Product ReviewsRoland Prelude Portable Keyboard
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68%
30%
2%
0%
0%
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 Rating: Review Date: 03/19/10  |
Cons: PriceDrivers not exactly updated often
Pros: Great sound qualityMany sound-enhancing featuresOn-the-fly DTS encoding |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/19/10 |
Cons: none so far
Pros: The sound has more substance compared to the onboard audio i was using. installed on win64 machine 64bit with no hassle at all. Comment:
its an awesome gaming card for first person shooters. the footsteps, and environmental sound effects while you are running around feels "fuller". easier to hear from where ppl are shooting at you. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/18/10 |
Cons: Doesn't seem to like any other creative soundcards installed at the same time.
Pros: Pure awesomeness, clear sounds, 3 modes... Comment:
This is a really nice card for my needs. Clear sounds. I tried 4.1 for the first time (aside from 2.1), this is one hell of an experience in gaming where the sounds are 3d. Would definitely recommend gamers to try this baby out. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/16/10 |
Cons: -Price?
Pros: -Sound-Features Comment:
Well this card is amazing. Been wanting it for a while and finally got it on sale. It has lot of features and is quite configurable via software. I would recommend it for the audiophile. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/13/10 |
Cons: A bit costly compared to integrated solutions, but I mean... it's justified. Connectors are a bit close together if you're thinking of running this from your HTPC to a receiver.
Pros: Insanely powerful, no extra noise when turned up extremely loud. Comment:
Couldn't be more happy with this card. Had been looking for something to replace the integrated sound in my HTPC. I'm running the 7.1 analogue outputs to my Denon's 7.1 inputs, and couldn't be more pleased. Compared to the built in audio on the motherboard...well, there is no comparison. Awesome card. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/12/10 |
Cons: - needs to update the latest driver for win7 64bit otherwise crash system
Pros: - amazing sound quality- easy installation- great driver- x-fi EAX and all that Comment:
this is an amazing card. just got it from the mega sale promo for 120. the music quality is unbelievable. you can clearly tell something different once you have it installed. great for movie, game and music production. highly recommend for anyone looking for a mid price range but high value card. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/01/10 |
Cons: Poor driver support
Pros: easy to installNice SoundVerry good 3D positionningVerry good quality Comment:
The card is amazing, it's running well and I upped my game by alot. I was using my on-board card while playing Modern Warfare 2 and one of my friend told me to get a sound card in order to get better. I can almost ear them from their spawn and I don't miss any kills cause of my sound.I used it with a STEAM SERIE H5 headphone. Pretty nice setup. |
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Rating: Review Date: 01/16/10 |
Cons: none so far
Pros: improve pc performace overall, driver compatible with windows 7 64 bit no hassel Comment:
excellent sound card, excellent sound. completely blow my old xonar DX by 100 miles,I am looking for better op-amp, where can I get them cheap in GT Vancouver? |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/17/09 |
Cons: -Price?
Pros: -Incredible sound quality-Versatile I/O-Multiple modes Comment:
I needed a new sound card since now I have 2 gaming PC's and onboard doesn't suit me. So I opted for this card for the living room box, which is also an entertainment center PC.Even with the crappy $50 5.1 surround speakers that I currently use, the improvement in sound quality is downright staggering. Movies sound better, games sound better and music sound better.I can't ask for more at the $129 special I paid for it, so that's 5 stars from me. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/06/09 |
Cons: Price is a little on the high side.
Pros: Great sound.EAX 5.0 support.Optical out and front chassis connector capabilities.Better sounds than Creative's own X-Fi offering. Comment:
I am a convert - add me to the list of folks who have heard the difference after upgrading from a X-Fi XtremeGamer! I did not think it would make a huge difference; but for all those who enjoy music and video on their computers, this card rocks Sound Blaster's own X-Fi offering.After upgrading from the XtremeGamer, I noticed that music (MP3's), and videos (DVDs and AVI's / FLV's / etc.) sound immediately louder, more clear, and with more depth. I confirmed that all of the speaker, application, and sound settings were they same as when the XtremeGamer card was installed - what a huge difference this card makes! I did not think that such was possible even with 2.1 speakers; however, I can attest for the immense difference it makes and so it takes my enjoyment of music and videos up another level.I am not a gamer, so another reviewer will have to speak to the difference the card makes in games. |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/17/09 |
Cons: none
Pros: sound quality awesome Comment:
amazing product, had my doubts when i first purchased it, but i was wrong, havent had any issues, runs smoothly, would 100% buy it again, i recommend it to all my friends |
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Rating: Review Date: 11/07/09 |
Cons: The front audio header is on the back end of the card vs the front which can be difficult reaching the HD or AC97 panel cable to the card header. Other than that NOTHING
Pros: Amazing crystal clear sound quality.Impressive quality of the card all around64 Bit drivers (YES, IT WORKS WITH VISTA 64 BIT!!!)Has a front panel header for MIC and Headphones. Comment:
I really wanted a PCI-E sound card first off. But after much research I found out that a sound card as of yet cannot max out the badwidth of your motherboards PCI bus,(that was my inital concern).The card was quite large, about 3/4 the length of my HD4890 and just as wide.My system was built for games. I don't listen to much music or watch movies on this system. After Playing BF2 (allows you to set your audio quailty on Ultra-High under X-Fi rendering) and Crysis the sound was amazing!!! BF2 is old but Crysis was a whole new game with this sound card.I love this card already and am kicking myself for not picking this card up sooner. After more time with this card I will have the setting where I want them and enjoy this very new gaming experience.14 November 2009UPDATE: Still very happy but the MIC support is very poor, I am having to revert back to my Motherboard O/B mic imput to use my mic so that means two active sound cards where I really wanted to disable my O/B sound. This review was modfied by poster @ 11-14-09 01:58 PM |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/29/09 |
Cons: strange crackling during high number of voices usage
Pros: excellent sound quality, solid windows 7 support so far Comment:
Excellent card overall. very nice upgrade from my aging Audigy, which had no Windows 7 support.Beta drivers from Auzen for Win7 work like a champ, no problems.Good suite of apps included, allows for a great deal of sound customization.Only problem I have with this card is during intense boss fights in WoW, when there are many voices being used, it will crackle on occasion. scares the ! outa me! |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/29/09 |
Cons: price
Pros: Has the sound quality of a sound system.Drivers not by Creative! Comment:
This card sounds awesome! Its so much better than my audigy 2 value, and the drivers work like a charm. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/20/09 |
Cons: PCI-E version would be nice but I guess they made the Forte for that. Unfortunately, the Forte is an inferior card to the Prelude, along with its useless headphone amp.
Pros: Auzentech quality, amazing analog crystal clear output, X-Fi sound processor. Comment:
In my opinion, this is the PINNACLE of computer sound card technology. This is the very best sound card for analog surround sound output. Auzentech makes the highest quality X-Fi sound cards around. Analog output is crystal clear and this sound card is completely and fully feature-laden.I have had one in my main machine to use with a Logitech Z-5500 THX system. Now I bought a second Prelude for my cottage HTPC where I have a Creative G500 THX 5.1 set.Why did Auzentech discontinue this card? The "replacement" Forte falls short of the Prelude and the headphone amp is completely useless. Prelude remains king. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/06/09 |
Cons: No HDMI out but no problemHard to figure out which jacks are which for 5.1 speakers
Pros: Good sound, great output optionsSound effects in control panel are good Comment:
Bought this because i wanted a better sound option for my Logi. Z-5500.Im really happy with this soundcard and have never had any problems. Only complaint is that i often plug my plugs in the wrong jack because they arent color coded. |
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Rating: Review Date: 09/12/09 |
Cons: none
Pros: qualite sonorequalite des composantTres bon bundle d'application et de driverPas cher pour la qualiter de produit Comment:
que pui-je dire....WOW.mes amis arretais pas de me dire de ne pas toucher a autres chose que du creative...:D maintenant c'est eux autres qui en veulent une.Pour le Gaming cette carte est extra-ordinaire.les mode(Entertainment,audio creation,game),les console qui sont magnifiques.Le crystalaiser est tres efficace.pour les Musicien ou chanteur cette carte n'est pas la meilleur mais demeure bien meilleur que du on-board et des Audigy 2aussi Dolby Digital live et DTS Sous Vista et Windows 7 seulement sont allucinant...avec un simple 5.1 D'ordinateur vous avez l'impression d'etre au cinema au a un concertca fesait plusieur annee que j'avais spotter cette carte.la j'ai eu les moyen.mes amis oublier la Asus Xonar Essence et la X-fi titanium Fatal1ty...Auzentech a la meilleur carte entourer des meilleur bundle d'application et de driver. |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/18/09 |
Cons: plugs on the back aren`t colour coded
Pros: Good soundgood softwareno processing noise Comment:
This is a good card. I`ve had it in my computer for a year now, and I`ve had no problems. The bundled software is very good, it gives you great control of the sounds coming out of your computer. I`ve never experienced the excess processing noise that you usually get with computers. There is no background noise, it puts out what you tell it to and nothing else. |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/25/09 |
Cons: High cost
Pros: Awesome sound quality, improves game and movie experience Comment:
I absolutely love this sound card. It is expensive, but well worth the investment if you have a good speaker set up and sound quality is important to you.If you are a casual gamer, etc, then your onboard sound card will probably be sufficient. However, if you have invested in decent speakers, then a good quality sound card like this is a must. I have Logitech Z5300 speakers - with onboard sound they are pretty good, with the Prelude they are amazing.It's difficult to tell if this sound card improved the frame rate of my games. I feel like it did, but it is quite hard to quantify. However, it has a huge impact on the in-game experience - I highly recommend it. |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/23/09 |
Cons: its pretty big but that cant be helped
Pros: good soundnice software for it Comment:
bought this for my new computer, it works very well, i am very happy with it, the software used to configure it is really easy to use and it is simple to change settings and tweak them. the sound is very good as well, i have a pair of sennheiser hd555 and it makes them sing. good buy. |
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Rating: Review Date: 03/06/09 |
Cons: The Adobe Live serial key was NOT anywhere in the box. On my system (8GB DDR2, Vista 64, Core 2 Quad 2.34) and many others the sound crackles when the pc audio is above 90%, so you have to keep it at about 85%.
Pros: Great quality sound, optical and coaxiale cables included, X-FI is awesome, and good software. Comment:
Great sound quality, system compatiblity issues. I ordered a new motherboard today, and I'll see if that fixes the crackle issue. |
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Rating: Review Date: 01/11/09 |
Cons: Drivers come from CreativePrice, when there is no rebate
Pros: High Audio QualityX-Fi performanceOptical/Coax Digital in/outPre-Amp can be upgrade Comment:
No Problem, Work Fine and good audio Quality. Optical/Coax Digital in/out is very usefull. If you want a X-fi and looking for a creative card, turn you choice around and get this one, you get exact the same performance with a better sound quality of the pre-Amp. Look for sale rebate. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/23/08 |
Cons: Can't find a way to use multiple outputs(ie. headphones + speakers)
Pros: Makes everything come aliveGreat quality Comment:
After a lot of thought and consideration I had decided to buy this sound card. It was my first sound card and to say the least I'm quite impressed by how much the quality has improved. I primarily play games so this helps heaps. |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/08/08 |
Cons: Driver software UI still has an unpollished feel to it, and drivers overall leave quite a bit to be desired3.5mm jacks give feedback/noiseDTS encoding 'crackles' (possible driver isssue?)
Pros: Excellent quality sound from SPDIFMuch improved over onboard soundDolby/DTS encodingEAX 5.0 Comment:
I bought this card to experience full digital surround for the first time on my computer. The difference between this and onboard sound was noticeable right away. I still experienced the popping/crackling issues that others have had using the anolog jacks, but in my version, the sonud also becomes muted and dull. Whenever it happens, all I have to do is turn my receiver off and then on again, which makes me think the problem isn't only with IRQ sharing. Anyway, now that I've switched to using a coaxial cable, everything has been crystal clear with no issues whatsoever. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/17/08 |
Cons: Labels in the back are hard to read in low light or high glare situations. Price is too high lately. Drivers at the time of this review were still in "release candidate" stage for Windows XP (and Vista)!
Pros: Incredible sound, great looks and very high processing power. Comment:
This card sounds amazing, and chances are if you upgrade from anything else the difference would be very noticeable.The drivers are still under construction and a little buggy (Windows XP and Vista). The inscribed labels in the back are hard to read most of the time.Regardless of it's weak points this is a great sound card, so I would buy again and recommend. |
I've never been a fan of onboard audio, especially for a gaming system. It seemed at the time of purchase this was the best card for the money. The SNR of this card is better than the X-FI Bavura & HomeTheater HD however it's PCI based (but I don't know of any ATX mobo that doesn't have at LEAST one PCI slot). No HDMI, which is not a concern for me.I found exactly what I was looking for: a card that could do DTS encoding on-the-fly. I used the included TOSLINK cable to connect to my Yamaha speakers and never looked back. You only have to enable "DTS Connect" and "DTS Neo 6 PC" and you'll have 5.1 in everything you do, including listening to music. I chose the "Cinema" setting for everything (put an emphasis on the center channel) and it suits me just fine.Be careful, I learned that if you activate other features (such as Crystalizer or CMSS-3D which I feel are more gadgets than anything) you'll lose the DTS encoding and you have to go back and enable it again. So just pick the one you like most and stick with it.One drawback is that as of March 2010 the latest drivers from Auzentech are still "Betas" from JULY 2009... Not exactly impressive. So far I've had a BSOD on Win7 x64 with a .sys file from the X-Fi drivers, let's hope this won't happen too often!It seems this card is slowly being phased out in favor of the 2 other models I talked about earlier, better jump on it if you can find a good deal (I paid 120$ for mine on special). This review was modfied by poster @ 03-19-10 07:51 AM