Superb output, as one would expect from a Sound Blaster.

re: boxed, retail version.

Since you can get complete specs from Creative at
http://creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=14066, I'll just summarize:

As I've come to expect from the leader in soundcards, the result of this latest engineering effort is just remarkable! This 7.1 ultra-low-distortion (.004% THD), ultra high S/N (109dB) card works wonders with my older Inspire T7700 speakers, for everything from DVD surround to games to music. The card is THX-certified and surround setup is thorough, yet simple.
It also sounds great with mp3's and other music, of course.

The one thing I object to is the absence of standard inputs! Creative has substituted standard inputs with what they term a "FlexiJack". This is a single 3.5mm jack which works with mic, line or digital I/O signals (IF you buy their Digital I/O Module) -- but only one at a time, of course. It's rather annoying that you cannot simply leave your various gear plugged into the X-Fi cards. They take away the connectors I need, yet put a large connector on the thing which I'll likely never use -- the "AD_Link", which their X-Fi I/O Console plugs into. Creative's philosophy on this is, "Upgrade with our accessory console or suffer the FlexiJack!" For one thing, this serves to tick off us users who already have a good remote and don't want to pay for Creative's.

On the positive side, there's a suite of software bundled with the X-Fi XtremeMusic to keep you busy. Their staple, WaveStudio, is of course included. There's a nifty MediaSource Organizer and Player, though I still use Winamp for my mp3's. There's a batch audio converter, which is pretty cool. The included Smart Recorder has hiss and click/pop removal tools for cleaning up your tapes and LP's as you import them.

There are 3 separate modes with this card, with each optimized for specific kinds of programs, and you can configure each mode independently. There's no automatic switcher included, but you can download a utility called XFMC which does it for you. Find it at http://www.freewebs.com/spectra9/xfmc.html

The modes are:

1) Entertainment Mode -- this is for all your playback needs, from DVD to mp3. It makes the most of the CMSS-3D (virtual surround) and Crystalizer (automatic, realtime, on-chip remastering) functions.

2) Audio Creation Mode -- this is for recording, mixing and composing. Features include 24-bit SoundFont bank, ASIO, bit-matched recording and comprehensive signal routing.

3) Game Mode -- advanced 3D audio processing and the latest EAX effects. Truly, BF2, for example, does sound glorious with this card. As BF2 players know, there's even a special audio setting in BF2 just for the X-Fi series of cards!

About 5 months ago, this card cost me $75 at Circuit City after a rebate and a $25 gift card redemption. I just checked their website and they no longer sell this model, however.