If you're like me, you use your rig for as many things as possible. My rig is for gaming, multi-media, software development, and
basically anything else I feel like doing, such as screwing around with my guitar and surfing the web. So, when the opportunity
arose to review a sound card with a seemingly endless supply of features, I decided to take a stab at it.
Auzentech produced an
HDA X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect sound card for review, and I will do my best to do it justice. This is one sweet card!
The Box
HDA is HiTec Digital Audio, developed the X-Plosion 7.1 DTS Connect sound card, and its North American distributor is Auzentech. The
previous sound card developed by HDA is the X-Mystique, which was previously distributed by Bluegears, and has been reviewed by nV
News in the past.
The Contents
FEATURES
C-Media CMI8770 PCI chipset (8CH audio single chip with DTS® Connect and Dolby® Digital Live Real-Time Content Encoder)
Integrated S/PDIF input/output supports 44.1kHz/48kHz/96kHz sample rate and 16/24bits resolution
The world's first DTS¨ Connect logo program certificated PCI audio board
DTS® Interactive: A real-time 5.1 encoder that takes any 2 or more channel and encodes it into DTS® bit stream. DTS® Interactive provides a single cable connection via S/PDIF digital audio output to a DTS® enabled surround sound system by encoding all audio into a DTS® compatible bit stream at 1.5Mbps
DTS® Neo:PC : An up mixing matrix technology that turns any 2 channel audio into 7.1 surround sound. DTS® Neo:PC, based upon DTS® Neo:6 matrix surround technology, transforms any stereo content such as MP3, WMA or CD audio, into a 7.1-channel surround sound experience
Dolby® Digital Live(DDL) Real-Time Content Encoder converts PC audio into a 5.1 channel Dolby® Digital bit stream
Swappable dual DIP type OPAMP controlled preamp circuit (4pcs output control OPAMP IC with DIY socket, 2pcs MIC input control OPAMP IC with DIY socket)
Max 2.8Vrms full swing analog output gain by unique preamp circuit / incredible powerful analog output, improve dynamic range / SNR
Proper OPAMP control circuit (+8V, -8V dual power supply circuit) for high quality audio quality, prevent audio distortion at high volume level
Package content: HDA X-PLOSION 7.1 DTS Connect Audio Card / MPC to MPC(2pin-2pin) CD S/PDIF audio cable / TOSLINK fiber optic digital cable / installation CD / warranty card / owner's manual
Essentially, if you skipped reading the features, the X-Plosion is the world's first audio card to include DTS connect and Dolby Digital Live, packing the card with quite a wallop. DTS Connect is potentially the hottest reason to purchase this card. It includes both DTS Interactive and DTS Neo:PC. DTS Interactive takes a 2 or more channel audio, and encodes it to a DTS bit stream. You can then pipe this signal to a DTS enabled surround sound system for a richer, more robust sound. DTS Neo:PC can take any 2 channel audio tracks and up convert them to 7.1 surround sound. Dolby Digital Live converts any audio stream into a Dolby Digital bit stream for playback on PC speakers or a home theater system. This card includes everything you could need…including the kitchen sink.
