Auzentech is prepared to unleash its X-Fi Prelude 7.1 next week. The company has already shipped the cards to distributors and retailers for a Monday or Tuesday launch, but the shipments need to clear customs before they are available for purchase.

Consumers can purchase the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 next week from Auzentech’s online store, according to Auzentech president Stephane Bae,. The card will also be available from Newegg in the US and NCIX in Canada, he added.

Auzentech’s X-Fi Prelude 7.1 is the first third-party sound card based on Creative Labs X-Fi CA20K audio processor. Auzentech one-ups Creative’s official offerings with AKM digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital convertors. The Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 achieves a 120dB signal-to-noise ratio with 24-bit resolution and 192 KHz sampling rates. Additionally, the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 features a user-replaceable OPAMP for the front-channel audio output.

Unlike other Creative Labs X-Fi offerings, the X-Fi Prelude 7.1 will support Dolby Digital Live, DTS Interactive and DTS NEO:PC algorithms. However, Dolby Digital Live encoding support will not arrive until Q4 2007 with a driver update. DTS Interactive and DTS NEO:PC support will not arrive until Q1 2008. The X-Fi Prelude 7.1 also supports Creative audio technologies such as EAX Advanced HD 5.0, CMSS-3D, X-Fi Crystallizer and SoundFonts.
Expect to pay $199.99 when the card is available next week.

Source from DailyTech