Creative Labs Audigy 2

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*Creative Labs Audigy 2*
Product :	Audigy 2
Manufacturer :	Creative Labs
Reviewed by :	Wayne Brooker
Price :	£76.00 + VAT (Delivered Free)
Date :	February 3rd, 2003.

Page No: 5
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Test System Setup

Speakers Used ~ Logitech Z-560s (4.1), Creative Labs MegaWorks 550s (5.1), Creative Inspire 6700s (6.1)

Headphones ~ Sennheiser HD212

The test suite performs various tests of electro-acoustical performance of soundcards and other real-time audio devices. Testing is accomplished by playing the test signals and analyzing them after they pass through the testing chain

Testing chain: External loopback (line-out - line-in)
Sampling mode: 24-bit, 96 kHz

For most of us the "Summary" box below offers all the information we'll need for this part of the review. Even using the less than perfect loopback method for testing and not muting unnecessary channels (you wouldn't do this in real life after all) it's clear that the Audigy2 is an excellent card that outperforms the original Audigy in just about every way. Frequency response in particular no longer shows the roll off that we saw from the original Audigy while dynamic range is improved, noise levels are better controlled and THD is reduced by some margin.

Summary~24-bit, 96 kHz

Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB:	+0.01, -0.08	Excellent
Noise level, dB (A):	-93.2	Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A):	89.0	Good
THD, %:	0.0027	Excellent
IMD, %:	0.0091	Very good
Stereo crosstalk, dB:	-87.9	Excellent

General performance: Very good

Frequency response

Spectrum graph

Frequency range Response

From 20 Hz to 20 kHz, dB -0.29, +0.01

From 40 Hz to 15 kHz, dB -0.08, +0.01

Noise level

Spectrum graph

Parameter Left Right

RMS power, dB: -82.0 -81.6

RMS power (A-weighted), dB: -93.2 -91.4

Peak level, dB FS: -69.1 -69.5

DC offset, %: -0.00 -0.00

Dynamic range

Spectrum graph

Parameter Left Right

Dynamic range, dB: +79.4 +79.2

Dynamic range (A-weighted), dB: +90.8 +89.0

DC offset, %: -0.00 -0.00

THD + Noise (at -3 dB FS)

Spectrum graph

Parameter Left Right

THD, %: 0.003 0.003

THD + Noise, %: 0.005 0.006

THD + Noise (A-weighted), %: 0.005 0.006

Intermodulation distortion

Spectrum graph

Parameter Left Right

IMD + Noise, %: 0.009 0.012

IMD + Noise (A-weighted), %: 0.009 0.011

Stereo crosstalk

Spectrum graph

Parameter L <- R L -> R

Crosstalk at 100 Hz, dB: -71 -78

Crosstalk at 1 kHz, dB: -82 -87

Crosstalk at 10 kHz, dB: -84 -84

Testing chain: External loopback (line-out - line-in)
Sampling mode: 32-bit, 96 kHz