A piece of junk on the OfficeMax shelf
Written: Nov 16 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Legacy support
Cons: Thin sound, bad value,
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| LeePenrod's Full Review: I/Omagic MagicSound PCI |
I purchased the IoMagic PCI audio card from OfficeMax as an emergency replacement soundcard when I had a hardware failure, and I was very disappointed with it. I chose the IoMagic card because it was basically the only card in its price range (less than $40) that was in stock locally. Here is my experience with it.
The card is basically the integrated sound chip that many older sis motherboards have on them (other motherboard types may have it as well), put on a PCI interface. (ESS)
If you are not familiar with the ESS integrated sound then, basically imagine that the sound coming out of your pc is very flat and never quite sounds as good as a cheap transistor radio. If you are getting that type of sound quality you are probably using ESS integrated sound, or the IoMagic PCI audio card.
Now don't get me wrong. The IoMagic PCI audio card produces the sound that many PC users are used to hearing already, however the technology used is inappropriate for a replacement card. Aside from the single pro of actually working, it does have one feature that a few people look for: Dos sound support. However the now ancient SoundBlaster 16 card (ISA) I have sitting around in the closet even sounds better then this piece of junk and it only supports dos.
What I recommend
Skip the IoMagic PCI audio card; it is a total waste of money. In its price range ($20-$40) you can find the SoundBlaster PCI128 card, which delivers far superior sound (almost as good as the SoundBlaster Live) and keeps the dos support that you may be looking for.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 25
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Epinions.com ID:
LeePenrod
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Member: Leighly Penrod
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 6 members
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