This sound is simply excellent. It significantly improves the sound quality of my system. Really love Audigy 2 ZS.
The Audigy 2 ZS is very easy to install. It's such a breeze. Just plug it in and enjoy the sound! Plus, it has firewire built in, which is very useful.
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Strengths: Eax Support, THX certified, 7.1 audio support. Bunch of games, great value for the price.
Weakness: Doesn't come with speakers. :)
I got this sound card as a upgrade from my old SB Live Value. I just love the quality, performance, and the support of Creative Products. This is a great buy for anyone that wants superb sound for gaming, music, and movies. If you are still using onboard sound with your 4.1, 5.1 or 6.1 speakers then you are missing out. Time to upgrade that system. Highly recommended!!!
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I was very disappointed when i purchased this sound card because I purchased the audigy 2 ZS platinum pro a while back for 6 times the price of what I got this card for and I can't hear any difference. With 7.1 surround, EAX and THX certification, this is a great sound card for gaming, watching movies or just listening to music. I rarely use the external device that came with my platinum pro and the card itself is basically the same so purchaing this sound card back then would have been better since there is little to no difference in sound quality between the plat pro and audigy gamer. save your money, get the audigy 2 ZS Gamer.
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Strengths: Sound quality, comes with five full games, Creative is one of the biggest names in pc sound cards.
Weakness: Creative's new X-Fi sound cards are out, but they are too expensive right now, and haven't had any rebate deals yet.
I bought this at Newegg.com for $21.00 after a $50 mail-in rebate (which I have received). I have been using Creative sound cards for about 4 years now and have been very happy with them. I am using a Logitech Z-640 5.1 speaker system with this and they work great together. Watching movies is a lot of fun. It comes with some really nice games. Excellent sound for the money!
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Strengths: Excellent sound with headphones. Some good games.
Weakness: None
This card was a great update from my Creative X-Fi. The sound difference was immeditatly noticable. I use this with a pair of mid level Sennheiser headphones and I'm dragged right into the game.
The games are older but good. If you haven't played Halo, Thief 2, Far Cry or Splinter Cell then you definetly should. But most gamers went down these roads already.
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Strengths: Sound quality, 7.1,6.1 and 5.1 support, Five full games included
Weakness: none
I bought this card at after thanksgiving sale at Fry's for killing price of $19.99 after rebate and for what I paid I got the card and 5 full HD games.
I use it with Logitech 5.1 speakers and the sound quality is perfect.
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Strengths: It's from Creative. From 2 to 7.1 Speaker Setup, THX, EAX goodies, Easy installation. Plays DVD-Audio. Doesn't drain your power supply.
Weakness: PCI Card is a little large if you add the firewire. Don't let your friends know it's capable of "Karaoke"
If you have a pre-made computer with an integrated sound chip or middle of the road sound card, this card is a major improvement. Gamer or not. You can set up any speaker configuration. Digital or analog. Audio effects are fun as well as functional. From "Halo" to "Haydn", I have no regrets.
Strengths: Good sound, lots of connections, firewire port
Weakness: none noted other then included games are very outdated.
I bought this card to replace my onboard 6.1 sound. I havent noticed any real difference in sound quality though. I did see a big improvement in game smoothness though. Games are less choppy and play much smoother. The on card souind processer is definetly a big help.
Strengths: +7.1 Audio +Firewire Port +Good quality of sound +Comes with Games!
Weakness: -Perhaps not for Audiophiles -Make sure you get it on sale
While the soundcard package mainly caught my eye for the games it included, the soundcard itself has offered up a crisp, high quality sound.
Two things that should be noted about this package:
~There are at least two different Gamer-Edition packages. Make sure to check that the games you're interested in are included, because the alternative Gamer-Edition that's available may have something you'd prefer more.
~I've found that the On-board sound with my Abit NF7-Sv2 comes awful close to the quality of the sound from this card. the card is that little bit extra, but this isn't a huge leap. Make sure if you're doing an upgrade that you find the right product for the job, as newer cards on the market may offer better competition for what you already have.
It's a great card for several reasons - A) It supports 5.1 surround sound (just got some new shiny speakers to play with y'see), B) I trust Creative to make a reliable and compatible product, since I'm not a computer whiz, and I don't have the time or experience to reconfigure stuff just to get it to work, and C) The price is just about right.
Installation was a breeze - like always just follow the instructions carefully and make sure everything is connected before you close the case - this model comes with a separate cable to link the sound card to the digital port on the CD drive. My XP system detected everything right away, and the software installed without a hitch. There's a few different programs bundled with the card, including EAX, THX and speaker configuration support, all of which is nicely presented and was helpful when setting up my speakers. The 5.1 surround support is just as groovy as I'd hoped, and the card software made it a breeze to adjust the levels, configure Winamp 5 to play through all the channels, and add funky effects. I don't really have much use for all the software included, but I can imagine if you were starting from scratch, or, conversely, quite an advanced user, you might enjoy the various different functions included here. I'm a bit middle-of-the-road to need all the bells and whistles, but I appreciate them being there.
So, easy to setup, easy to use, simmering with latent power and nicely priced. I admit that I was also persuaded to get this card for secret reason D) It came bundled with free games, and they sound awesome through this card. A great buy for a lower end user who wants to ramp-up their audio experience without breaking the bank (or an eardrum). Recommended.
Strengths: Great quality sound - Great demonstrations - Quality software (drivers) AND GAMES!
Weakness: Card is somewhat large comparatively to my previous Entertainer 7.1
This was hands down the easiest set up ever. I had the card in my machine and running under 10 minutes and that includes shutting down the machine and driver installation. The card is somewhat larger than the entertainer 7.1 i had previous but the quality IS MUCH BETTER. The great games that came with it was definitely also a perk.
I was going to pick up the regular Audigy 2 for about $15-$20 less, but when I looked at the bundle that came with this it was impossible to turn down. I received the games and they were all full versions as indicated. The training tutorials on the game CDs are pretty good, which was a relief because there are no instructions for the games. I'm playing Far Cry at max settings with my new GeForce 6800 OC and the graphics and sound are simply amazing. You can't beat this deal--the whole package is very solid for high quality sound.
These are the 5 full version games included (all prices are from Amazon.com as of 09/10/2005):
1. Halo ($19.99)
2. Star Wars: Jedi Academy ($9.99)
3. Splinter Cell ($24.99)
4. Rainbow Six 3: Ravenshield ($9.99)
5. Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness ($7.99)
The games alone cost $72.95! Not bad for a card that costs 109.99. Excellent card all around!
This is a great sound card, no problem of using it. Game bundle is great, however, those are old games and not in DVD formate. Creative, you know you are getting a quality sound card.
The Audigy 2 ZS gamer is a terrific card. Installation was a snap. I noticed a big difference in sound quality from my onboard sound card playing through creative T3000 speakers. A bonus with my card was it came bundled with five pretty decent full version games. I would definitely recommend this card.
Great sound card
Strengths: Excellent sound.
Weakness: None so far.
This sound is simply excellent. It significantly improves the sound quality of my system. Really love Audigy 2 ZS.
The Audigy 2 ZS is very easy to install. It's such a breeze. Just plug it in and enjoy the sound! Plus, it has firewire built in, which is very useful.
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