Mad Dog Multimedia Entertainer 7.1 DSP Soundcard

Audio/Others by nobraine @ 2003-11-21

VIA?s Envy24HT-S chip is powering some new soundcards out there, we take a look at its features and see how it performs when put it up against a Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1 / SoundBlaster Live 5.1 and nVidia's Soundstorm.

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Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1

Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1:

The Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1 is based on the Cirrus Logic SoundFusion CS4624 sound chip and has the following spec's

  • CD and Pro Audio quality
  • 20-bit quad output and 18-bit dual stereo input codec
  • up to 48kHz sampling rate
  • DSP accelerated engine for unlimited number of voices (64-voice hardware)
  • 8MB General MIDI/GS® sample set
  • DLS 1.0 compatible• GM. (General Midi) and Yamaha XG. compatible
  • Yamaha S-YXG50
  • Microsoft® DirectSound.& DirectMusic.
  • Dolby Surround.
  • Dolby Digital. & Dolby Digital. EX.
  • Line in / Mic in
  • MIDI / Game port (MPU 401. compatible)
  • Digital S/PDIF out (optical)

    As minimal system requirements the soundcard needs the following:
  • An Intel Pentium MMX 233Mhz of higher,
  • 64Mb Ram,
  • 10Mb HD space
  • any Microsoft based OS since Windows 98SE.

    As for the looks of the card:

    Madshrimps (c)


    This box was in perfect condition since it didn't come from Taiwan, but from our generous sponsor Comtechnology. The package contained a soundcard (otherwise there wouldn't be much of a review), an S/PDIF cable, a cd with drivers and a manual on how to install the card into your computer.

    Madshrimps (c)


    Madshrimps (c)


    The card has has 2 internal connectors to connect with CD drives, uses an S/PDIF out and also has an auxiliary input. The Fortissimo III 7.1 support following technologies:

  • Microsoft DirectSound. 3D
  • EAX 1.0
  • EAX. 2.0
  • A3D. 1.0
  • I3DL2.
  • MacroFX.
  • MultiDrive.
  • ZoomFX. ,
  • EnvironmentFX.

    In this review we used the latest drivers from Hercules, these where version 6.09 at this moment in time and space. A remarkable detail was that the Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1 driver installation process required internet acces to be shut-down in order to successfully install.

    Madshrimps (c)

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