Overall I think this is a great product it greatly exceeded my expectations. I have it hooked up to Sony's high end headphones and the sound is fantastic. I have it hooked up at my laptop at work. I can't wait to go to work tomorrow morning just to listen to this. I but it on sale at Best Buy for $60 Highly recommend

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

When Quality Matters

by hfp22 on February 22, 2007

Pros: Quality and Simplicity

Cons: Not Practical for Portable Devices

Summary: For those who value audio quality and can tell the loss of quality when CDs are rips into MP3s, Buy This! I could tell immediately the improvement in sound quality. ...

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Summary: For those who value audio quality and can tell the loss of quality when CDs are rips into MP3s, Buy This! I could tell immediately the improvement in sound quality. I used it on my laptop a lot with some Sennheiser headphones for both music and videos and Wow! I had to hear every song I ever heard all over again and it felt like I was listening to it for the first time; I felt like I did when I heard a CD for the first time.
The X-Mod is great for laptop use but if you are going to use it extensively on your desktop, I recommend you purchase the X-Fi sound card instead because it comes with a bunch of extra features. X-Fi comes in several models for gaming, music or general audio.
It is not very practical for portable player use (i.e. iPod, Zen, Gigabeat etc.) because it is powered through USB so, you'll need to purchase a power adapter.
It is a great device, Great Work Creative!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

You'll wonder how you ever did without

by dhw63 on February 17, 2007

Pros: Amazing technology housed in a tiny package - performs precisely as advertised

Cons: Same as others - requires external power for use without computer

Summary: The lack of portability's a non-issue for me, as I chiefly use my Xmod at home with my iPod & Creative Itrigue 2200 speakers. It makes this - my ...

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Summary: The lack of portability's a non-issue for me, as I chiefly use my Xmod at home with my iPod & Creative Itrigue 2200 speakers. It makes this - my microscopic sound system - far superior to wall-sized units costing thousands. I found an after-market "Universal AC Charger" for half the price of Creative's that works just fine. You really have to listen for yourself to appreciate; it's a simply mind-blowing engineering feat which equates to huge value for the price. As other reviewers have intimated, hook in your favorite song/album - the one you're intimately knowledgable of every beat and nuance - and be purely amazed by the entirely new experience. Sounds as good as live - fantastic!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Great enhancer

by awerner32 on January 6, 2007

Pros: Drastically improve quality of MP3 music

Cons: not portable at all

Summary: because it is tethered by the need for the usb power it is not a portable device but at home it makes for a great music experience especially with a ...

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Summary: because it is tethered by the need for the usb power it is not a portable device but at home it makes for a great music experience especially with a good pair of headphones.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Simplistic Beauty

by strange1889 on December 28, 2006

Pros: simple, easy to use, intuitive, does exactly what it says it does, comes with a neat satin bag all the cables you might need

Cons: the power adapter is 40$$, not cool.... occationally needs to be disconnected to reset

Summary: i love this thing...where has is been all my life??? just wish the power adapter wasnt 40.... if you're tired of poor mp3/wav/ whatever format sound(s) ...

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Summary: i love this thing...where has is been all my life??? just wish the power adapter wasnt 40.... if you're tired of poor mp3/wav/ whatever format sound(s) you listen to get this...you wont be dissapointed

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

absolutely amazing. a must have for any laptop using audiophile

by proindrakenzol on December 24, 2006

Pros: makes *.mp3 files sound as good (and in a few cases) better than CDs. Makes CDs sound even more concert like

Cons: as the review said... not portable enough. I wanna use it with my Vision: M on the go!

Summary: best audio solution out there for laptop users and those that don't want to open up their desktop case. really does work as advertised.

on a side note: the

...

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Summary: best audio solution out there for laptop users and those that don't want to open up their desktop case. really does work as advertised.

on a side note: the headphones that it comes with are really good quality headphones. I got the device on sale, and frankly, the headphones themselves are worth the $40 I paid for it.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 22

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.
Part number: 70SB072000000

General
Device Type Sound card
Enclosure Type External
Interface Type USB
Processor / Memory
Signal Processor Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity
Audio Output
Features 24-bit Crystalizer, Creative Multi Speaker Surround (CMSS) - 3D
Expansion / Connectivity
Interfaces 1 x Audio - Line-out - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x USB - Mini-USB Type B, 1 x Audio - Line-in/microphone - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Compatible Slots None
Compatible Bays None

Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Headphones, Carrying case
Cables Included 1 x USB cable, 1 x USB adapter
Software / System Requirements
OS Required Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Apple MacOS X 10.3.4, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition
Min Processor Type 1 GHz
System Requirements Details Windows XP SP2 - Pentium III - RAM 256 MB, Windows XP 64-bit Edition - Pentium III - RAM 256 MB, Windows XP Media Center Edition - Pentium III - RAM 256 MB
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year

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Manufacturer info

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Creative Xmod

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Specifications

General

Processor / Memory

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Expansion / Connectivity

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