Six Slick Tricks for the Creative Xmod Audio Enhancer
Pages: 1, 2, 3

Trick 2: Use VLC for DVD Playback

If your computer doesn't come with a full-featured Dolby Digital decoder for 5.1-channel sound, you miss out on a lot of the DVD experience. Instead of hearing wrap-around sound, you end up listening to a downmixed 2-channel version instead. Systems that offer Dolby decoding don't necessarily produce multichannel output, and if you don't have five speakers, you'll need a virtualization program to get the surround effect. That's where the Xmod comes in.

First, consider using VLC for your DVD playback. VLC, which runs on most computer platforms, is a free download from http://videolan.org. More important for us, it can use the A52 codec to decode DVD audio into proper 5.1.

By connecting your headphones to your Xmod, your Xmod to your computer, and playing your DVDs back using VLC, you'll be able to hear the virtualized Xmod 3D experience—a striking effect.

Tip: Mac users can download a copy of the A52 codec from this A52Codec development page. Windows users can use this link instead.

Trick 3: Add Audio Pizzazz in the Living Room

The powers of the Creative Xmod aren't limited to the speakers connected to your computer. You can bring your Xmod into the living room and use it to enhance the audio for your TV or stereo. The secret lies in positioning the Xmod between the sound source and the speaker system and powering the Xmod without a computer.

In order to power your Xmod, you'll need an USB power supply that provides the standard five volts but runs off of AC power. You can pick up one for a couple of bucks at many online sites such as DealExtreme, or if you're looking for a higher end product, Apple sells an adapter for about $30. To use the adapter, plug it into the wall and plug your Xmod into its USB port. If you have a powered USB hub on hand, you can use that instead of laying out the cash for an AC adapter.

Audio hookup is easier. Plug the audio output of your sound source into the line-in jack on the bottom left of the Xmod. When the Xmod detects a signal from this jack, it automatically selects it as its audio source. Then you connect the Xmod's line output to the auxiliary input on your stereo. (See Figure 3.)

You can use the Xmod with this setup to restore impact lost in MP3 or AAC compression, or to add virtual-surround sound to your TV reception. Be aware that success of the stereo-based 3D effects depends on positioning the listener in the "sweet spot" in front of and between the two speakers. The effect simply won't work for a large room full of viewers positioned randomly for TV viewing or stereo listening. It's really a one-person effect.

Tip: Although Apple's AirPort Express uses lossless compression to stream music from your computer over WiFi, Stereophile reports that the AirPort's analog output is compromised. You can get around that by using the AirPort Express's digital audio output (assuming your stereo has a digital input). But since you're likely to be playing compressed music to begin with, the Xmod Crystalizer effects won't be wasted.

Figure 3: In the living room, the Xmod can enhance WiFi and TV sound.

Trick 4: X-Fi in Your Car

If your car stereo provides an audio input jack, you can use an Xmod to enhance playback from your portable media device (iPod, Creative Zen, Zune, etc.) while on the go. To accomplish this, you'll need to pick up a cigarette lighter-to-USB power adapter, such as the one found here for about five bucks. You'll also want to pick up an adapter power splitter and an adapter for your media player. (See Figure 4.)

The splitter allows you to power both your player and your Xmod at the same time. After hooking both items up to their power source, connect the audio output (typically the earjack) from your media player to the input jack of the Xmod, and the speaker output of the Xmod (upper-right corner) to the A/V input of your car stereo. This allows you to process the audio from your player with the Xmod and send the results through your car speakers. As with the living room setup, this system works particularly well with the Crystalizer to enhance the compressed tracks on your portable player.

Figure 4: Use a cigarette lighter splitter to provide power to both your media player and your Xmod.

Trick 5: Rip Enhanced Audio from Your Software Jukebox

You can "inflate" the quality of your compressed audio files by playing them back through the Xmod and capturing the results on your PC or Macintosh. For example, the iTunes Store sells audio compressed at 128 kbps. You can use the Crystalizer to enhance the audio and a software program like Audacity or Audio Hijack Pro to capture the results at a higher bitrate. Just connect the Xmod to your computer with the USB cable, play back your music in Windows Media Player or iTunes, and record the system audio to capture the enhanced results. Figure 5 shows the settings I use on the Mac to capture the best possible quality results using this method.

Figure 5: These settings in Audio Hijack Pro ensure that the captured audio is recorded at the highest possible quality.