Give your system the Edge!
Written: Jul 29 '02 (Updated Jul 29 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dead quiet (no noise), reasonably priced, very good EAX and Aureal synthesis, fine support.
Cons: Incomplete 5.1 support, not the beefiest software addons, no equalization software.
The Bottom Line: Excellent surround sound, high-class electronics, supreme ease of installation and use, and excellent customer support --- all for $40? Get the Edge!
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| walzking's Full Review: Philips Seismic Edge Sound Card |
In Windows-based computer system sound cards it had been Creative Labs' SoundBlaster series or pretty much nothing until a couple of years ago.
One multinational electronics company well-positioned to make inroads into the SoundBlaster Empire was the Dutch giant Philips. The three sound cards it currently offers --- the Harmonic Edge, the Seismic Edge and the Acoustic Edge --- are a welcome addition to the scene and well-made, good-sounding cards all on their own.
The Seismic Edge is the middle child, as such offers the advanced Thunderbird DSP chip that Philips itself makes, offering excellent surround-sound effects against a dead-quiet (noise-wise) background. It does NOT offer the advanced connectivity of big brother the Acoustic Edge, but for most folks (like me) running a 2-speaker, 2.1-speaker, 4-speaker or 4.1-speaker setup, this Edge rocks.
Especially when (like now) Philips has gotten competitive and dropped the prices of their boards across the, er, board. The Seismic Edge I purchased 7 weeks ago was a paltry $39, and even the top-of-the-line Acoustic Edge was available for under $70 --- quite a bit less than the (also excellent) Hercules/Guillemot sound cards and a LOT less than the current crop of SoundBlaster cards from Creative.
The card installed in minutes and has been utterly trouble-free since (something that could NOT be said for the resource-hungry SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 card that had preceded it), and Philips has gotten serious about keeping their drivers up to date: Mine date from SIX DAYS ago.
For less than $40 it seems almost churlish to complain about anything, but here goes: The software bundle that comes with the Seismic Edge is Spartan at best, there's no optical line out for digital speaker systems (like most 5.1 surround systems are these days), and unlike the comparably priced Hercules Fortissimo II card, no equalizer in the software suite that installs with the card. (To be fair, though, the Philips card is MUCH quieter and, at least in my experience, easier to install than the Hercules.)
If you're currently getting by with motherboard-based sound production in your system, or you have an older SoundBlaster, Diamond or Aureal sound card in your system, spend the $40 and get this Edge. You WILL be glad you did.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39
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Epinions.com ID:
walzking
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Reviews written: 3
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