M Audio Computer Hardware Revolution 71 User Manual

Revolution 7.1

Surround Sound Audio Card

Reviewer’s Guide

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Contents

A Note To Product Reviewers

Key Editorial Contacts

Today’s Audio Cards: Pro Sound at Low Prices

Top 5 Cool Things To Do With The Revolution 7.1

About The Revolution 7.1

Product Info Box

Te sting The Revolution 7.1

Product Specifications

Bass Management

7.1 Surround Sound Receivers

DVD Test Scenes

Music Listening Samples

Additional Resources

Company Backgrounder

Press Release

iii

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

A Note To Product Reviewers

We’re pleased that you have chosen to review M-Audio’s Revolution 7.1

high-definition surround-sound audio card. It’s a product we are very ex-

cited about. This guide provides you with editorial background information

to assist you in writing your review. It is not, however, a replacement for the

user guide; you should use the two together. We hope you’ll find this re-

viewer’s guide useful. We’d like your feedback on this document and look

forward to reading your published review.

Additional resources are available to assist you with your review. A list of

telephone contacts is provided on the next page. Don’t hesitate to call when

any question—big or small—arises. If this guide accomplishes one goal, it

is that we want to make sure you publish a factually accurate review, re-

gardless of your opinion of the product itself. Also, be sure to read the

printed documentation that is included with the product you received. Fi-

nally, the M-Audio Web site, located at www.m-audio.com provides up-to-

the-minute information.

About our company name: Midiman Inc. is changing its legal name to

M-Audio Inc. In your review, please refer to “M-Audio,” not Midiman.

Product photos: You can download high-resolution photographs of the

Revolution 7.1 audio card from www.m-audio.com/company/images.php.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Key Editorial Contacts

As you conduct your review, we encourage you to call with questions. Though

we’ve worked hard to ensure that you have all the facts needed to write an accurate

and comprehensive review, occasionally a question may arise that isn’t covered in

this guide. For publication purposes, refer your readers to the M-Audio Web site,

www.m-audio.com.

Media/Editorial/Press-relations contact:

Jason Ivan

Director of Product Marketing

M-Audio Consumer Products Group

M-Audio

E-mail: [email protected]

Cell: 408.209.8901

Technical support contact:

Erik Andersen

Technical Specialist

M-Audio

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 626.445.2842 x381

Public-relation agency contact:

Valerie Foster

Shotwell Public Relations

Santa Clara, Calif.

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: (408) 855-8608 x102

Refer your readers to:

www.m-audio.com

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Part

Today’s Audio Cards:

Pro Sound at Low Prices

Two-channel stereo just doesn’t cut it anymore as users

demand high-quality surround sound for their DVD

enabled computers

^Ous^Me^Prs^UTs^Ee^Rttl^aed^udf^ioor^haa^sp^ca^oi^mr ^eof^at^li^onⁿn^gy,^wlo^ayw^.-^Jfi^ud^se^tli^aty^f,^ewba^ytt^ee^ar^ry^s-p^ao^gw^o,er^Pe^Cd ^asⁿp^dea^Mke^ar^cs

driven by a mediocre sound card that generated a lot of background noise.

How that has changed! As savvy consumers have become accustomed to

low-cost, high-performance, easy-to-use surround-sound DVD home theater sys-

tems, they are placing similar demands on computer audio—just as they did with

computer video. The Revolution 7.1 answers these demands by delivering profes-

sional-quality, high-definition audio signals to as many as eight speakers.

M - A U D I O’ S

M I S S I O N I S

T O B R I NG

As video technology advanced, sound lagged. Now, major vendors are continually

introducing new technologies that support multi-channel surround sound and pro-

mote media as a key purpose for the computer:

P R O - Q U A L I T Y

A U D I O P E R -

F O R M A N C E T O

T H E M A S S

•

Apple Computer: “Digital Hub”

Intel: “The center of your digital world”

• Microsoft: Windows Media Center Edition

M A R K E T I N

E A S Y - T O- U S E ,

A F F O R D A B L E

P R O D U C T S

In addition, “power gaming” demands the ultimate in both video and audio. Most

movies are now released to DVD with at least six audio channels (Dolby Digital

5.1), and, in some cases, with DTS ES 6.1, or Dolby Digital EX 6.1 (which Dolby

and THX recommend playing on a 7.1 system). Two new music formats, SACD

(Super Audio CD) and DVD-audio are likely to become increasingly important.

Yesterday’s audio cards simply can’t keep up; they’re mired in hopelessly obsolete

1990s technology.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Top 5 Cool Things To Do

With The Revolution 7.1

The Revolution 7.1 offers phenomenal high-definition sound and provides to up

eight channels of professional-quality audio—all for less than $100. But so what?

It’s what your readers can do with the product that matters. Here are some examples

you can share with your publication’s audience.

Games: You’ve never heard games sound like this before! Surround your PC with

up to seven speakers and a subwoofer for a totally awesome gaming experience.

Games enabled with Sensaura simply sound amazing. And M-Audio hasn’t forgot-

ten about the thousands of games encoded with two-channel stereo. They’ll sound

better than ever, thanks to Revolution 7.1’s Circle Surround II technology.

W I T H U P T O

S E V E N C H A N -

N E L S O F S U R -

R O U N D S O U N D

A N D A S U B -

W O O F E R ,

Virtual DVD hardware player: Turn any DVD-equipped Mac or PC into an awe-

some-sounding hardware DVD player.

Digital recording: Convert those old vinyl record albums to professional-quality

high-definition digital audio. With The Revolution 7.1 and a user’s favorite digital

recording software, those precious old albums can be preserved in glorious 24-

bit/96kHz fidelity.

G A M E S A N D

P R E S E N T A -

^Hna^om^mi^ec ^tr^ha^en^ag^te^erg^:r^Tea^ht^ely^Ri^em^vp^or^lo^uv^tie^onth⁷e^.1li^’s^ste^hnⁱi^gn^hg^erex²p⁴e^-briⁱe^t/n¹c⁹e^2ko^Hf c^zo^fm^idp^eu^lit^te^yr-^abⁿa^dse¹d⁰p⁷la^dy^Bba^dc^yk^-

of CDs, MP3s and Internet radio. The Revolution 7.1 elevates computer-based

audio to the level where the computer can play a viable roll as an audio source in a

sophisticated home entertainment system. Internet radio, for example, can be real-

ized in sufficiently high fidelity to warrant connecting the computer to the home

entertainment system. And with new high-definition TV tuner cards and high-

quality DVD playback, the PC is more capable than ever of replacing a stack of

home theater components. The best quality surround sound is key.

T I O N S H A V E

N E V E R H A D I T

S O G O O D .

Presentations: Make business presentations memorable by enveloping an audience

with seven channels of high-definition surround sound and a seat-rattling sub-

woofer. PowerPoint never had it so good.

We know of no other audio card that offers support

for 7.1 surround, a coaxial digital connection with

AC3 and DTS support, high-definition 24-

bit/192kHz audio fidelity, and virtual surround

sound from only two speakers—let alone at a street

price of about $99.99.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Part

About The Revolution 7.1

With this card, gamers, media enthusiasts, and business

users can add speakers and supercharge their systems

with eight channels of pro-quality audio

^Hye^Ear^Rs^ea^vg^oo^lu, ^ty^ioeⁿt i⁷t ^.d¹elⁱi^sve^hr^as^lfup^theto^se^izig^eh^ot^fse^thp^eara^stt^ee^rec^oha^sn^on^ueⁿls^do^cf^as^rdo^sun^od^f, ^ji^us^sf^ta^ar q^feu^wi-

eter, and is priced less than $100. It includes full (not trial) versions of Tony

Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, WinDVD4 Dolby Digital EX Edition,VJ Lite, and

trial versions of other software.

Key Revolution 7.1 Features

Up to eight separate channels—left, center,

Surround Sound

right, surround (2), and surround center/rear

(2) plus subwoofer—completely envelope users.

Time to Upgrade:

Stuck with poor

sound for years,

many computer

users don’t know

they can upgrade

their sound card

and speakers to get

professional, high-

quality audio. Now

is the time.

SRS TruSurround XT technology gives sur-

round-sound effect from a traditional stereo

two-speaker set-up or headphones.

Surround effect

from two speakers

Advanced Circle Surround II technology creates

true multichannel surround sound from stereo

MP3s, CDs, and other audio.

Convert stereo into

true surround sound

Supports Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC3), Dolby Pro

Logic, DTS, and other encoded multi-channel

formats.

Ready for most

encoded formats

Even the 106dB SNR of Creative’s Sound Blas-

ter Audigy 2 Platinum eX can’t match The

Revolution 7.1’s SNR of 107dB.

Best signal-to-noise

ratio available*

* source: www.soundblaster.com/products/audigy2_platinum_ex/specs.asp

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

^WGl^ha^ad^ty^Mo^au^ka^es^ske^Itd—^Soa^Gnd^oow^de^?’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.

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 NG

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 OU G H T

I T I N T O T H E

C O N S U M E R

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.

M A R K E T .

^IE^svⁿe^’tn^ath^Co^ou^mg^ph^ua^ten^r’a^su^Idⁿi^to^ercⁿa^ard^{l S}c^oa^unⁿr^de^Cpr^ao^pd^au^bcⁱe^lits^yig^Enⁿa^ol^us^ga^hc^?ross 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.

^WRe^hv^ao^tlu^Ifti^Aon^U7^s.^e1^rw^Doo^erk^ssⁿg^’tr^Hea^at^vi^en^Asu⁷rr^.1ou^Sn^pd^em^ako^ed^re^Ss^eo^tt^?her 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.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Outclasses Audigy 2 At A Lower Price

For a little less money than Creative’s new Audigy 2 sound card, the M-Audio

Revolution 7.1 offers more audio channels, higher fidelity, lower distortion, and

twice the platform support. The following chart compares major specifications of

the Revolution 7.1 with the Creative Audigy 2 and the Hercules Gamesurround

Fortissimo III. In every category, the Revolution 7.1 is superior.

Competitive Matrix

Revolution vs. Audigy 2, Gamesurround

Hercules

Gamesurround

Fortissimo III

M-Audio

Revolution 7.1

Creative

Audigy 2

W I T H I T S

1 0 7 D B S N R ,

7 . 1 S U R -

Price

MSRP

$119.99

$99.99

$129.99

$119.99

$49.99

R O U N D , A N D

G A M I N G S U P -

P O R T , T H E

R E V O L U T I O N

7 . 1 I S T H E

U L T I M A T E

*Street

Audio Fidelity

Stereo

24-bit/192kHz

18-bit/48kHz

7.1

24-bit/96kHz (5.1 only) 18-bit/48kHz

ASIO support

Playback

Record

C O N S U M E R

A U D I O C A R D .

24-bit/192kHz

24-bit/96kHz

16-bit/48kHz

Unsupported?

Platforms Supported

Macintosh, PC

PC only

Audio Quality

SNR

THD+N

106dB on L/R/SL/SR

90dB on C/Sub/Rear C

107dB Stereo to 7.1

.003%

90dB Stereo

.017%

.004%

Sources: M-Audio company data, specifications from

www.soundblaster.com/products/audigy2/

*street price available at a major

retailer, such as CompUSA

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Understanding the 24-bit/192kHz Capability

Digital audio quality depends on bit depth and sample rate. Bit depth refers to how

many bits of information are available to represent each sample, a factor that trans-

lates to dynamic range. Sample rate is how many times per second the sound is

sampled. The standard for today’s audio CDs is a sampling rate of 44.1kHz at a

resolution of 16-bits per sample. The Revolution 7.1 supports sampling rates up to

192kHz and resolutions up to 24-bits—the highest available in both the professional

consumer markets.

Product Info Box

Revolution 7.1 Product Summary

The Revolution 7.1 is the ultimate consumer

audio card for PC or Mac. It’s perfect for

power gamers who want to supercharge their

audio they way they’ve already cranked up

the video. DVD enthusiasts can use their

computer as the centerpiece of a high-quality

In Brief

home-theater. Music buffs can revitalize their

existing CD and MP3 collections or enjoy new

surround music. And business users will get

wows from their presentations.

Operating systems

supported

Windows Me, 2000, XP; Mac OS 9.2.2 or

later, Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later

Price MSRP/Street* $119.99 / $99.99

Warranty

1-year limited

Full version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (PC

only), WinDVD 4: Dolby Digital EX 7.1 Ver-

sion (PC only), VJ Lite, VLC Dolby-Digital En-

abled DVD player for Mac; 100 ProSessions

sounds and loops, free M-Powered Artists En-

hanced CD

Included Software

Audio card, driver CD, applications software

CDs, M-Powered Artists Enhanced CD, User

guide, Registration card

In the box

M-Audio

Arcadia, Calif.

Vendor

Web site

www.m-audio.com

*Estimated. Actual prices may vary.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Part

Testing The Revolution 7.1

There’s only one way to check out the features of any

audio card, and that’s to install it, load a CD, and

listen to the music.

“^{Oh, baby, let the music play}”

—^{The Doobie Brothers}

T H E R E V O L U -

T I O N 7 . 1 I S A

G R E A T

HEN you work with the Revolution 7.1, it’s important to remember that

you’ll be examining two separate products—the hardware and the driver

software—that work together as one. Several applications ship with the

sound card; they are beyond the scope of this reviewer’s guide.

C H O I C E F O R

G A M E R S A N D

D V D O R M U S I C

E N T H U S I -

In this portion of the Revolution 7.1 Reviewer’s Guide, we’ll cover the following:

ꢀ Test bed considerations

ꢀ Hardware set-up

A S T S ,

W H E T H E R

ꢀ Software installation

ꢀ Listening tests

T H E Y H A V E

E I G H T

S P E A K E R S O R

J U S T T W O .

The Test Bed

The best test of a sound card is to listen to it—just the way a gamer, or music or

DVD enthusiast would use it. You’ll need the following equipment for testing your

Revolution 7.1:

Computer

You can use a Macintosh or a PC as long as it has a free PCI slot and meets the

minimum system requirements. For a PC, Windows Me, 2000, or XP are required.

For a Macintosh, Mac OS 9.2.2 or later is required (OS X 10.2.3 or later is recom-

mended).Speakers

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

To best experience the Revolution 7.1’s awesome sound you should have:

• Seven powered speakers (left, center, right, surround (2) and rear (or center)

surrounds (2). Ideally, you’ll use 6 matched speakers, plus a center speaker

designed to work with the others. You can use passive speakers with a high-

quality multi-channel surround receiver for even better quality playback.

• Powered subwoofer

A C C O R D I N G

T O D O L B Y A N D

T H X , D O L B Y

D I G I T A L E X

D V D S A R E D E -

S I G N E D T O B E

P L A Y E D B A C K

O N A 7 . 1 S U R -

R O U N D S Y S -

T E M .

The Revolution 7.1 works well with almost any receiver or powered speaker set. It

fully supports stereo, headphones, stereo with subwoofer, 2.1 (with discrete sub-

woofer), quadraphonic, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 configurations. Though 7.1 multimedia

speakers sets for the consumer market are just appearing, 7.1 is firmly entrenched in

the home theater receiver market. See additional information about speakers in the

next section, and refer to the “7.1 Surround Sound Receivers” section for a list of

some of the many 7.1 receivers currently available.

Content

You can use your favorite game, movie, DVD, MP3, WMA or other audio file, or

just about anything else. However, the appendix lists sample scenes and songs that

make great test content for certain applications. We recommend you use the rec-

ommended content unless you have known content that you are comfortable with.

Not all movies, for example, are mixed with use of surround channels, which can

skew a surround listening test.

About Consumer Multimedia Speakers

Revolution’s audio quality exceeds that of any consumer multimedia speaker

system. Consequently, you should use the best speakers and amplifiers available

for your evaluation.

• If you do not have access to a quality 7.1 home theater receiver and

speakers, you can use any off-the-shelf multimedia system.

• If using a set of multimedia speakers, it is best to use a “higher end” set

rather than an inexpensive set with poor sound quality. Klipsch, Logi-

tech, Cambridge, Midiland, and Harman Kardon can be good sources

for better quality multimedia speakers. Creative’s Inspire 6.1 offers an

additional surround speaker, but at under $100, we believe the set sacri-

fices quality for price.

^Sge^pn^ee^ar^ka^ell^ry^aa^vv^aa^ili^ala^bb^illⁱe^ty. ^.T^Ah^sis^oi^fs ^Mla^arg^rce^hly²b⁰e⁰c³a^,u⁷s^.e¹6^m.1^u/7^lt.ⁱ1^meso^du^iand^spc^ea^ar^kd^es^ra^sr^ee^tso^wnl^ey^renⁿo^ow^t

reaching the retail market. Now that these sound cards are available, several

speaker manufacturers have begun development of 7.1 multimedia speaker sets.

Since Revolution provides discrete 7.1 line outputs, some users may elect to

“upgrade” their existing 5.1 multimedia speaker set by connecting a stereo set

of powered speakers to the rear surround channel. Though this may not provide

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

the best sound quality or balance possible, it is an inexpensive and quick way to

upgrade a consumer 5.1 speaker set to 7.1.

Hardware Set-Up

Simply install the Revolution 7.1 in an available PCI slot in a Macintosh or PC.

Next, you’ll connect the speakers. Finally, reboot the system and install the software

drivers. Optionally, you can install the included software applications. For the DVD

playback tests, you should install the included WinDVD 4 application (PC) or the

Video Lan Client (Mac) which may be available in your Revolution retail box or

can downloaded from www.videolan.org.

Note the color coding and intuitive labeling of the card’s seven jacks. Refer to the

chart below to understand the color-coding system and which speaker channels or

inputs each of the seven jacks represents.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Connection Color Coding

S/PDIF Coaxial output. To use, purchase an RCA or

Coaxial Digital cable for connection to a digital re-

corder, mixer, or receiver.

Digital Output

(orange)

Connect a microphone for recording, videophone,

or voice-recognition applications. Jack is a 3-

conductor TRS-type for condenser (2-conductor)

and electret (3-conductor) microphones.

Mic In

(pink)

Line In

(blue)

Line-level input. Used to record into user’s favorite

audio-recording program.

Connects to powered Left and Right speakers, lo-

cated to the left and right of computer monitor. For

a two-speaker stereo setup, use this jack. Also

used for stereo headphones.

Front L/R speakers

or headphones

(green)

W I T H I T S I N -

T U I T I V E J A C K

L A B E L I N G A N D

C O L O R C O D -

I N G , T H E

Connects to powered Center and Subwoofer

speakers. Locate the center speaker above or be-

low monitor. The subwoofer, with its low, non-

directional frequencies, can go almost anywhere.

Center/Subwoofer

(orange)

R E V O L U T I O N

7 . 1 I S A S N A P

T O H O O K U P

T O M U L T I M E -

D I A S P E A K E R

S E T S .

Connects to powered Surround Left and Right

speakers, located to left and right sides, just be-

hind listener’s head.

Surround L/R

(black)

Connects to powered Surround Center (or “Sur-

round Rear”) Left and Right speakers, located di-

rectly behind listener.

Surround Rear L/R

(silver)

Source: Revolution 7.1 user guide

Speaker Output Jacks

You can see in the preceding photo that Revolution employs 1⁄8" stereo output jacks

that can be connected to powered speakers or to the inputs on a surround-sound re-

ceiver. Each jack combines two speaker outputs, saving space and simplifying in-

stallation. (For example, the Center/Subwoofer output is actually the output for both

the Center and Subwoofer channels.) Most multimedia speakers use 1⁄8" stereo in-

put cables with the same color coding as used on Revolution 7.1. Simply match the

colors to easily connect speakers.

If your speaker or receiver jacks are of the RCA type, instead, use a 1⁄8” to RCA

cable (see following photo). This common cable can be purchased at most local

stores, such as Radio Shack or Best Buy.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Use a 1⁄8” to RCA cable to connect with

speakers or receivers outfitted with RCA

jacks. The white connector (top) connects

to the first listed channel, the red jack to

the second. For example, with the orange

Center/Subwoofer jack, the white jack

goes to the Center speaker, the red to the

Subwoofer.

Shown: Radio Shack Part #42-2550. Note: higher quality cables yield better sound quality.

Software Installation

The User Guide provides detailed information, including screen shots, about in-

stalling the software drivers on the various versions of the Windows and Mac OS

operating systems. For your convenience, here are the appropriate User Guide page

references:

Windows XP..........................Page 5

Windows 2000................................7

Windows Me...................................9

Mac OS 9 ......................................10

Mac OS X .....................................11

M-Audio continuously improves the quality and feature set of its driver software.

We recommend that you download the latest Revolution 7.1 driver software for

your operating system from:

www.m-audio.com/driversearch.php.

New features have been added, and existing ones enhanced.

Surround Sound Formats

From simple stereo to 8-channel surround, a variety of sound formats are found on

DVDs. More detailed information can be found on pages 14–16 of the User’s

Guide. The standard speaker configurations, listed in the following chart, are used

to play the most common audio formats. Note that not every encoded format has a

separate encoded channel for each speaker. For example, a true 2.1 speaker configu-

ration plays back a stereo source, but relies on bass management to route bass fre-

quencies to the subwoofer, creating the third discrete audio channel. Similarly, the

extra signal for the two surround speakers in a Pro Logic or 7.1 (Dolby Digital EX)

format is actually encoded into other channels and subsequently broken out by a

decoder.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Speaker Configurations

2.0

“2.1”

2.1

Left, right

Left, right with subwoofer (no discrete subwoofer input)

Left, right; discrete subwoofer

4.0

Left, right, two surrounds

4.1

Left, right, two surrounds; subwoofer

Left, right, center; two surrounds

Left, right, center; two surrounds, subwoofer

Left, right, center; three surrounds, subwoofer

Left, right, center; four surrounds, subwoofer

5.0

5.1

6.1

7.1

R E V O L U T I O N

S U P P O R T S A L L

O F T H E M O S T

C O M M O N — A N D

E V E N S O M E O F

T H E M O R E O B -

S C U R E — T Y P E S

O F S P E A K E R

C O N F I G U R A -

T I O N S .

7.1 Surround Sound

Because 7.1 surround sound is new, some of your readers may be unfamiliar with it.

To assist you in providing your readers with an authoritative overview, we’ve pro-

vided you with answers to the five most commonly asked questions about 7.1 sur-

round. For more detailed information, visit the web sites of Dolby, DTS, THX, and

Microsoft about their respective technologies.

“Why would I want more than 5.1 surround sound?”

Simply put, 7.1 provides a more immersive surround experience.

Sound goes not only from the front to the side-positioned surround

speakers, but also goes straight from front to rear, and from the sides,

can loop around the listener in a half circle. The following graphic il-

lustrates this idea. The 7.1 experience provides a level of realism that

5.1 cannot deliver. For those interested in the ultimate surround experi-

ence, 7.1 is the way to go.

The best way to compare is to audition an EX title with a scene that has

good surround mixing, such as the Star Wars Pod Racer scene. Com-

pare the surround experience in 5.1 vs. 7.1

“Where do the extra speakers go?”

The extra speakers go directly behind the listener(s) as shown in the

following illustration.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Speaker Placement Guide

5.1 Surround Sound

7.1 Surround Sound

“What’s the difference between 6.1 and 7.1?”

For today’s cinema content, it’s first important to note the distinction

between the number of audio channels encoded in the content, and the

speaker configuration on which that content is to be played.

Perhaps the easiest way to illustrate this with new technologies, such as

Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES, is to first look back at the original Dolby

Pro Logic format. Though Dolby Pro Logic contains only four decoded

channels (Left, Right, Center, and Mono Surround), it is designed to be

played back with two surround speakers, each playing the same mono

surround information. The newer 7.1 is similar: Content is en-

coded/decoded as 6.1 information, but the Rear (or Center) surround

channel is intended to be played on a 7.1 speaker configuration, rather

than 6.1. Using two rear surround speakers provides better fill, more

natural sound, better sound dispersion, and—with multiple listeners—a

wider “sweet spot.”

For more information, read the Dolby Digital EX listener’s guide, lo-

cated at www.dolby.com/ht/co_br_0110_ListenersGuideEX.html.

The Revolution 7.1 can also output 7.1 discrete channels. This is great

for today’s new surround formats, such as Windows Media Audio 9

Professional, that already support discrete 7.1 surround sound. It also

makes the Revolution 7.1 ready for future formats that take advantage

of 7.1 surround.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

“What content is available in 6.1 or 7.1?”

With Microsoft’s January 2003 launch of Windows Media Audio 9

Professional, both music and movie content will be available in 7.1 sur-

round sound (in addition to 5.1). Circle Surround II generates a 7.1

content mix from any stereo source, Pro Logic, or Circle Surround-

encoded material. Using the “Virtual 7.1” or “7.1 Expansion” feature in

Revolution’s Control Panel, you can experience added surround fill

when listening to any 5.1 content. Also, 6.1 content, including Dolby

Digital EX, DTS ES, and DTS Discrete ES, are all designed for play-

back on a 7.1 setup.

“Where can I get a 7.1 receiver or 7.1 speaker set?”

See “About Computer Multimedia Speakers,” above, and the “7.1 Sur-

round Sound Receivers” section, located in the Appendix.

Revolution Control Panel

After installing the hardware and software, use the control panel to manage all as-

pects of the Revolution 7.1 audio experience. As you go through the suggested lis-

tening tests, detailed later in this section, you will choose many options from the

control panel.

Launching the control panel varies by operating system:

Windows: Double click the “M” icon in the system tray

Mac OS9: Open the Control Panels folder and select “M-Audio Revolution”

Mac OS X: Double click “M-Audio Revolution” in the Applications folder

Launching the control panel displays the speaker set-up screen. Note the folder tabs

that appear horizontally across the control panel. They provide access to the Revo-

lution 7.1’s various audio-management features. Detailed information about all as-

pects of the control panel is located on pages 17–24 of the User Guide.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Speaker Setup

(Mac). Indicates

number of installed

speakers, their

ꢀ

sizes, distances

from the listener,

crossover fre-

quency, and more.

Specifying more

speakers than are

connected may

cause sound to be

routed to non-

existent speakers,

resulting in audio

information being

unheard. The

“Test” function en-

sures correct

speaker connec-

tions and levels.

S E T T I N G U P

T E C H N I C A L

S P E A K E R O P -

T I O N S C A N B E

A S E A S Y A S

C H O O S I N G

Output Mixer (PC).

Faders adjust levels

for each installed

speaker with a high

degree of control.

“Solo” sends sound

to selected speaker

only, muting the

others. This is useful

to ensure that left

and right are not

reversed, for exam-

ple.

ꢁ

T H E I R M O D E L

N U M B E R F R O M

T H E R E V O L U -

T I O N C O N T R O L

P A N E L ’ S P O P -

U P L I S T

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Surround Sound

(Macintosh). Con-

trols all surround

functions, including

Sensaura (PC),

TruSurround XT,

Circle Surround II,

Dialog Enhance-

ment, and TruBass.

Refer to the fol-

lowing “Listening

Tests” section of

this guide for de-

tailed information

and suggested

ꢀ

evaluation proce-

dures.

Speaker Setup

(Windows). Pro-

vides identical

ꢁ

functionality to the

Macintosh version.

“Bass Manage-

ment” option

routes full-range

signal to speakers if

they are large

enough to handle

bass frequencies. If

small speakers are

specified, bass sig-

nals are automati-

cally routed to

subwoofer.

Operating System Considerations

• Operating systems for the PC and Macintosh differ in their support of mul-

tichannel audio, a fact of life that affects all third-party developers. The fol-

lowing sections provide information on which tests are supported under

which operating systems.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Listening Tests

With the Revolution 7.1, the proof is in the listening. Ideally, you would have two

computers that are identical in every way except for the sound card installed. This

will allow you to make direct A-B comparisons with Revolution 7.1 and the com-

peting sound card of your choice. If not, you’ll use one system and swap the sound

cards in and out as necessary.

Note that some competing sound card driver software assumes single card function-

ality and this software can conflict with other sound cards. We’ve noticed that even

after a full uninstall of some competitors’ drivers and software, some residual soft-

ware is left on the system which can still cause problems if a new sound card is later

added to the system. We recommend installing the Revolution 7.1 on a clean, up-

dated system.

G A M E S W I T H

E A X 1 . 0 , E A X

2 . 0 , D I R E C T -

S O U N D 3 D ,

A 3 D A N D

Test 1: Inherent Noise

This test compares the inherent noise—or lack of noise—present in the sound

cards. The Revolution 7.1 features a professional 107 dB signal-to-noise ratio.

DO NOT PLAY AUDIO CONTENT DURING THIS TEST.

Doing so may damage speakers and cause hearing loss.

O T H E R S

S O U N D

1. Connect the competing sound card/computer combination to pow-

ered speakers or a stereo receiver, then turn the volume up all the

way. Listen for the amount of noise present.

A M A Z I N G L Y

R E A L W I T H A

T H E R E V O L U -

T I O N 7 . 1

2. Turn the volume all the way down, then connect the speakers to the

Revolution 7.1.

C A R D

3. Repeat the same test with the Revolution 7.1. You should hear no

noise from the Revolution 7.1.

You may hear noise associated directly with the powered speakers, cables,

stereo system, or amplification, but not from the Revolution 7.1. It helps to

test with a higher-quality sound system that doesn’t introduce a lot of noise.

Note that it is also important to listen for noise during quiet parts in music.

Some competing cards utilize “muting circuitry,” which eliminates noise by

muting when no sound is playing back. Unfortunately, these turn off when

sound is playing, so noise is again introduced into the audio signal.

Test 2: Surround Gaming

Here’s where you surround yourself with the Revolution 7.1’s 3D position-

ing using Sensaura technology. Games enabled with EAX 1.0, EAX 2.0,

DirectSound3D, DirectSound, I3DL2, and A3D offer amazing realism when

played through the Revolution 7.1.

1. Choose a game that supports positional audio, such as Unreal Tour-

nament 2003, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, or Warcraft III.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

2. Open the Revolution control panel software, and select the “Sen-

saura/Game Mode” option in the “Surround Sound” pane.

3. Launch the game and choose a positional audio setting in the game’s

audio settings such as DirectSound or EAX 2.

4. Play the game, listening to both the audio quality and the immersive

surround effect the Revolution 7.1 provides.

5. On games with good use of positional audio, you gain a competitive

advantage by being able to hear where danger or a target is coming

from. You can test positional audio simply by playing, but you may

want to try triggering sound in one direction (such as by throwing a

grenade), turning your “character” around or to the side, and noting

which speaker the sound effect comes from.

While neither Mac OS 9 nor X have an established API for positional or

3D gaming audio, there are some games for the Mac that can be provide

positional audio by using Circle Surround II’s Cinema Mode. Starcraft

supports Dolby Surround and will provide positional audio with CSII

enabled on Revolution. Games that use the Miles positional sound sys-

tem are also supposed to be Dolby compatible and can provide positional

audio on the Mac when Circle Surround II’s Cinema Mode is enabled.

Warcraft III from Blizzard is a good example of this. Note that the com-

bined system requirements of game processing and Circle Surround Ii

decode may be somewhat high.

Test 3: Stereo Music

This test demonstrates the Revolution 7.1’s superior sound quality when

playing a stereo CD, MP3, or Internet radio.

1. Audition one or more CDs, MP3s, and/or Internet radio selections

using the competing sound card.

2. Switch to the Revolution 7.1 and access the control panel software.

3. Enable the “Stereo” or “Stereo w/Integrated Subwoofer” speaker sets

if you have a stereo speaker set or a “2.1” set with a stereo speaker

and crossover that sends bass to the built-in subwoofer. If you have a

true 2.1 set that has a discrete subwoofer input channel, choose the

“Stereo w/Discrete Subwoofer” set and enable Bass Management.

4. Audition the same music as before.

Note the superior audio quality of the Revolution 7.1. You should notice the

improved dynamic range, lower noise, and increased clarity of the audio. On

sources that are inherently very compressed or low fidelity—such as Internet

radio—you may have a more difficult time telling the difference in sound

quality. You may want to use one of the CD tracks listed in the “Music Lis-

tening Samples” section.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Test 4: Surround Sound on Stereo Speakers

These tests demonstrate virtual surround sound through stereo speakers using

SRS TruSurround XT. It’s perfect for users who have only two speakers or

headphones connected to their system. The software can create an enhanced

sound mix from either an original 5.1 surround soundtrack or from the stereo

mix placed on many DVDs, as well as CDs or MP3s.

1. Open the Revolution 7.1 Control Panel. In the Surround Sound tab, turn

on TruSurround XT and set it to “Cinema” mode.

2. Audition an action scene on a DVD that offers a good dynamic range

and use of surround channels. For best results, use the included

WinDVD 4 software (PC) so that surround information can be pulled

from the decoded Dolby Digital soundtrack and virtualized with TruSur-

round XT on stereo speakers. On the Macintosh, this can be performed

using Apple’s DVD Player.

3. Test Revolution’s ability to enhance dialog. Turn “SRS Dialog Clarity”

on and audition a DVD passage featuring dialog along with music or

sound effects. Experiment with the Dialog Enhancement Level control,

as well as toggling Dialog Enhancement on and off. You should notice a

marked improvement in the clarity of the dialog. Try enhancing bass

using the TruBass slider.

T R U B A S S

C O N V E R T S

T H E R U M B L E

O F M I S S L E

L A U N C H E S

4. Switch to a competing card or built-in audio and watch the same scene in

basic stereo mode.

A N D E X P L O -

S I O N S I N T O

F R E Q U E N C I E S

T H A T H O M E

S P E A K E R S

5. Switch to the Revolution 7.1, and access the control panel. Turn off

TruSurround XT.

6. Open a Media player, such as Windows Media Player or iTunes. Audi-

tion a song, such as one of the tracks recommended in the Appendix.

7. Open the Revolution 7.1 Control Panel. Turn on TruSurround XT and

switch to “Music” mode. Play the same song and listen for the increased

sense of “dimension” that TruSurround is able to provide.

C A N H A N D L E

8. Try enhancing dialog or vocals using the Dialog Clarity slider and en-

hancing bass using the TruBass slider.

You should notice a significant improvement with the Revolution 7.1 audio card.

With TruSurround engaged, notice the aural impression of surround sound even

though there are only two speakers. When you switch the output back to the

competing audio card, you’ll certainly notice a marked contrast.

Since the SRS software boosts key frequencies, it may compensate by easing

the overall volume setting. To maintain comparable volume levels, you may

find it useful to boost overall volume when TruSurround features are en-

abled.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Test 5: DVD Surround Decode

This test shows the Revolution 7.1’s ability to decode Dolby Digital and Dolby

Digital EX encoded surround sound using the included WinDVD 4 DVD player.

This illustrates how the Revolution 7.1 can be used with any surround speakers

or receiver, even if they do not have a built-in decoder. It also highlights the ex-

cellent audio quality of Revolution’s digital to analog performance. (This test

works with Windows Me/2000/XP. Mac OS 9 and X do not support this feature)

1. Connect the Revolution 7.1 to a surround-sound receiver or multimedia

speakers via the 1⁄8" analog connections. Select your speaker configura-

tion from the Revolution 7.1 control panel. Make sure “SRS Circle Sur-

round II” is not turned on.

P O W E R E D

S P E A K E R S

T H A T C A N ’ T

D E C O D E

2. Launch the WinDVD 4 Dolby Digital EX version included on the

Revolution 7.1 Applications CD. The first time you use the application,

you may need to go into the program’s “Setup” screen and change the

“Audio Speaker Configuration” to match the number of speakers you

have connected.

D O L B Y

D I G I T A L O R

D O L B Y

3. Audition a DVD with a wide dynamic range and good use of surround

sound audio, such as an action scene. The Revolution 7.1 delivers the

full 7.1 surround sound experience.

D I G I T A L E X

A R E N O T L E F T

O U T : R E V O -

L U T I O N 7 . 1

A N D T H E I N -

C L U D E D

4. Switch to the competing sound card. You should notice a marked con-

trast between the Revolution 7.1 and the other audio hardware.

Test 6: DVD Surround Sound Pass-Through

This test shows the Revolution 7.1’s ability to play back Dolby Digital and/or

DTS surround-sound signals to a surround decoder. (These tests work with Win-

dows Me/2000/XP. Dolby Digital output works with the VideoLan Client DVD

Player in Mac OS X. Mac OS 9 does not support Dolby or DTS output.

W I N D V D 4 . 0

A R E A L L Y O U

N E E D

1. Connect the Revolution 7.1 to a surround-sound decoder using the S/PDIF

coaxial digital connector. Select the “Digital Output” speaker set in the

Revolution Control Panel. On the Mac, you may also need to go to the

“Sound” Control Panel or Preference Pane and choose the “Revolution

Digital Out” driver.

2. Launch your DVD player and enable digital or S/PDIF output from the

player’s preferences or audio output options. Audition a DVD with a large

dynamic range and good surround sound support, such as one of the sug-

gested scenes in this document. The Revolution 7.1 delivers the full sur-

round sound experience. Your decoder should note that it is receiving a

Dolby Digital or even DTS (PC only) stream,

Test 7: Circle Surround II Decode

This test shows the Revolution 7.1’s ability to decode Dolby Pro Logic, Pro

Logic II, or SRS Circle Surround II encoded material using SRS Circle Surround

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

II technology (These tests work with Windows Me/2000/XP, and both Mac OS

9 and X. )

1. Connect the Revolution 7.1 to a surround-sound receiver or powered speak-

ers using the analog audio outputs. Choose the speaker set in the Revolution

Control Panel that most closely matches your speaker setup. Depending on

your operating system, you may also need to go to the “Sound” or “Sound

and Multimedia” Control Panel and choose the “Revolution Analog 7.1

Out” driver if you have previously changed output to digital.

2. In the Surround Sound section of the Revolution Control Panel, turn on Cir-

cle Surround II and enable “Cinema” Mode.

3. Launch any two-channel DVD player application and audition a DVD with

good surround sound mixing, such as one of the scenes suggested in the ap-

pendix.

S R S C I R C L E -

S U R R O U N D I I

E N A B L E S

5. Switch to a competing sound card. You should notice a marked contrast

between the Revolution 7.1 and the other audio hardware’s ability to expand

a stereo signal into surround sound.

S U R R O U N D

S O U N D F R O M

A N Y D V D O R

M E D I A

6. Switch back to the Revolution 7.1. After listening to Circle Surround II

processed audio for a while, open the Revolution 7.1 control panel and turn

off “SRS Circle Surround II.” Note the added depth that this mode provides.

Some volume overhead is necessary for Circle Surround processing; you

may need to increase the volume slightly with Circle Surround enabled.

P L A Y E R , I N -

C L U D I N G T H E

A P P L E D V D

P L A Y E R

7. Turn “SRS TruBass” and “SRS Dialog Clarity” on. Experiment with vari-

ous levels, as well a toggling TruBass or Dialog Clarity on and off. You

should notice a marked difference in bass response and dialog sharpness.

Test 8: Playing Music In Surround Sound

These tests demonstrate the Revolution 7.1’s ability to play music in true sur-

round sound (using Circle Surround II), and the ability to play multichannel

Windows Media Audio 9 Professional (WMA Pro 9) audio files. (The Circle

Surround test works with Windows Me/2000/XP, and both Mac OS 9 and X.

Windows Media 9 does not yet have Macintosh support).

1. Open the Revolution Control Panel and make sure Circle Surround II is off

in the “Surround Sound” pane.

2. Audition a stereo WMA or MP3 music file, such as one of the following:

www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/democenter/9series/

avquality/wmapromp3/default.htm

3. From the same site, audition a multichannel WMA 9 Pro file.

Note the far more “immersive,” or enveloping feeling of the 5.1 or 7.1 WMA 9 Pro

mix. You can hear instruments surrounding you and a multichannel experience that

matches what the artist wanted you to hear.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

4. Audition a song from a CD or high-quality stereo WMA or MP3 file using

a media player such as iTunes or Windows Media Player.

5. Open the Revolution Control Panel and turn on Circle Surround II’s “Mu-

sic” mode in the “Surround Sound” pane.

6. Listen to the same song again. While any music will benefit from Circle

Surround II’s enhancement, music recorded with better channel separation

provides a better surround experience. Try the “Recommended for CSII”

tracks listed in the “Music Listening Samples” section.

7. Switch to the Revolution Control Panel’s Output Mixer and note the meters

representing additional surround channels. If you don’t see additional chan-

nels in the mixer, the source music may be mono and require you to set Cir-

cle Surround II to the “Mono” setting. Many Internet Radio broadcasts are

mono.

Note the immersive surround mix. On live albums, you can hear crowd noise in the

rear speakers, instrument and vocal separation, and great sense of “being there.”

The beauty of this feature is that it works with your entire CD, MP3, and WMA

collection.

8. Hook up an external MP3 player, DAT, MiniDisc, XM Radio, Satellite Re-

ceiver, or other external music/audio source to Revolution’s “Line In” jack.

9. Open the Revolution 7.1 Control Panel and with Circle Surround still en-

abled, check the “Enable Monitoring” or “Monitor Input on Output”

checkbox in the Surround Sound pane. Leave the Control Panel open or

minimize it without quitting or closing the Control Panel.

10. For stereo music, you should leave CSII in “Music” mode. For audio that is

Dolby Pro Logic or Circle Surround II encoded—such as many TV broad-

casts—set CSII to “Cinema” mode.

You can perform real-time stereo-to-surround sound conversion of any external

audio source and breathe new life into audio coming from your satellite TV re-

ceiver, digital or satellite radio, hard disk MP3 player, or other source. Now any

audio source can be played back in surround up to 7.1, thanks to the Revolution

7.1 and Circle Surround II. This is an extremely useful and powerful feature in a

home theater environment.

Test 9: Laboratory Audio Testing

Listening is the true test of any sound card. Yet for the engineers among us,

some prefer to see objective “laboratory tests” that corroborate what the ear

hears. This document’s technical and audio performance specifications (see

charts on pages 8 and 25) list some of the card’s audio performance specifica-

tions with competing cards. The results speak for themselves.

Audio testing with standard equipment (such as Audio Precision), especially at

higher audio qualities—such as 24-bit/96kHz and 24-bit/192kHz—confirms the

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Revolution 7.1’s sound quality. Revolution’s sound quality results do not rely on

brick wall filters during testing, or muting circuitry to reduce noise when no

audio is playing, or on any other “smoke and mirrors” tricks that manufacturers

may use to inflate their audio quality measurements. Some items to consider as

you test:

• The Revolution offers superb line-input quality, but its line-out quality is

even better. Test methods that perform loopback tests (from output to in-

put), such as the Rightmark Audio Analyzer program, underestimate the

quality of Revolution’s audio output.

• Use high-quality test cables. Poor quality or poorly-shielded cables can de-

grade audio test results. Use a short 1/8” to 1/8” cable with good shielding

for a loopback test.

• Watch for cable interference: Make sure to isolate the test cable from noise

sources commonly found behind a computer. Cable modems, power strips,

power supplies, AC cable—all of these emit noise and can degrade signal

quality on an audio cable, especially if it’s poorly shielded.

• Do not plug anything into the Mic jack while testing line input or perform-

ing a loopback testing using the line input. The Mic and Line In jacks are

summed together and, while the Mic input provides high-quality audio in-

put, it is not as high quality as the Line in or Line outputs. Performing a

loopback test with a cable plugged into the Mic in jack (even if testing the

Line in) will degrade test results.

• Use a good power supply. A poor quality power supply can leak 60Hz

noise into the board power. You can see this noise and its harmonics on a

noise plot as 60Hz, 180Hz, and 300Hz spikes. This will seriously degrade

audio quality scores and adds about 30dB to noise level. Of course, with

220V power, these spikes are at 50, 150, and 250Hz. This can be fixed by

using a good power supply (such as Antec TruPower, etc.).

• Watch for crosstalk noise. This is where noise is coupled in to Revo from a

noisy network card, video card, etc. There are no real indicators—such as

spikes—that this is happening; you will just get poor quality test scores.

This can be generally be fixed by moving the Revolution card to a different

slot, farther away from other cards.

• When using RightMark Audio Analyzer, make sure to follow the steps be-

low for proper setup/configuration. Improper setup of RightMark can easily

provide erroneous test results.

M-Audio can provide you with additional detailed Audio Precision test results. If

you’re interested in this information—more than 110 pages of very technical re-

sults—feel free to contact us (see the contacts list on page 3). Our testing, as well as

results from partners and press, objectively support that the Revolution 7.1 is the

best sounding consumer audio card available today. We’ve also seen a number of

user RMAA Revolution tests on the web that support this. If your test results don’t

agree, please contact us. We’ll be happy to discuss your test configuration.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Ple^Rasⁱe^ghs^te^Me^at^rh^ke ^Ase^uc^dtⁱi^oon^Anab^ao^lyv^ze^erfo^Tr^em^stoⁱⁿre^gnotes on test configuration. We highly rec-

ommend using RMAA version 5.0 or later as it has more accurate test capabilities.

For RMAA 4.3:

1. Open RMAA and the Revolution control panel.

2. In the Revolution control panel’s "Speaker Setup" tab, set current set to Ste-

reo. Also, set the crossover to "off," turn off Bass Management, and set the

output volumes to maximum.

3. On the "Output Mixer" tab, verify levels are at maximum (they should be if

you configured output in Speaker Setup).

4. On the "Surround Sound" tab, switch to “No Processing.”

5. In the "Input/Other" tab, set the input to minimum and disable monitoring.

These are crucial.

6. Set the master volume (the speaker icon in the Windows system tray) to

maximum. This is also crucial.

7. In the RMAA application, click "Adjust I/O levels" and check the levels.

They should be around -0.8dB (*see explanation below).

8. In RMAA’s "Soundcard Settings..." set the device to Revolution, and

choose the sound quality you wish to test (24/96, for example).

9. Click "Run Tests." Your testing was accurate if you get around -101 dBA

noise level.

For RMAA 5.0

1. Perform steps 1-7.

2. Select "Loopback Test"

3. Levels should be around -1.8dB

4. Set playback/ recording settings.

5. Press the loopback button in the lower left.

6. Scores should be higher than those found in RMAA 4.3, especially in dy-

namic range and crosstalk. Noise level should be better than –101 dBA.

*The Revolution card was designed so that at full scale output, you can loop-

back to the input and not overdrive the ADC (about .5 dBu less than the ADC's

maximum value).

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Part

Product Specifications

The following series of charts lists all technical specifications for the M-Audio

Revolution 7.1 high-definition surround sound audio card. Specifications are sub-

ject to change without notice due to continuing product improvement programs.

Hardware Features

8 analog channel line outputs (through 4 stereo 1/8" Mini jacks)

Output

Input

S/PDIF digital coaxial output (RCA)

S/PDIF out can transmit either linear PCM or AC-3

Stereo 1/8" Mini Analog Line Input

Mono 1/8" Mini Analog Microphone Input with electret mic power

Driver Features

24-bit linear PCM

16-bit linear PCM

Up to 24-bit AC-3 output over S/PDIF (not available in Mac OS 9)

Up to 24-bit DTS output over S/PDIF (not available in Mac OS)

SRS Circle Surround II processing PC & Macintosh

SRS TruSurround XT processing PC & Macintosh

Sensaura (for 3D gaming) (PC Only)

Playback Formats

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Product Specifications (cont’d.)

Audio Performance

Line Outs

Dynamic Range

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

THD

106 dB (typical, -60 dB input, a-weighted)

107 dB (typical, a-weighted)

0.003% (i.e., -90dB)

Max. Line Output Level

1.26 Vrms (+2 dBV)

+0.8/-0.0 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

+0.8/-3.0 dB, 20 Hz to 80 kHz

Frequency Response

Crosstalk

-120dB

Mic In

Dynamic Range

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

THD

90 dB (a-weighted)

0.003% (i.e., -90dB)

+0.0/-3.0, 80Hz to 17kHz

Frequency Response

Line In

Dynamic Range

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

THD+N

105 dB (a-weighted)

100 dB (a-weighted)

0.003% (i.e., -90 dB)

1.45 Vrms (+3.2 dBV)

Maximum Input Level

Sampling Frequencies (KHz)

No sample rate conversion

32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 172.4, 192

With MME rate conversion

All sample rates up to 200kHz

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Product Specifications (cont’d.)

Minimum System Requirements

With SRS Circle Surround II disabled

200MHz Pentium with MMX

64 MB RAM

Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

PCI-based PowerMac with built-in USB

64 MB RAM

Macintosh

Mac OS 9.2.2 or OS X (10.1.5 for Dolby Digital pass-through)

With SRS Circle Surround 7.1 enabled

700 MHz Pentium III

128 MB RAM

Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

PowerMac G4 500

Macintosh

128 MB RAM

Mac OS 9.2.2 or OS X (10.1.5 for Dolby Digital pass-through)

Bass Management

One of the least flashy, but most revolutionary features of the Revolution 7.1 is its

advanced theater-grade bass management. First, we should discuss what bass man-

agement is and why it’s important. Then we can talk about why Revolution’s im-

plementation is so advanced.

The most common home theater or surround sound speaker sets are made up of

small speakers (satellites) that surround the listener. These speakers are generally

not full-range, tower-type, speakers capable of reproducing everything from the

lowest bass to the highest highs. The key to using type of speaker configuration is to

route bass that would normally go to these satellite speakers to a subwoofer instead.

This works because bass is perceived as “non-directional,” meaning that you can

place a subwoofer almost anywhere in the room and have it represent audio coming

from any speaker. The simplest method of implementing bass management is to set

a single crossover frequency for all your satellite speakers, below which all sound

goes to the subwoofer.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Bass

ꢀ

Management

(PC). Simply select

the subwoofer in

the “Speaker

Setup” pane. With

the “Bass Man-

agement” checkbox

enabled, you gain

access to a number

of powerful controls

over your system’s

bass settings.

The power of Revolution’s bass management technology is that it provides more

control over bass than most high-end surround sound receivers. It is possible to set

the crossover at “none” for your full-range front left/right speakers, a 40Hz cross-

over for the surround left/right, a 60Hz crossover for the center, and 80Hz for the

surround center left/right. Even with a complex speaker setup like this, Revolution

is able to accurately route bass where needed. Also key is the discrete handling and

control of both types of bass: LFE (Low Frequency Effects, or the dedicated bass

audio channel on a DVD), and Bass (all of the redirected bass that would have gone

to the satellites). This is important since it allows a level of fine-tuning for audio that

home theater enthusiasts have been clamoring for. Revolution’s bass management

makes the subwoofer channel work in a 5.1 system used for music, can extend the

life of your speakers by not routing audio to your satellites that they are not capable

of handling, and improves the sound quality of your speaker system by playing the

right audio through the right speaker.

R E V O L U T I O N

F E A T U R E S T H E

M O S T P O W E R -

F U L B A S S

M A N A G E M E N T

O F A N Y S O U N D

C A R D — I T I S

M O R E P O W E R -

F U L T H A N

M O S T H I G H -

E N D S U R -

Note: M-Audio is in the process of providing additional enhancements to the Revolution

7.1 bass management software. Depending on when you review the product, the soft-

ware you download from our website will use one of two methods. Both are accurate and

powerful, but you may want to understand in more detail how bass is handled in each:

R O U N D R E -

C E I V E R S

The current bass management reduces overall volume by 6dB to ensure accurate

levels and to keep from overloading the subwoofer with the additional bass coming

from other speakers. If you notice a slight volume drop when bass management is

enabled, this is the method being used. When using this bass management, you can

slightly increase the main volume level to adjust for this.

Soon the software will only have a 6dB drop in the subwoofer channel when bass

management is enabled, to protect against overloading the subwoofer channel with

redirected bass. You can adjust the “Bass Boost” and LFE Boost” sliders to “0” to

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

maintain the flattest level balance, but you should optimize all of your output levels

to reduce the chance of overloading your speaker system. If you notice no volume

drop when bass management is enabled, or only a slight volume drop on the sub-

woofer, this is the bass management scheme used in your Revolution 7.1 driver ver-

sion.

7.1 Surround Sound Receivers

Though 7.1 technology is new to PC audio, it is already well-established in the

home theater market. The sampling below lists just a fraction of the 7.1 surround

receivers available today. There are numerous manufacturers, not listed below, who

also offer 7.1 receivers or processors including Krell, Yamaha, Lexicon, Rotel, Me-

ridian, Outlaw, Integra, NAD, and Myryad.

Receivers with 7.1 Support

Manufacturer

Model

B&K

AVR-307

Denon

AVR-3803

AVR-4800

AVR320

AVR325

AVR520

AVR525

AVR7200

AVR8000

AVR8500

Harman Kardon

JVC

DPR1001

RX-DP10VBK

RX-DP9V BK A/V

SR9200

JVC

Marantz

Onkyo

Pioneer

TX-DS898

TX-DS989

TX-DS989ver2

TX-NR900

TX-SR800

VSX-AX10i

VSX-D1011

VSX-D2011

STR-DA4ES

STR-DA7ES

Sony

Source: M-Audio

Representative list only.

Subject to change.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

DVD Test Scenes

The following chart identifies scenes that are great for auditioning surround sound.

The DVD chapters below highlight one or more significant parts of the surround

audio experience or another: bass, directional audio, environmental audio, audio

clarity, dynamic range, etc. Titles designated “6.1” are specifically designed for

playback on a 7.1 surround speaker configuration (see 6.1 vs. 7.1 on page 15 for

more information). Note that the chapter numbers in the chart locate start scenes for

particularly good sections. While some may be short, others may be as long as a

few chapters.

Note also that most DVDs contain multiple audio tracks. For the best experience,

choose the Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital EX tracks rather than the Dolby Stereo

track when using the included version of WinDVD for PC, or the VLC Player for

Mac. If you have a DTS-decoding DVD player or decoder, try the DTS track avail-

able on many of these titles. While most disks default to the correct setting, it is

worth checking this to avoid auditioning a stereo audio track accidentally.

Suggested DVD Viewing

DVD Title

Scene

Chapter Comments

Support* Channels

Star Wars:

Episode 2

Jango Fett

Fight

Great bass. Good Music.

Great directional Audio.

DD EX

6.1

Lord of the

Rings: The

Fellowship of

the Ring

Opening scene,

Cave Troll,

Others

Great ambient audio and

bass. Great dynamic

range and fidelity.

1/29

DD EX

6.1

The entire film makes

almost constant use of

surround channels. Oscar

nominated for best sound

and music.

Fifth Element:

Superbit Edi-

tion

Great directional Audio-

Great Bass.

ZF1

5.1

Star Wars:

Episode 1

Excellent directional

Audio in 6.1. Great Bass.

Pod Racer

Taxi Chase

DD EX

6.1

5.1

Fifth Element:

Superbit Edi-

tion

Good directional Audio-

Great Bass. Great Music.

Star Wars:

Episode 2

Great bass. Good Music.

Good directional Audio.

Chase Scene

Rain

DD EX

6.1

5.1

Dolby’s “Ex-

plore our

World”

Nice highs and bass.

Great channel separation.

Good bass & surrounds.

Little directional audio

The Matrix

Lobby

5.1

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Suggested DVD Viewing

DVD Title

Scene

Chapter Comments

(environmental only)

Support* Channels

Room shaking explosions

and bass. Great environ-

mental audio.

U571

Depth Charge

5.1

IMAX Super

Speedway

Michael An-

dretti Test

Drive

Great directional and

positional audio- Great

visuals.

21/22

DD 5.1

Toy Story 2:

Toybox Edition Minutes

Opening 5

Great audio. Great Bass.

Little directional.

DD EX

6.1

5.1

6.1

Balls bouncing

in toy store

Great audio. Great Bass.

Great directional.

Toy Story 2

The Fast and

the Furious

Use of music in surrounds

is unique.

NOS Fest

Terminator

Two: Ultimate

DVD Edition

Light, but effective use of

surrounds.

Chase

DD EX

The Matrix

Dodge This

Great directional audio.

5.1

Great directional audio

and room shaking bass.

Pearl Harbor

Battle of Britain 11

Attack on Pearl 22

Great LFE effects. Subtle,

but effective positional

audio.

Ice Age

Opening

5.1

Great ambient audio and

music. Oscar nominated

for best sound.

Moulin Rouge Sparkling

Sad Diamonds 30

Source: M-Audio

*DD = Dolby Digital

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Music Listening Samples

The recordings listed in the following chart are great for auditioning sound quality

and stereo-to-surround conversion. Items checked “CSII” are excellent for Circle

Surround II playback. Music with a “hard center” recording style may not provide

much surround separation when used with Circle Surround II; recordings with good

stereo separation provide a better multichannel experience.

Suggested CD Listening

Artist

Album

Track

Notes

CSII

Dave Matthews Listener Sup-

Granny,

Try with Circle Surround II on and

off. Note crowd noise broken out

into rear speakers and good chan-

nel separation. Great live feel.

√

Band

ported (Disk 2) Two Step

The Eagles

Hell Freezes

Over

Hotel Califor- Try before and after with Circle

√

nia

Surround II. Note crowd noise bro-

ken out into rear speakers and

good channel separation. Great live

feel.

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Fast Car

Clean guitar and tight bass.

Diana Krall

Love Scenes

All or Nothing Very clean recording. Good bass

at All

and vocals. Quiet spots for noise

checks.

Sting

Ten Summon-

ers’ Tales

Fields of Gold Clean recording. Clear vocals, rim

shots, and guitar. Less separation

in Circle Surround II, but wonderful

in Stereo.

Sting

Nothing Like the Englishman in Smooth recording. Clear vocals,

√

Sun

New York

high hat, and guitar. Less separa-

tion in Circle Surround II, but won-

derful in Stereo.

Jewel

Spirit

Standing Still Try with Circle Surround II.

√

Pink Floyd

Queen

Pulse (Live)

Money

Try with Circle Surround II.

Bohemian Rhap- Bohemian

sody

Rhapsody

Enya

A Day Without

Rain

Only Time

Try with Circle Surround II.

√

Soundtrack to

Fellowship of

the Rings

May it Be

Starts with nice vocals and great

bass. Nice ambient feeling with

CSII enabled. This recording con-

tains clicks near middle of song

that sound like vinyl pops.

John Mayer

Room for

Squares

Your Body is a Nice bass. Clean recording.

Wonderland

√

Source: M-Audio

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Additional Resources

Both Dolby Laboratories and Digital Theater Systems (DTS) are an excellent source of

technical information regarding surround sound. You may find the following links useful.

Dolby Explains 5.1 vs. 6.1 vs. 7.1:

dolby.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/dolby.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=RSAeb1Dg&p_lva=

&p_faqid=135&p_created=1013441850&p_sp=cF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTcxJnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li

Previous and Upcoming Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Surround EX films:

www.dolby.com/movies/films_previous.html

www.dolby.com/movies/films_upcoming.html

DTS ES Explained:

www.dtsonline.com/dts-es2.pdf

DTS ES and DTS ES Discrete Titles (since January 2003):

www.dtsonline.com/home/dvdvideo.pdf

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Company Backgrounder

M-Audio, Inc (formerly Midiman Inc.) was founded in 1988 with the goal of of-

fering complete audio solutions to meet the needs of recording artists, audio profes-

sionals, and consumers. To achieve this goal, the company leverages cutting-edge,

high-quality technology, offering features and pricing that are accessible to musi-

cians, audio professionals, and consumers. That strategy is on track: Sales in Janu-

ary 2002 grew 109 percent compared with the same period one year earlier.

In December 2001, M-Audio launched its consumer division, bringing pro-quality

audio products to the consumer. The consumer division was established to leverage

M-Audio’s professional audio technology in order to make the highest-quality con-

sumer audio products, and to establish M-Audio as the premier and preferred sup-

plier of innovative audio products to the consumer.

While much of M-Audio’s early growth resulted from the development and sales of

its computer sound cards, it is the integration of software and hardware that has

powered M-Audio’s transition from an audio and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital

Interface) products company to a provider of complete solutions with significant

influence in the industry.

M-Audio has created several programs to support new and emerging artists. The M-

Powered Artists program sponsors both known and unknown artists, providing

wider recognition for their musical contributions. M-Audio also created MORE,

(M-Audio Outreach Recording Ensemble), a program designed to teach music and

music technology to abused and underprivileged young people.

In addition to its U.S. headquarters, M-Audio maintains ongoing operations in Can-

ada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

Press Release

M-AUDIO LAUNCHES INDUSTRY’S FIRST HIGH-DEFINITION

7.1 SURROUND SOUND CARD

Revolution 7.1 delivers up to eight channels of pristine quality,

24-bit/192kHz audio for immersive music, movies and games.

Arcadia, Calif., December 9, 2002—M-Audio today announced Revolution 7.1, the

first high-definition 7.1 surround sound card providing up eight channels of profes-

sional 24/192kHz audio with consumer-oriented features. Revolution 7.1 allows PC

and Mac owners to play DVDs and all their music in surround sound, experience

more realistic gaming, and record or mix their own music.

With output for up to seven speakers and a subwoofer, the Revolution 7.1 rivals

even the best movie theaters. Where 5.1 places speakers beside the listener, 7.1

places them both beside and behind them for a much more immersive and believ-

able surround sound experience. Revolution 7.1 even lets users experience eight

channels of high-definition 24-bit/192kHz audio simultaneously. The included

Dolby Digital EX DVD player allows listeners to immerse themselves in today’s

highest quality DVD surround sound. Revolution 7.1 fully supports stereo, 4.1, 5.1,

and 6.1 formats as well.

Full support for Microsoft Windows Media Audio 9 Professional delivers high-

quality, discrete multi-channel audio over the Internet today. With Windows Media

Audio 9 Professional and the Revolution 7.1, PC users can enjoy incredibly high-

quality, high-resolution surround sound streamed live or on demand from the Inter-

net. Revolution 7.1’s support for surround sound up to 7.1 and for high-definition

audio playback make it a great way to experience high-quality Windows Media

Audio 9 Professional content at lower data rates than other formats. Whether play-

ing back video files in surround sound, or today’s latest music released in stereo or

surround Windows Media 9 format, Revolution provides you with the most realistic

and immersive audio available.

Built-in SRS Labs’ Circle Surround II™ technology instantly transforms CDs,

MP3, and other content into incredibly lifelike surround sound, dynamically sepa-

rating instruments, vocals, and even crowd noises for a dramatically enhanced lis-

tening experience. “Revolution is the first consumer audio card to offer the same

high-quality Circle Surround II technology found in many home theater receivers

around the world,” said Ted Franceschi, Executive Vice President, Marketing and

Sales. “SRS Labs is excited to partner with M-Audio in providing PC and Macin-

tosh users the ultimate surround sound experience on a computer.” Those without a

5.1 or 7.1 speaker system can still enjoy stunning results from Revolution 7.1,

thanks to built-in SRS TruSurround XT™ technology. This powerful virtual sur-

round sound process delivers the multi-channel audio experience over standard ste-

reo speakers or even headphones. TruSurround XT enables two channel listening

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

R E V I E W E R ’ S G U I D E

that brings home what the filmmakers intended to be heard, even if additional

speakers are not present.

Revolution 7.1 is also designed with gamers in mind. Ultra-realistic 3D positional

audio makes players feel like they’re really in the game while providing the extra

advantage of hearing exactly where danger lies. Revolution 7.1 supports today’s

popular game technologies such as Sensaura, EAX, DirectSound3D, and A3D.

M-Audio has distilled years of experience making audio solutions for recording

professionals into this powerful, easy-to-use, PCI surround sound solution for the

consumer market. Specs such as a high 107dB signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio and ex-

ceptionally low distortion (THD) rating of 0.0031% insure that sound is clear and

clean—from whisper quiet music to room-rattling explosions. Revolution 7.1’s in-

tuitive control panel also makes it easy to access powerful pro features like Bass

Management, Speaker Optimization and Input Metering.

“Revolution 7.1 earns its name as a truly revolutionary product by simultaneously

delivering fully immersive 7.1 surround sound and amazing high-definition 24-

bit/192kHz audio,” says Jason Ivan, Director of Product Marketing for M-Audio’s

Consumer Division. “And where most cards sacrifice audio quality for surround

sound playback, Revolution delivers all eight channels at full 192kHz fidelity. Lis-

teners can finally enjoy movies, music and games the way they were meant to be

experienced. Revolution 7.1 delivers serious audio performance and quality with

ease of use designed to appeal to a wide segment of the consumer market.”

Revolution includes over $200 of high-quality bundled software with full versions

of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, MixMan Studio, VJ Lite, and the Dolby Digital EX

version of WinDVD 4. Also included are award-winning music creation programs

with over 100 sounds and loops as well as a free sampler CD of music from M-

Powered artists who use M-Audio products.

Revolution 7.1 is scheduled to ship in January 2003, and will be distributed in major

retail stores throughout North America. It will be released soon after that in Japan

and Europe. Estimated street price for Revolution 7.1 is $99.99.

# # #

Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.

Lennox International Inc Thermostat 51M32 User Manual
Lenovo Personal Computer TC A52 8155 User Manual
Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer CTSX30 0000 01 User Manual
Lindy Network Card 70536 User Manual
Marshall electronic Home Security System V R63P SDI User Manual
Maytag Range MES5875BAB User Manual
Meridian Audio Home Theater System DILA1080pHD User Manual
Metabo Saw TS 250 User Manual
Microsoft Computer Accessories 7706368 User Manual
Midway Video Game Furniture 16 20040 101 User Manual