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CREATIVE Sound Blaster Live! VALUE

CREATIVE Sound Blaster Live! VALUE
Reviewed by Matthew Fam Kai Liang (01/10/98)

Sound Card Specifications
Interface PCI 2.1 Compliant
Chipset E-mu EMU10K1
Ram 2MB/4MB/8MB SoundFont Using system memory
(Maximum up to 32MB SoundFont)
Working Standard(API) 1) EAX (Environmental Audio Extension)
2) Microsoft DirectSound/DirectSound 3D
3) Sound Blaster PCI
4) MPC-3
Package Content 1) Sound Blaster Live! PCI audio card
2) Digital CD Audio cable
3) Software package :
i.Sound Blaster Live! Value Installation CD
ii.Sound Blaster Live! Value Application CD (Unreal inside!)
Utilities & Softwares Content 1) Creative PlayCentre
2) Creative Launcher
3) Prody Parrot
4) Creative Rhythmania
5) Creative WaveStudio
6) Creative Keytar
7)On-line Sound Blaster Live! Tour and Demo
8) Music Library
OS supported 1) MICROSOFT Windows 95
2) MICROSOFT Windows 98
MICROSOFT Windows NT 4.0
Warranty Term 1 Year limited Hardware
Pricing (Retail Price) : S$ 185

<Introduction><The Good><The Bad>
<Test System Configuration>
<Conclusion><Rating>

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Introduction

Guess everyone's attention will be forcus on the VALUE sibling instead of  the Sound Blaster Live! for most of the time. As this little brother makes its quiet debate over Singapore's market late last month. With a pricetag S$100 less than it's flagship brother, what do you stand to lose out on? In fact, you might gain in the meantime if you agree to my opinion after reading through this review.

Originally, CREATIVE wanted to equipped a less powerful chipset into the Value's body henc saving cost and also let the Live! users feel more worthwhile for their Live! card. Luckily, this never came true; at least till now. You might want to consider the fact that with the same chipset 'EMU10K1' onboard of your Live! Value card, you will definately reap the fruits later when CREATIVE came out with it's upgrading Live!Ware Program which provides the newest enhancements and applications for both Sound Blaster Live! and the newly announced Sound Blaster Live! Value audio solutions. Creative has continued to develop and extend the power and potential of the EMU10K1™ processor used in the Sound Blaster Live! family. The capabilities of Sound Blaster Live! will grow with time as they unleash more of the untapped power, performance and functionality inherent in the EMU10K1 design. Hope that's a good news to all Live! family of users out there especially so for the Value users.

Sound Blaster Live! Value comes in a fairly similar box as the Live! except without some softwares and the extra "Audio Extension" card or commonly called Digital I/O card which lets any user hook up their sound card to any external digital device, MIDI device through DIN connectors, and/or multi-channel digital amplifier. Also, the Sound Blaster Live! is capable of connecting up to 8 (eight) digital speakers.

Not forgetting the marvellous whole bundled, the following is what you can find in your purchase.

  • CREATIVE Sound Blaster Live! Value Installation CD-ROM

  • Detailed 30+ Pages User Manual

  • 01 x Sound Blaster Live! Value Installation CD

  • 01 x Sound Blaster Live! Value Application CD (Incl. UNREAL EAX demo)

The software bundled in the CD are as follows :

  • Unreal Special Edition : The most anticipating game of 98' with full support for Environmental Audio Extension,it's featuring new 3D action game engine based on environments-fully realised worlds more elaborate than any dungeons or cities experienced before.

  • Creative PlayCenter : An intergrated multimedia player that allows you to play media files of any format and to enhance them with Environmental effects and multi-speaker surround sound.

  • Creative Lanucher : A sleek task bar that quickly launches frequently-used applications and provides preset Environmental Audio settings to enhance legacy game titles.

  • Creative AudioHQ : A "One-Stop Control Shop" that allows customisation and control of soundFont,3D audio,digital effects,audio mixer and Environmental Audio settings

  • Prody Parrot : Perform Windows related tasks with single voice commands.Or let Prody Parrot,which flies around the screen,entertain you with jokes and songs.Includes Text Assist and Voice Assist.

  • Creactive Rhythmania : An interactive auto-accompaniment application that houses a huge collection of musical styles to allow you to create music along with music sequence presets

  • Creative WaveStudio : A full-featured,powerful and easy-to-use .WAV file editing program.Record.WAV files which can then be converted into SoundFont.

  • Creative Keytar : An intuitive and highly interactive edutainment software for music beginners; with a virtual rhythm guitar console that enables you to pluck and strum any tune via the computer keyboards.

  • On-line Sound Blaster live! Tour And Demo : Provides easy-to-follow Screencam movies on various uses of Sound Blaster Live! Value

  • Music Library : E-mu's 2MB, 4MB and 8MB GM Banks, SoundFont sound samples and MIDI clips

Sound Blaster Live! Value comes with a complete and clearly worded manual. In it includes introduction to the card's value and detailed information. It also give you guide on placing your four-point speakers(if you do own them) and getting the system fixed up with the DVD-ROM drive. The used of SoundFonts are also fairly explained. My only complain is that it did not contain any information on how to run the CD audio connectors if an individual was also using the Creative Labs Encore Dxr2 DVD drive. Installation was a breeze and can be completed within 15 minutes once you figure out which software you would like to install.

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The Good

The Live! Value supplies one hundred percent hardware acceleration of DirectSound, DirectSound3D and DS3D with the Environmental Audio Extensions, relieving the CPU of those duties and all at an incredible signal to noise ratio of better than 96dB. The card samples audio at up to 48 kHz and a total harmonic distortion of 0.002%.

This horsepower comes by way of the EMU10K1 chip which boasts 1,000 MIPS and has the processing power of a pentium 90 all dedicated to audio.

Creative also talked alot about E-mu's patented 8-point Interpolation Algorithm that reproduces audio signals with new levels of fidelity, free from perceivable distortion. By taking multiple sample points of the sound source to generate the waveform, the audio reproduced is precise and almost no different from the actual sound.

The Live! Value can do up to 512 voices for incredible MIDI sound. It also offers a range of sound fonts from 2 to 32 MB going into system RAM with a full range of effects on the MIDI playback. The joystick interface (aside from doubling as a MIDI interface) provides standard analog/digital joystick support.
The MIDI interface on the extension card uses a MIDI DIN connector which can be connected to any regular MIDI cable, so that musicians need not use custom MIDI adapter cables to connect their MIDI compatible devices.

Edging the Aztech card fully with it's 4-speakers capable EAX sound.Its really a close fight between CREATIVE and DIAMOND when it comes to Midi performance, YAMAHA XG stands right above the rest with the eye popping midi quality. While all hold very strong ground. I must comment that Live! Value are really on par with the big guns and especially in term of DirectSound 3D compatibility. It score a little better than Yamaha with its experience packed softwares which includes the 'Prody Parrot' and many more.

BenchMarking

Running the bundled Unreal SE and the just arrived 'NEED FOR SPEED III', games play with the Value is as good as its more expensive brother, the Live! version. Making the very best in audio sensation with it's really solid surround effect which would definately need a 4 speakers setup to enjoy to the maximum.

The manual are also of much better quality than the Live!, wondering why its made this way. Unreal was really capable of creating the rear surround sound which alert you of the unexpected from behind you.Need for speed goes further with running the car's engine using quad-directional surround effect.

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The Bad

With the lack of the Digital I/O card.This value version sells at about almost half of that of the Live! Elimating the chance of you upgrading to the DeskTop Theater 5.1. Oh well,that not the end. You miss a lot when it comes to the Digital I/O card which allows AC-3 capability. Plus the wonderful feeling of having digital quality songs audio format to be ported over to your DAT,MiniDisc or even DVD players or recorder. Imaging the ability to export the long debuting MP-3 files over to your favourite Mini-disc player in pure digital format. Playing the songs with true CD quality is simply what you can expect.Well......

Pricing wise,it's definately way high on the chart at current S$180+ pricing. It's CREATIVE long tradition to charge a premier on their Sound Blaster products. It's quite a expensive choice if you are not someone that only wants the best in audio. By the way,have you realise that the PCI-64/128 cards also support EAX now?

I must also stress one point. Buying a Sound Blaster Live! Value without getting the 4 point speakers will not give you the ultimate best combination.You will sure to feel the difference,and bear in mind that buying two sets of 3 piece type of speakers like 'PCWorks' simply cannot replace the convience of having the 4 point speakers.

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Conclusion

Given a choice,this card is definately worth its price tag of S$188 if used to compared with the Live! simply because it packs as much punch and similar upgradable scheme to its famous sibling. At just half of Live! price tag and being handicapped by its lack of Digital I/O card (which I think most people will seldom use it), its on a class of its own. If you are looking between it and the upcoming DIAMOND MX300, wel, .I will still chose the latter. For the reason, look through the MX300 page.

 however, if you trust CREATIVE and think EAX is much better than A3D 2.0, o not hesistate anymore and grab this little kid on the block that pack so much in its little body.But do remember to bring home the four piece speakers to marry off the deal.How sweet it will be?

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Back To SoundBlaster Live! modeling.gif Part 7 : Final Conclusion

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This Product is provided courtesy of,
CYBERMIND Computer House Pte Ltd
1 Rocher Canal Road #04-61
Sim Lim Square S(188504)

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