Since I was replacing a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS Platinum, I had to remove the old card and the bay unit that I usually plug my guitar into. Once those were removed, I booted the machine and uninstalled all the drivers. I shut the machine down again and installed the HDA X-Plosion sound card into the same PCI slot where my Audigy was. I replaced my old CD S/PDIF cable with the one provided with the X-Plosion. I went to install the front headphone and line-in headers, but I couldn't find anywhere to plug them into the card. A quick re-read of the manual, and I discovered that there were none. Oh well, the Fender may be lonely until I get an extension cable that I can wrap around from the back.
The HDA X-Plosion
After booting the machine, I followed the directions in the manual to install the drivers. The manual is well written, easy to follow and to understand. Overall, the install was painless. The software was installed to the control panel. The drivers were very straightforward and easy to configure. There are tabs for the main settings, mixer, effects, karaoke, and information. Most of the settings that I used were on the main settings tab and effects tab.
