Since
our last look at a
Hercules
sound card, the
Gamesound Fortissimo II, there have
been a few advances in the technology that audiophiles
will rejoice over. As Hercules'
flagship product, in their audio line-up, the Digifire
brand sports the leading edge audio
processing capabilities, as well as a
host of other features, including of
course, Firewire connectivity. With support for 7.1 digital
surround sound and FireWire DV Editing, this card should cover
just about ever aspect one could ask for
in a sound card. But, the thing to keep
in mind is that quantity of features
does not always mean quality, or vise-versa.
So, lets throw this card into the
machine and see what it can do.
Specifications
/ Features Of The
Digifire 7.1 Sound Card
Full Frontal Audio
Technical Specifications
Data
Transfer
PCI 2.1 bus
DSP
Cirrus Logic SoundFusion CS4624
Audio
Quality
CD and professional audio quality
20-bit quad output and 18-bit dual stereo input codec
Up to 48kHz sampling rate
Game
Compatibility
Sensaura based 3D positional audio
with support for Microsoft
DirectSound 3D, EAX 1.0, EAX 2.0,
A3D 1.0, I3DL2, MacroFX,
MultiDrive, ZoomFX, EnvironmentFX
Sound Blaster
Audio
Compatibility
Microsoft DirectSound&
DirectMusic
Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital / Dolby Digital EX
Software Wavetable Synthesizer
DSP accelerated engine for an
unlimited number of voices (64-voice
hardware)
8MB General MIDI/GS sample set
DLS 1.0 compatible
GM (General Midi) and Yamaha XG compatible
Yamaha S-YXG50:
- 676 instrument sounds and 21 drum kits
- Effects: reverb, chorus, variation
External Connectors
Analog output connectors:
Front speakers out
Rear speakers out
Centre / LFE out
7 & 8 channels / Headphones out
Line in / Mic in
MIDI / Game port (MPU 401 compatible)
Digital S/PDIF out (optical)
3 FireWire ports, 2 external and 1 internal
Internal
Connectors
CD-in; CD-in 2; Aux-in; S/PDIF in
FireWire port
Click
images for full view
Included
with the Hercules Digifire 7.1 Sound
Card full retail package, we found the
following list of accessories:
Digifire
7.1 PCI Card
MIDI/Game Port Bracket
Installation CDROM
User Guide
Upon opening the well-festooned box, we
found the soundcard neatly wrapped in your
typical anti-static bag. The card itself
is made of Hercules's "trademark" blue
PCB, which should be familiar sight to
anyone who has ever owned one of their
products. Included are also a MIDI/Game Port Extension bracket, User Manual, Installation
CD, and three (3) Certificates of
Authenticity for the programs on the CD, PowerDVD Pro EX,
PowerDirector Pre 2.5 ME and one from the
Yamaha Corporation. Working our
way down from the top of the bracket on
the card we found plugs for, Front
Speakers, Rear Speakers, Center Speakers
and Subwoofer, Headset or Back Left and
Right Speakers, Line-In/Mic-In, Optical
Out, and lastly two FireWire ports. The
connections on the PCB were for the CD-In
1, CD-In 2, Aux-In and a S/PDIF 2-pin
connector which, is used for digital
connection to a CD or DVD drive.
Overall the construction of the card
looks good. Components were aligned well
with precision solder placement and
nothing seems loose or flimsy. Our
initial impression of this card was a
positive one. But lets see how the
card holds up to the tests before we pass
any judgement...
