 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Storm Platinum Gamers Pack George Skarbek gskarbek@melbpc.org.au |
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Storm Platinum Sound Card and Headphones is an impressive designed primarily for the serious garners, with side benefits for all the family.
The package includes a high-quality sound card that produces three-dimensional sound quality to a pair of ordinary speakers. It also includes the Force Feedback headphones, which can vibrate to enhance the low frequencies and therefore enhance the listening experience in many cases. You can also experience the 3D sound through the headphones when used with this sound card.
The advantage of this combination is that if there is a gamer in the house then he or she can be easily persuaded to use these headphones at night and the rest of the family can have some peace and quiet while they can turn up the sound and vibration on the headphones.
Xitel's Aureal A3D is a new technology that brings a three-dimensional sound quality to a pair of ordinary speakers. With Aureal A3D, you hear dynamically created and positioned sounds while playing games or visiting web sites that have been encoded with Aureal A3D - adding a whole new dimension to the gaming experience. The 3D effect was even evident when I plugged in a $10 set of speakers. However, this is not a recommendation; the effects are better with more expensive speakers. The effect is different from normal stereo and is quite noticeable.
The design of this sound card has been all done in Australia but the manufacturing is overseas. As to how the 3D works, the following description is from taken from http://www.xitel.com:
"All true A3D-capable sound cards use Aureal's advanced algorithms for positioning the sound sources in virtual space. While the game uses the A3D API to specify where particular sounds will be placed, it is up to the sound card's drivers and algorithms to actually make it appear as if sounds are coming from behind you, above you, and all around you."
The card has the usual games port but also the relatively new optical S/PDIF fitting as standard. The S/PDIF fitting enables direct digital transfer of sound to other digital devices; for example, minidisc players.
Minimum Requirements
- Microsoft Windows 95/98 or Windows NT 4.0
- Pentium PC 100 MHz or higher
- One available PCI bus slot
- 8 MB of system RAM (16 MB recommended)
- 15 MB of hard disk space for installation
- CD-ROM drive for installation
Installation is simple and I had no problems installing it on two different computers. The small manual describes what to do and what to expect (with screen dumps), as the operating system discovers the new hardware. The manual just mentions how to install the card but, in both of my systems, I already had a sound card so I removed the existing drivers, removed the old sound card, rebooted, ensured that everything was working and only then did I install the new card. Although 15 MB of disk space is needed, most of this is for several good demonstrations of the 3D capability of the card and can be deleted after you have finished testing and demonstrating. I demonstrated the 3D effects to several Uni students and all were impressed at the realism with two speakers or headphones. It was a significant improvement over the stereo effect.
Force Feedback Headphones
The main audience for these headphones is Virtual Reality gaming. These headphones are available on their own or bundled as part of the Gainer Pack that includes the Xitel sound card.
This headset actually shakes and vibrates for a new sensation that improves the virtual reality of positional audio. Garners will not only be able to hear where everything's coming from, they also be able to feel it. The headphones have built-in power amplifier, allowing fine-tuning of vibration and volume while incorporating the bass technology to really punch out the low end.
There's also the option to disable force feedback if you want to relax listen to music. Two batteries that are claimed to last up to 30 hours power these headphones.
The headphones can be used in your normal Hi-Fi unit as they are not restricted to computer use. For listeners of classical music, some old favourites can be heard and felt in a new way. With the Force Feedback Headphones, Bach's Toccata & Fugue and Strauss' Radetzky March will take on a new dimension. Although they should not be regarded as a replacement for your very high quality headphones, the quality is quite good and the vibration with the bass sounds is a novel experience.
The sound card and Force Feedback Headphones together sell for about $190, while the RRP of the card and the headphones are $169 and $69 respectively.
Summary
For anyone interested in games and considering upgrading their sound card then the Xitel Storm Platinum Sound Card with Force Feedback Headphones should be considered. According to the distributors of this product, the card is almost the same as the top Sound Blaster card that costs more than twice as much. The Storm Platinum should be available from most computer shops. If it is not available at your local store then contact the distributors, Tecksel on (03) 9874 4211 for the nearest dealer or for additional information.
Reprinted from the February 2000 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
