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