Creative claims Xmod improves MP3 sound quality

Creative's Xmod promises to dramatically enhance MP3 audio

Creative has unveiled a gadget which it claims can improve the playback quality of music files to beyond the original CD quality.

The bold statement was made at the launch of the Creative Xmod, a device based on Creative's X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio platform which improves music playback quality for MP3, WMA, iTunes or AAC files.

About the size of a small chocolate bar, the Xmod connects between stereo speakers or headphones and either a PC, Mac or any MP3 player.

Creative claims that the device dramatically improves the listening experience by up-converting the music during playback to the X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity 24-bit surround audio.

The Xmod enhances the low and high frequencies while improving audio dynamics for cleaner, richer sound which Creative claims surpasses the original audio CD.

The device up-converts MP3 music by analysing and identifying which parts of the audio stream have been truncated or damaged during compression.

It intelligently and selectively restores the highs and lows such as the snare drums, basses, cymbals crashes and guitar plucking that can be damaged during the compression of MP3s.

"There are more than 100 million people who listen to MP3, WMA or AAC music on their PCs, Macs or iPod or Zen players, but the quality of these compressed music files are highly compromised," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and chief executive at Creative.

"The Xmod enables them to listen to their music with audio that sounds even better than CDs."

For movies or an immersive audio experience, X-Fi CMSS-3D also creates virtual surround sound through speakers or headphones.

It expands audio for headphone listening so that music completely surrounds the listener like a multi-channel speaker system instead of sounding like it is stuck between the headphones.

The Creative Xmod will be available in October at a suggested retail price of $79.99.