Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

Auzentech, a soundcard manufacturer well-known by home theater computer users for making sound cards based on C-Media’s new Oxygen HD audio chip (which includes the ability to encode Dolby Digital Live and DTS), has announced the impending release of the Auzen X-FI™ Prelude 7.1 near the end of May. This new sound card will be based on Creative’s popular X-fi chip. According to Auzentech’s website:

It will fully support EAX 5.0 and have the same expandability as the Auzen X-Meridian™ 7.1. Support for Dolby® Digital Live real time encoding for Vista is scheduled for Q4 of this year.
The Auzen X-Fi™ Prelude marks the first time Creative has permitted a third-party sound card vendor to use the Creative X-FI™ chipset in its own sound card design.

One thing to note is that the Auzen X-Fi™ Prelude marks the first time Creative has permitted a third-party soundcard vendor to use the Creative X-FI™ chipset in its own sound card design. Sound cards for home theater users usually meant picking between Dolby Digital Live or DTS and gaming features.  I think this new card will be a very popular soundcard for media center computers, offering audiophile sound quality with fantastic performance for games.  If this card is reasonably priced, there would be no reason to buy a Creative-manufactured sound card.
(Via Missingremote.com)