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The Week in
Review: April 15-21, 2002
Last week's features at
3DsoundSurge
Music Reviews and Recommendations
Every year, thousands upon thousands of musical offerings are released. Add these to the
recordings already out there, and it is easy to miss out on great music! Visit
our Music Reviews and Recommendations forum to post reviews and read recommendations
made by fellow 3DSS music lovers.
Last week's sound news
Drivers and bugs
- Windows XP Application Compatibility Update
For the XP users out there, in case you have not already seen it Microsoft has released
(April 10th) a new compatibility update that according to their information page addresses
issues with a number of games and utilities including some Sound Blaster Audigy Utilities
and Half-Life CounterStrike. You can get more details
from this support page link.
- CMedia CMI-8738 WIN XP Driver update
Through the WindowsUpdate feature in Windows XP you can now get version 6.36 of CMedia's
drivers for soundcards using the CMI-8738 chip. No idea what's new. Thanks to Michael Fox
for the news.
- Dell BIOS patch for Dimension 4300/4300s
Dell has released a new
BIOS patch for Dell Dimension 4300/4300s. According to posts on Creative news server
it's supposed to fix the Audigy squeal of death issue on these systems but see no mention
of that on Dell's servers. Anyway if you got one of these systems you should download the
BIOS patch.
New games, demos, patches and bugs
- Spider-Man: the Movie for Xbox feature 3D sound
Spider-Man: the Movie (the game that is) for Xbox feature 3D sound according to a review on Team Xbox.
Here's the sound bite:
Right on par with the graphics, the Xbox excels in the audio
department and comes out the winner when comparing with both the PS2 and the Gamecube. If
you play the game with surround support you will be treated great directional sound that
really breaks through your system as Spider-Man zips through the sky. You’ll hear the
bustle of the city below you as you move from place to place. Not only that, but you will
hear as people on the streets recognize you swinging above. You won’t here “look
it’s a bird,” but you’ll hear phrases like, “It’s the Spider-Man!”
taken directly from the famous comic theme song.
The game is told by Bruce Campbell, the voice actor who steps in for
the legendary Stan Lee as the narrator. You will also get a good deal of audio input from
Spider-Man himself as Tobey tells some of the story from his point of view. Even though
the movie comes out in a couple weeks, we will already get a good feel for the movie after
spending some time with the game because of the move to include the actors’ voices in
the game.
Aside from the great voice overs, the sound effects and soundtrack
are sufficient, but they aren’t as exciting as the voices or the directional ambience
of the games’ levels. The gameplay and graphics are the focal points of the game, and
the audio is a good support to complete the overall gaming experience.
- NoLimits Rollercoaster feature 3D sound
NoLimits Rollercoaster feature good use of 3D sound according to a review on Avault.
Here's what they had to say
The sound in No Limits is as realistic as the physics of
movement. You hear the clickety-clack sound of the rollercoaster moving over its tracks,
the thud of the opening and closing of the gates, the whoosh of the air, and even the
voices of the invisible passengers quietly talking to each other before the ride begins.
While there are not many ambient environmental sound effects, 3D sound is very effectively
implemented in the Simulator.
- Dungeon Siege Demo
Gas Powered Games has released the promised demo for Dungeon. You can grab the 183MB huge
demo from Download.com
and FilePlanet.
The full game feature support for 3D sound and EAX so I assume the same support is in the
demo.
- SoF2 Multiplayer Test
Activision has now released the multiplayer test for Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
for download from
FilePlanet. You can also find mirrors on Blue's
News. The full game is expected to support EAX Advanced HD but not sure if that's
available in this multiplayer test.
Reviews of soundcards, speakers, headphones and MP3
players.
- MegaWorks 510D vs Klipsch ProMedia 5.1
ExtremeTech has posted a comparison
of Cambridge Sound Works MegaWorks 510D and Klipsch ProMedia 5.1. When it comes to the
objective technical overview I disagree with their complaints of the SPDIF input of the
MegaWorks 510D. There is no other soundcard than the Audigy or Live 5.1 that offers 3
SPDIF outputs so really no point to offer another type of SPDIF input. I agree with their
conclusion that the ProMedia 5.1 feature set is better though. When it comes to the subjective impression I can't really comment since I
have not listened to the ProMedia 5.1. The two reviewers found the ProMedia 5.1 subwoofer
to the more impressive but overall they still picked the MegaWorks 510D thanks to more
neutral midrange and treble, which was in particular noticeable when playing music. Thanks
to Soebhaash Dihal for the pointer.
- Klipsch ProMedia 4.2 and Monster Cable PMK 4.1
EXHardware has
posted an overall very positive review that looks at the Klipsch "ProMedia
4.2" system as well as the Monster Cable PMK 4.1 speaker wire upgrade for the
ProMedia 4.1 series. The ProMedia 4.2 is a bundle of 2 ProMedia 2.1 systems. A couple of
comments follow. First, while it's true that many multimedia systems use crossovers in the
200-250 Hz range, the ProMedia series does not so localization is not an issue. However,
the crossover is still high enough that I would still not recommend that the two subs be
placed in a left / right configuration. What you mostly gain from this 4.2 setup is
quantity of bass while what you trade off is depth of bass as the ProMedia 2.1 sub is not
as deep as the 4.1 sub. When it comes to the PMK 4.1 wires I have not tested them so will
refrain from comment on the sonic improvements. I do know that the original jacks on the
stock 2.1 and 4.1 units have indeed been problematic in terms of their connection so the
notable improvements in this area as reported by the review are welcome.
- AOpen MS-900 5.1
Neoseeker has done a review of
AOpen MS-900 5.1 Speakers System. It's a 5.1 system featuring 3" drivers for the
satellites and a 5 1/4" for the subwoofer. It's not including a Dolby Digital or DTS
decoder but does offer two other features, equalizer presets and 2 to 5.1 stereo
expansion. Neoseeker found it to perform well but the review lacks any direct comparison
to other speaker systems. I'm also unable to find any price info, perhaps I'm blind.
- Labtec Axis-002 Headset
Gaming in 3D has posted
a review of Labtec's Axis-002 Headset. Gaming in 3D found it to be a good headset with
an excellent microphone considering the low price ($30). Only complaint was the less than
perfect comfort.
- Turtle Beach AudioTron
DesignTechnica has done a review of
Turtle Beach AudioTron. The AudioTron is basically a virtual jukebox that use your PC
as your music-file server. DesignTechnica found it to perform well but complained a bit
about difficult installation process.
- Creative Nomad Jukebox 3
T-Break has posted what I believe is the first review of
Creative Labs just announced Nomad Jukebox 3. The review focus on the usability and
features rather than sound quality. They will later follow up with more impressions of the
sound quality both playback and recording. When it comes to the features and usability
they found it to be excellent.
- Sony DRU110A/C1 DVD+RW
CDR Labs has posted a review of Sony
DRU110A/C1 DVD+RW. They found it to perform quite well, very similar to DVD+RW drives
from HP and Philips that all share the same Ricoh drive design. The major complaint is the
lack of DVD+R support.
- Project Silence Part 1
BurnOutPc has posted
the first part of a project titled Silence. The goal is to make the ultimate silence
water-cooling rig, that looks cool, and performs extreme. The case they use is the Lian Li
P70 with new front bezel revision.
Other sound news
- NVIDIA nForce Selected for HP Pavilion Desktop
PCs
NVIDIA® has announced that the Company's nForce(TM) 420-D platform processors have been
selected for use in Hewlett-Packard Company's HP Pavilion desktop PCs. According to NPD
Techworld, a leading market research firm, HP Pavilion has been the number one retail
desktop PC brand nationwide for the last 12 months. You can find more details in the full press release.
Obviously an important win for nVidia's nForce. For some analysis on this deal as well as
some other recent design wins for nVidia's nForce you can check out this article on EEtimes.
- SigmaTel C-Major™ Audio Introduces the First
AC'97 2.3 Codec
SigmaTel, the leading provider of AC'97 audio codecs is pleased to announce the first
AC'97 codec to take advantage of the features in the AC'97 Specification Revision 2.3, now
available from the Intel website. The C-Major™
STAC9752/53 audio codec is a digital-ready 2-channel codec that incorporates both 20-Bit
DACs and ADCs, ideal for use in next-generation 20-bit chipsets. The C-Major codec also
contains full jack sensing, allowing for the system to automatically detect the presence
of a microphone in the microphone jack and will detect the impedance of the devices
plugged into the headphone and speaker jacks. By utilizing the latest AC'97 specification,
this codec bypasses current "hard-wired" jack sensing solutions, and makes this
feature available to existing audio jack form factor standards, thus lowering support
costs and reducing the price of "proprietary" development. You can find more
info in the press release
including a link to Intel's website with the full AC97 2.3 specs.
- Benwin Launches New iSeries (Speakers)
Benwin has announced the launch of what they claim is the most anticipated multimedia
speaker series to date. The new iSeries features a new circular industrial design and
fresh new color schemes at affordable prices. The new iSeries will be showcased at this
year's RetailVision event on April 15-18 in Anaheim, California. The prices ranges from
$20 to $60 so not exactly high performance products. You can find some details in the press release
- InterVideo Announces Licensing Agreement With SRS
Labs
InterVideo, Inc. and SRS Labs has today announced that they have entered into a licensing
arrangement to integrate SRS Labs' virtual surround sound TruSurround XT(TM) into its
software products. TruSurround XT from SRS Labs is an
advanced technology for delivering a 5.1 surround sound experience over standard,
two-speaker playback systems or headphones. It is based upon its namesake, the patented
TruSurround® technology, which is the established standard for virtual surround sound.
TruSurround XT includes unique SRS technologies including SRS Dialog Clarity(TM), WOW(TM)
and TruBass®. InterVideo intends to release software with integrated SRS technology later
this year. You can find
more details in the full press release. Worth noting that TruSurround XT is already
available in the most expensive edition of Cyberlink's PowerDVD XP.
- Creative Announces NOMAD Jukebox 3
Creative has announced the NOMAD® Jukebox 3, the first digital audio player with
SB1394(TM) (IEEE-1394 compatible) connectivity to the PC. It also features a USB 1.1
interface. Other features includes 20GB storage capacity, EAX® environment presets,
Anti-skip Protection (up to 7 minutes), Provides Smart Volume Management, Multi-Channel
Effects, Headphone Spatialization, optional infra red remote, wired remote with FM tuner
and more. It is now shipping to retail and on-line outlets at
an estimated street price of US$399.99. A 40GB version of the NOMAD Jukebox 3 is slated
for online availability next month at US$499.99. You can find more details in the press release
- iRiver Introduces iMP-150 ChromeX Digital Music
Player
iRiver has announced iRiver's iMP-150 ChromeX, a next generation MP3 CD digital audio
player that allows consumers to play standard audio CDs and user-recorded CD-R and CD-RW
discs. The handheld player features shock protection, future-proof firmware that allows
upgrades via the Internet, support for the MP3, WMA and ASF formats, backlit LCD, Remote
control, support for ID3 tags and more. The SRP is $99. You can find more details in the press release
- Good Guys Introduces Philips' Newest DVD Recorder
Good Guys, the largest specialty retailer of higher-end consumer entertainment electronics
in US, has introduced Philips' newest DVD Recorder, the DVDR985. Based on DVD+RW technology, the new DVD Recorder enables consumers to capture
everything from holidays to vacations to their favorite television program on a DVD+RW or
DVD+R disc. The recordings can then be played back on most DVD players. The product is
available now at Good Guys and has a suggested retail price of $999. You can find more
details in the full press
release
- Philips Welcomes Microsoft Support for DVD+RW
Format
Philips Electronics has issued a press release where they welcome that Microsoft, at its
annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) this week, will announce their
intention to incorporate the DVD+RW format into its next version of the Windows operating
system. You can find more
details in the press release. For a less biased opinion of what this may mean you can
check out this ZDNet
article
- Composer Bill Brown Interview on "Visions In
Sound"
Bill Brown's website sent us the following bit:
Bill's radio interview on the TV & Movie Soundtrack show
"Visions In Sound" with Host/Producer Rob Daniels on CKMS 100.3FM in Waterloo
Ontario Canada is expected to broadcast on Friday April 19 2002. If you are not within
listening range of the station, you can listen to the simultaneous webcast via the
internet at about 12:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time) 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Eastern). In addition to the interview, Bill's music from Return To Castle Wolfenstein,
Any Given Sunday, Ali, Rainbow Six - Rogue Spear, Trapped and Scorcher will be featured in
the program. We hope to provide an archive copy of the show soon after the broadcast which
will be available on Bill's Press page. To access the webcast link, visit
http://billbrownmusic.com/news.htm?Visions
For more news from last week check out our news archive.
Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurge
- Reviews 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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