Introduction

In the last few years onboard audio solutions have come a long way and for the average user they do just about everything they will ever need. For those who were interested in discrete audio solutions there really is one name which dominates the home market and that is Creative. From the Soundblaster Live! to the Audigy and now the X-Fi , Creative soundcards have been a great upgrade over onboard solutions.

Today’s review product comes from Auzentech a company who have been making a name for themselves in the PC home theatre market with the release of the World's first Dolby Digital Live Sound card (the X-MYSTIQUE 7.1 Gold) and the World's first DTS Connect Sound Card (the X-PLOSION 7.1 DTS Connect). The X-MERIDIAN 7.1 is aimed to directly compete with the Creative X-Fi in both the PC home theatre and gaming markets and on paper it certainly is impressive with numerous Dolby Digital technologies mixed with the latest DTS modes and some excellent technical specifications, let’s take a closer look at the card...