Summary:

I'll preface this article by saying yes I hate the vast majority of "high quality" audio products made for the computer market , however with the Creative Labs Soundblaster Live X-Gamer I'll make an exception. For $100 the Soundblaster Live X-Gamer is an excellent value and gives me freedom from poor and appauling DAC's built into the soundcard itself via its PCM output. From the soundcard the digital signal is transferred directly into my AMC DAC-8 which in turn is connected to my pre-amp,an Adcom GSA-700 processor. The signal is then sent to a Rane Mojo MX-22 2-way active crossover where it is divided into its low and high frequency components which are amplified separately by a 5 channel Adcom GFA-7500 750 watt (those are home audio watts,not computer audio watts)THX certified amplifier. Last but not least the subwoofer signal from my Adcom is hooked into a 1400 watt QSC RMX 1450 prosound amplifier that powers my "multi-media" subwoofer. As anyone reading this review can imagine I take computer games quite seriously.
Although it may seem like almost an ancillary component given all the hardware I've listed above the X-Gamer is an extremely important component in my system because it provides the PCM signal that gets the whole chain started. It would probably be an exaggeration to say that the X-Gamer by itself sounds awesome in light of all the equipment I'm using. However in light of that context I will say that Rainbow Six and Starcraft sound spectacular when played through the X-Gamer. The siege tanks in starcraft truly rumble when they're deployed and I can hear all the ambient noises in Rainbow Six as clear as day. Shotguns and automatic weapons in Rainbow Six sound forceful and convincing. Although I must confess that Diablo II's soundtrack and effects have been disappointing I'm quite pleased with the Creative Labs X-Gamer soundcard,it makes an excellent foundation for any first rate take no prisoners gaming/music system.

Strengths:
The PCM output greatly improves computer game sound quality,especially when in conjunction with a high quality DAC,such as the AMC DAC-8(which I happen to be using).

Weaknesses:
NO AC-3 Output.

Similar Products Used:
Soundblaster 64 Gold