Gigabyte's elusive G1-Killer X58 motherboard has quite some task ahead of it, to compete in a nearly-saturated socket LGA1366 motherboard market, including its high-end segment. Merely sporting a black PCB (new and rare for Gigabyte), and an ammo-clip shaped heatsink, and a handful of PCI-E slots isn't going to cut it, well...much. So Gigabyte decided to load the G1-Killer X58 with a Creative X-Fi CA20K2 PCI-Express audio processor, and Bigfoot Networks Killer E2100 network processor with 1 GB of dedicated DDR2 memory.

The CA20K2 from Creative sits at the heart of sound-cards such as the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium series, X-Fi Titanium HD, and Auzentech X-Fi Forte. It features 128 hardware channels, and handles the audio stack on-chip when applications and games use OpenAL in Windows Vista or Windows 7. Apart from X-Fi regulars such as CMSS-3D and Crystalizer, the CA20K2 gives you EAX 5.0 HD support. The audio processor is backed by Nighicon high-end audio capacitors which can be found in premium sound-cards. The Killer E2100 ASIC is Bigfoot's high-end PCI-Express network processor that can completely offload the network stack from the CPU. The G1-Killer X58 is expected to be unveiled at CES.

Auzentech, Inc., announced the immediate availability of the Auzen X-Meridian 7.1 2G, the second generation of the Auzen X-Meridian 7.1. The original Auzen X-Meridian 7.1 was a game-changing high-performance audio card which marked the dividing line between audio that sounds great, and audio that sounds perfect. It was the world's first custom-designed audio card based on C-Media CMI 8788 chipset, and received rave reviews for its audio quality. Now, the award winning Auzentech audio development team and chipset manufacturer C-Media have teamed up again.

With the X-Meridian 7.1 2G, Auzentech has taken what many consider the greatest sound card of all time and updated it with the best of today's technology, making the X-Meridian 7.1 2G more than simply the must-have PC Audio solution for audiophiles-it's a feast for the ears. Under the hood, the new X-Meridian 7.1 2G has been upgraded with new Advanced Driver Software Architecture (ADSA) for the C-Media CMI8788 Oxygen HD PCI Audio Processor. Features include Dolby Digital Live Real-Time Content Encoder, DTS CONNECT and Xear3D sound technology.

Widely regarded in the audiophile community as one of the best sound cards ever made, Auzentech's X-Meridian 7.1 is being revived in a new second-generation (2G) model. Following engagement with Creative for supply of its X-Fi chipsets, Auzentech had stopped production of the original X-Meridian 7.1 sound card citing shortages of the C-Media CMI8788 Oxygen HD chipset, which it now seems to have come over. The new X-Meridian 2G 7.1 from Auzentech sports the same CMI8788 Oxygen HD chip, backed by a squad of channel-independent enthusiast-grade AKM AK4396 DACs, user-replaceable OPAMP chips, high-end electrolytic capacitors to maintain natural-sounding output in the analogue portion of the card, and high-end solid-state capacitors for the power-distribution and digital output. To ensure the lowest latencies, the card uses the PCI interface, because CMI8788 is a PCI chip, and adding a PCI-E bridge chip would step up latencies. More technical details can be found in the exclusive preview by Guru3D.

Auzentech, Inc today announced the immediate release of the Auzen X-Fi Bravura 7.1 sound card, a full-height, custom designed PCI Express sound card built around the Creative PCI Express audio processor. The Auzen X-Fi Bravura 7.1 promises "breathtaking" audio for music and movies with DTS Neo:PC & DTS Interactive. And when it's time to unwind with your favorite PC Game, you won't be left behind with EAX 4.0.

Below are the Auzen X-Fi Bravura 7.1 sound card Key Features, Innovations, and some inside information on how Auzentech designed the card for optimal performance with both Digital and Analog audio.

Auzentech, Inc announced today that a small quantity of white R-4 Bulldozer PC Cases are available to customers in North America. Every bit as striking as the more common black R-4, the white edition gives custom PC builders a rare opportunity to build a system that is distinct from any other at the LAN Party, with no case modifications.

Auzentech, Inc. announced shipment dates today for the highly-anticipated X-Fi HomeTheater HD sound card. Reviewer shipments of the X-Fi HomeTheater HD will begin the second week of July. According to Auzentech the sound card will also go into full production at that time, enabling customer shipments to begin at the end of July.

"We are excited to officially announce shipment dates of the X-Fi HomeTheater HD sound card," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "We appreciate the patience of all our customers, distributors, and dealers who have waited anxiously for this sound card."

Auzentech announced today the immediately availability of the X-Fi Titanium I/O Drive for purchase from the Auzentech Online Store. According to the Auzentech website, the X-Fi Titanium I/O Drive is "the ideal way to harness the power of connectivity for select Auzentech PCI Express X-Fi Sound Cards. With the ability to go straight to gaming mode with the push of a button, Headset Connectivity, volume controls and the ability to record your own music, the I/O drive expands your system with a wealth of options."

Shortly after the official launch of X-Fi Forte 7.1, Auzentech is now offering a new driver for it. This driver is compatible with Windows Vista 32/64-bit only and brings DTS Connect support as well as minor bug fixes, improved speed when changing modes, and enhanced stability. Try downloading the new driver from here.

Auzentech, provider of high-quality consumer sound products, is pleased to announce the retail availability of its Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 soundcard. The Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 is the first low profile native PCI Express audio card that Auzentech has designed especially for gamers and audiophiles. Compared to the X-Fi chipset reference design, the Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 has improved circuitry and components. It also marks the first time a Creative 20K2 PCI Express audio processor has been available in a low-profile board, as well as the first time it has been available in a third-party soundcard. The X-Fi Forte is equipped with 64MB X-RAM, supports EAX 5.0, and most of the latest standards in processing sound from audio and video files. Please click here for more information. The card's retail price is $149.99.

Auzentech has unveiled the X-Fi Forte PCI-Express sound card. The Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 is the first Low Profile native PCI express audio card that Auzentech has designed especially for gamers and audiophiles. Compared to the X-Fi chipset reference design, the Auzen X-Fi Forte 7.1 has improved circuitry and components.
"A large percentage of our customers are both gamers and audiophiles," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "Increasingly, they are requesting a low-profile sound card with 'mind-blowing' audio playback for music, movies, and games. We created the Auzen X-Fi Forte with these customers in mind."

Auzentech, an exclusive Creative partner, informed recently that it has revised the release date for its Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD soundcard to the last week of January 2009. The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD soundcard was originally scheduled for release sometime in September or October of 2008.
"I regret delaying the product release," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "The decision came suddenly due to strategic marketing changes by our partners. These partners have been instrumental in making the Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD an industry-supported audio solution. When it is released at the end of January, it will include the necessary software to access the advanced HD capabilities of the soundcard-and much of that software comes from our partners."
The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD is a premium sound card, that will compete well with ASUSTeK's recently launched Xonar Essence STX. When released it will offer PCI-e x1 interface, Creative's 20K2 sound core, 64MB X-RAM, HDMI 1.3a output and some of the latest audio technologies in the market, such as Dolby Digital Live, DTS Connect, ASIO 2.0 and EAX 5.0. The card is also said to be able to output multichannel audio from Blu-ray discs with no downsampling, and play high bit-rate audio such as Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream without altering the original sound. For more information, please visit Auzentech.

Auzentech revealed today its non-downsampling, HDMI 1.3-native, PCI express audio combo card: Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1. The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 accepts video from either an internal or external connection, mixes it with digital audio, and outputs the combined video and lossless multichannel audio via a single HDMI 1.3 port. Moreover, the internal connection will exclusively support upcoming NVIDIA products, to create the ultimate in audio and visual entertainment.

Operational Amplifier (OPAMP) influences analog sound quality, because OPAMPs amplify the analog signal in your soundcard. With a higher quality OPAMP, the signal is transferred with less loss and distortion. Now all Auzentech PCI soundcards support swappable OPAMPs to provide the highest-quality audio to Auzen customers. Buyers are now offered to order the desired sound devices directly from Auzentech with the custom OPAMPs installed, or choose the amplifiers they need and install them manually. Auzentech has even prepared special OPAMP sockets in order to improve the compatibility for each product. Go here to see the full list of models available.

Auzentech announced today the release of Dolby Digital Live support for the X-Fi Prelude Soundcard. A real-time encoding technology, Dolby Digital Live converts any audio signal into a Dolby Digital bitstream for transport and playback through a home theater system. With it, your PC or game console can be hooked up to your Dolby Digital-equipped audio/video receiver or digital speaker system via a single digital connection. All Auzentech X-Fi Prelude owners may now proceed to the free soundcard driver update download link.

Auzentech is prepared to unleash its X-Fi Prelude 7.1 next week. Consumers can purchase the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 next week from Auzentech's online store, according to Auzentech president Stephane Bae. The card will also be available from Newegg in the US and NCIX in Canada. Auzentech's X-Fi Prelude 7.1 is the first third-party sound card based on Creative Labs X-Fi CA20K audio processor. The Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 achieves a 120dB signal-to-noise ratio with 24-bit resolution and 192KHz sampling rates. Additionally, the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 will support Dolby Digital Live, DTS Interactive and DTS NEO:PC algorithms. The suggested retail price is $199.99.

Auzentech Inc., developer of the world's first Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect PCI sound card, announced two days ago a new sound card series based on the Creative X-FI chipset. The Auzen X-FI Prelude 7.1 is scheduled for release near the end of May 2007. 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 soundcard vendor to use the Creative X-FI chipset in its own soundcard design. "We're excited to provide Auzentech with our award-winning X-Fi audio chipset and technology to provide an outstanding audio experience for Auzentech's customers," said Steve Erickson, VP of audio for Creative. I'd like to thank our forum members for this story.