Creative Xmod(Theory?!)

[ZippyDSMlee]

Creative has unveiled a new device called the Xmod, which the company claims gives MP3s and other compressed digital music files "better than CD quality" sound.

The USB-powered gadget, based upon the Creative's X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio platform, is expected to cost £60 in the UK and $80 in the USA when it arrives sometime this month.

The Xmod is said to up-convert the audio signal to 24-bit surround for cleaner, richer sound. There are two sides to the X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity technology - X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS- 3D.

The X-Fi Crystalizer identifies areas of the audio file which have been truncated or damaged during Compression. Creative says the technology can "restore" the highs and lows of the music that the listener would otherwise have not been able to hear.


http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/7986.cfm
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Since your the local Audiophile I thought I would post this here,its like a mini DSP thingy may or may not live up to their discreption tho...thoughts comments? ^^

[KN]

So this thing magically revives the audio signals that were crushed during compression? MAGICALLY?

[ZippyDSMlee]

So this thing magically revives the audio signals that were crushed during compression? MAGICALLY?

Its like a software filter/up conversion but tis hardware all for 80 not 8000, wonder how well it works probly half as good as they say.....

[KN]

I dunno, but it seems impossible to me to restore compressed audio to it's exact former state.

[ZippyDSMlee]

I dunno, but it seems impossible to me to restore compressed audio to it's exact former state.

Surely with a 20000$ DSP studio you can?

mabe with a 80$ nit nack you can upconvert it a bit....

[Theory?]

I would seriously question the quality of this. I can fathom a potential algorith for doing this and it scares me to think of it.

When you rip an MP3, you're basically cutting off significant amounts of high-end frequencies. Once they're ripped, they're gone for good. Recovering them would probably be done by analyzing the spectrum of the track and sort-of inserting pink noise at different volumes across the frequency range that is lower in level than the rest of the track and try to even things out. I may be wrong,b ut I'm very skeptical. I'd rather just stick to lossless audio codecs.

[ZippyDSMlee]

I would seriously question the quality of this. I can fathom a potential algorith for doing this and it scares me to think of it.

When you rip an MP3, you're basically cutting off significant amounts of high-end frequencies. Once they're ripped, they're gone for good. Recovering them would probably be done by analyzing the spectrum of the track and sort-of inserting pink noise at different volumes across the frequency range that is lower in level than the rest of the track and try to even things out. I may be wrong,b ut I'm very skeptical. I'd rather just stick to lossless audio codecs.

SO basically its a mini equalizer with 2 or 4 presets? ...creative has made another useless gadget.....(I have a creative montage composite-Svid TV tuner for a PC monitor)

[Theory?]

I doubt its an equalizer. Boosting frequencies like that would only bring up the noise floor. My guess is it's based on some level of frequency analysis. This is pure speculation, I haven't read **** on it.