Creative Labs SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card

by Creative Labs

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11 x 2 x 8 inches ; 6.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000W7PNZI
• Item model number: 70SB104000000
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #23 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Components > Internal Sound Cards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 20, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Creative SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio sound card features cutting-edge technology to give you outstanding sound when you listen to music, watch movies, or play games. Why settle for basic, built-in sound when you can turn your downloaded music into a personal concert, experience movies as though you were in a cinema, and play games with 3-D audio effects? The SB1040 X-Fi sound card delivers the audio experience you deserve.

PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card At a Glance: X-Fi CMSS-3D creates nine virtual speakers when using stereo headphones X-Fi Crystalizer restores lost detail in compressed music and audio THX-certified surround sound for a fantastic cinematic experience Realistic gaming effects with EAX ADVANCED HD Restores surround sound to games in Windows Vista

Creates nine virtual speakers for exceptional surround effects. View larger.

Positional 3-D Audio
Whether you're using headphones or speakers, Creative's X-Fi CMSS-3D technology delivers outstanding surround sound. When used with a pair of headphones, the technology creates nine virtual speakers for exceptional surround effects, letting you feel like you're sitting in the best seat of a movie theater. You'll get an advantage in games, too, with the ability to locate enemies by sound before they see you.

When used with multichannel speakers, you'll be able to hear exactly where the audio cues are--even between speakers. Voices will be right in front of you and ambient sound will surround you, just like a live performance. CMSS-3D works with both desktop stereo speakers and full surround speaker systems.

X-Fi Crystalizer Restores Lost Details
X-Fi-Crystalizer technology restores the audio detail that is lost in compressed audio files so you'll regain vibrancy and clarity in your music and movies. The technology restores the highs and lows that are often lost due to compression, so whether you're listening to cymbal crashes or wailing guitars, you'll hear the music as it was meant to be heard.

Realistic Sound Effects for Gaming
With support for EAX ADVANCED HD technology, the SB1040 X-Fi Xtreme Audio delivers rich environmental effects in your games, giving you a more immersive experience. You'll hear bullets whizzing by your head, and experience explosions that seem to shake the whole room.

And if you're using Windows Vista, Creative ALchemy technology restores surround sound to DirectSound3D games for an exceptional gaming experience.

Intense Cinematic Sound for Movies
The SB1040 X-Fi Xtreme Audio delivers THX-certified surround sound for a cinematic experience right at your computer. Cyberlink PowerDVD software is included (via free download) and supports DTS and Dolby Digital-EX decoding for an unmatched DVD movie-watching experience.

System Requirements
Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, or XP; Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 2000+ processor or equivalent; available PCI Express (x1, x4, x8, or x16) slot; 256MB RAM (512 MB RAM for Vista); 600MB of free hard-disk space; CD or DVD-ROM for software installation; headphones or amplified speakers; Internet connection to download PowerDVD player software.

What's in the Box
Creative SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio sound card, Quick Start leaflet, and installation CD.

Creative Sound Blaster Sound Cards (Internal)
Looking for external sound cards from Creative? Click here.	Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Sound Card	Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI Express Sound Card	Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium PCI Express Sound Card	Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series PCI Express Sound Card	Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD Internal Sound Card with THX SB1270
General Info:
Connection Type	PCI	PCI Express	PCI Express	PCI Express	PCI Express
SNR for Playback	108 dB	104 dB	109 dB	109 dB	122 dB
Speaker/Headphone Support	Stereo to 7.1	Stereo to 7.1	Stereo to 7.1	Stereo to 7.1	Stereo, with dedicated 115dB 24-bit/96kHz HD headphone output
Music and Movies:
24-bit Sound Quality
X-Fi Crystalizer
X-Fi CMSS-3D
DTS & Dolby Digital Decoding via free PowerDVD Download
Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect (Win Vista Only) Encoder
Swappable Op-Amps
THX TruStudio Pro
Games:
EAX Support	EAX 4.0	EAX 4.0	EAX 5.0	EAX 5.0	EAX 5.0
X-Fi CMSS-3D Headphone Surround
Hardware Accelerated for Better Performance
Hardware OpenAL and DirectSound3D Support
64MB X-RAM
Music Creation:
Dedicated Creation Mode with ASIO 2.0 and 3D Midi Support

Product Description

Why settle for basic, built-in sound? Your music and movies deserve Xtreme Fidelity. Add the Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio sound card to your PC and turn your downloaded music into your own personal concert. Plus watch DVDs or downloaded videos with full cinematic surround sound.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars BUYER BEWARE, SB1040 / 70SB104000000 - NOT AN X-FI CHISET CARD, DECEPTIVE MARKETING, May 10, 2009

By 

InnerSquare "InnerSquare" (Rambling, U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card (Personal Computers)

Nice sound, optical in and out, cheap, BUT, as I later found out AFTER purchase, as I saw no disclaimer nor information indicating otherwise on any vendor sites nor the Creative Labs site, this is NOT a true X-FI chipset card, a cheap knock off branded as an X-FI.

It is my opinion this borders on deceptive marketing practices as an X-FI is an X-FI, and this is NOT an X-FI chipset card..

NOT AN X-FI CHIPSET CARD, BUYER BEWARE OF CREATIVE LABS

Creative Labs admitted to me this card is not an X-FI chipset card, and that it so-called "emulates" X-FI via software.

Yeah right, and if that is the case, a Ford Escort can "emulate" a LTD Crown Vic also...

SHAME ON YOU CREATIVE LABS.

My last purchae was an Audigy 2ZS Platinum Pro which was not cheap, and I fully expected more only to be VERY disappointed that I got a cheap knockoff of an X-FI card that was misrepresented.

Does anyone else feel as if they have been misrepresented by this card not having an X-FI chipset on it while being marketed/represented as an X-FI product line offering?

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I had hoped for, May 27, 2008

By 

D. Pham (SF, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creative Labs SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card (Personal Computers)

I ordered this sound card for its digital output toslink and claimed compatibility with windows vista. However, this card did not live up to my expectations at all. I had wanted to hook up the sound card to play through my audio receiver and 7.1 speaker setup in the living room. What they fail to tell you, except in the fine print, is that the digital SPDIF outputs only output Dolby 5.1 sound when you are playing DVDs. Otherwise, if you are playing MP3's or other music files, it only outputs in stereo (and poor quality stereo at that). I then tried to go analog and connect the various output jacks to my receiver's inputs. The sound quality was awful.
So I sent the card back.

This is in stark contrast to the old Soundblaster Extigy which I purchased years ago. It was able to output surround sould (including CMSS) through the digital connection to my receiver and sounded great. The problem is that I had to upgrade to Vista and Creative abandoned the Extigy, deeming it "End of Life". I have since been unable to find a sound card which can provide its feature set for Vista.

Needless to say, I did not purchase another Soundblaster. I went with an alternative sound card with Dolby Digital Live output. It is still not as good as the Extigy because it doesn't provide CMSS, but it'll do for now.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific sound and excellent value, October 11, 2009

By 

Timothy Bochard "Software Engineer" (Poway, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Creative Labs SB1040 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound Card (Personal Computers)

I purchased the PCI-e version of this card about a month ago when the built-in audio circuitry on my motherboard quit working. Sure wish I had done this sooner! Even though I had high-end sound on a top-of-the-line motherboard, the Soundblaster X-Fi Extreme Audio Card was better - by several orders of magnitude. It was easy to install and configure. It did take some time, after loading its software, to download updates from the Internet. But, that will happen with any card. Frankly, I was happy it did it automatically as I hate hunting for drivers. Anyway, it has some nice config software although you may find, as I did, that it works just fine out of the box. I run a relatively inexpensive set of computer speakers with combined subwoofer -- nothing fancy -- and the sound is amazing. Much better than before. I now use this PC as a Windows Media Center PC, watching and recording TV, movies, pictures -- you name it -- in the Family Room. This card really rounds out the experience. I paid around $50 for the card on Amazon. I consider it a great value. There's a reason why Creative Labs is still cranking out these boards even though motherboard manufacturers build audio in: the sound is BETTER! Upgrade from your motherboard card and hear the difference!