M-Audio Revolution 7.1 User Manual

Revolution 7.1

Surround Sound Audio Card

Reviewer’s Guide

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

 2003 Midiman Inc.

45 East Saint Joseph Street

Arcadia, CA 91006–2861
Telephone: [phone]

Toll Free: 800.969.6434

Fax: [phone]

M-Audio, the M-Audio logo, and Revolution 7.1 are

trademarks or registered trademarks of Midiman Inc.,
for use in the United States and other countries. Other
product names may be trademarks or registered trade-

marks of their respective owners.

The information contained in this document was

examined carefully and is believed to be accu-

rate as of its date of publication.

ii

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Contents

A Note To Product Reviewers 2

Key Editorial Contacts 3

Today’s Audio Cards: Pro Sound at Low Prices 4

Top 5 Cool Things To Do With The Revolution 7.1 5

About The Revolution 7.1 6

Product Info Box 9

Te sting The Revolution 7.1 10

Product Specifications 28

Bass Management 30

7.1 Surround Sound Receivers 32

DVD Test Scenes 33

Music Listening Samples 35

Additional Resources 36

Company Backgrounder 37

Press Release 38

iii

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 ex­cited 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 re­viewer’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, re­gardless of your opinion of the product itself. Also, be sure to read the
printed documentation that is included with the product you received. Fi­nally, the M-Audio Web site, located at www.m-audio.com provides up-to­the-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.

2

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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: [e-mail]
Cell: 408.209.8901

Technical support contact:

Erik Andersen
Technical Specialist
M-Audio

E-mail: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone] x381

Public-relation agency contact:

Valerie Foster
Shotwell Public Relations
Santa Clara, Calif.

E-mail: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone] x102

Refer your readers to:

www.m-audio.com

3

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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

Part

1

M-AUDIO’S

MISSION IS

TO BRING

PRO-QUALITY

AUDIO PER-

FORMANCE TO

THE MASS

M ARKET IN

EASY-TO-USE,

AFFORDABLE

PRODUCTS

OMPUTER audio has come a long way. Just a few years ago, PC and Mac

users settled for a pair of tinny, low-fidelity, battery-powered speakers

C

low-cost, high-performance, easy-to-use surround-sound DVD home theater sys­tems, they are placing similar demands on computer audio—just as they did with
computer video. The Revolution 7.1 answers these demands by delivering profes­sional-quality, high-definition audio signals to as many as eight speakers.

As video technology advanced, sound lagged. Now, major vendors are continually
introducing new technologies that support multi-channel surround sound and pro­mote media as a key purpose for the computer:

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.

driven by a mediocre sound card that generated a lot of background noise.
How that has changed! As savvy consumers have become accustomed to

• Apple Computer: “Digital Hub”

• Intel: “The center of your digital world”

• Microsoft: Windows Media Center Edition

4

WITH UP TO

SEVEN CHAN-

NELS OF SUR-

ROUND SOUND

AND A SUB-

WOOFER,

GAMES AND

PRESENTA-

TIONS HAVE

NEVER HAD IT

SO GOOD.

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 forgot­ten 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.

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 24­bit/96kHz fidelity.

Home theater: The Revolution 7.1’s higher 24-bit/192kHz fidelity and 107 dB dy-

namic range greatly improve the listening experience of computer-based playback
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 real­ized in sufficiently high fidelity to warrant connecting the computer to the home
entertainment system. And with new high-definition TV tuner cards and high­quality DVD playback, the PC is more capable than ever of replacing a stack of
home theater components. The best quality surround sound is key.

Presentations: Make business presentations memorable by enveloping an audience

with seven channels of high-definition surround sound and a seat-rattling sub­woofer. 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 24­bit/192kHz audio fidelity, and virtual surround
sound from only two speakers—let alone at a street
price of about $99.99.

5

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

2

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

Part

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.

HE Revolution 7.1 is half the size of the stereo sound cards of just a few

years ago, yet it delivers up to eight separate channels of sound, is far qui-

T

trial versions of other software.

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

Key Revolution 7.1 Features

Up to eight separate channels—left, center,

Surround Sound

Surround effect
from two speakers

Convert stereo into
true surround sound

Ready for most
encoded formats

Best signal-to-noise
ratio available*

right, surround (2), and surround center/rear
(2) plus subwoofer—completely envelope users.

SRS TruSurround XT technology gives sur­round-sound effect from a traditional stereo
two-speaker set-up or headphones.

Advanced Circle Surround II technology creates
true multichannel surround sound from stereo
MP3s, CDs, and other audio.

Supports Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC3), Dolby Pro
Logic, DTS, and other encoded multi-channel
formats.

Even the 106dB SNR of Creative’s Sound Blas­ter Audigy 2 Platinum eX can’t match The
Revolution 7.1’s SNR of 107dB.

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

6

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

What Makes It So Good?

Glad you asked—and we’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.

WE’VE TAKEN

M-AUDIO’S

EXPERTISE IN

DEVELOPING

PROFESSIONAL

S OUND CARDS

AND BROUGHT

IT INTO THE

C ONSUMER

M ARKET.

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.

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, M­Audio has developed professional audio cards used commercially to master albums
and to do other high-quality audio work, including playback. We’ve taken our ex­pertise in the professional audio market and brought it to the consumer market.

Isn’t a Computer’s Internal Sound Capability Enough?

Even though an audio card can reproduce signals across the entire frequency spec­trum (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 excel­lent linear frequency response, delivers superior dynamic range, and virtually elimi­nates 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 undoubt­edly remember that their CD and MP3 music collections were recorded mostly in
traditional two-channel stereo. Circle Surround II from SRS solves this shortcom­ing, using advanced algorithms to transform two-channel stereo (or even mono)
source material into real multichannel audio for playback through a full comple­ment of surround speakers. This is the same technology that many high-end home­theater receivers use.

What If A User Doesn’t Have A 7.1 Speaker Set?

Revolution 7.1 works great in surround modes other 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.

7

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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

WITH ITS

107DB SNR,

7.1 SUR-

ROUND, AND

GAMING SUP-

PORT, THE

REVOLUTION

7.1 IS THE

ULTIMATE

CONSUMER

AUDIO CARD.

M-Audio

Revolution 7.1

Price

MSRP $119.99 $129.99 $49.99

*Street $99.99 $119.99 $49.99

Audio Fidelity

Stereo 24-bit/192kHz 24-bit/192kHz 18-bit/48kHz

7.1 24-bit/192kHz 24-bit/96kHz (5.1 only) 18-bit/48kHz

ASIO support

Playback 24-bit/192kHz 16-bit/48kHz Unsupported?

Record 24-bit/96kHz 16-bit/48kHz Unsupported?

Platforms Supported

Macintosh, PC PC only PC only

Audio Quality

SNR 107dB Stereo to 7.1

THD+N .003% .004% .017%

Sources: M-Audio company data, specifications from
www.soundblaster.com/products/audigy2/

Creative
Audigy 2

106dB on L/R/SL/SR
90dB on C/Sub/Rear C

Hercules
Gamesurround
Fortissimo III

90dB Stereo

*street price available at a major

retailer, such as CompUSA

8

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 trans­lates 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

In Brief

the video. DVD enthusiasts can use their
computer as the centerpiece of a high-quality
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

Price MSRP/Street* $119.99 / $99.99

Warranty 1-year limited

Included Software

In the box

Vendor

Web site www.m-audio.com

*Estimated. Actual prices may vary.

Windows Me, 2000, XP; Mac OS 9.2.2 or
later, Mac OS X 10.1.5 or later

Full version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (PC
only), WinDVD 4: Dolby Digital EX 7.1 Ver­sion (PC only), VJ Lite, VLC Dolby-Digital En­abled DVD player for Mac; 100 ProSessions
sounds and loops, free M-Powered Artists En­hanced CD

Audio card, driver CD, applications software
CDs, M-Powered Artists Enhanced CD, User
guide, Registration card

M-Audio
Arcadia, Calif.

9

W

THE REVOLU-

TION 7.1 IS A

GREAT

CHOICE FOR

GAMERS AND

DVD OR MUSIC

ENTHUSI-

ASTS,

WHETHER

THEY HAVE

EIGHT

SPEAKERS OR

JUST TWO.

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Part

3

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

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.

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

 Test bed considerations

 Hardware set-up

 Software installation

 Listening tests

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 recom­mended).Speakers

10

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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

ACCORDING

TO DOLBY AND

THX, DOLBY

DIGITAL EX

DVDS ARE DE-

SIGNED TO B E

PLAYED BACK

ON A 7.1 SUR-

ROUND SYS-

TEM.

• Powered subwoofer

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 sub­woofer), 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 rec­ommended 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, Logi­tech, 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 sacri­fices quality for price.

Speaker availability. As of March 2003, 7.1 multimedia speaker sets were not

generally available. This is largely because 6.1/7.1 sound cards are only now
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

11

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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.

12

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Connection Color Coding

WITH ITS IN-

TUITIVE JACK

LABELING AND

COLOR COD-

ING, THE

REVOLUTION

7.1 IS A SNAP

TO HOOK UP

TO MULTIME-

DIA SPEAKER

SETS.

Digital Output
(orange)

Mic In
(pink)

Line In
(blue)

Front L/R speakers
or headphones
(green)

Center/Subwoofer
(orange)

Surround L/R
(black)

Surround Rear L/R
(silver)

Source: Revolution 7.1 user guide

S/PDIF Coaxial output. To use, purchase an RCA or
Coaxial Digital cable for connection to a digital re­corder, mixer, or receiver.

Connect a microphone for recording, videophone,
or voice-recognition applications. Jack is a 3­conductor TRS-type for condenser (2-conductor)
and electret (3-conductor) microphones.

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

Connects to powered Left and Right speakers, lo­cated to the left and right of computer monitor. For
a two-speaker stereo setup, use this jack. Also
used for stereo headphones.

Connects to powered Center and Subwoofer
speakers. Locate the center speaker above or be­low monitor. The subwoofer, with its low, non­directional frequencies, can go almost anywhere.

Connects to powered Surround Left and Right
speakers, located to left and right sides, just be­hind listener’s head.

Connects to powered Surround Center (or “Sur­round Rear”) Left and Right speakers, located di­rectly behind listener.

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 re­ceiver. Each jack combines two speaker outputs, saving space and simplifying in­stallation. (For example, the Center/Subwoofer output is actually the output for both
the Center and Subwoofer channels.) Most multimedia speakers use 1⁄8" stereo in­put 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.

13

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 in­stalling 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 configu­ration plays back a stereo source, but relies on bass management to route bass fre­quencies 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.

14

REVOLUTION

SUPPORTS ALL

OF THE MOST

COMMON—AND

EVEN SOME OF

THEMORE OB-

SCURE—TYPES

OF SPEAKER

CONFIGURA-

TIONS.

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Speaker Configurations

2.0 Left, right

“2.1” Left, right with subwoofer (no discrete subwoofer input)

2.1 Left, right; discrete subwoofer

4.0 Left, right, two surrounds

4.1 Left, right, two surrounds; subwoofer

5.0 Left, right, center; two surrounds

5.1 Left, right, center; two surrounds, subwoofer

6.1 Left, right, center; three surrounds, subwoofer

7.1 Left, right, center; four surrounds, subwoofer

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 pro­vided you with answers to the five most commonly asked questions about 7.1 sur­round. 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?”

Q

Simply put, 7.1 provides a more immersive surround experience.

A

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

5.1 cannot deliver. For those interested in the ultimate surround experi­ence, 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. Com­pare the surround experience in 5.1 vs. 7.1

“Where do the extra speakers go?”

Q

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

A

following illustration.

15

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Speaker Placement Guide

5.1 Surround Sound 7.1 Surround Sound

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

Q

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

A

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 en­coded/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, lo­cated 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.

16

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

“What content is available in 6.1 or 7.1?”

Q

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

A

Professional, both music and movie content will be available in 7.1 sur­round sound (in addition to 5.1). Circle Surround II generates a 7.1
content mix from any stereo source, Pro Logic, or Circle Surround­encoded 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 play­back on a 7.1 setup.

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

Q

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

A

round Sound Receivers” section, located in the Appendix.

Revolution Control Panel

After installing the hardware and software, use the control panel to manage all as­pects of the Revolution 7.1 audio experience. As you go through the suggested lis­tening 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 Revo­lution 7.1’s various audio-management features. Detailed information about all as­pects of the control panel is located on pages 17–24 of the User Guide.

17

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

r

e

SETTING UP

TECHNICAL

SPEAKER OP-

TIONS CAN B E

AS EASY AS

CHOOSING

THEIR MODEL

NUMBER FROM

THE REVOLU-

TION CONTROL

PANEL’S POP-

UP LIST

Speaker Setup

(Mac). Indicates

number of installed

speakers, thei

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. Th

“Test” function en-

sures correct

speaker connec-

tions and levels.



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 exam­ple.

18

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

f

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 o

this guide for de-

tailed information

and suggested

evaluation proce-

dures.



Speaker Setup



(Windows). Pro­vides identical
functionality to the
Macintosh version.
“Bass Manage­ment” option
routes full-range
signal to speakers if
they are large
enough to handle
bass frequencies. If
small speakers are
specified, bass sig­nals are automati­cally 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 fol­lowing sections provide information on which tests are supported under
which operating systems.

19

GAMES WITH

EAX 1.0, EAX

2.0, DIRECT-

SOUND3D,

A3D AND

OTHERS

SOUND

AMAZINGLY

REAL WITH A

THE REVOLU-

TION 7.1

CARD

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 com­peting 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 function­ality 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 soft­ware 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, up­dated system.

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.

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.

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

Revolution 7.1.

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 position­ing 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.

20

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

2. Open the Revolution control panel software, and select the “Sen­saura/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 sys­tem 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 com­bined 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 Lis­tening Samples” section.

21

TRUBASS

CONVERTS

THE RUMBLE

OF MISSLE

LAUNCHES

AND EXPLO-

SIONS INTO

FREQUENCIES

THAT HOME

SPEAKERS

CAN HANDLE

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 TruSur­round 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.

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

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. Audi­tion 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.

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

22

POWERED

SPEAKERS

THAT CAN’T

DECODE

DOLBY

DIGITAL OR

DOLBY

DIGITAL EX

ARE NOT LEFT

OUT: REVO-

LUTION 7.1

AND THE IN-

CLUDED

WINDVD 4.0

ARE ALL YOU

NEED

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 ex­cellent 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 Sur­round II” is not turned on.

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.

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.

4. Switch to the competing sound card. You should notice a marked con­trast 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 Win­dows 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.

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 sug­gested scenes in this document. The Revolution 7.1 delivers the full sur­round 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

23

SRS CIRCLE-

SURROUND II

ENABLES

SURROUND

SOUND FROM

ANY DVD OR

MEDIA

PLAYER, IN-

CLUDING THE

APPLE DVD

PLAYER

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 ap­pendix.

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.

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.

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 sur­round 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.

24

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 chan­nels in the mixer, the source music may be mono and require you to set Cir­cle 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 broad­casts—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 re­ceiver, 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 specifica­tions 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

25

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 in­put), 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 in­put, 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 re­sults—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.

26

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

RightMark Audio Analyzer Testing

Please see the section above for more notes on test configuration. We highly rec­ommend 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 Ste­reo. 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 loop­back to the input and not overdrive the ADC (about .5 dBu less than the ADC's
maximum value).

27

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Part

4

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

Hardware Features

Output

Input

Driver Features

Playback Formats

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

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)

28

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Product Specifications (cont’d.)

Audio Performance

Line Outs

Dynamic Range

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

THD

Max. Line Output Level

Frequency Response

Crosstalk

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

107 dB (typical, a-weighted)

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

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

-120dB

Mic In

Dynamic Range

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

THD

Frequency Response

90 dB (a-weighted)

90 dB (a-weighted)

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

+0.0/-3.0, 80Hz to 17kHz

Line In

Dynamic Range

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

THD+N

Maximum Input Level

105 dB (a-weighted)

100 dB (a-weighted)

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

1.45 Vrms (+3.2 dBV)

Sampling Frequencies (KHz)

No sample rate conversion

With MME rate conversion

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

All sample rates up to 200kHz

29

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Product Specifications (cont’d.)

Minimum System Requirements

With SRS Circle Surround II disabled

PC

Macintosh

With SRS Circle Surround 7.1 enabled

PC

Macintosh

200MHz Pentium with MMX
64 MB RAM
Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

PCI-based PowerMac with built-in USB
64 MB RAM
Mac OS 9.2.2 or OS X (10.1.5 for Dolby Digital pass-through)

700 MHz Pentium III
128 MB RAM
Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP

PowerMac G4 500
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 man­agement is and why it’s important. Then we can talk about why Revolution’s im­plementation 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.

30

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

T

t

r

r

Bass

Managemen

(PC). Simply select

the subwoofer in

the “Speake

Setup” pane. With

the “Bass Man-

agement” checkbox

enabled, you gain

access to a numbe

of powerful controls

over your system’s

bass settings.



REVOLUTION

FEATURES THE

MOST POWER-

FUL BASS

MANAGEME NT

OF ANY SOUND

CARD—IT IS

MORE POWER-

FUL THAN

MOST HIGH-

END SUR-

ROUND RE-

CEIVERS

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 cross­over 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.

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 soft­ware 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:

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

1

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

2

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

31

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 sub­woofer, this is the bass management scheme used in your Revolution 7.1 driver ver­sion.

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, Me­ridian, Outlaw, Integra, NAD, and Myryad.

Receivers with 7.1 Support

Manufacturer Model

B&K AVR-307
Denon AVR-3803
Denon AVR-4800
Harman Kardon AVR320
Harman Kardon AVR325
Harman Kardon AVR520
Harman Kardon AVR525
Harman Kardon AVR7200
Harman Kardon AVR8000
Harman Kardon AVR8500
Harman Kardon DPR1001
JVC RX-DP10VBK
JVC RX-DP9V BK A/V
Marantz SR9200
Onkyo TX-DS898
Onkyo TX-DS989
Onkyo TX-DS989ver2
Onkyo TX-NR900
Onkyo TX-SR800
Pioneer VSX-AX10i
Pioneer VSX-D1011
Pioneer VSX-D2011
Sony STR-DA4ES
Sony STR-DA7ES

Source: M-Audio Representative list only.

Subject to change.

32

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 avail­able 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

Lord of the
Rings: The
Fellowship of
the Ring

Fifth Element:
Superbit Edi­tion

Star Wars:
Episode 1

Fifth Element:
Superbit Edi­tion

Star Wars:
Episode 2

Dolby’s “Ex­plore our
World”

The Matrix Lobby 29

Jango Fett
Fight

Opening scene,
Cave Troll,
Others

ZF1 13

Pod Racer 22

Taxi Chase 9

Chase Scene 7

Rain 19

26

1/29

Great bass. Good Music.
Great directional Audio.

Great ambient audio and
bass. Great dynamic
range and fidelity.

The entire film makes
almost constant use of
surround channels. Oscar
nominated for best sound
and music.

Great directional Audio­Great Bass.

Excellent directional
Audio in 6.1. Great Bass.

Good directional Audio­Great Bass. Great Music.

Great bass. Good Music.
Good directional Audio.

Nice highs and bass.
Great channel separation.

Good bass & surrounds.
Little directional audio

DD EX 6.1

DD EX 6.1

DD 5.1

DD EX 6.1

DD 5.1

DD EX 6.1

DD 5.1

DD 5.1

33

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Suggested DVD Viewing

DVD Title Scene Chapter Comments Support* Channels

(environmental only)

U571 Depth Charge 15

IMAX Super
Speedway

Toy Story 2:
Toybox Edition

Toy Story 2

The Fast and
the Furious

Terminator
Two: Ultimate
DVD Edition

The Matrix Dodge This 30 Great directional audio. DD 5.1

Pearl Harbor Battle of Britain

Ice Age Opening 1

Moulin Rouge Sparkling

Source: M-Audio *DD = Dolby Digital

Michael An­dretti Test
Drive

Opening 5
Minutes

Balls bouncing
in toy store

NOS Fest 4

Chase 18

Attack on Pearl1122

Sad Diamonds630

21/22

1

21

Room shaking explosions
and bass. Great environ­mental audio.

Great directional and
positional audio- Great
visuals.

Great audio. Great Bass.
Little directional.

Great audio. Great Bass.
Great directional.

Use of music in surrounds
is unique.

Light, but effective use of
surrounds.

Great directional audio
and room shaking bass.

Great LFE effects. Subtle,
but effective positional
audio.

Great ambient audio and
music. Oscar nominated
for best sound.

DD 5.1

DD 5.1 5.1

DD EX 6.1

DD EX 6.1

DD 5.1

DD EX 6.1

DD 5.1

DD 5.1

DD 5.1

34

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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
Band

The Eagles Hell Freezes

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Fast Car Clean guitar and tight bass.

Listener Sup­ported (Disk 2)

Over

Granny,
Two Step

Hotel Califor­nia

Try with Circle Surround II on and
off. Note crowd noise broken out
into rear speakers and good chan­nel separation. Great live feel.

Try before and after with Circle
Surround II. Note crowd noise bro­ken out into rear speakers and
good channel separation. Great live
feel.

√

√

Diana Krall Love Scenes All or Nothing

Sting Ten Summon-

ers’ Tales

Sting Nothing Like the

Sun

Jewel Spirit Standing Still Try with Circle Surround II.

Pink Floyd Pulse (Live) Money Try with Circle Surround II.

Queen Bohemian Rhap-

sody

Enya A Day Without

Rain

Enya Soundtrack to

Fellowship of
the Rings

John Mayer Room for

Squares

Source: M-Audio

at All

Fields of Gold Clean recording. Clear vocals, rim

Englishman in
New York

Bohemian
Rhapsody

Only Time Try with Circle Surround II.

May it Be Starts with nice vocals and great

Your Body is a
Wonderland

Very clean recording. Good bass
and vocals. Quiet spots for noise
checks.

shots, and guitar. Less separation
in Circle Surround II, but wonderful
in Stereo.

Smooth recording. Clear vocals,
high hat, and guitar. Less separa­tion in Circle Surround II, but won­derful in Stereo.

Try with Circle Surround II.

bass. Nice ambient feeling with
CSII enabled. This recording con­tains clicks near middle of song
that sound like vinyl pops.

Nice bass. Clean recording.

√

√
√
√

√

√

√

35

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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

36

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

Company Backgrounder

M-Audio, Inc (formerly Midiman Inc.) was founded in 1988 with the goal of of­fering complete audio solutions to meet the needs of recording artists, audio profes­sionals, and consumers. To achieve this goal, the company leverages cutting-edge,
high-quality technology, offering features and pricing that are accessible to musi­cians, audio professionals, and consumers. That strategy is on track: Sales in Janu­ary 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 con­sumer audio products, and to establish M-Audio as the premier and preferred sup­plier 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 M­Powered 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 Can­ada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.

37

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 profes­sional 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 believ­able 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 high­quality, discrete multi-channel audio over the Internet today. With Windows Media
Audio 9 Professional and the Revolution 7.1, PC users can enjoy incredibly high­quality, high-resolution surround sound streamed live or on demand from the Inter­net. 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 play­ing 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 sepa­rating instruments, vocals, and even crowd noises for a dramatically enhanced lis­tening 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 Macin­tosh 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 sur­round sound process delivers the multi-channel audio experience over standard ste­reo speakers or even headphones. TruSurround XT enables two channel listening

38

REVIEWER’S GUIDE

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 ex­ceptionally 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 in­tuitive 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 24­bit/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. Lis­teners 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 M­Powered 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.

# # #

39