Soundblaster Live! MP3+
Written: May 14 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great sound, bundled software.
Cons: Tough to install, Creative Playcenter is terreble.
The Bottom Line: Great sound, standard in computer audio, bundled software, semi-tough instalation.
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| NateK53's Full Review: Creative Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ |
I first considered buying some quality speakers and a soundcard for the "coolness." Five speakers and a sub, wow...I would be popular. I then justified my purchase buy saying, "I'll buy them and use my computer as my stereo." Well, I promise you that is one thing that I will be doing.
After searching around the Soundblaster Live! Seemed like the soundcard for me. It is user friendly and is compatable with the DTT2200 Speaker System, which is what I wanted. I purchased the card for $100 and the speakers for $130 at CompUSA, not the cheapest price, but if I ordered off the net I would have to pay for shipping. Anyway, I got the card home, and put it on my computer.
This was the easiest PCI adaptor I've ever loaded onto my computer. You just screw it into an open slot, no manual labor or hard pushing involved. You then use the provided cable to connect your CD-ROM Drive and your set. I put in the Instalations CD and truned on my computer. When the "New Hardware Found" screen comes up, you need to skip it and load the drivers and such manualy (or so the manual says, I didn't try letting Windows do it). All this means is you say cancel, and then click on "Install" once you've gotten to your desktop and the CD window pops up. The instructions in the manual are really easy to follow.
All of the applications that come with the card are kind of useless, and you should load them all on a the start, but after fooling around with them take the junk that you don't need off your computer.
After setting everything up and working out some kinks with my speakers I loaded Unreal Tourny. After starting it, I was blasted away by the sound affects. Gunshots that usually are heard as just "general noise" could now be pinpointed to a certain area (in front of me, behind me, you get the idea). The music seemed to jump out, and it felt like I was actually in the game. I suddenly realized that nice speakers are actually a very important part of the computer. They had more function then I thought they would...a lot more.
Later, I worked with the provided software that allows you to tweak the sound, and found this to be a usefull luxury also. In the end, this was probably the best computer purchase that I've ever made.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $100
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Epinions.com ID:
NateK53
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Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 2 members
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