Sound Blaster Live! 24-Bit, question

[cookingfrags]

im currently using integrated sound (Via KM266 chipset). i want to upgrade soon just in case i get 5.1 speakers in the future.

i'm on an extremely tight budget of $70 or less. online buying is out of the question since my parents aren't willing to whip out their credit card (absolutely no way around it). so im stuck with whats in the local computer stores, so that means Creative Sound Blasters.

ive been seriously considering the Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit because of supposed hardware EAX, but im not 100% sure it does Dolby Digital 5.1 since it says it no where on the box or in online specs, but only in Creative's comparison chart. does anyone know for sure if it decodes Dolby Digital?

 

[the_Prisoner]

According to this link it has up tp 7.1:<A HREF="http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=206&product=10315" target="_new">http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=206&product=10315</A>

the Prisoner

I'm not a number, I'm a free man!

 

[cookingfrags]

yeah...i heard it can do up to 7.1, but i thought it was in EAX and CMSS. i know for sure it doesnt do Dolby Digital EX, but i want to know if it does standard DD 5.1. im thinking about just getting the old SB Live! since it'll be good enough and it does DD for sure, on top of hardware accelarated EAX.

 

[Crashman]

The original live was 4.1, it was upgraded to 5.1, and I think that was nothing more than a driver update.

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[pzmt]

SB Live 24 bit is Audigy LS with diffrent name. It shares Mic and Line In jack - you cannot use both at same time. AFAIK all processing (EAX, ...) is done in software. This is card without brain and should not have "live" in its name, because original live is far better card.

 

[cookingfrags]

well...turns out, when i went to get the old SB Live! my sister suggested that ill probably be stuck with it for a while. so i decided to get the new Audigy 2 Value (with a little help from my dad, since it was my birthday). so far, its been great and it does everything that i can ask from it, including awesome in-game (hardware) EAX and Dolby. i tried the Raven Shield Demo (which uses EAX Advanced HD) in 4.1 by using the speakers i have on my CD player...pure greatness.