[NEWS] - Creative buys Sensaura
- Thread starter CougTek
- Start date
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
This is going to be a one-horse show....
blakerwry
Storage? I am Storage!
yeah, looks like we have gone back 10 years in the sound card competition market.
I do hope there continues to be choices as far as the chipsets available in the sound card market. I quite enjoyed having the option to buy sound cards based on 4 different chipsets made by 5 different manufacturers last time I was in the market.
I do hope there continues to be choices as far as the chipsets available in the sound card market. I quite enjoyed having the option to buy sound cards based on 4 different chipsets made by 5 different manufacturers last time I was in the market.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Realtek, Philiips, Crystal. Does ESS still make chips? nVidia (onboard), Yamaha, Onkyo (both with external USB amplifiers), Logitech, Microsoft (both with USB speakers), Hoontech, M Audio...
Looks pretty healthy to me.
Looks pretty healthy to me.
ddrueding
Fixture
Who makes the sound chip for nVidia's onboard (Soundstorm) audio?
Just curious....
Just curious....
blakerwry
Storage? I am Storage!
As far as real sound processors not just DACs Merc....
Realtek makes alot of DACs, mainly used with onboard sound solutions. VIA makes some DACs as well.
VIA, Intel, SiS, and AMD make AC97 compatible southbridges that use the host CPU as a DSP..
I assume the soundstorm is a hardware based DSP integrated into the southbridge or available as an add-in chip.
Creative makes (or has made for them) sound chips... so does Yamaha. ESS still makes some chips.. looks like they're working more towards set-top audio/video chips however.
I didnt realize Onkyo made anything for the PC... hmm.. logitech... I know they have USB speakers.. but I dont think they make any DSP's or DACs(as far as I know).
The M-Audio cards are fairly "exotic" in the sound card market and would be akin to something like Gravis 10 years ago.. they're there, and they're good, but they're not what most people are looking for (features and price wise)
although you didnt mention it, I guess Cirrus logic is still around afterall as found in the fortissimo III 7.1 card.
But with Sensura and A3D now being owned by creative, you can bet the only 3D formats around are going to be EAX 1,2, and now 3... all of which sound markedly better on creative harddware.
For a 2D card (stereo/5.1/6/7 channel sound hard encoded) there are lots of options, but for 3D audio the only good sounding option is going to be from creative.
Realtek makes alot of DACs, mainly used with onboard sound solutions. VIA makes some DACs as well.
VIA, Intel, SiS, and AMD make AC97 compatible southbridges that use the host CPU as a DSP..
I assume the soundstorm is a hardware based DSP integrated into the southbridge or available as an add-in chip.
Creative makes (or has made for them) sound chips... so does Yamaha. ESS still makes some chips.. looks like they're working more towards set-top audio/video chips however.
I didnt realize Onkyo made anything for the PC... hmm.. logitech... I know they have USB speakers.. but I dont think they make any DSP's or DACs(as far as I know).
The M-Audio cards are fairly "exotic" in the sound card market and would be akin to something like Gravis 10 years ago.. they're there, and they're good, but they're not what most people are looking for (features and price wise)
although you didnt mention it, I guess Cirrus logic is still around afterall as found in the fortissimo III 7.1 card.
But with Sensura and A3D now being owned by creative, you can bet the only 3D formats around are going to be EAX 1,2, and now 3... all of which sound markedly better on creative harddware.
For a 2D card (stereo/5.1/6/7 channel sound hard encoded) there are lots of options, but for 3D audio the only good sounding option is going to be from creative.