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Thread ID: 34850	2003-06-25 20:55:00	Philips Acoustic Edge	Ron Bakker (356)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
155107	2003-06-25 20:55:00	How good are Philips Acoustic Edge soundcards. I'm thinking in mind of gaming.	Ron Bakker (356)
155108	2003-06-26 07:38:00	I was one of the first in NZ to have one of these cards, importing one from America over half a year before they became available here... The Philips Acoustic Edge once held great hope for those suffering from CreativeLabs SoundBlaster solutions. Their driver support was once regular, but a driver release hasnt happened for months now, while Philips focuses on its other soundcards. So the AE is getting behind... Its drivers ARE very solid, but as I say.. they're just getting behind... Currently as far as gaming goes, I cant recommend the AE. But for music listening and dvd watching, it's still an extremely strong contender. I most definately will not recommend any creativelabs product. I'd recommend you look at a gametheater 7.1, or preferably a Revo 7.1 if you can find one	whetu (237)
155109	2003-06-26 08:01:00	> I most definately will not recommend any creativelabs product . Why? I've owned a sb16 & a sb live and they were the best cards I've ever had . Never gave me any problems .	bmason (508)
155110	2003-06-26 08:55:00	> > I most definately will not recommend any > creativelabs product. > > Why? > > I've owned a sb16 & a sb live and they were the best > cards I've ever had. Never gave me any problems. True, but if you were a genuine audiophile, you would agree that the Creative Labs cards are not good enough. The sound card is probably the most important component in a Home Theatre PC setup. Picking a sound card can be a complicated situation. If you want to output all your audio signals digitally, then you need a sound card that has s/pdif. S/pdif is the digital output developed by Sony and Philips, which is what it is named after, Sony/Philips digital interface (S/PDIF). Not all digital outputs are created equal, even though some may think so. For our HTPC, we decided to go with M-audio's newest consumer based sound card, the Revolution 7.1. HTPC builders in the past have relied on M-audio's Audiophile 2496 or Delta Dios to do the job for digital output. The mentioned models are not cheap since they were meant for studio recording, running about 200 dollars USD. Since so many people were using these pro-sumer sound cards, M-audio decided to build a new one for the everyday consumer, which is what the Revolution 7.1 is. Aside from offering 7.1 support, which is just 2 extra rear speakers, it also supports 24 bit / 192Khz sampling. This is one of the only cards on the market that can support this, previously, many people were using the Audigy line of cards from Creative, which boasts a 24/96 support. It was later discovered that it wasn't true, the Audigy re-sampled! Instead of passing through 44.1 KHz streams, it re-sampled to 48Khz, which is not perfect in regards to bit for bit output. Even the Santa Cruz does it too. No one would want that.... You want a card that can provide the signal digitally and cleanly, which is why you should go for the M-audio solution, which has no need to re-sample. Lo.	Lohsing (219)
155111	2003-06-26 10:41:00	Yes I am actually a purist when it comes to music. In fact that is why I have never really delved into home theatre. I have surfed the hifi shops ,listend to some pretty elaborate systems. But found even set ups requiring more than ten grand some how just don't have a natural sound ,on top of that only a fraction of Nz'ers live in a house that's the right shape for the acoustic reflection to work properley. But as far as gaming is concernd I read in a review somewere that one of the Phillip's cards did a really good job of makeing up acoustics for games that did not have any EAX support. E.g quake 3	Ron Bakker (356)
155112	2003-06-26 13:37:00	it would have been an old review.. the last AE drivers released came out... *checks* a year ago in 2 days time. It's fairly frustrating.. the AE is a VERY capable card, even by today's standards, and the reason I got it was because it had a reputation for excellent support. Members of the driver dev team would read feedback on the drivers, and communicate directly with end users through forums.. something no other consumer soundcard maker had done. These days, the lack of driver updates has made the AE slip behind when it comes to gaming. Very disappointing indeed. As for creativelabs, dont get me started... let's just say I have a personal dislike of them and we'll leave it at that. So, to summarise: For the best in audio reproduction from a PC, you're looking at a m-audio with burrbrowns, from the consumer level you're looking at something based on the Via Envy (revo), or the AE. Just remember - features are not everything. Analogue sound quality is defined by the DAC/ADC's used. This is what cripples the audio on most nForce2 motherboards - they're mostly using Realtek AC650's, which dont have much of a show compared to the dual Sigmatels used by my old AE... So make sure you checkout what DAC/ADC's are used by prospective soundcards... For the best in gaming...each have their strongpoints, but the AE is seriously lagging in this department, and with the uncertainty of continued driver support, just isnt a realistic option IMHO	whetu (237)
155113	2003-06-26 20:27:00	Hmm Intresting When I was buying my stereo about six years ago there was a lot of emphasis on dac's when it came to the cd player. Which is the only important difference. My Marantz 65se sounded better than your average technics player but both had thier michanical parts made in Malaysia.	Ron Bakker (356)
155114	2003-06-26 20:50:00	Whetu, do you know who stocks M-Audio in Auckland?? I might look at seeing how much the Revolution-M card is... Lo.	Lohsing (219)
155115	2003-06-26 22:16:00	lohsing, professional music shops should have m-audio products, DSE is selling them.. not that the average DSE customer would have the slightest clue www.dse.co.nz (XH6701 if the link doesnt work) It's not a revo, but I figure if they have M-Audio now, they're probably more likely to know when revo's will get here, or probably more likely to have the contacts to get you one... but definately check out your local rockshops etc	whetu (237)
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