Creative Labs Sound Blaster Extigy Sound Card Reviews

• Sound Blaster Extigy is very nice and the price is right!

  
  By AX3Z22HG5EJP8 on 2002-03-15
  I bought my Sound Blaster Extigy because of the price, but the USB features since I ran out of PCI slot. I was surprised that Sound Blaster Extigy is EXTREMELY easy to install. Just turn the sound card on and plug the USB cable to the computer and install the driver. I did it without any problem.

  Another cool feature of extigy is, the card is external so I don't have to crawl to the back of my computer and try to switch the jacks. I use The Logitech 4.1 THX speakers and The speakers produce the most awesome 3D sound when I watch Jurasic Park III, it seems like the dinasours were in the living room.

  Creative Labs unfortunately has bad reputation of having the slowest customer service. I wish they will improve it in the future, since they are no.1 sound card company.

  Overall, I recommend this external sound card. The price is right and the quality is very nice.
  
  

• Too Many Flaws

  
  By A1LAMQWAXWXDM1 on 2003-06-10
  Great sound is almost a necessity to me, but like most college students, I opted for a laptop instead of a desktop. I felt that the only way to take full advantage of my 5.1 analog surround sound system was to connect my laptop to the SB Extigy. Connecting via USB was more or less a nightmare for me: playing anything through my CD-ROM drive produced loud pops and cracks that noticeably distracts from any music listening or movie watching (the Extigy was the ONLY USB device attached to my laptop at the time, and yes, I did enable DMA for my CD drive). Playing any material with a Dolby Digital stream, even after the movie had been copied to my HD (DivX with AC3 audio) was even a greater disappointment, especially since the Extigy so proudly wears the Dolby Digital logo. As long as I'm playing sound through USB on the Extigy with the Creative drivers, approximately 20% extra processing load is put on my 1.7 GHz Pentium 4-M processor. This extra processor usage is acceptable to some, but definitely not to gamers.

  My laptop also has an optical-out link, so I hooked up my laptop to the Extigy using a [$] optical miniplug to TOSlink cable.... Virtually all the cracking and popping noises disappeared even when I played DVDs and DivX movies with AC3 audio. However, my Toshiba laptop's optical out port requires my old Yamaha sound drivers - not Creative's. This means that I can't have any EAX sound effects for music or games; it's a slightly disappointing tradeoff, though I'd rather have flawless output than EAX effects.

  For those with desktops, don't even consider the Extigy. A PCI Audigy is cheaper and significantly better. For those with laptops without optical out, it's either 2.1 audio from your laptop without the Extigy, or up to 5.1 audio with the Extigy along with occasional loud pops (I would personally prefer clean 2.1 audio in this case). If you own a laptop with optical out, then get the Logitech Z-680. The cost of the Z-680 is just about equal to the cost of the Extigy + the cost of a mid-range analog 5.1 audio system, except the Z-680 has hardware Dolby Digital/DTS decoding built-in, with optical, coax, and analog inputs, plus 505 Watts RMS output (1000W peak! Take that Kiplish). Did I mention that they are also THX multimedia certified? Just icing on the cake.

  Do yourself a favor and skip on the Extigy if you can. USB 1.1 has a relatively narrow bandwidth and USB (even Firewire) relies too heavily on the main processor for data transfers. Though Extigy is an interesting product and worth some merits, wait for the next generation of high-end external computer sound cards (or get the Z-680 now!).
  
  

• False advertising. Limited software. Poor performance.

  
  By A30RIZDFNUGLAC on 2002-08-15
  Don't let the ads or products specs fool you. This sound card does not live up to what it promises. USB bandwith does not allow the Extigy to live up to the Creative standard of its other product lines. While you gain ease of installation and a remote, you lose all software, EAX HD (it claims to support it, but in fact does not) and other features. This product hogs CPU usage because it requires the computer to do most of the processing due to USB limitations. When your computer is doing many things at once, audio quality suffers. It claims to support S/PDIF in but in fact only supports it as a standalone. Any digital signal passed to the Extigy is converted to analog before being transferred to the computer resulting in a significant loss of quality and the impossibility of actual digital recording. I am completely disatisfied with every aspect of this product and am subsequently returning it.
  
  

• Poor customer service for Extigy

  
  By A3EH1XA3FQYZJM on 2002-03-12
  I bought my Extigy along with the Klipsch Promedia 5.1 system and could not get the two to work together. I started working with Customer support online because their support line is NOT toll free. Granted you can't get an instant response to questions via e-mail, I decided I would be a little patient with this one. The problem was, it would take them 1 week to reply to each of my messages. Also, they would misread part of the problem and offer me suggestions that don't even apply. They would later apoligize for it because they realized they didn't read my issue close enough (BTW, I had responses from 3 reps, so it's not just 1 person who doesn't read). All in all, it's been over 1 month and I still don't have any sound. Now that's patience. It's too bad because it seems like such a cool product. If only I could use it, I could write a more productive review. Good luck with your Extigy if you get one.
  
  

• One word to describe this product, excellence.

  
  By A27GTA0KY3MAPN on 2002-04-14
  I have been using the Extigy for about 3 months with Creative's Inspire 5.1 speaker system. From the time I extracted the product from the box in which it was held, to installation, there have been no problems. Installation was a breeze, and the bundle software was great. Depending on the location of your computer, the remote can be very handy. There also has many sound settings as well. One can change the way he or she hears a current song by changing the environment. Some environments included are bathroom, garage, cathedral, theater and many more. There is one draw back though; your computer can take a heavy hit if your system is a bit old. Me for example, I am using the Extigy with a Hewlett Packard P3 500-mega hertz 300DIMMram Windows ME computer. If you run the software included, it may take a few secs to load. Id says it's like waiting for Adobe photo shop to fully load on a basic system. Other than that, the Extigy is fantastic!
  
  
• Creative doesn't approve rebates
  By on 2003-10-15
  I've called creative customer service to make sure that I submit everything I need to get my rebate, but they still deny my rebate, despite I have done what I was told to submit by the representative of Creative. Creative do not listen to my explaination, even if I would like to try to resubmit the materials they think I did not submit. Other companies would certainly give opportunity for consumers to resubmit their information in order to get their rebates. Creative doesn't seem to have business ethic in this.
  
  
• A must buy for people using a notebook for primary PC
  By on 2002-03-19
  Very easy to install, many options and input/outputs. Great bundle of software. If you have an MD recorder, its an excellent way to record digitally via the optical cable out. Great for use with MP3's due to the various sound modes. Software included allows you to RIP tracks from your CD's and convert to MP3. Just that alone makes this a smart buy.
  
  
• Simplicity , Versatility , Affordability !!!
  By A31RTK2X4A25CQ on 2003-03-12
  I originally bought this extigy for my desktop cause it's a sony and I can't upgrade it internally. Here are my thoughts:
  Pros: Simple and Easy installation
  Theatre quality sound effect
  Reduce noise normally overlooked by its competitions
  Multiple connectivity (also work with PS2 and DVD players)
  Great Virtual Surround Sound even with 4.1 system
  Remote control
  Affordable Price
  One plug connection when using 510d or 550thx (Cambridge
  Soudwork) speaker systems
  Cons: USB 1.0 is a bit slow and may slow down computer system
  from time to time. (Hopefully creative comes out with a
  USB 2.0 or Firewire version of Extigy soon.)
  Overall, I am very pleased with this product mainly for it's simple installation process as well as the quality sound it makes. I have both Altec 641 as well as Cambridge 510d speaker systems. On the 510d...man...they are a perfect match, producing flawless sounds. Don't get me wrong, cause even with the Altec 641 (4.1 system) you can hear every single rain drops when watching a DVD, just as if you were under the rain. Don't take my word for it. You have to experience it to believe it!
  I hope you get to enjoy this as much as I do. And hope my review is helpful to you as well!!! Have a nice day !^_^!
  
  
• great hardware and concept....the people need help
  By A3MLJMUBX0K5U0 on 2003-06-19
  i got a Creative internal card for my niece in college this winter, she loves it! i have another home desktop system which also has a Creative internal card and it is one of the best sound-audio devices I own.

  so, later, i bought my Sound Blaster Extigy Sound Card USB/external with another brandname 5.1 speaker system for my portable pc. Unlke some others here, my gear has the quality control thing debugged. it works fine with Windows XP and i have not had problems so far.

  but... their Customer support is totally in need of improvement. When i checked with them about my nieces internal system ( it plays radio stations when no other signal is present) it took 8 days to get a generic and non helpful answer.
  niece finally started to disconnect her speakers when she does not want her MP3stuff. i call that a workaround.

  this company has a great system, could use a QC improvement, and their reps are either overworked, or not paid for customer satisfaction. since they have fine and very inventive products, this means that the focus at Creative Labs is on the idea side, not the customer Q&A side.
  
  

• The remote control works with winamp and any application
  By A2IIWCDHZVC9B7 on 2002-07-26
  I ordered it from [amazon.com] in spite of many complaint about installation. There just seems to be no better product for laptops. The set up takes some time. Just be patient and follow the steps in the quick start guide and you should be ok. I have an HP zt1180 with windows XP home edition and I can feel some load but nothing major. I use the Extigy with Sound Blaster 4.1 speakers and the sound is much better than using the sound card from the laptop. The remote control does work with winamp. If the winamp is already running, press start button twice and you will see a list of programs that are currently running. Choose winamp and you can control the player. Choose winamp playlist and you can scroll through the list of songs. You need to add winamp.exe in the list of windows application from creative remote control manager and it will let you launch winamp with remote control. Always remove the Extigy using "Safely remove hardware" which is located in the task bar. In this way, you don't need to restart the PC to reconnect the Extigy again. But I have to restart the Creative remote center. I have not tried the Creative play center yet. So far winamp works fine with both the Extigy and the remote control. I am surprised not to find any instruction manual except for a sheet of quick start guide. But I am pretty comfortable with installation and using the Extigy. I think if I have a better laptop, it should work better. I will write more if I find anything interesting. [amazon.com] is offering free shipping right now and it is the best place to buy the extigy. I got it in one week.
  
  
• One powerfull sound card
  By A2L06CXCP6XOGP on 2002-10-06
  I own a laptop on which are two crappy speakers. Audio data is provided to those speakers through a crappy sound card. I am an audiophile, and I must have the ultimate experience with sound. I bought the Extigy because it is a powerful soundcard that connects through the USB, which the only possible way to get a new sound card for my laptop. Plus, I do a lot of music editing and recording, and I needed a line in.

  I bought the Creative Labs Inspire 5300 5.1 speakers along with my sound card, because a great soundcard matched with lousy speakers is a waste of money. The audio quality I got from the Extigy is superb. The 24bit audio sure makes a difference, and the surround sound works very nicely.

  The included software I have mixed feelings about. The drivers installed without any problems. However the sound editing, jukebox, and all other programs are on not the best. I rarely use any of their provided software.

  One of the best features is the remote center. I placed all my music into the remote center player, and I can access all my songs from the remote control, by selecting album, artist, or genre.

  I have quite a bit of difficulty getting the Dolby Digital decoder to work. It works fine on the sample file. However, it will not play my DVD's in Dolby digital mode, just in stereo mode.

  An absolutely awesome sounding soundcard matched with good speakers, but use your own sound editing software. Lots of physical features, and everything can be controlled from the remote.
  
  

• Excellent Sound Card
  By AW0LWL4NMOR27 on 2002-12-06
  First I'd like to start off by congradulating Creative Labs by making an outstanding Sound Card. I attached it with my Klipsh THX certified 5.1 speakers and I watched DVD's on it and it rocked!
  Pros:
  1. External, easy to move to living room for movies, bedroom for music, computer for games, etc...
  2. It has Optical in (for DVD's), Optical Out (for speakers with a digital in), Line In (for cd players...), Mic in (for mics, der), Headphones (so i don't wake my parents up), Analog outs (for some speakers that take analog inputs), digital out, MIDI in, and MIDI out. The number of connections make the sound card easily compatible with numerous speakers.
  3. It has CMSS for simulated surround sound, for people who like to listen to 2 channel (audio cd's) music with sound that fills the whole room from all sides
  4.24 bit sound for excellent sound quality output
  5.Hooks up with USB for fast connection and ease of use
  6.Remote Controll (i love to sit on the other side of the room and just turn it on, off =P)
  7.Definitly saves room if you prop it up vertically onto the side of your moniter
  8.Gold plated connections for best music transfer
  9.The software that comes with it is awsome, although i still prefer Windows Media.

  CONS:
  1. External, I know it sounds contradictory but sometimes having a sound CARD placed in the computer maybe a little handier
  2. When you share a USB port by have a 4 port-in-one gadget, the sound may crack resulting from lack of transfer speed

  3. The dolby digital decoding gives out really small sound, so i have to turn my speakers fully up to hear the rumbles. (when speakers are turned up high, a low sizzling sound could be heard...)

  All the cons are minor problems, I have moved the card into the living room easily everytime I rent a DVD. You see in order to have 5.1 surround sound from DVD's, You must have a dolby digital decoding...most dvd's have optical out, where you can hook it up with Extigy's Optical In and you could use the extigy as a dolby decoder, giving you surround sound for the ships in Star Wars flying AROUND the room or the bullets zipping by you...this is the best sound card for people wanting something more than just a sound card for the computer and want excellent sound quality...I guarentee you'll tell the difference!
  
  

• Some definite glitches
  By A3HLUNEJUT3MSP on 2002-03-15
  Cons: The price is dropping on this thing weekly. I'm using it on an brand-spanking-new Thinkpad under XP, and recording is a buggy disaster (among other things). CreativeLabs hasn't been timely in their responses to bug reports, so it's unclear if the hw is broken or not. Even if it's not, untimely response to real support requests isn't encouraging. I'm actually trying to use the product for real things. The software bundle is definitely light for the current price (notably, lack of a DVD player).

  Pros: There are many high end products which use USB. Yes, I would love it if they all used firewire, but precious few seem to. 24/96 is real, and extigy's price is cheap compared to certain other offerings (unfortunately, there may be a real reason why the price is less - see above).

  Over time extigy might be a real contender.
  
  

• Excellent.
  By A16J74J0JT5DDK on 2002-07-14
  I just received this, plugged it in and have been well pleased with it's quality. I run a Windows XP machine and installation couldn't have been easier. The device was up and running within a few minutes of hookup and delivers great sound out of my speakers. I enjoy my MP3's, CD's, and DVD's much more on my computer thanks to this card.
  
  
• Great hardware, So So Software and so so service
  By A1RQ02UTRPBPIP on 2003-10-09
  I was all the time hesitating to replace my laptop with a powerful desktop. And this card changed my plan totally. Now I don't envy any multimedia PC anymore. Hooked up with Logitech Z680 5.1 speakers, it produces sound like a dream.

  My notebook has only 1 USB1.1 port. Before purchasing this card, several of my usb devices shared one USB hub. When I got this card and assigned it one port of the hub, unfortunately, the sound was full of scratches. I had to go to Bestbuy and get one USB PCMCIA card. After I connected it to the PCMCIA card, the sound that I was expecting finally came out. So be sure to give it a separate port, otherwise, it is not guaranteed to work fine.

  Another suggestion, be careful to select the applications from its bundled CD to install. Some of them are crap. The manual and help file are talking about some operations you can never find on your PC. I went to their website to see if I can get any help there, and answer was negative. Fortunately, I got my problem solved before having to call the company.

  But On the whole, it is a good buy.
  
  

• I love this thing
  By A6119HLUFACDM on 2003-08-05
  This is the best sound card I have used. I use it mainly for studio work, IT IS COMPLETELY CLEAN, I LOVE IT. There are so many inputs and outputs that it has become the center of all my audio/video needs. If projects an extremely clean surround sound signal and with my logitech z 680 system, I can't imagine a better sound for my pc, xbox, dvd player, and vcr. This thing is amazing and I believe everyone should own one. I can run all these items without changing a single cable or flicking a switch. Everything is at your fingertips. This is the best.
  
  
• Extigy Pros and Cons
  By A3BQAA9DYHDJ1K on 2002-09-17
  Overall, this is a very nice external sound module. I was disapointed with some of the driver support under Windows 2000. It took a bit of prodding to actually get it running and tech support was not terribly helpful. It sounds good with a noise floor lower than I had expected. I wish it suppored coax SPDIF in and out, and that is my biggest complaint, really. This has got to be one of the best modules for laptops and people on the go. For a home pc or workstation, I personally prefer the Sound Blaster Live! with its digital daughter-board.
  
  
• customer service stinks!
  By A2O5NCND6ZJKNJ on 2002-09-25
  This item was advertised as a way of bypassing a defective sound chip on a laptop. That's why I bought it. However, it did not, as advertised, override my defective sound card. I contacted customer service through email (since they don't have an 800 number.) The first time was 9-15, the second time a few days later. As of today, 9-24, they still have not replied. I bought a Nomad Jukebox from them the same day through a different vendor and although it works fine I'm returning that too because of the poor customer support. This may be a good item, but I have no idea since the customer support is so bad. If customer support is important to you, DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT!
  
  
• This is a 6 start product
  By on 2003-01-12
  I have an old notebook (400 celeron) that I wanted to transform into a media center. This card and its software is and "Oh my god !!" experience.

  The installation went without a glitch on windows XP. The sound is purely incredible. The remote control is good. I recommend that you try the Z-band radios. This product is truly the best product I ever bought for a PC, well worth the investment.

  I can't wait to try the digital connection to my home theater system.

  JJ-
  
  

• Top Notch Sound Dispersement
  By on 2003-01-31
  As an event announcer (Gravity Games, World Champs for Freestyle Skiing in Deer Valley), this sucker takes my 80GB external Hard Drive and turns it into a magical collection of music that I can plug into ANY (absolutely ANY) soundboard, motherboard or speaker set. I have used this card with the sound system used during the Olympics for the Nordic events at Soldier Hollow, Utah and blasted the place. Sound quality is top notch, ability to hook into anything is not a problem. I have even used the mini-jack out for smaller soundboards (8channel) with fewer inputs for Mics.
  On the home front, with a simple Altec Lansing speaker system, this card has tranformed my laptop, 80GB external HD and DVD player into a rockin home theater. I'm still trying to figure out the Creative software. There are so many bugs in that system it is painful, but I just use Windows MediaPlayer as a stereo and the Creative Software for the DVD. Remote should be working, but since I'm constantly packing it up for travel and events, I never remember to get it located appropriately, thus no remote. Check this sucker out. It can change the way you listen to music, and all of this came about after some little kid dropped my laptop and snapped the weld for my mini-jack output from my built in Yamaha soundcard...good thing I guess.
  
  
• Very happy with it but software could be better
  By ACVL9DYB3XP93 on 2003-11-29
  I have owned the extigy for well over a year now and I must say I am very happy with it. I use it on a COMPAQ PRESARIO windows xp desktop along with Creative Inspire 5.1 speakers.

  I have used the Creative Recorder Utility to record scores of albums from my casette tapes and even from free streaming Mp3s available in the web.

  The Creative play center is not intuitive at all to use. It is a pain to keep the media library updated as my MP3 collection grew or shrunk.(specially since most of us store our mp3 collections in distinct sub-folders which the play center does not automatically recognize) Windows Media Player was easier to use. But Creative Play Center had two uses for me:

  1. It saved me the trouble of buying an mp3 codec to Windows media player. I could convert wav files into mp3.
  2. It allowed me to access the mp3 media library using the included Remote control.

  Speaking of remote control, it is a handy thing but the remote control interface in the computer needs much to be desired.

  I use a Belkins USB 1.1 Hub in my setup and have not thus far encountered any bandwidth limitation that we hear about in the other reviews.

  Also bundled is a basic wave editor and a minidisc center. Havent used either to comment on their performance.

  Wish they could improve the creative play center and the remote control interface. These are small glitches in an otherwise impressive product.
  
  

• Awesome Sound Blaster for an awesome price
  By A142HRQ7P1WNOC on 2002-08-24
  This is the best sound card I have ever bought, with 5.1 surround sound, DVD movies are incredible. The unit looks like a piece of art & it works as it should. Haven't had many problems, sometimes you have to restart your program using the extigy if you turn it off and on again to reinitialize it, no big deal. I hot swap this thing with multiple computers, depending what I do and it works great. The remote lets you control a little of your computer with an easy to follow on screen display (like shutdown, launch applications, or control windows or DVD players). I highly recommend it!
  
  
• Doesn't do all it says, tech support nonexistent
  By A389RWLPNS043 on 2003-03-22
  The Creative SoundBlaster Extigy comes with an impressive array of analog and digital inputs. Reviews and ads all claim that it can be used as an external sound card and an amp for video game consoles and DVD players. I've tried many DVDs on my Playstation 2 with the Extigy, and none of them will play through all audio channels (speakers). Perhaps there is a simple fix or workaround; I emailed their tech support months ago, but there has been no reply.
  
  
• Rolled The Dice And Took My Chances
  By A1QEX7EAO5V6VK on 2003-04-21
  Before buying an Extigy I read the reviews on this and other sites. The consensus was that people either love this device or hate it. Hoping that I would be one of the lucky ones, I bought
  one from CompUSA. Following the installation my screen turned a hazy green - like looking at the monitor through an old Coke bottle. As I tried to open applications like the Creative Recorder, I found that the files I had loaded from the CD were corrupt. There were no downloads to fix any of the problems I encounted. I exchanged it at CompUSA for another one. I got the same green screeen on both my IMB and Dell laptops. The second installation CD had many of the same corrupt files.
  It's going back this afternoon and I'll start looking for a different product.

  Good luck if you buy one of these - and keep your receipts!
  
  

• great computer audio add-on and stand-alone DAC
  By A149RNR5RH19YY on 2003-08-25
  I bought this card because my laptop has no S/PDIF out, I have been expecting a lot
  but once I connect it to my home-theater system digitally, I was extemely disappointed (like fall down from heaven), there was NO 5.1 pass-through
  I asked the support, but no luck
  but about 3 months later, I got an email from support, that firmware update is ready, once I finished update, I am happy it has dd AND DTS support (on my home-theater system), but I have to disconnect all other USB devices to avoid "bottleneck", actually, pass-through is smooth, no drop-out for dd5.1
  after firmware update, I am happy with this unit, then I can make ALL portables (with DVD player) supports 5.1 out

  besides of that, it can work as a stand-alone D/A convertor, I connect it to home MD deck, wow!!! sounds is really astounishing, it reveals the truth of minidisc, when I connect it to laptop USB port, and play some ogg format (160k), sound is really great like professional CD player, then I connect it to CD walkman digital out, yes! even portable can make professional sound too

  the greatest computer audio add-on for home for desktop or laptop, or even CD walkman with digital out, or just a great DAC
  
  

• problems with midi in extigy.help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  By A1WMVG7CH7DL2X on 2004-05-12
  I bought recently Extigy USB card, and I have a huge problem with midi. When I connect my midi controler trough this card, the midi recording is totally wrong. It changes rytms and records wrong music notes...does anybody know what`s wrong. Is it card, WinXP or maybe some settings?
  
  
• Excellent!!! Creative, sell me another one!
  By AMVWUH5NCNIKE on 2004-08-24
  I have had the Creative Extigy for over a year, and I must say I'm extremely pleased with it. I use Creative's 4.1 speakers with it, and they work flawlessly and the sound is great. I can't think of many drawbacks for this device. It has practically every connection an audiophile could hope for. The only problem is the software... in that I mean that it is not updated for at least 6 months after the device is released. All in all, this is a smart investment and a supberb choice, especially if you use a laptop and want better sound. By the way, I run it on a Toshiba laptop with Windows XP Pro SP2.
  
  
• An Excellent Product
  By ABX7SEE84DMLU on 2006-02-01
  I've owned my Extigy for three years now and, knock on wood, it's working just like the day I bought it. I use it to interface optical and coax devices with my laptop, and it has yet to let me down.
  
  I would recommend it unqualifiedly.
  
  
• Sound Blaster Extigy is Very Nice but Tech Support is Poor
  By AX3Z22HG5EJP8 on 2002-03-15
  I bought my Sound Blaster Extigy because of the price, but the USB features since I ran out of PCI slot. I was surprised that Sound Blaster Extigy is EXTREMELY easy to install. Just turn the sound card on and plug the USB cable to the computer and install the driver. I did it without any problem.

  Another cool feature of extigy is, the card is external so I don't have to crawl to the back of my computer and try to switch the jacks. I use The Logitech 4.1 THX speakers and The speakers produce the most awesome 3D sound when I watch Jurasic Park III, it seems like the dinasours were in the living room.

  Creative Labs unfortunately has bad reputation of having the slowest customer service. I wish they will improve it in the future, since they are no.1 sound card company.

  Overall, I recommend this external sound card. The price is right and the quality is very nice.
  
  

• Inoperative when received
  By A3BB9SOOFAWEIQ on 2002-04-13
  Fortunately for Amazon's good return policy I was able to return this unit. I hooked it up to an XP computer by the USB port. When I turned it on there was no output at the speaker jacks. The audio gain control was also faulty. My computer met all the necessary requirements and the Extigy software was installed properly. This unit looked like just the system I was looking for but I am sorely disappointed that the quality control people let this unit go in the condition it was in.
  
  

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