decent enough card for the price
Written: Aug 26 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great dsp, cheap, marketshare, low cpu usage, support
Cons: not so good 3d gaming
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| graffixboy's Full Review: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card |
Creative has been the leader in making sound cards, but this card is not as great as it is hyped up to be. Albeit, it is a great improvement over previous generations of sound cards, but it still lacks features that prevent me from loving this card.
The on-board hardware DSP is IMHO the best on the market. You could have a few dozen different sounds going at once and it wouldn't phase the card. Diamond attempted in making a software DSP in their MX400 and it is seriously lacking in comparison to the new Creative cards.
I think gamer's are in a tough spot these days with the sound cards that are on the market. They have a choice of either buying a Creative card with EAX or getting an Aureal card wit A3D. EAX is Creative's proprietary but free API (application program interface) that is responsible for creative 3D sounds like echoes in an empty room. EAX's only strength is that Creative has marketshare and has the support of Microsoft. So in the future, unless another company like Aureal comes around, EAX will be the standard in the future. Most gamers I know prefer the A3D API, but unfortunately, the company went bankrupt not too long ago and most likely will not have any more new products.
The only complaint I had with this card is that it has no support for A3D, which is really hard since a lot of my games use that API. So on a lot of games I was forced to play without knowing the exact source of a gunshot or car engine. (I am using 4.1 channel speaker system)
An amateur sound developer or musician will probably prefer this card because of its fantastic DSP and software library. Gamers might prefer this card because of its low needs for processor cycles and resources. But a hardcore gamer might find that not having true surround sound might be a little agitating. I am not sure if EAX has true 3D sound capabilities, but I have yet to notice its effects. If you're really into 3D sound gaming, I would recommend the MX400, although it has its own set of problems, which I wrote a review on. Otherwise, the Soundblaster Value Live really is a great value with good support and compatibility.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 55
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Epinions.com ID:
graffixboy
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Member: some guy
Location: Long Island, NY
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 4 members
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