"Under Pressure" Copyright Queen Productions: Used with Permission

Conclusion

From the moment we opened the Auzentech package we knew we were in for a very interesting time. The first impressions of slick packaging were further reinforced by a stellar card design both aesthetically and on an engineering level. The bundle is also good, and other than lacking in a copy of PowerDVD/WinDVD 8-Channel is almost perfect.

The hardware and software installation was simple and within minutes we were up and running, it was also great to see all that was installed were the basic driver and configuration utilities...absolutely no bloated media software was present here, this will surely appeal to many enthusiast users. When it came to configuring our speakers for use with the card again this was possible without any issues, just open the C-Media application, click a few buttons and it is done.

Considering how simple the install and configuration were it was a complete surprise to hear the out of the box audio for the first time. Normally we would have to tweak settings to suit us, however with the X-Meridian the default audio quality was breathtaking and there was absolutely no audio hiss or popping which is so common on PC audio products. We honestly didn’t have to change any settings to experience crystal clear audio . This certainly is a good indication that Auzentech’s custom design and outstanding selection of high quality op-amps and DACs has reaped dividends in the long run. In almost every use of the card we were completely awestruck by the quality of the audio produced by the X-Meridian soundcard.

We fully appreciate that this default sound may not suit everyone as each PC sits in a different environment and each set of speakers have their own idiosyncrasies and for those situations the driver control panel allows configuration of each speaker as well as a 10band graphic equaliser which also features various environmental settings and configurations. Additionally for the real hard core audiophiles there is also the option to replace the op-amps for those more to the individual’s tastes.

A further impressive aspect of the X-Meridian is the number of audio technologies available and whilst the card may lacks EAX settings above 2.0 it has so many other benefits which cards offering EAX 2.0+ do not have - such as DD Live, DTS Interactive, 24Bit, 192KHz output AND recording, TOSLINK, Prologic IIx and so much more.

Summary

Without doubt the best PC audio product we have tested in the Driver Heaven Labs.

What do these awards mean?

X-MERIDIAN 7.1 Soundcard is available from Mediaatlantic for £122 and NewEgg for $189