What Makes It So Good?

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

W E ’ V E T A K E N

M - A U D I O ’ S

E X P E R T I S E I N

D E V E L O P I N G

P R O F E S S I O N A L S O U N D C A R D S A N D B R O U G H T I T I N T O T H E

C O N S U M E R

M A R K E T .

Glad you asked—and we’re sure your readers will want to know, too. Here are the two key factors in achieving superior sonic performance in the Revolution 7.1.

First, we’re using cutting-edge components, including the Envy 24HT chip from Via Technologies and components from AKM Semiconductor. These have only recently become available and they allow us to generate such high audio quality.

Second is the critical issue—and some may say art form—of circuit board design. The board layout and design were done in such a way as to keep the audio signals as clean as possible. This is more difficult than it would seem. Laying the wrong trace over the wrong area, or placing it too close to an electronic component can introduce noise into the signal, degrading sound quality. For over a decade, M- Audio has developed professional audio cards used commercially to master albums and to do other high-quality audio work, including playback. We’ve taken our ex- pertise in the professional audio market and brought it to the consumer market.

Isn’t a Computer’s Internal Sound Capability Enough?

Even though an audio card can reproduce signals across the entire frequency spec- trum (20Hz to 20kHz ), that doesn’t mean it does so with smooth, linear response. Dynamic range and noise may be sub-par, too. The Revolution 7.1 features excel- lent linear frequency response, delivers superior dynamic range, and virtually elimi- nates noise.

But Aren’t CDs and MP3s Are Recorded In Two-Channel Stereo?

They sure are. And we’ve taken care of that. After investing in a Revolution 7.1 audio card, seven powered speakers, and a powered subwoofer, users will undoubt- edly remember that their CD and MP3 music collections were recorded mostly in traditional two-channel stereo. Circle Surround II from SRS solves this shortcom- ing, using advanced algorithms to transform two-channel stereo (or even mono) source material into real multichannel audio for playback through a full comple- ment of surround speakers. This is the same technology that many high-end home- theater receivers use.

What If A User Doesn’t Have A 7.1 Speaker Set?

Revolution 7.1 works great in surround modes other than 7.1. It fully supports 4.0, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, and 6.1 as well as 7.1 surround, so you can use almost any surround speaker set. And users who have only two speakers or headphones can still enjoy the effect of surround sound. TruSurround XT places virtual individual surround channels where they should be, as though a full complement of speakers had been installed. This capability transforms 5.1 or 6.1 multichannel sources, such as Dolby Digital or Pro Logic encoded DVDs or movies into virtual surround from a pair of stereo speakers or headphones. It can even enhance non-surround material such as music and some games.