Creative XMod Review!
Posted by Ray @ 11:41 pm
(Full disclosure: the XMod was provided courtesy of Creative and its marketing partner.)
Price: S$139 retail
Bottom line: If you use a laptop exclusively as your main computing and multimedia viewing tool, this gadget is worth the buy. If you’re using an on-board sound solution and are thinking of buying a simple sound card, this gadget is very worth the buy. Conversely, if you have good noise-canceling headphones, or a snug-fitting set of ear buds, it is not. For the price, you might want to spend a bit more for a better pair of headphones / ear buds.
Pros: X-Fi Crystalizer [sic] works across the board; X-Fi CMSS-3D works well when it does; XMod is literally plug-and-play on both Mac OSX and Windows (!); XMod is external and consequently has zero noise; very convenient to use with its nice big knob (damn you, Freud!).
Cons: X-Fi CMSS-3D introduces distortions at the high end of audible frequencies; requires a separate purchase for use without a computer; XMod is of limited use across the board; annoying X-name; price.
Full review after the jump.
Addendum (5 Jan 07): I’ve added some additional information regarding the metallic popping noise that the XMod emits to earphones. They’re at the bottom of the page, but the summary is: it exists on a handful of windows systems, there is no permanent solution I can find, for a quick fix just unplug and re-plug the XMod.
1) Introduction
I’ve been using this baby for almost 2 weeks now, enough time for me to have developed an opinion about it. The entire XMod can be summed up thus: the lower the quality media, the greater the beneficial effect of the XMod.
The XMod consists of two parts: the X-Fi Crystalizer and the X-Fi CMSS-3D.
The Crystallizer (I’m going to use the correct spelling, “Crystalizer” sounds like a misspelling Creative’s legal department came up with for Trade Mark purposes) makes your audio sound “better” by “converting all your audio to 24-bit and selectively enhanc[ing] it to restore the vibrancy lost during compression.”
The CMSS-3D converts your audio into surround sound over stereo speakers / earphones.
Surprisingly, both of these features actually work well enough that you realize the XMod not just a gimmick. But first, a peek inside the packaging.
When you open your new XMod, here’s what you get:
1) The XMod unit
2) A pair of earphones
3) The user manual & CD
4) A nice bag to carry the XMod in
5) USB plug
Installation is painless. On Windows, plug it in and you’re done. On Mac OSX, you have to set the default sound device to the XMod first. Either way, you’re good to go within minutes of opening the box. I can’t stress how good this is.
2) First impressions
The marketing line is that the XMod can be used to improve DVD movies, mp3 music and such. I have my doubts about its utility in the portable movie arena. The XMod is an external USB device, and undoubtedly uses additional power. I haven’t tested power consumption, but logic dictates it should negatively impact battery life. Plus if you’re watching a DVD movie, you’re already leeching tremendously off the battery anyhow.
The other doubtful marketing line is the claim that you can use it with your portable MP3 player. You can’t. The XMod requires power to run, and it gets that off the USB port. If you want to use it with your iPod, you have to buy a separate accessory (which retails at S$69!!! now going for S$29 but out of stock) that you then plug in to the wall before you can use it. Very funny, marketing guys.
But how does it sound? Here is the most surprising thing of all: it does actually work as advertised. Upsampling and sharpening of sounds typically make them crisper, but introduces noise in the form of a warbling hiss. Ever tried running a “sharpen” filter in Photoshop, and saw how grainy everything got the more you applied it? That’s what I’m talking about.
The guys at Creative have somehow contrived to make things sound sharper, without many of the noisy artifacts normally associated with sharpening. This is good.
You can further customize the degree of “improvement” for both the Crystallizer and the CMSS-3D. You simply press a corner of the XMod, then fiddle with your knob (pun intended, I swear) as you cycle through the settings.
By default, the knob adjusts volume. Pressing it also toggles mute.
Enough usability, onto the individual tests!
3) Movies
I played The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Special Extended Edition) because it’s got lots of audio settings to fiddle with (Stereo, Dolby 5.1 and Dolby 6.1). Plus it has that kickass fight with Gandalf and the Balrog.
Piping Dolby 5.1 through the XMod gave me a cool surround effect. However, it also came with an “empty room” feeling; I felt like I was playing the movie in a furnitureless room all by myself (that I actually was is besides the point). It also came with annoying distortion at the high frequencies; no doubt noise artifacts from the Crystallizer amplified by the CMSS-3D. The effect annoyed me no end, and as a result I preferred stereo with just the Crystallizer on.
The Crystallizer itself worked very nicely, but for the high-end DVD movie it acted more like a glorified equalizer than anything else. Where the Crystallizer shines is when you watch lower-quality shows on your computer. There is a significant improvement, the bass sounds better, the higher registers sound better, everything sounds better. The same goes for CMSS-3D when applied to lower-quality media. I guess that was Creative’s point.
Also, the differences in quality are most apparent when I used the bundled (read: not-so-high-end) earphones. Again, I guess this was Creative’s point. The XMod is a consumer product, not an audiophile product. When I used my mid-range Sony Fontopias, the difference was much less apparent.
4) Music
I tried playing as many genres as I could through the XMod. Performance varied wildly.
The XMod cannot handle orchestral, classical music. The CMSS-3D will spit harsh noise artifacts at your ears all day. Rossini, Dvorak and everyone else just sounded wrong. But the Crystallizer itself worked very nicely, bringing out the bass and treble and generally clearing up the sound, though the effect was slight enough that switching it off was no big loss.
The XMod also cannot handle piano concertos. Poor Chopin! The complaint is the same: CMSS-3D spits noise artifacts, while the Crystallizer works nicely.
Jazz is a mixed bag. The CMSS-3D does a fascinating job of separating the individual sounds out, so you can hear the musician’s breathing, various ambient creaking noises, etc. This worked both for CD and MP3 versions. I must say that hearing the background noise was very pleasing and very cool, adding some very nice atmosphere to Oscar Peterson & Co. Unfortunately, some distortion is still apparent in solo bits.
Indeed, whenever only one instrument or too many instruments are playing, CMSS-3D seems to spit out artifacts. It’s obviously been tuned to pop music.
Pop music sounds really good. In fact, anything that involves a vocalist, drums and a guitar or two strumming sounds excellent. So even those Jazz pieces sound better when someone’s singing. The Crystallizer perfects the balance, while the CMSS-3D has the most remarkable effect on vocal clarity. Sure, it sounds like the band is playing in your head, but it does sound better.
An unexpected side effect of the XMod’s very nature is that it cannot handle music that is supposed to sound raw and unedited. The Black Keys are an indie blues duo, and when they play they sound like they’re playing out of their garage, which is part of the appeal.
With the XMod they come out sounding… better. Pop-ified, if you will. They sound richer and more produced than if you listen to them without the XMod. A similar effect occurs with some of Ben Folds Five’s earlier works. I guess this is purely a subjective thing, and not really what Creative was after, but I put it here because it’s an interesting case where an improvement is unwanted and un-needed.
6) Conclusions
The XMod is clearly geared towards the everyday consumer, which is something to keep in mind if you’re considering buying it.
Also keep in mind that many of my opinions are purely subjective, and unless you are an audiophile or have keen ears you won’t know or care about my minor quibblings with the XMod. That said, several people I’ve talked to agree that the improvement is smaller where higher-end earphones are concerned, and so you might be better off just buying better earphones. That has the added benefit of being truly portable.
Surprisingly, the XMod makes a perfect companion to my desktop PC, rather than my laptop. My desktop motherboard is an old MSI K7N2 dinosaur with on-board audio, which is what I’ve been using all this time. The internals of a PC are electrically “noisy”, which means stray electrons get pumped down the line out, resulting in a hiss from my speakers whenever I turn the volume up.
I’ve been considering purchasing an external sound card for a while now, nothing fancy, just a simple sound card, and the XMod fits the role perfectly. It even (sorta) works for games, too, though obviously if you want hardware EAX and the works you’ll want a Soundblaster X-Fi. But that’s an internal card, and gives you the hiss problem again.
All in all, the XMod’s appeal lies in its simplicity and ease-of-use. Audiophiles and those with sensitive ears should not buy this product; the rest of you might want to consider it as a simple addition to your desktop.
Addendum on popping noise (5 Jan 07)
As Agagooga mentioned, there is an odd metallic popping noise occasionally coming from the earphone line of the XMod (sample I recorded here). I’ve searched Creative’s forums and while there is no mention of popping noises coming from an XMod, there are plenty of popping noises coming from the Soundblaster X-Fi sound card, apparently due to a conflict with certain motherboards with NForce chipsets.
Now the problem with the XMod never manifests itself in the lineout. Also, it appears to manifest with more regularity immediately after I quit out from iTunes, but it happens other times too. Weird.
I’ve dutifully submitted a forum entry, now it remains to be seen what Creative’s response is. Until then, if you’re experiencing these issues you should just unplug and plug-in your XMod again. Everything should be fine for a while.
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Xmod Review…
Personally I’m sticking to DFX, since it’s cheaper, software-based (less cumbersome) and introduces fewer artefacts….
Trackback by Balderdash — Tuesday, January 2 2007 @ 3:56 pm
I’m having terrible issues with the Xmod, it’s connected to a dell inspiron 6400 which was sadly blessed or cursed with a Sigmatel on board sound card with the added audigy software that was bought as an update for the soundcard. The thing is, somewhere along the line there is a conflict happening. The xmod simply doesn’t work the way it should. Mute doesn’t function half the time, the popping noise is there, and on top of that there is suppose to be a way of controlling the special effects by tapping the “volume” control, but alas hasn’t worked yet!. I’ve tried everything from different USB ports to uninstalling everything to do with the built in sound card, and I’ve still had no success. I know the xmod is probably working ok because I attached it to a powered USB hub and connected my MP3 to it and ran that to a set of speakers, and it worked ok although I still wasn’t able to adjust the sound effect settings. I shall be returning it to PCworld asap for a refund as this is not the way I wanted to enjoy new levels of audio entertainment from my laptop.
Comment by Kevin — Sunday, December 30 2007 @ 7:13 am
if any one was wondering this is not 5.1 compatable
Comment by bubbles — Thursday, February 28 2008 @ 10:12 pm
To Kevin:
The sound effect settings are changed by pressing the “button” where the lights are, not the knob. Although it does not look like it, it actually is a button. When you tap it, the lights blink to show you which setting you’re changing.
Comment by Mehal — Monday, March 31 2008 @ 2:32 am