Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer and the Internet, announces the Sound Blaster® Audigy® 4 Pro sound card. Developed for the most discerning amateur musician, PC gamer and audio enthusiast alike, it features advanced digital-to-analogue converters (DACs) yielding 113dB SNR for superior 24-bit ADVANCED™ HD audio – the highest signal-to-noise ratio of any consumer sound card. Creative’s all-new Entertainment Centre software will allow users to transform their PCs into home entertainment hubs complete with easy navigation via a remote control, with playback for digital music, pictures and movies. Priced at £179.99 inc VAT, the Audigy 4 Pro is available now.

“People expect Sound Blaster to deliver the best audio solution available,” comments Darragh O’Toole, Creative’s European Brand Manager for Audio. “The release of the Audigy 4 Pro further improves on its award-winning predecessors and again raises the expectations for audio quality, performance and customer experience on the PC, with improved hardware and an excellent new software suite including new leading music and games titles.”

Music creation

For the home studio musician who wants high-quality 24-bit/96kHz multi-channel recording with low latency, but still wants all the benefits of entertainment and advanced music playback features, the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro ships with music creation applications such as Steinberg’s Cubase® LE, Wavelab Lite 2.5 and Image Line FL Studio 4 Creative Edition. Low-latency ASIO 2.0 and SoundFont® support, combined with high-quality audio hardware and comprehensive connectivity options, give users an unbeatable all-in-one package.

New Creative Smart Recorder software supports automatic scheduling of recordings from any source, such as streamed Internet content, vinyl records and cassette decks. It can automatically divide a single audio stream (such as a recorded cassette) into individual tracks and can apply the Audio Clean-Up feature to remove scratches, pops and hisses from low-quality source material.

Connectivity

The Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro features an external I/O hub with studio-quality I/O and advanced connectivity. It includes analogue stereo connectors for 6-channel input; optical and coaxial digital I/O; full-sized MIDI I/O; a microphone with gain control; headphone and volume control and two 1394 FireWire ports.

Music listening and entertainment

For outstanding digital audio the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro delivers 24-bit ADVANCED HD quality and 113dB SNR from its 24-bit/192kHz DACs and studio-quality EAX ADVANCED HD music settings. For pristine audio clarity and depth it also supports Advanced Resolution DVD-Audio playback in 24-bit/192kHz stereo, or in 24-bit/96kHz 5.1 surround. With patented CMSS® 3D audio technology users can up-mix stereo content into 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound and even experience virtual surround sound on headphones. The included EAX Music Console provides acoustic enhancements such as Bass Boost, Karaoke and a multi-band graphics equaliser. Smart Volume Management™ automatically balances volume levels across different tracks.

Movies

The THX®-Certified Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro includes the Creative THX Setup Console which provides accurate calibration for a precise speaker listening environment. DTS-ES and Dolby Digital EX decoding produce captivating 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound in DVD movies.



Games

Thief–Deadly Shadows with full EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD support and Hitman: Contracts with full EAX 3.0 ADVANCED HD support are included with the system. When used with EAX-supported games, EAX ADVANCED HD produces lifelike sounds as multiple audio effects are processed in real time. More than 100 games support EAX 2.0 and 30 support EAX 3.0. Already, a further 10 games support the new EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD. For all DirectSound 3D games, EAX can be experienced in 5.1 with rear surround, or in 7.1 with rear and side surround.

About Creative Labs

Creative (Nasdaq: CREAF) is the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for the personal computer and the Internet. Famous for its Sound Blaster and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like the award-winning Zen and MuVo Personal Audio Players. The company’s innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment – anytime, anywhere.

Founded in 1981, Creative Technology's corporate headquarters are in Singapore. Creative Labs Europe was established in 1993 to capture a bigger share of the growing European market. Its Headquarters and Operations/Technical Centre (EOTC) facility are based in Dublin, Ireland, and provide an efficient, localised and customised product supply service to the European market. They also provide strategic customer support functions to Creative’s sales offices in Benelux, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The European operation currently employs around 400 people.

For further information, visit http://www.europe.creative.com