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Spotlight January 2004 • Vol.4 Issue 1 Page(s) 48-52 in print issue |
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On The Audio Front High-End Sound Cards Sound Off |
Jump to first occurrence of: [AUDIO]  Few aspects of convergence matter more than audio quality. If the PC is going to join hands with the home theater, sound playback has to be up to the task. To find out if today's systems are up to the task, we gathered some of the leading PCI cards in the consumer arena and put them through their paces.  How We Tested For our test platform, we selected ABIT's new 865G-based DigiDice SFF box (check back next month for our SFF roundup on this intriguing system), 1GB of OCZ Enhanced Latency PC4000 memory, Windows XP SP1, and Klipsch's amazing ProMedia 5.1 speakers. Having spent a fair amount of time with this speaker set in our recent speaker roundup (see www.cpumag.com/cpunov03/speakers), we knew what the product was capable of and that with it we would be able to hear deficiencies in our listening tests. You might wonder why we tested 7.1 audio cards with a 5.1 speaker set. In a word: quality. As of this writing, the only vendor we've sampled with 6.1 or 7.1 speakers is Creative Technology with its MegaWorks THX 6.1 650 and Inspire T7700 sets, respectively. (We weren't able to review the GigaWorks S750 within our review schedule.) Without question, the MegaWorks line is superior to the Inspire series, but even the worthy MegaWorks gives ground against Klipsch. So given that the vast predominance of surround content is still based on 5.1, we thought it more important to judge by pure audio quality rather than quantity.
AUDIOTRAK Prodigy 7.1 Even a good hardware foundation can't overcome poor software implementation. This card is based on VIA's Envy 24HT chip, so all the nuts and bolts you need for a great experience are in place. The card handles 7.1 channels in 24-bit fidelity, with 192KHz playback and 96KHz recording. There are two 1/8-inch analog inputs (line and mic) plus four outputs (front, side, rear, and center/sub). Additionally, the card features one each coaxial digital input and output. There is no optical jack. In listening tests, the Prodigy 7.1 performs fairly well. Channel separation is good. Gaming performance in Unreal Tournament 2003, which arguably needs channel clarity more than sonic fidelity, was excellent. We started noticing a little fall-off in performance when we moved over to "Money" from Pink Floyd's "Pulse" album. The production on "Pulse" is exceptional, and it should sound like a live concert in front of you. With the Prodigy 7.1, it sounds like a 16-bit recording. The ka-ching of coins falling is muted, for example, and you lose a lot of audience presence. In watching "The Matrix" and "Star Wars: Episode I," we found that midrange response was full and highs were quite good, but the bass lacked punch. This doesn't mean it was poor—it's quite respectable. But when Neo slams that security guard in the chest and Anakin's pod drops from that cliff during chapter 22, you should feel the thud hit you, and that sort of crisp reality was missing here. The Prodigy 7.1 control panel gives you slider bar controls over the various input and output levels, but this is far less useful than the calibration tool Creative provides. The coolest part of AUDIOTRAK's software is its Advanced NSP (native sound processing) features. This not only lets you dictate how and where each channel's audio gets routed but also provides various sound effects. The results are great, but plug-in installation is cumbersome, and entry-level to intermediate users are likely to feel overwhelmed. The only major glitch we encountered was that disabling the Prodigy 7.1 option in WinXP's Device Manager would reset the system. Disabling the Prodigy 7.1 Controller option prompted a more polite reboot pop-up request. This package has a few notable perks. AUDIOTRAK dedicates a +5V preamp for the microphone channel, which will be a welcome surprise to those who do voice recording. Additionally, there's a separate headphone amp you can turn on by clicking the otherwise unexplained A button in the mixer interface, and the playback on our Sony MDR-V6 headphones was brilliant with no noticeable background hum. The card supports EAX 2.0, A3D, Sensaura 3D, and a host of others. You also get a copy of WinDVD 4. With a driver makeover, this card would earn its $99 price. As it is, there is too little value compared to similar products both PCI-based and integrated.
Creative Technology Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum The leading feather in Creative's cap is its license to play back DVD-Audio. No other vendor we examined offers this in its software set. (You can get DVD-Audio support through third parties such as InterVideo, though.) Beyond that, the ZS Platinum leads all consumer audio cards with its 108dB signal-to-noise ratio; FireWire port; and sweeping format support, including Dolby Digital EX, Creative's own EAX 4.0, and DTS ES, which is the highest quality DVD movie audio scheme around—if you can find a movie that uses it. We should also add that the plain Audigy 2 ZS retails for only $99.99. The perks in the Platinum package include a remote control and a black-faced 5.25-inch panel box ("I/O drive") with FireWire; MIDI in and out; and every SPDIF, 0.25-inch, and RCA jack you might want for everyday use. We could spend all day describing this product's other benefits, but here are the highlights: As with the Envy 24HT, the ZS Platinum features 24-bit audio and 192KHz playback sampling in stereo (96KHz in recording and surround playback). Add to this Creative's hallmark component quality, and what you get is the best audio fidelity to be found in a desktop card, period. Crank up the volume on a silent desktop, and the only thing you'll hear is your speakers, not the sound adapter. Perhaps the most useful feature is the speaker calibration routines, one from Creative and another from THX. Not only can you mix levels for each speaker, but you can also specify exactly how far your ears are from each satellite. You get a seven-band equalizer, time scaling (very cool if you need to blow through an audiobook chapter in a hurry), adjustable bass crossover frequency, ASIO 2.0 support for multichannel recording, Creative's CMSS upmixing from stereo to surround, vocal suppression for karaoke (contain your excitement), analog content cleanup overlays, volume normalizing, and much more. The only problem with the driver software is that it's spread over several modules rather than being in one integrated UI. This is all frosting, of course. The real reason to buy the ZS Platinum is for its magnificent sound. At points, Philips and especially M-Audio come close, but nobody can yet equal the ZS Platinum for its essentially perfect playback. Channel separation is superb, bass is thunderous without being excessive, and even faint highs are presented with convincing realism. With concert recordings on DVD-Audio, we might as well have been in the fifth row. With movies, it was like being in a THX theater or better because you just can't get an acoustic spot that sweet in a space so large. The only strike against Creative goes to the company's argument that an onboard audio chip still matters. Despite the technical mastery behind its EMU-10K2, the numbers prove that the real-world impact of an APU on frame rates when compared against software processing in the CPU is negligible. With a 1GHz CPU, yes, you can see a 15% to 25% difference. With a 3GHz chip, the gap is practically nil. Creative will counter that there is a demonstrable difference with its EAX Advanced HD enabled or disabled, but HD is a Creative-specific technology, not an industry standard. If you want the extra ports, buy the ZS Platinum. If you just need the card, buy the straight ZS. Either way, we can't imagine a better upgrade investment for a PC.
Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo III 7.1 For $50, you might wonder just how much technology you're buying. The funny thing is that Hercules takes two old Cirrus Logic CS4624 chipsets, which date back to the 4.1 days, and runs them in tandem. One chip manages the front and center/sub channels while the other does the sides and rears. There is a definite trade-off for price vs. features, as this card only supports CD-class specs, meaning 18-bit audio input at 48KHz. Hercules does balance this by integrating optical SPDIF output, but you have to wonder about the utility of SPDIF without 24-bit audio. We've been pleased with prior Hercules audio products and have seen several positive reviews of the Fortissimo III. Unfortunately, we seem to have a dud unit on our hands. The center/sub channels in our card were dead. This made it impossible to judge the card's performance. Moreover, we noticed that the card was very prone to distortion in the front channels. This was audible even at low volume. We couldn't hear it in quiet music passages, but it became obvious in louder sections and doesn't appear related to the card's 90dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). We've kept this review in place here so that you can see its test numbers and know about the package. The drivers are both intuitive and useful, as the channel tester is what revealed our dead output jack. The 10-band EQ comes with eight presets, and there are easy checkboxes for enabling Sensaura and Direct3D functionality. Hercules throws in PowerDVD Pro EX, ACID XPress, and the company's own MediaStation II jukebox. We expected this card to be the low-cost surprise in our roundup. Instead, that title goes to Philips. Also, for $30 more, you can buy the Digifire 7.1, which features two FireWire ports.
M-Audio Revolution 7.1Based on the Envy 24HT, the Revolution was the industry's first 7.1 sound card, complete with a then-chart-topping 107dB SNR. Almost a year later, the Revolution still remains at the top of the VIA crowd. What you're paying for is M-Audio's higher component quality and somewhat broader industry support (as in Dolby Digital EX).
Mad Dog Entertainer 7.1 DSP Mad Dog's card is yet another based on the 24HT chip. However, you'll find no fancy software here, no plug-ins or third-party apps, just a driver, an optical SPDIF cable, and a stable card that covers most bases. There is no internal SPDIF connector, but the card does provide for digital loop-back and stream routing. The backplane features an extra jack for headphone output, as well as optical in and out ports. Ironically, Mad Dog likes to trumpet the card's DSP while VIA describes how hardware processing is fast disappearing from even the gaming industry. Mad Dog supports A3D, DirectSound3D, and EAX 1.0 and 2.0, but the Dolby and DTS codecs are absent. Sensaura supplies the 3D effects and matrixing, and the results are quite impressive. Actually, we found the Entertainer to be a better sounding card than the Prodigy. While not in the same rare air as the Audigy 2 ZS, Mad Dog manages to achieve clear highs and satisfying bass, nearly mirroring the Revolution's performance at half the price. The only oddity is that disabling the audio made no impact on our UT2003 frame rates. Mad Dog uses VIA's reference drivers almost to the letter, and in a simple card, this makes sense. The drivers are basic and easy to navigate. You won't find speaker distance sliders, an equalizer, or much of anything else, and actually, we're surprised that the Entertainer sounds so good without enhancement effects. The only problem is that this card needs to cost less. With the Audigy 2 ZS at $100, Mad Dog needs a $30 or $40 alternative, not a $60 one.
Philips Sonic Edge 5.1 PSC 605 As we saw with AUDIOTRAK, bad software can cripple good hardware, but Philips proves that good software can also elevate average hardware to excellence. In this case, the Sonic Edge 5.1 leans on Qsound to supply some amazing effect and matrixing algorithms. The result is that while Philips lacks several of the features you'll find in higher end cards, you might never notice if you just close your eyes. For starters, while the PSC 605 supports Dolby Digital, it does not perform any decoding. You won't find true Dolby support anywhere in the product. Rather, it passes through the encoded signals in the hope that you have an external decoder further down the line. Bad news, right? Well, we didn't actually discover this until we'd nearly finished testing. The tip-off was that while the card sounded fabulous overall, the front/rear channel separation didn't sound the same in our "Star Wars" pod race test as it did with other cards. Sure enough, what we were hearing was a virtual rear channel created by the QMSS algorithm, which computes where rear sounds are most likely to be rather than simply mirroring information from the front channels. In actuality, about all Philips supports is EAX 1.0 and 2.0. We also weren't surprised to see that the PSC 605 carried the highest toll on frame rates in UT2003, but what caused that jump in Doom III frame rates with sound enabled is a mystery. Philips' Sound Agent 2 driver delivers a lot of features, but the layout isn't as intuitive as it seems. We frequently had to bounce from one area to another and weren't always sure where to apply the proper adjustment, at least not until we'd practiced for a while. The driver provides a 10-band equalizer, a mixer area for inputs and outputs, and several Qsound effects. The three notable effects are QXpander (a "wide" sound mode), QSizzle (high and mid boost), and QRumble (bass boost). The effect of QRumble in DVD movies was incredible—nearly as good as the Audigy 2 ZS and better than any of the VIA-based cards. The effect ran into trouble with CD music, though. In bass-heavy tracks such as "Hotel California" and Sade's "No Ordinary Love," the low end became overpowering, and we found it very difficult to compensate through adjusting the LFE and EQ sliders. The biggest strikes against the PSC 605 result from its component quality. We frequently heard a distinct thump when opening or closing windows, the reverb effect causes very noticeable hiss in the rear channel, and with no other sound playing, you can plainly hear a slight hiss with the volume cranked up. Also, despite the presence of two SPDIF internal inputs, the only digital output is from the center/sub 1/8-inch jack, which serves double duty. Instead of optical or coax out ports, you get a 15-pin MIDI/game jack. Are these items deal breakers? No. In fact, despite its limitations, we'll go so far as to say that for nonpurists and those who mostly use their PC audio for CD music, the PSC 605 is the best budget choice on the market. For intense gaming and pure Dolby or DTS surround movie playing, a card with true channel separation is obviously in order. Change A Comin'? What really separates Creative from the herd is its component quality and codec support. Today, this difference is sufficient to keep the Audigy 2 ZS Platinum firmly at the pinnacle of PC audio. However, M-Audio has demonstrated that Creative's SNR quality can be nearly replicated in a VIA-based card. QSound gives Creative's effects and matrixing a run for its money. Right now, only Creative has the prestige to succeed with a $200 consumer card. Could a company such as Mad Dog come back with a bay panel and DVD-Audio support? We suspect it could, especially with backing from VIA, and the end result might just ring in under $100. Realistically, we wouldn't be surprised to see all sound cards under $50 vanish within 12 months, if only as a result of widespread adoption of VIA's integrated Envy chips paired with SPDIF and surround extension risers. Once integrated chips start achieving SNR specs in the 90dB to 100dB range, the battle will come down to playback format licensing and port counts, as most users won't be able to hear the difference between a mainstream integrated chip and a high-end PCI card.  by William Van Winkle
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