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Germany, Berlin
1 Level
709 Review
30 Karma

Review on 🎧 Enhanced Sound Blaster Audigy SE by Jeff Kickthedogband

Revainrating 4 out of 5

A good budget card that's still a step above the onboard audio.

I've been using Sound Blaster cards for a long time. In the late 90's, motherboard sound was non-existent or awful. Since then I can say that they have definitely improved the sound. Using the Asus Z77V series as a benchmark, they've definitely come a long way from earlier days. (Of course without the C64 or Amiga, which were ahead of their time). However, I did notice something missing in the music or occasional crackles in the sound. For example, when working with MIDI files, you can easily hear the difference in quality. This card is definitely on budget but gets the job done. Easy to install in any available PCI slot. I literally opened the case, unscrewed the bracket, installed the card, fastened and closed the case. My build is using Windows 7 Home Premium, SP1 and the card is fine. DO NOT INSTALL THE DRIVERS FROM THE DISK SUPPLIED. If your computer recognizes the card, allow it to be installed instead. It hasn't happened on my system, but I've checked to see if it's there through Device Manager. I went to creative.com and clicked on Support, selected Audigy SE and Windows 7 and 8 drivers can be downloaded right there. Follow the given instructions and no problem. It's just a bone, but the sound, whether CD, movie, mp3, midi or module file, is crisp and clear. The card has various improvements and supports various speaker settings. I have had this card on many systems and have never been disappointed. Do not install drivers from disk, go to the site and everything will be fine. At $30 or less, it's still a great deal.

Pros
  • Internal components
Cons
  • Cable is shorter than other picks