3D Stereo Enhancement

3D STEREO ENHANCEMENT

From the very first Sound Blaster produced more than 10 years ago, Creative Technology has continuously improved upon its audio technology offerings to the public. Each new Sound Blaster product features the very best in realistic and dynamic sound reproduction, from the Sound Blaster Pro to the Sound Blaster 16, and now to the latest (and grandest!) Sound Blaster of them all, the AWE32!

Creative consistently adds innovative new features to audio on the PC via its Sound Blasters, such as stereo sound (with the Sound Blaster Pro), 16-bit CD quality sound (with the Sound Blaster 16), dedicated sound processing via a DSP chip (the Sound Blaster 16 with Advanced Digital Signal Processor), and the implementation of QSound for spatial sound effects (with the Sound Blaster AWE32).

Now, with a whole new range of "Plug & Play" Sound Blasters ready to hit the PC market, Creative is once again taking the lead with the introduction of "Creative 3D Stereo Enhancement Technology". This new sound spatialization technology has been incorporated into all "Plug & Play" Sound Blaster models, allowing users to experience a level of sound reproduction that is rich in depth and breadth, something which was deemed impossible a mere one or two years ago.

The concept behind this new technological leap in audio reproduction is deceptively simple - to negate the distortion known as "Speaker Crosstalk", usually generated from a standard two-speaker configuration (found on most PCs today). By eliminating or reducing this "Speaker Crosstalk", audio played back on an ordinary pair of speakers retains an element of depth and space, thereby giving a three-dimensional 'sound sensation' to the listener.

To further illustrate the concept of "Speaker Crosstalk", refer to the diagram below:

The ideal condition for audio playback is for the sound waves from the Left Speaker to reach only the listener's left ear, and for sound waves from the Right Speaker to reach only the right ear. However, when any two speakers are positioned too close to each other, the sound waves from the left speaker will "cross over" to the right, and vice versa. This mixing or "crossing" of sound waves between audio speakers is referred to as "Speaker Crosstalk".

The consequence of "Speaker Crosstalk" is that the spatial content (that is, the perception of depth, ambiance, and lateral reflection) of the original sound waves is diluted. This dramatically lessens the richness of the sound, giving rise to the perception that the sound is from a 'one-dimensional' plane, instead of giving the listener a three-dimensional, 'sensurround' experience.

CREATIVE 3D STEREO ENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGY

Creative's 3D Stereo Enhancement Technology is featured in the latest and most technologically advanced cards in the Sound Blaster series - the "Plug & Play" Sound Blaster 16, Sound Blaster 32, and Sound Blaster AWE32. With this new advancement, the effects of "Speaker Crosstalk" are significantly reduced, resulting in purer and more realistic sounds. And all this is possible without additional purchases of "special speakers" or other audio enhancement products!

In fact, some of the other benefits of Creative's 3D Stereo Enhancement Technology include:

Maintaining accurate balance between "centered" and "spatialized" audio
Enhancement of mono and stereo audio output
Increased depth and breadth in perceived audio from speakers - users get the sensation of being 'surrounded' by sound
Stereo enhancement of audio is independent of speaker type and configuration

Creative 3D Stereo Enhancement Technology can be experienced in DOS, Windows 3.1, or Windows 95. In DOS/Windows 3.1, a special utility is provided to enable or disable the 3D Stereo Enhancement feature. In Windows 95, you can perform the same function via the Device Manager (accessible through the 'My Computer' icon). Full instructions are provided with each "Plug & Play" Sound Blaster card.

So just turn up the volume of your speakers, sit back, relax, and rock on with the great 3D Stereo sounds coming from your Sound Blaster!