Creative Labs Audigy2 NX Review - Listening Tests and Conclusion
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Warning, completely subjective!
Listening tests were performed with Grado RS-2 headphones or through my home theater.
Some of the same qualities that make the Audigy line of sound cards good for gaming are what make them so-so with DVDs and music. The Audigy2 NX, without a doubt, colors the sound output. This isn't too bad for movies since most people are looking for the spatial placement of 5.1 (6.1 or 7.1) and big booms. The character's voice quality is reasonably clear through the front channel. The surround effects are good, maybe a little over done, and the bass is strong. On the downside the mid-range response seemed soft, not in volume but in clarity. As you listen to the movie it feels like the sound is filtered, over processed. The highs on the other hand seem over bright, too sharp. This is not uncommon among mid-range audio. The highs are over brightened to make the user think it is clear.
Music is a different story. Before putting down the Audigy2 NX too much it should be noted that even for its faults it is still significantly better than the Realtek AC '97 audio in the ASUS L5GA. The musical output from the Audigy2 NX is sadly mediocre when compared to high quality desktop sound cards. Just like with the DVD playback the highs are bright but non-inclusive, meaning even with the brightness nuances in the music are lost. The bass can be overpowering. For some this may be a positive but when I listen to music I am listening for the playback to be neutral, not unevenly boosting signal levels distorting what the artist created. I will admit I can be picky. With all that said I again feel the Audigy2 NX provided an enormous improvement to the laptop's onboard sound and I prefer to use the Audigy2 NX in every situation. Considering most users will listen to MP3s when using this sound card the points I make are negligible. MP3s by nature cause far worse damage to audio than almost any sound card could ever cause, specifically the 128kbps rate most people use.
Creative Labs is in a great market position with the Audigy2 NX. There are very few USB sound cards available to challenge it and none with its feature set. On that note, the Audigy2 NX performs much like its desktop equivalent. The sound quality and effects for gaming are outstanding, for DVDs it is pretty good, and for music it is just OK.
Installation was flat out easy. This is a computer peripheral that your mom would probably be able to install. There really wasn't much more to it that plugging it in to the USB 2.0 port, connecting the power cord and speakers/headphones, and follow the directions on the installation disk.
The are only a few problems I see with the Audigy2 NX. Older laptops or desktop machines may not have USB 2.0 ports, preventing them from utilizing all the features of the Audigy2 NX. Also, there is still plenty of room for improvement. I would really like to see Creative Labs put out a product that is just the best product they can make without regard to cost. If Creative Labs could make a $500 sound card that was near audiophile quality, that would be great. After all many of us spend $300 to $500 on a video card every year or so; at least with a sound card it would have a much longer product life.
What surprises me the most about a product like this is the market's indifference. With new games like Doom3 placing such an emphasis on the ambient music and sounds, and a first person shooter's ability to identify the direction an enemy is coming from with good sound, it seems like more gamers would be snatching these up as quick as they could make them. And given the amount of people in general that have built large MP3 collections it would only be logical for them to want to improve their sound quality. Unfortunately, most people put little to no weight on the quality of sound radiating from their computers and seem to be happy with their onboard AC '97 sound and tin box speakers. As was mentioned before, with the masses lining up to buy new video cards and the desire for eye candy it is astounding so few care about ear candy.
Thank you for reading this review of the Audigy2 NX. If you have any questions or comment, please feel free to offer you two cents in the comments section at the bottom of this page, or contact me at Memphist0@DevHardware.com. You can also find more computer hardware help on our forums, or visit our front page for more hardware news and information.
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