Creative Audio X-Fi

Creative recently came out with a range of sound cards that carry the X-FI (xtreme fidelity) moniker. Their major claim is that they're able to "restore" 16-bit audio to 24-bit audio using their "crystalizer" software. As far as I know, once you lose audio data, you can't get it or fake it, but the press is going ga-ga for it. What do all of you audiophiles think of this? Worth its salt? Discuss.
 
To be honest, there isn't a lot of audible difference between 16-bit and 24-bit audio. It's important if you're doing sound processing because each manipulation you perform eats up some of your resolution. That said, to an extent you can fake the extra bits of an audio stream. Audio wave forms are relatively predictable, but it still won't be as good as a real 24-bit recording.
 
Back
Top