Into Integration?
For over a decade, integrated audio has been frowned upon by “serious” PC users and for some very good reasons. As with integrated video until recently, integrated audio was fine for voice-quality applications. The CD-Audio playback was fair, but throw positional audio processing or heavy duty DVD movie work into the equation and you were bound for trouble. Moreover, most integrated audio only accommodated stereo playback, featured 70 dB SNA or worse, and made no provision for digital audio output or input.
Then NVIDIA gave the integrated audio space a huge lift with its nForce chipset line, which was originally designed for the Xbox platform. Whereas most preceding boards had relied on various basic iterations of AC’97 that were heavily CPU-dependent, NVIDIA’s audio processing unit (APU) took over much of the sound crunching to aid overall system performance plus enabled hitherto unprecedented functionality, such as Dolby Digital encoding for matrixing stereo into 5.1 in realtime. The problem was that the first nForce was beset by multiple problems. The nForce2 fared considerably better, but by the time it arrived CPUs had grown fast enough to negate much of the processing advantages of the APU. Moreover, companies such as SRS were offering alternate matrixing software that delivered similar quality to Dolby for less money. The advantages of SoundStorm (NVIDIA’s audio branding under the nForce2) diluted.
By the time the nForce3 was under construction, NVIDIA had learned from experience that it needed to watch where its pennies were going. VIA was due to have its similarly performing but low-cost KT-800 chipset arrive at about the same time, and the APU had gone from being a marketing hook to a sales motherboard real estate liability. Buyers loved the nForce’s speed but didn’t need to spend the extra money on enhanced audio functionality, not that NVIDIA was ever effective in marketing SoundStorm to begin with. Worse still, NVIDIA could only sit idly by as many some integrators paired its formidable audio controller with bargain basement codecs and undermined its quality. SoundStorm was pulled from the nForce3 and, despite persistent rumors to the contrary, NVIDIA has no immediate plans to participate in a line of SoundStorm PCI adapters.

Another nail in SoundStorm’s coffin was the fact that rival audio chip companies continued to improve their products. VIA’s current Envy24PT, for example, supports 24-bit audio at up to 96kHz sampling and supports SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) digital 5.1 in and out ports, and achieves a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 90 dB depending on how the chip is implemented. The fact is that for casual users with mainstream speakers, this is good enough quality for most applications, despite what some add-in audio card vendors might say.
Moreover, Intel isn’t standing still on the sound front.
A new audio spec codenamed Azalia (no, not azalea like the flower) has recently been officially dubbed Intel High Definition Audio. “High Definition Audio will not only provide an enriched playback experience but is intended to deliver a better-quality input for voice and communication applications,” notes Intel’s press release. “The enablement of higher-quality audio is attributed in part to an upgraded architecture and increased bandwidth that allows for 192 kHz, 32-bit, multi-channel audio and support for evolving high-quality audio formats. Other means are increased support for multi-channel array microphones for higher quality input, dynamically allocated bandwidth and audio device configuration flexibility.”

A new audio spec codenamed Azalia…
goes beyond even 7.1. The specification is for
“N channels,” meaning you could do 7.1 or 10.2,
or any other configuration the integrator
and available bandwidth will acommodate.

Azalia goes beyond even 7.1. The specification is for “N channels,” meaning you could do 7.1 or 10.2, or any other configuration the integrator and available bandwidth will acommodate. Azalia is now in 0.9 revision, should be completed by mid-year, and is due to debut in Intel’s Grantsdale chipset next summer. The technology is currently being demonstrated with Dolby Pro Logic IIx technology, a very recent matrixing scheme for converting stereo into 7.1.
Other vendors are working to leverage Azalia, as well. While NVIDIA may have scrapped SoundStorm as a brand (or maybe not—you never know), the company remains hard at work prepping for the next wave of integrated audio. According to Micah Stroud, NVIDIA’s senior product manager for audio technology, the company’s next audio generation will build upon Azalea and open the door to a new flood of system builder customization opportunities.
“We are going to do something a little more unique,” says Stroud. “Recognizing that many users don’t need the extra two channels between a 5.1 and 7.1 surround setup, we’re going to take those extra two channels and let you rededicate them to something else. If you want to, let’s say, take those and run those to another room, no problem. We now associate that as a new device. Or let’s say you wanted a 5.1 mix and the headphone virtualized mix. We can do both of those simultaneously. We are actually going to take that new jack, if you will, and do something useful with it. With the whole plethora of jacks we now have, we could do multi-room audio very, very easily, or you could have prerendered content going out to one jack and you could have dynamic content going to another two or three jacks.”

“For resellers,” adds Stroud, “I think the big challenge will be that everybody’s going to claim 7.1. The vast majority of it is going to be straight out of Taiwan on motherboards, but there’s not going to be a lot of thinking involved. They’re just going to say 7.1 means it has up to 8 speakers. We don’t want to take that approach. We’re going to get the message out that we’re going to do something practical with this audio. You can do 7.1 if you want. You can do 5.1 plus headphones. You can do two sets of four. Because we design all the bits and pieces when we put the chipset and motherboard together, we’ll actually provide the software solution to make it all work whereas these other companies are just going to say, I bought a codec from company A, I got software from company B, and I shipped it on my motherboard from company C. From a consumer’s standpoint, we believe that our solution will very functional and well-integrated, so a reseller can look at it and it’ll make sense. The marketing, messaging, and actual applications around it will make it work.”
It goes without saying that many if not most consumers will find themselves buying this flexible technology as part of their new PCs, but there is still a lifetime’s worth of psychological programming to overcome. No longer does a jack do just one thing. No longer does one low-cost audio box serve just one space. If NVIDIA thought that messaging Dolby encoding to end-users was hard, this will be far harder, but this is where resellers can step in and educate. If you can pinpoint a few key applications that interest the customer, then you can not only sell additional peripherals (headphones, second speaker sets, etc.) but also perform on-site setups to help ensure that the more complex arrangement works in the way the customer envisioned.

A Sweep of Sound Cards
If integrated audio is going to be so great, is the add-on card on its last legs?
Not by a long shot.
Customers who bought new boxes last year are not going to upgrade their motherboards simply for a SPDIF port or improved codec. As buyers come to realize (or are led by the reseller to realize) that they have outgrown their present configuration, the quickest and most efficient solution is to go with a quality PCI product. These don’t have to be expensive. Respectable 5.1-enabled sound cards start at under $20. And besides, given the competition involved in the add-on card market, what you’re really after here is the service revenue. You can make $3 in margin on an AOpen card or maybe $10 on an OEM Audigy 2. In light of the $25 to $45 you’ll make for the screwdriver work and driver installation, your real focus should be on picking a card that will make your client happy over the long term.
Another consideration is that performance users are likely to want better quality than what can be achieved on any integrated product, a fact with which even makers of integrated solutions agree.
“There is a barrier,” says VIA’s Keith Kowal. “Most motherboards just can’t get past 85 or 90 dB SNR because there’s a lot of noise on the motherboard and also layout issues. There just isn’t enough space to do a proper layout. So as soon as you move to a sound card, you’re ensured better quality. As motherboard makers pay more attention to their on-board audio, yes, the quality is improving along with codec improvement. But I do believe that a sound card will always offer better quality than on-board audio.”
There are other reasons to go for sound cards over integrated. Obviously, the reseller stands to make better margin on a system sale provided he isn’t involved in a battle for the lowest price. Users who are heavy into multitasking but find themselves constrained to use a slower CPU will likely want some model of Sound Blaster since Creative is one of the few companies still producing audio adapters that handle processing in an on-card DSP chip. Perhaps most importantly, vendors who specialize in sound cards generally do a superior job in supplying optimized drivers and applications that will be meaningful to users.
“We have to add features that are relevant to applications,” says Mala Sharma, director of product marketing for Creative Labs. “That’s where our differentiation will be in the future. If the customer is into MP3s, how do we improve that experience? It’ll move from processing capability—although that’ll always be part of it—to improving the audio, whether through effects or other things. Motherboard solutions will provide the platform, but those vendors won’t have the time and energy to solve end-user needs and gaps. Just having a 24-bit DAC is not going to solve the problem. You have to have a solution.”
Let’s take a peek at some of the best add-in cards on the market now, moving from the lowest prices on up.

When flexibility and price matter more than sheer sonic performance, the AW-850 may be just the ticket for budget buyers. Fueled by C-Media’s CMI8738-MX chip, this card sounds about on par with a decent integrated chip. Not great but good enough for most casual work. The card supports up to 5.1 speaker arrangements and is compatible with DirectSound 3D, EAX, and A3D. In addition to the three regular analog jacks, the card offers line-in and mic jacks plus a 15-pin MIDI/joystick port. As the market has largely shifted over to USB peripherals, having an inexpensive card enabled with this port could be a real plus when dealing with value shoppers carrying their old hardware forward.
More important is the SPDIF daughter card, which offers in and out ports in both optical and coax formats. Bundled with the card is a 3” Toslink male-to-male optical cable, which normally sells for $15 at retail. (This is the cable type needed to connect the sound card with a standard optical audio connection used in DVD players and home stereo receivers.) Also included are InterVideo’s WinDVD 4 and WinRip. Taken all together, that’s a lot of value for a card you’ll probably sell for less than $25.

Philips Sonic Edge
5.1 PSC 605: $39.99
www.pcsound.philips.com

internal on the card’s top edge. And be warned: Like many other audio adapters, you might spy “Dolby Digital” in the marketing sheet, but this is only a pass-through channel. The PSC 605 has no Dolby decoding abilities whatsoever.
What saves this card from the round file of our opinion is its Qlogic software. Qlogic is a known company in the home audio world and is known for its exceptional positional audio technologies. Philips applies several Qsound effects through its drivers. QSurround simulates a 5.1 surround field by analyzing a stereo signal and creating discrete information for each channel. In our listening tests, we found this to be far better and more convincing that the old approach of mirroring the rear channels off the front. It’s not as good as true Dolby Digital, but it’s pretty darn good. The QSizzle and QRumble effects also do good work with extending the high and low ranges, and QXpander generates that “wide” effect we remember so fondly from the ‘80s boom box days.
We wouldn’t recommend the PSC 605 for customers interested in DVD content or even 5.1 WMA. This is a budget card for people who want an easy way to make their CD collection pop. Bundle it with a $50 to $75 surround speaker set, and you’ve got a persuasive package.

Only $20 more than the Philips card, Mad Dog’s Entertainer 7.1 DSP is an ideal showcase for VIA’s ability to deliver a quality sound experience at rock bottom prices by way of its Envy24HT chip. Mad Dog is a system builder’s kind of product after the old school approach. Skip the apps and all that frou frou. Just use the reference drivers supplied by VIA, throw in a 3’ Toslink optical cable, and load up the card with 90% of the functionality that any consumer would want.
Mad Dog supports all of the main gaming algorithms, but there are no Dolby or DTS codecs. (Keep in mind that most reputable player apps will supply this decoding through software.) Sensaura supplies the 3D effects and matrixing are supplied, and the results are just as good if not better than those delivered by Qsound.
Mad Dog reveals the 24HT to be everything VIA promises. While the Entertainer 7.1 is no Audigy 2, it sounds very good. The bass is rich, the highs sparkle, and it’ll take a high-end set of speakers to reveal the weaknesses in the mids and deep lows. On top of the optical SPDIF in and out ports on the backplane, Mad Dog throws in six analog jacks: front, rear, center/sub, headset/alternate, microphone, and Line-In. If that doesn’t cover your user’s I/O needs, you probably have a professional musician on your hands.

M-Audio
Revolution 7.1: $119.95
www.m-audio.com

The Revolution is a Mad Dog Entertainer
7.1 with a superior codec and a better box
bundle. This card also uses the Envy 24HT
chip, although M-Audio takes the prize for
being the first vendor to market with the
industry’s first 7.1 sound card. With its
superior construction and components,
M-Audio pulls off a 107 dB SNR, which
was only recently bested—by one decibel
—by Creative. M-Audio throws in every-
thing: better drivers (love the customizable
sub crossover slider!), better matrixing
(from SRS), better apps (Tony Hawk’s Pro
Skater 3, VJ Lite, and WinDVD 4 Dolby

Digital EX version), better documentation, and you even get full Dolby Digital decoding. Audiophiles should take note of M-Audio’s sampling, too. The Revolution supports 24-bit/192kHz on all eight analog channels while Mad Dog only does 16-bit/48hKz. This spec even beats out most members of the Audigy and Audigy 2 lines and is a huge selling point for those who want impeccable quality in recording or playback integrity. (In all fairness, though, the Entertainer 7.1 does support 24-bit/192kHz on the digital ports, as does M-Audio. The Revolution’s line and mic analog inputs are at 24/96.) We wish M-Audio had opted for an optical digital out port on the backplane rather than a coax, but we can overlook this in the face of the Revolution’s exceptionally low CPU utilization. Overall, this is an extremely strong performer of very high caliber backed by one of the top names in studio audio. While M-Audio gets some serious price pressure from OEM versions of the Audigy 2 ZS, channel versions of the Revolution should remain competitive.

DVD-Audio output. For any customer that likes music, there is no demonstration more poignant than listening to a CD album side-by-side with its DVD-Audio equivalent. Unlike the Revolution, the Audigy 2 ZS only does 24-bit/192kHz playback in stereo and 24-bit/96kHz in 5.1 surround, but this is the only trade-off we’ve found with this product.
The Platinum version comes with the 5.25” bay ports “drive” that essentially offers every audio input and output port you could ask for plus a 6-wire 1394 port. Creative achieves a record-holding 108 dB SNR with this card, and the package comes with a stack of discs about as thick as a lumberjack’s lunch sandwich. We couldn’t say enough good things about this product, which also finally injects a bit of margin in your hardware sale. Stock it, sell it, love it.

Sweet Speakers
The speaker product category is probably the single best piece of news to hit system builder hardware in the last five years. At that time, throw-away 2.0 sets (two satellites, no sub) were still the norm and the most expensive set you might hope to sell a discerning consumer cost $200. Today, the situation is radically altered. Sure, generic garbage speakers are still the most common units sold in terms of volume, but the last two or three years have seen a tremendous surge in the quality and quantity of high-end designs, thanks largely to ever-stiffening competition between Creative Labs, Klipsch, and relative newcomer Logitech. The amazing surround systems offered by these and other companies often reach into the $300 to $500 range, and the market pull from these units have lifted the industry-wide ASP of speakers to $54, according to NPD. If you think about the vast number of $5 to $10 speakers still pushed through the channel, a $54 average is actually pretty remarkable.
The proliferation of chintzy trash speakers also presents resellers with a golden opportunity that applies equally well in the new system and upgrade markets. As mentioned already, once you help customers to hear what they’ve been missing, they’ll never want to go back.
“There are applications that require better audio,” says Creative’s Mala Sharma, “and the one that’s helped us proliferate that message is the MP3 phenomenon. There’s over 40 or 50 million people who download MP3s to their PCs, and not all of them have upgraded their PC, but all of them can benefit from, at the very minimum, a 2.1 set of speakers. Because you don’t want to listen to music out of those tinny speakers that usually ship with a PC. You want to add more bass and improve the experience to like what you get with a home stereo.”
According to Sharma, the speaker markets showing growth are the 2.1 and surround segments. Interestingly, while surround speakers continue to grow in revenue because of climbing ASPs, surround unit shipments remain flat. The volume story is all in 2.1 systems, which are a huge hit with upgraders just looking for a better music experience. (Consider the number of people who listen to music on their PC versus play high-end games.)
The variety of speakers on the market seemingly dwarfs the number of sound cards. From this mass of options, we’ve selected a handful of systems that we think best represent the range of quality speaker sets available and present the reseller with the best margin opportunities.

JBL excels in creating awesome consumer PC speakers with unparalleled style. The two (tiny!) satellites and sub are fashioned like rounded pyramids and come available in grey or white, the latter of which will also appeal to Mac and iPod users. The satellites feature 4” metallic cones, blue LED accents on their bottoms, and one sports two touch-capacitance buttons for volume control. The frequency response is 50Hz to 20kHz, and the set delivers surprisingly good bass and treble response although, as with many mainstream and lower systems, the mid-range is a bit hollow.
Peak power for the sub is 24W while the satellites pull 8W each at 10% THD. So this set won’t fill a large room, but it will do admirable work on a desktop. With its distinctive look and respectable output, the Creature II will score well with those watching their upgrade dollars, needing a small footprint speaker system, and/or wanting a distinctive style statement for their PCs.

and beams sound out to the side away from the monitor. This not only helps fill in the lower mid ranges but also widens the sound stage’s “sweet spot”, a real plus on systems likely to have multiple people watching the screen at once. The control “pod” sports power, bass, and volume controls as well as headphone and Line-In jacks. Leveraging its seemingly endless product line, Creative helps resellers promote an extra accessory sale by also integrated an “M-PORT” into the pod. This is a USB port into which users can plug a Creative MuVo portable MP3 player, thus bypassing the PC and allowing direct playback from the flash memory.
This set’s frequency range is 30Hz to 20kHz. In many sub-$200 speaker sets, such low specs in the bass are often accompanied by rather muddy performance. Creative manages to keep its bass surprisingly clean at all but very loud volume levels, perhaps indicative of the set’s 80 dB SNR. As such, this system is a great choice for anyone in a small space, such as an apartment or office where music is permitted.