Audiophiles, listen up! (And by audiophiles, I mean "people who love high-fidelity sound," as opposed to the common incorrect usage: "people who love music.") Creative has packed the same 24-bit sound enhancement it used for its X-Fi line of soundcards onto a small audio peripheral called the Creative XMod, which enhances sound of a computer's compressed audio on its way to speakers or headphones, adding much of what's lost during the audio compression process and creating a surround sound effect on two speakers or headphones.
The device has a big volume knob on it, reminiscent of the popular Griffin Powermate – a nice touch. But does it deliver sound-wise? I tested the X-Fi PCI cards when they came out, and can vouch for the way they improve the sound of MP3s; evidently this external add-on does the same.
The Creative XMod costs $80, works with Macs and PC, and doesn't require any software. Now that you can get Creative's X-Fi sound on notebooks and on desktops without the hassle of installing a PCI card, I expect more audiophiles to give it a whirl.
