Customer Reviews

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Sound Card (70SB006003007)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I've read the poor reviews for this soundcard. However, I thought for the price of this card (30 bucks), I'd give it a try.

In other Amazon posts I've said, "When all else fails read the directions," and this installation is no different. I went through the installation procedure with my 12-year-old daughter. I did help her with lining up the card on the board, but after that we turned on the machine and booted into XP (we put the Sound Blaster installation CD into the CD drive before Windows fully loaded). The system found the card immediately and pulled the driver from the CD.

She said, "Is that it?" I said, "I believe so," and yep it sure was. Now we have pure, crystal clear surround sound from a thirty dollar card!! I also do not have any hissing or cracking noises out of the speakers others mentioned.

The Sound Blaster Live! CD also lets you install apps that work with the card and they were just as easy to install, but I did not install all of the apps.

Now I am not saying you will not have any problem (how would I know that?) as I have had some Creative issues with some other products, but I have always gotten around them.

Some tips:

1. If you are going to purchase this card online goto the Creative website and do some research. (e.g. is the card compatible with your Operating System? do you have any available PCI slots, how much memory does it require? THE BASICS!). Otherwise, just goto your friendly neighborhood office supply store and read the specs there (and be careful when the friendly clerk wants to give you a lesson in sound cards, you'll pay more in the end).

2. Consider which other devices you may wish to connect to the soundcard e.g. a mini disc player, microphone, etc.

3. Consider whether you need a full or half-duplex card. Full-duplex cards can record and play back sounds, while half-duplex cards can do one or the other, but not at the same time.

4. If you have onboard sound on your current computer, don't forget to disable that before you go installing this card or for that matter, any sound card.

Hopefully, if you do choose this card, it will work as seamlessly as it did for my daughter. Maybe she'll turn into a computer geek yet.

This card has been nothing but an endless headache for me. I've had more problems than I can name with this card. First, the card's quality isn't very good at all. Second, the card has a bad hiss in the rear signal (it's not my speakers, I checked). Third, the card has useless onboard stuff that cause MORE headaches. The mixer they give you is completely useless. It has no equalizer or anthing of the sort. It simply affects volume levels. The "diagnostics agent" is annoying and useless and occasionally starts up with my computer on startup (randomly) and starts checking stuff. All programs and utilities are annoying and useless overall. Fourth, the drivers are bad. I have a brand new computer with XP on it and it doesn't work well. I'm a good computer user and can't figure this update thing out yet. For some reason, the updated drivers won't install because the program claims my drivers don't exist, which they do. This card has caused me MANY other problems, including severe distortion problems, but they just don't come to mind right now.

Bottom line: Save your money and get one of the following:

--Augidy 2
--Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
--M-audio Revolution

The sounds are great between snaps, crackles, and pops. Since Creative Audio hasn't ever replied to my request for a solution, I went online and "searched" under "Soundblaster," "live," and "crackle." You'll be surprised at the number of hits you have to choose from and explanations ranging from "PCI bus noise" to "busy CPU." Creative Audio said they were working on it (June 2001). They still must be. Avoid this board, especially with XP or 2000. If you don't believe me, do the search on google.com yourself for the "crackle" problem. Otherwise, expect to get the old vinyl record sound, both on PCs and Macs, and on CDs, DVDs, and games.

This card does NOT have a EMU10K1 chipset as advertised, so it does NOT work in linux.

I bought mine off of Ebay. Got all the hardware and software. I put it in my system after pulling my old Aureal Vortex 2 (Creative labs bites for buying them out) I turned on my system and it works perfectly. I have thrown audio conversion, mixing, recording, running about 64 channels and more at it and so far it has done just fine. It is a decent card for a cheap price. I does everything I need. I have not had any crackling, popping, or snapping. I would say if you want a decent card for a cheap price this is a good one to go with. It handles 2 channel, 4 channel, and 5.1. It also has a SPIDF connector, and a game port connector for those who have not upgraded to a USB joystick yet.

I got this card to go with my Creative 5.1 speaker system (5200). This card is great! I can hear no crackles or extra noise. If you are going to use yours with DVD's than this is the card for you. It takes you right into the action especialy with movies that are 5.1 compatible. Games sound great. I especily like playing around with the included software. It comes with Creative play center but you don't have to use it (I use WMP). The only thing i don't like about the SB Live! 5.1 is I can't get the center channal to work, mabey i just don't have it set-up right.

If you have the $ You should upgrade to the Audigy series. but the SB is still good all-around.

Excellent Card

-In response to the noise problem with SB! Live Cards in my experience I've found it to be related to video cards... but that could just be coincidence. It could be any random thing I guess....

My card works fine no crackles..

I laugh at the people who say they cant install this card, or it wont work, crash, bad drivers, etc. I am only 17 and I have installed the card on several different computers without a problem ever. Just uninstall your current sound card, or go to Sound Properties and disable the current sound card drivers. If you have a motherboard sound card, just do the same, and when your PC starts press delete and in the Bios disable onboard sound. From there snap the new sound blaster in the PCI slot and install your new drivers. It isnt that friggin hard, and the Sound Blaster 5.1 is the best sound quality I have heard for the money. If you want better, go for a high end Turtle Beach card or a Sound Blaster Platinum/Audigy but it will cost you more. Anway, you have to have the brains to install a sound card in the first place no matter what card you install. Otherwise, take it to your computer shop and let someone else do it for you!

i got this card because my game sounds were lacking. the computer somehow fixed the problem by itself, but the card was on its way so when it came, i put it in anyway. the game sound was pretty much the same, but every time i listen to a song, regardless of how many patches and updates i pump into this stupid thing, the song skips, not only once but many times, and for prolonged amounts of time. this really gets on your nerves if you like hearing sound out of your computer. im pulling this thing out of my computer and going back to the onboard sound chip. this thing was junk.

Sytem: Dell 4500, 1.8 GHz cpu, 256 M ram, 40G hard, windows xp.
Use: musical creation using voice, guitar, bass, and midi keyboard.
Unless u are experienced with this stuff (I am a newby) read the book `getting started' and do the tutorials. right from tuturiol 1, could not get midi output setup using a dell 4500 with analog device soundmax integrated digital audio card. after reading manuals and faq on and off line got no answer. long wait to get tech support on phone. once there he stepped me thru quickly (it starts with options-audio-advanced-check mme) .found tutorials are good, but need more subjects covered, such as how to use the drum machine, etc. in covering subjects, had questions and emailed for tech support and after couple days, per inquiry, got good support for answers.
Wanted midi input which soundmax integrated card could not do, so upgraded to soundblaster live 5.1. somewhere along the way audio files were corrupted, evidenced by delays and then sort of echo pulses on the audio tracks. it took another call to tech support to have him talk me thru the fix. I think I have the bugs worked out now.
Recording capabilities of software are phenomenal when compared to the analog tape tascam porta 05 studio which has been only other recording experience. The speed of actually getting recordable material is a quantum leap above the tascam. Abilities to patch in a wide range of instruments, sounds and sound effects from a midi keyboard are a stand alone piece of equipment in themselves. Precision editing capabilities are superb.
Give it 5 for capabilities and 3 for tech backup for overall of 4. Highly recommended and as I see it, the best bang for the buck for someone like me who wants to record his own music, but be prepared for some startup pains.