Creative Z-Series Speakers

Creative increased the listening options available to Zen Vision:M owners on Monday by debuting two new speaker sets for its Zen line of players. The flagship X-Fi Sound System Z600 is designed as a home theater addition and uses the same X-Fi processing hardware as found in the Xmod to improve audio quality on an attached Zen Vision:M player; the 24-bit Crystalizer is said to restore many of the details lost in compressed audio and optionally adds a virtual surround effect. The speakers themselves are designed for power, says Creative, and generates a total 200 watts of sustained power through two 35-watt satellites and a 130-watt subwoofer. The Z600 can be connected to TVs or other displays for playing videos and can sync the Vision:M with a host PC even while playing music. Creative ships the Z600 on November 24th for $399.

Click through for etails and a photo of the companion Z500.

Also announced today was the PlayDock Z500 portable speaker set for the Zen V and Vision:M. While designed to be used away from home and capable of running for up to 16 hours on eight C-cell batteries, the Z500 is designed for audio quality and is one of the few portable speaker systems to include a built-in subwoofer, which is rated at 24 watts. Each satellite in turn can provide a relatively strong 12 watts per channel. Creative also takes special advantage of its players' specific features by incorporating an extendable radio antenna to improve FM reception and an AV output for photos or videos. As with the Z600, the PlayDock will ship on the 24th. Pricing is set at $200.

By Electronista Staff