memory upgrade functions. The
built-in memory was sufficient
for most applications. The
AWE64 subsequently became
a runaway success.CPC: Some hobbyists have
found ways to clone old ISA
Sound Blaster cards, ordering
a pre-made PCB and soldering
in the components (such as
the Snark Barker). Given that
Creative hasn’t made these cards
for 25-odd years, do they have
Creative’s blessing?
Sim Wong Hoo: We have no issues with individual hobbyists
who are nostalgic about our very old Sound Blaster cards.CPC: We recently did a social media survey on how people
use their spare PCI-E slots, and 19 per cent of our
respondents used a dedicated sound card. What do people
get from a dedicated sound card that they can’t get from
integrated audio?
Sim Wong Hoo: In the first place, I think motherboard audio is
horrible. Many engineers, especially digital engineers, think
that PC audio is achieved by simply putting a decent DAC on a
motherboard. That couldn’t be further from the truth. A good
audio design requires a good analogue section.
There are many contributors of noise on any motherboard,
sodesigninga goodanaloguesection on a noisy
motherboard is almost a
defeating cause. On a
powerful gaming computer,
the noise from a powerful
CPU is even worse. This
problem is magnified by
on-board Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
and so on. The final nail in
the coffin is the multiple
GPU cards found on the
most powerful computers, which to me makes motherboard
audio unredeemable.
Creative has many, many years of experience and
expertise in pristine audio design. This expertise spans
digital, analogue and acoustic audio domains, all of which are
necessary for superior audio performance. Sound Blaster
was well established decades before motherboard audio
became pervasive. Over the years, as motherboards became
more powerful and noisier, our Sound Blaster cards, despite
being plugged into the motherboard, were always a few
steps ahead in being able to preserve this pristine quality.
If users are willing to spend money on an expensive high-
end graphics card, it would make total sense for them to
invest in a worthy sound card to complete the entertainment
experience. Even our lower-end sound cards provide good
audio, and retain a big following to this day.For example, Sound BlasterX AE-5 offers dedicated
high-quality components, and proprietary technologies
such Xamp, which drives individual headphone channels,
providing much better headphone audio transience. It can also
drive two extreme ends of the headphone spectrum, from
600 Ohm studio monitor headphones to 16 Ohm sensitive
in-ear monitors.
Then there’s the Sound Blaster audio processing technology,
which can be personalised to suit individual entertainment
needs such as specific game profiles. It has features such as
Creative Multi Speaker Surround 3D technology (CMSS 3D),
which is able to provide 3D surround audio on just two front
speakers. There’s also the Crystalizer, which helps to restore
details that are otherwise lost in compressed audio, and
DialogPlus, which enhances speech clarity in movies.
In fact, we have also moved beyond the internal sound card.
To serve users who don’t have a slot for internal sound cards, we
have a family of external Sound Blasters, which provide the
same high-end audio performance and features.CPC: How much of Creative’s revenue comes from Sound
Blaster cards these days, and how does this compare with
the past?
Sim Wong Hoo: The sound card revenue of today obviously
can’t be compared with the heyday of Sound Blaster in the past,
when we used to ship millions of sound cards a month. That
said, Sound Blaster is still an important contributor to our
revenue. Plus, with the recent launch of our Sound Blaster AE
series, we are seeing a renewed interest in sound cards.CPC: What’s next for Sound Blaster?
Sim Wong Hoo: Super X-Fi is our latest revolution in
headphone audio. It provides holographic-like audio
experience in headphones that’s as good as the real thing. To
the headphone industry, it will be like the transition from black
and white TV to colour TV. Super X-Fi will be seen in upcoming
Sound Blasters, and this could well reignite the audio
revolution for the world.IN THE FIRST
PLACE, I THINK
MOTHERBOARD
AUDIO IS
HORRIBLEThe Last big ISA Sound Blaster launch was the AWE64,
with the Gold version coming with 4MB of memory