SoundBlaster Live Value: The Perfect Soundcard?
Written: Jun 20 '00 (Updated Jun 26 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: inexpensive, great for gaming, lots of features, very clean signal
Cons: mediocre software bundle, could be hard to find
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| clburdette's Full Review: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card |
Overall, this is a great card, but considering the price, and the barebones software bundle, you can tell this card is aimed mainly at conscientious budget gamers. The ad couldn't put it any better: Geared For Gaming.
First off, let me start by saying that while the Soundblaster Live! Value is no longer available through big, retail establishments, one can still be found at smaller screwdriver shops and auction sites around the web. Look at a card like the SB Live XGamer, MP3+, etc and you'll see that the retail price is $99. The SB Live Value is the exact same hardware minus the generous software bundle and can usually be found for around $50. So point number one becomes: If you're looking for a great gaming card and don't care about software bundles, this is the one you're looking for.
The retail version of the SB Live Value includes:
The Soundblaster Live! Value
An analog and a digital sound cable
One disc containing a special edition of Unreal and Creative's
computerized speech creation software Parody Parrot
Another disc containing the SB Liveware version 1, and sound demos which are fun to load up once and listen to once, but are basically useless after that
Important features of the SB Live Value include:
1. Support for EAX DirectSound 3D extensions. These extensions allow usage of 3 dimensional and directional sound in games.
2. A robust processor that takes much of the processing load away from the CPU.
3. Support for 4-way surround sound
4. Digital input and audio cable, useful for copying and listening to audio cds.
5. Low noise level. The SB Live's signal to noise ratio is 96db while most consumer sound cards are somewhere in the 70's. By comparison, most car stereos are in the mid 90's, and most home amplifiers are slightly above 100db.
6. Midi Wavetable which utilizes main memory to access up to 32mb of samples
7. Expandable for use with a s/pdif digital in/out daughter card which would essentially turn this card into a full version Soundblaster Live!
8. No internal amp. This means you'll either need powered speakers, an external amplifier, or headphones to use this card effectively.
Things that make this a great card:
1. The price is awesome for a card with this many features. At $50, there is absolutely no reason not to have one in your computer if sound concerns you in the least.
2. EAX. These extensions, and the speed at which this card handles them, adds a whole new dimension to games. Without a card that supports 3D sound, your gaming experience will be noticeably diminished.
3. S/PDIF digital in. By eliminating analog audio cables, this feature paves the way for true audio cd copying capabilities. Now there is less distortion and less noise when copying, mixing, and playing cds.
4. 32mb MIDI wavetable utilizing main memory. With huge(24mb+) downloadable sample packages, this card produces near life-like MIDI. If you're a big fan of MIDI music, you won't be disappointed.
5. Support for 4-channel sound which enables creation of distinct and discrete sounds coming from the rear: a great feature for gaming.
An important thing to note is that if you purchase this card this late in game, the software that comes with the card is a bit buggy and needs to be upgraded. In that case, you will need to go to http://www.soundblaster.com/ and download Liveware 3, which is a truly awesome sound software package, for free.
Since I don't care much for software bundles, I have to say that I can find absolutely nothing wrong with this product. Installation is easy, the new software is full of features and easy to use, the hardware is packed with features and truly top quality. Since it can still be found some places, I highly, highly recommend it. Even factoring in the software bundle, this is still just a great product and deserves a definite look when considering your next soundcard.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 45
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Epinions.com ID:
clburdette
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Member: Curtis Burdette
Location: california
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 19 members
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