The X-Fi HD is something of an oddity. It's a USB-powered external soundcard designed for laptops—and when it comes to delivering awesome audio, it exceeds expectations. However, the features of the card leave you wondering who Creative had in mind when designing it.
Oddly lacking on the X-Fi HD are any 3.5mm audio jacks—instead there's a .25 inch jack. This means that with most headsets, you'll need a .25 inch to 3.5mm adapter, which is annoyingly not included in the box. Just as odd: included on the card is a phonograph ground—you know, for all your portable record-playing needs. That said, there are top-notch RCA and optical inputs and outputs, and converting from RCA to 3.5mm is easily done with an included patch cable, so finding a solution that works for your particular setup shouldn't be too difficult.
As portable soundcards go, it's tough to find anything better, especially at $100. However, if you've got a tower instead of a notebook, look to the Titanium HD for better (although a little more expensive) results.
$100, www.creative.com
