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The Week in
Review: March 24-30, 2003
Last week's features at
3DsoundSurge
Last week's sound news
Drivers and bugs
New
games, demos, patches and bugs
Neocron Patches
New patches for Neocron has been released.
- Unreal II Patch
A new
patch (v1403) for Unreal 2 has been released. Audio related changes are
- Updated DefOpenAL32.dll which should fix EAX-related PlaySound
crashes.
- Possible fix for DirectMusic-related "GetEventTool"
crashes.
- Fix for sound-related crash when exiting some levels with DirectX 9.
- Sound fixes. Should reduce occurrences of sound
"stuttering" that some people have had due to sound overload / thrashing.
Reviews
of soundcards, speakers, headphones and MP3 players.
- TerraTec DMX 6-fire
Guru3D has done a detailed review of TerraTec Envy 24 based DMX 6-fire. Guru3D find it
to offer better sound quality than the Audigy 2 and better feature set when it comes to
professional use/music creation but they still consider the Audigy 2 to be the best gaming
card. Worth noting that even though Guru3D may not have seen any DVDs that feature Dolby
Surround EX or DTS-ES several exists.
- Chaintech AV-515M Sound Card
Viperlair has posted a positive review of Chaintech AV-515M sound card. It's based on
Cmedia's CMI-8738 chip. Viperlair compare it to the Audigy and while they don't think it
quite match the Audigy they found it to be a great budget card.
- TerraTec / Philips Sound Card Round-up
Techconnect has posted a round-up review that looks at the Philips
Seismic Edge and three sound cards from TerraTec, the Aureon Sky, Space and Fun. The
review finds the Sky and Space to offer the best sound quality. One minor point worth
noting is the Envy24HT is not the only true 24 bit controller on the market. For example
the Audigy 2 is delivering true 24/192 output necessary for DVD-Audio playback. Along that
same line the "4Gsound" that TerraTec references is not a unique TerraTec
feature but rather a unique name for what they are describing as 4th generation audio
capability.
- Logitech Z-680
DesignTechnica has posted a review of Logitech Z-680 speaker system. As pretty much every
other review of this system this one is very positive (score 9 out of 10). They compare it
mostly to other Logitech systems, in particular the Z-640 and Z-560.
- I-Bead 100 MP3 Player
3DAI has posted a short and positive review of I-Bead 100 MP3 Player even though they
note it may be hard to find and it's a bit pricey ($175). It's a small (37 grams) flash
based MP3 player with 128MB built in memory which features FM tuner, voice recorder and
blue back lit LCD display.
- Antec Sonata Piano Black Quiet PC Case
Ascully.com has posted an overall very positive review of the Antec Sonata Piano Black Quiet PC Case. Here's a snip:
Now I can't say honestly that this case is the quietest out
there, but it does have a low hum and nothing near as bad as a fully loaded Performance
Plus with 8 fans. Using the specially marked Fan Only Molex connectors reduces noise
drastically and has no noticeable effect on temperatures during normal use.
Other sound news
- Creative Audigy Interview
Hardware Fusion has conducted an interview with Creative’s Darragh O’Toole, European
Brand Manager for Audio Products, about Creative Labs Audigy series. Here's three of
the more interesting Q&As:
Q. How much of an improvement can we expect to see with audio
hardware in the new few years or have we pretty much reached a peak point for sound cards?
A. There is an inherent limitation to the capacity of human hearing,
so the race for higher sample rates may slow down. Taking over from this is the aim is to
use the technology to improve the end user’s audio experience. This extends from
improving the user interface, to the connectivity and feature set, and game and software
integration, like ASIO features and EAX.
Q. What features can we expect to see in the next generation sound
card from Creative?
A. More usability features in both the hardware and software,
building on the Extigy and Platinum eX models and bringing connectivity within arm’s
reach. We’re also looking at providing feature rich complementary software bundles to
take advantage of the card’s abilities.
Q. What improvements can we expect to see with audio acceleration in
the future and how much further can you push the boundaries?
A. The number of streams that can be handled and the processing of
simultaneous in-game environments can both be improved on, resulting in an improved user
experience
- Universal Music Group Announces Its Commitment to
DVD-Audio
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music company, has announced its
commitment to make music available on DVD-Audio (DVD-A). Beginning with twenty U.S.
releases slated for the second half of 2003, UMG plans an ongoing program to make a
combination of best-selling artists and core catalog titles available on DVD-Audio in
major markets worldwide. You can find more details in the press release.
- NVIDIA and Dolby Unveil Advanced PC Audio
Validation Program
NVIDIA has unveiled details of a comprehensive validation program for motherboards and PC
systems that offer a higher level of audio functionality, fidelity, and performance. The
new SoundStorm Program ensures NVIDIA nForce 2-based motherboards and turnkey PC systems
are designed and produced to the high quality standards defined by NVIDIA, and must pass a
rigorous testing process conducted by Dolby Laboratories before they will be validated as
being Dolby® Digital 5.1 and NVIDIA SoundStorm compliant. Motherboard
companies and PC OEMs that introduce approved products will be afforded full marketing
support and materials, and be allowed to use NVIDIA and the Dolby Digital logos and case
badges for their product packaging, advertising and other promotional items. The following
products have already passed the validation process; more product approvals are pending.
Abit NF7-S motherboard
MSI K7N2G-ILSR motherboard
Shuttle SN41G2 small form-factor PC
When we published our nForce APU review
in February we described the certification process based on information supplied to us by
NVIDIA. This does not add anything beyond specific board lists and some analog I/O quality
information so I suspect this announcement is in an effort to further spread the word on
just what the SoundStorm certification process means and as a result, aid in marketing
efforts. For full details on today's announcement you can check out the full
press release.
- Spatializer Audio Moves Beyond Consumer
Electronics
Expanding its markets to include game, internet, and PC platforms, Spatializer Audio
Laboratories has announced the formation of a new division, Spatializer Interactive,
representing a new marketing and engineering direction for the company. Spatializer Audio Laboratories will be demonstrating its suite of audio
technologies targeted at game, personal computing, and internet connected platforms at the
iHollywood Forum's Digital Media Summit being held now in Universal City, CA. You can find
more details in
the press release
- SRS Labs Announces 2002 Results
SRS Labs has reported improved operating results for the year ended December 31, 2002,
with a 23% increase in revenue over the year ended December 31, 2001. The company
increased licensing by 63% and semiconductor revenue by 73%, respectively, over 2001. You
can find more
details in the press release.
- Spatializer Reports 2002 Results
Spatializer Audio Laboratories has reported revenues for the twelve months ended December
31, 2002 of $1,856,000, compared to $1,604,000 in the prior year, an increase of 16%. Net
Income for the year ended December 31, 2002 was $18,000 compared to net loss of ($240,000)
in the prior year. Revenues for the fourth quarter ended
December 31, 2002 were $464,000, compared to $389,000 in the prior year, an increase of
19%. Spatializer reported a net loss of $17,000 for the three months ended December 31,
2002, compared to net income of $27,000 per share, in the prior year. You can find more details in the full
press release.
For more news from last week check out our news archive.
Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurgeReviews that we are currently working on:
Updated Santa Cruz/Sonic Fury and GameTheaterXP reviews
Hercules Fortissimo II
Terratec DMX Xfire 1024
CMedia CM8738 Reference Review
Full Audigy Review
Full Philips MMS305 Review
There are several other hardware reviews in the pipeline
including, but not limited to the following:
Guillemot Maxi Sound MUSE
Terratec m3po
DigMedia MusicStore
Philips Seismic Edge
Lots of other stuff on the go in including several guides and major site revisions that we
will soon be releasing more details on.
As always if you have any ideas for products we should review or features we should do,
please let us know.
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