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In the Forums... |
Posted: January 15th, 2002 Written by: Tuan Huynh Phillips Seismic Edge 5.1 Pros: Simple installation, superb sound quality, great features. Cons: No CD S/PIDF input. Verdict: Great sound, relatively low price, great alternative solution to the Santa Cruz. Last year, Philips enjoyed success with their Acoustic Edge 5.1 soundcard in the sub-$100 market. When they were enjoying their success, Turtle Beach dropped the price on their Santa Cruz down to $69 and could be found OEM for $59. What was Philips to do when their only worthy competitor was $40 cheaper? Their answer was simple, remove features from the Acoustic Edge and release it as a revised version of an existing product model. While many people have had problems with the 4-Channel Seismic Edge, which was based on the older VLSI Thunderbird 128 DSP, their new Seismic Edge 5.1 features the same DSP that the Acoustic Edge 5.1 and Rhythmic Edge 4.1 are based upon. The Bundle
The Product
On the connector side of things, the SE5.1 has a similar layout as the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. From top to bottom, the connectors are: Line In, Mic In, Front Speaker, Rear Speakers, Center/LFE Channel and S/PIDF, and Game port. Like the Santa Cruz, the Seismic Edge 5.1 has a shared S/PIDF and Center/LFE channel connector. Installation What much can I say? Open up your computer, throw it in, screw it in, turn it on, install drivers, restart, and you’re set! The Sound I’m not going to say much about the sound this time, since it sounds exactly like the Acoustic Edge. I’ll take out a section from my previous Acoustic Edge Review. “After watching through the Cast Away, I was amazed by the sound quality. During the scene where the plane was crashing, the Acoustic Edge brought theatre realism to the room. Not only could I feel the effects, but the sound coming from the speakers were clear and had no distortion whatsoever. In DVD performance the Acoustic Edge definitely sounds better then the SB Live 5.1, you have to hear it to believe it.” Like stated above, if you’re upgrading from an SB Live or Live 5.1, you’ll notice and enjoy the difference in sound quality. Conclusion The Seismic Edge 5.1 is another awesome product made by Philips. There might be a problem with obtaining it; it appears that there are no retailers or OEM’s that carry it quite yet in the US. It is available in Europe as I recall the original Seismic Edge wasn’t available in that market. For those who are able to obtain one or have a chance of obtaining one, don’t pass it up, the Seismic Edge 5.1 is a great product if you don’t need the S/PIDF input that the Acoustic Edge has. The Seismic Edge 5.1 offers great performance for a relatively low price; the card is aimed towards gamers and does a very good job at it. |
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