USB 2.0 Sound: Creative Labs Audigy 2 NX

Inputs And Outputs, Continued

For analog output, the Audigy 2 NX has four 3.5 mm stereo jack plugs. This gives eight channels, making it possible to configure it in 7.1. The "side" output can be used as a headphone socket by configuring the loudspeaker management software.

Effective Circuitry

The creation of a very elaborate card with such a small footprint naturally requires suitable circuitry. This is why Creative replaced the Audigy 2 circuitry with something much more compact. The Audigy 2 NX is based on a Sigmatel STAC9460 codec that includes two AD 24-bit / 96 kHz converters and six DA 24-bit / 192 kHz converters. In addition to these basic circuits, a 4 MB flash memory module handles software conservation and a Philips ISP1581 circuit manages the USB 2.0 interface. There is another circuit, a Cirrus Logic EP7309 for hardware decompression of the compressed audio files, which include MP3 and WMA. This is an asset as today's applications demand frequent intensive audio compression and decompression. All this is contained in a single circuit board printed on both sides that also carries all the controls, switches, and connectors.