The specs on this card are not to be scoffed at. For one, if you got the Audigy Drive, you get a plethora of extras and connectors. RCA SPDIF In/Out, Optical SPDIF In/Out, Headphone Socket, RCA Auxiliary In, Line In 2 / Mic 2, Midi In/Out, and SB1394. The firewire port boasts speeds of up to 400 mb/s. The port also allows you to set up a super fast home network among other IEEE 1394 equipped computers. The port will function with almost all devices, except those that consume over 2 watts of power. Also on the drive is an Infra-red detector. It is supposed to be compatible with mobile devices but it’s mainly for the remote control that comes with the Platinum editions.

The card is fully equipped with 5.1 digital surround sound for your listening pleasure. This card really shines when you have it hooked up to your home stereo, trust me. Creative has equipped this card to take advantage of EAX 3 and all it has to offer. The amount of affects and options they supply blew me away. An example of this new feature is the Environmental Planning. This allows for smooth transitions from one surface to another while maintaining complete sound emersion.

One more of the incredible features this card has is called Environmental Reflections. The Audigy advanced processor allows for a sound to be released in a certain point in a game and have it reflect/bounce off of different objects that you are around for a more lifelike feel to it. This small feature amazes me because of the level of detail that it pertains to. With all these added up you can definitely tell the difference in game play. It will help you out a lot when you are listening for someone’s foot steps. Unfortunately not a lot of games take full advantage of what the Audigy offers so we will have to wait and see how software developers use this tool in the future.

For all you musicians out there, Creative says that the Audigy is the ultimate sound card for high-end musicians. I have no personal way of comparing these features, but I have read a lot of places that the Audigy comes very close to the results of the very high-end audiophile cards. I know this is true because you can go in a small program which contains every single setting possible, such as the reverb, and tweak it out any way you like. Though not top of the line, it’s a step above all the rest in its range.

For the average PC user, the remote control offers them many options. With it you can operate a music CD, sort through MP3's, and even change the EAX mode. However, the lack of being able to control a software driven DVD player is sorely missed. You can get crazy and listen to your favorite artists as though they are playing in a church. I personally don't need this feature but some might like it. One other small feature is the his and pop remover utility. It worked OK, but I wouldn't count on it to make your ratty MP3's sound digitally re-mastered.

Before we move on to the software aspect, I would just like to add that I am able to hook up my guitar through connections into the Audigy. I can also add wah effects and distortion and hear it through my Hi-Fi stereo set up. It's a nice bonus if you play.