Audio Reviews

I have had little compatiblity problems with this card on games. Of course I have a top of the line computer from Falcon that is tweeked to perfection. On my other PC with the Audigy 2 I noticed that my 6.1 setting would revert to the primative 2.0 setting in some games, but that is no longer a problem with this card using the 6.1 speaker setting. I have not tried 7.1 yet as I am still raising funds for the Gigaworks speakers(aka robbing banks, bashing the heads of stupid rich people, steeling corperate info, ect.;).
This card does not come with Jedi Academy as the other reviewer said, however. I have been wanting that game and only wish it did! The only complaint I have with this card is that it does little to position sounds properly in some games. I cannot get the speech to come through the center speaker only other sounds but that is the game's fault I think. If you have EAX 3 on a game it will not position sound accurately, you must have an EAX 4 compatible game. Knights of the Old Republic does not position speech through the center channel for instance. My old card(Audigy 2) positioned sound perfectly.

I was going to pick up the regular Audigy 2 for about fifteen to twenty dollars less but when I looked at the bundle that came with this it was impossible to turn down.

I received the games (all full versions as indicated). The training tutorials on the game CDs are pretty good, which was a relief because as expected no manuals for the games.

Picked this up with a T7700 sound system and Far Cry (awesome game) if you have a very solid PC to run it... I am playing it at max settings with my new Geforce 6800 OC and the graphics are simply amazing.

By picking up the sound card, T7700 speakers and Far Cry I also get fifty later to spend on Doom 3 and a fifteen dollar rebate on the T7700 speakers...

Can't beat this deal and the whole package is a very solid deal for high quality sound...

This card includes 5 full version games (all prices are amazon.com prices as of 4/8/04)
1. Halo ($43.99)
2. Star Wars : Jedi Academy ($44.99)
3. Splinter Cell ($29.99)
4. Rainbow Six 3 : Ravenshield ($19.99)
5. Tomb Raider : Angel of Darkness ($19.99)

Just the games on amazon cost $158.95!! It also has built in firewire and 7.1 surround sound. Not bad for a card that costs 133.99! Excellent card all around!

But -1 for a company representative writing an obviously planted review with the same text twice. Come on, be honest, and say you're an employee!

Meanwhile, yes, these speakers are wonderful. They look gorgeous (I have the wood not the acrylic), they take up a tiny amount of space, and the sound feels like it's coming out of nowhere and filling the room. A friend has Altec-Lansing flat panels (in the $100 range), and was quite jealous to see and hear these guys, which were judged to be much clearer.

I listen mainly to classical, instrumental music, but they also shine when plugged in the back of the DVD player. On a desk where space is a premium, these really fit the bill.

One downside is the ultraterse haiku-like user manual, but there's not too much to figure out. I think FPS is using these guys to get us hooked on their flat panels so we spring for the more expensive models when we're grownups -- in which case, good job!

The FPS 200 A's have by far the most lucid, uncolored, transparent and detailed sound I've encountered in under [$$$] PC/Walkman class speakers. They excel in midrange & clear upper register reproduction, with wonderful stereo separation, and are very well-suited to piano & other instrumental classical music. Very nice with traditional jazz genres as well. I am a bit less convinced that they would be a speaker of first choice for complex vocal music or thumpin' bass funk, rock or rap afficionados, but certainly still far superior to most cost comparable 2.1 speakers.

Overall, a stylish, clear and clean sounding speaker with outstanding performance in instrumental classical music and well-above average performance in other genres.

Highly recommended and an excellent value!

"Audiophile" and "high-end" are terms thrown around all-to-often. Contrary to say-anything marketing pitches by the usual suspects, true audiophile-approved desktop speaker systems are extremely rare. Audiophiles also know it is extremely rare for a system to possess extreme transparency and clarity, while at the same time remaining smooth and non-fatiguing. With the FPS-200, not only do you get solid stereo imaging without the use of tiresome sonic gimmicks, but you actually get a deep soundstage with palpable image and vocal placement. Can you imagine hearing soundstage ambiance from desktop speakers? The FPS-200 is the real deal.

These are not plastic toy speakers: these are extremely stylish, avant-garde, flat panel speakers with your choice of luxurious piano-gloss wood or clear acrylic for the panels. The panels are decorated with heavy brass inserts and even have knurled speaker binding posts. Based on a new breakthrough magnetic planar technology, the speakers are flat and compact. The subwoofer is heavy-duty: literally it is a massive brick of a box, constructed of vinyl-clad MDF with rounded edges and a classy, contrasting, recessed acrylic control panel. Even the control knobs have the silky motion found on expensive equipment. The FPS-200 exudes style and quality!

Features:
Tangible stereo imaging and a midrange to die for

Unmatched transparency, clarity and transient response

Exudes style and quality--knurled binding posts with your choice of a solid 1/2" thick transparent acrylic or piano gloss-lacquered mahogany wood panels, rather than the usual chintzy plastic box with spring clips

The subwoofer cabinet is constructed of rock-solid, heavyweight MDF with black acrylic accents, which houses a 5 inch acoustic suspension driver for tight, well-integrated bass

An integral amplifier produces 10 watts per channel for each panel and 20 watts for the subwoofer

Perfect for computer, MP3, and CD use on a desktop or even table top

Capable of extremely loud volume (sustained play of >90 decibels at 1 meter)

Frequency response 70 Hz-30 kHz

Panels are 5" W x 10" H x 1/2" D, and the subwoofer is 4" W x 9" H x 9 1/2" D

Hookup wiring included

The same technology raved about by respected audiophile journal The Stereo Times

These speakers give much better sound than my old pair of speakers. They also look much better than just about any multimedia speaker out there. Of course, they cost more too. If you are looking for a good sounding, sharp designed set of speakers and can afford the $150-$200 price, get these. If these cost too much, but you still want something unique looking, try the JBL Creature II speaker set. It ranges $60 - $100.

A few things you cannot tell from the product description:
> These speakers (Soundstick II) are compatible with PCs. The original Soundsticks were only for Apples.
> The casing, though plastic, is very solid. I can't tell how scratch resistant it is though. I have not tried to scratch them yet...
> The subwoofer has a bass adjust knob.
> One of the satellite speakers has a touch volume control.
> The system does not have an on/off button. It designed to stay on all the time.

Although not exactly inexpensive, these are definitely worth the cost - nice design and great sound.

Many of the opinions of the original Soundsticks apply to these Soundsticks 2--incredible design, good sound, and so on, but these second generation speakers are better in several respects:

Harman/Kardon abandoned the awkward, limiting USB interface of the original model. The Soundsticks 2 use an almost universal connector, the stereo mini-plug, used in almost all computers and portable stereo equipment--CD players and the like. I use mine with my iPod and it's a dynamite combination.

The volume control consists of two touch-sensitive pads on one of the sticks. Touch both simultaneously, and it mutes. Very cool. They kept the blue LED in the subwoofer which glows beautifully in a darkened room.

Bass from the subwoofer is more than adequate, in my opinion, and overall sound is quite good. Setup is incredibly simple.

But most of all, the cool-ness factor of these speakers, especially the subwoofer, is worth the price of admission. You won't want to hide this one under a desk. Everyone stops in their tracks when they see this speaker system. Highly recommended.

This is a breakthrough product, to be sure. The supplied memory, a 340 megabyte, IBM drive alone goes for well over the selling price of this unit. The box is sleek, easy to use, has a pretty good software pkg (though there are better rippers on the freeware mkt) and offers a speaker (and a mic for recording) that will allow you to hear the music sans headphones (not gonna displace that boombox). So what's wrong? This is a more limited product than you might think. With the supplied drive, it requires being tethered to either your home PC (plug into USB) or to your car (plug into lighter socket), as its power needs go beyond what a couple of alkalines can give. It comes, however, with a nifty cassette adapter, so you can play it through your car stereo and have all your music on the road. If you want to play it without the cords, you have to buy an add-on CompactFlash card (Type I or II), which will run for several hours on the two AAs, but of course now the price has gone up and the capacity has gone down. My advice: If your MP3 needs are mostly automobile-bound, this will work fine. If not, look at other MP3 players, including the Nomad products.

The beautiful thing about this MP3 player is that it uses CompactFlash memory, AND supports the new IBM 1GB Microdrive! I have a Kodak digital camera that uses CompactFlash, so the i2Go is 100% compatible with the memory I use with my camera. There are many CompactFlash readers available for a decent price which make adding/removing files to the memory the FASTEST of all the MP3 players. If you don't have a reader, the USB connection on the i2Go is fast enough (as fast as any other player). It may not be able to play WMA files, but I could't care less. Because this unit IS NOT DEPENDENT on proprietary software (if you use the CF reader), you can load/unload MP3's on almost any operating system, including Linux.All you have to do is drag-and-drop the MP3's to the CF reader drive letter. The i2Go can take up to a 340MB CF card, or a 1GB Microdrive which is the best in its class. The i2Go isn't the smallest player, but it's smaller than a tape player and it's built really well. To top it all off, the player was the best price I could find.

Its very compact,it offers an exquisite sound. i cant think of any thing to say... its just great!! its definetly something you'll drool over to own!!!

These guys sound great for the price and their size, but one month after I bought them the touch button volume stopped working. When you change volume (when my still worked) it makes an annoying clicking sound through the speakers.
I took off a star for the volume problem, but the sound alone is worth the purchase. They far outperform any other 3-piece in this price range.

It's amazing that such small spekers can make such a big sound. I just got them today and WOW!!!

The JBL Creature II Speakers are jsut about the best spekers you can get for $100.
I just got them and set them up and wow i am lisin to audioslave like never before!!!

The quality of this home theater system is excellent and the price you are paying for is a steal.
Take advantage of this deal before is gone.

I picked these up for a 20 year-old JVC stereo/amp with a CD player hooked up to it for under $100. I wasn't expecting the greatest sound, but for Radio Shack clear-out speakers and a 20 year-old amp I got a crystal clear sound that sounds just as good as the Sony home-theater-in-a-box that I paid $400 for. The sub-woofer has a seperate volume control on the back, so you can decide how much bass you want. Excellent speakers for the price.

This Jensen powered subwoofer and 5 suround-sound speakers make for one amazing set. When plugged into your receiver and TV, this speaker set makes you feel like you are INSIDE your favorite movie or TV show.

I was a little concerned that these speakers might not put out enough sound, but my fears were quickly put to rest when I turned the speakers on. My family room has been flooded with premium-quality sound.

I used to have a set of KLH surround sound speakers and they were HORRIBLE in comparrison. The KLH speakers (which were rated with higher wattage) put out weak, static-filled sound. These Jensen speakers were the best purchase I ever made. I got mine on sale at Circuit City for just $50 (plus $12 for a 5-year in-store warranty). One of my friends has a $400 speaker set in his house that doesn't sound as good as this. You really have to hear it to believe it. Jensen has made this customer VERY happy.

I own this player, Koss Headphones, and a set of Koss loudspeakers and love them all. Top quality and sound. The only gripe I have is one I have with ALL boomboxes. Loading doors on top. When are the designers going to figure out that the top, where they almost always place the loading doors, is where all the dust and dirt gather. Flat smooth top for cleaning and front load for keeping the inside clean. Please!!

Love it, love it, love it. For your money, this CD boombox is at the top of the list. Over the years I have owned many Koss products, and several other brands that were a lot more expensive. Would I switch to another manufacturer - no way! Nothing beats a Koss for quality, sound and durability. No wonder it is difficult for retailers to keep this product in stock!

I bought two of these for my 12 and 17 year old daughters, and they love them. The digital tuner with 10 AM and 10 FM presets lets them program in their favorite stations, and the remote then lets them channel surf from station to station avoiding commercials and looking for their favorite songs without having to sit next to the box and push buttons on it. Same is true for flipping around tracks on a CD with the remote. Nice sound for a unit in this price range.

Recently,Dolby Digital surround sound has overtaken its predecessor,Dolby Pro Logic. It provides a dramatic upgrade in sound quality and realism over the analog Pro Logic. Initially,very expensive,it is now available in many moderately priced Home Theater receivers.

This is an amazing system for the price it is sold. I bought one for my small TV lounge and got surprised to its deep bass and its powerful satellite boxes. It is fully featured satisfying to all your needs for a simple HTS. There are 2 optical inputs, one for the DVD and the other one for either a CD changer or a MD. Simply AMAZING.

This is an amazing system for the price it is sold. I bought one for my small TV lounge and got surprised to its deep bass and its powerful satellite boxes. It is fully featured satisfying to all your needs for a simple HTS. There are 2 optical inputs, one for the DVD and the other one for either a CD changer or a MD. Simply AMAZING.

(...) If you are looking for an "all-in-one" unit look no further. Make no mistake, the sound and power from this receiver will bring new life into your speakers. The volume control appears a little off because you have to crank it up to hear it at an average listening range. This problem can be fixed somewhat with Monster Cable and attaching digital optical cables to your inputs for CD and DVD players. With this system, I am able to carry the remote all throughout the crib and even outside and still operate it!!! The Compulink system definitely works with other JVC equipment (CD, VCR & DVD players). With compulink connected, you can press play on the remote and the CD player is playing or push in a VCR tape and sit back and watch the movie. The unit is excellent for home theatre setups with a variety of preset features to adjust the sound. This unit allows you to has a two-room mode which allows you to operate two sets of speakers in different rooms. You can actually listen to the radio in one room and listen to CD's in the other.

The instructions are detailed and could be a little time consuming to understand but with several college courses you can get through it. My only knocks about this system is the instructions, volume control and the unit remote not having all the functions to fully operate the CD player. Other than that it is a great unit.

Now I didn't buy this product, but I did get it off the back of a truck from some guy named Habib. I didn't think it would be a good deal for only five bucks. But man! This thing works wonderfully. Definitly begin to start to commence considering buying this baby. It is great if you like it, but not good if you don't.

This receiver has everything! I am amazed at the features that are on this unit. I replaced an older receiver with the RX1028 and it sounds excellent! I did a little research before I bought it and found out that it is JVC's top of the line receiver from last year, but the only real difference between it and the newer model is that the price is much lower. It has assignable optical audio inputs for everything. Another feature that I really like is the IR remote. I can now adjust the volume from my back porch or any room in my house. That is really convenient and I did not see that feature on any other brands. The power output is great and the sound quality that is attained using the fiber optical cable is far better than regular RCA cables.

As always, I am happy with the service from Amazon and thrilled with the price that I paid for the product!

I've been waiting for an affordable MP3 player with at least 128mb of RAM, and when I discovered the Lexar I jumped on it. I've been playing with it for several days now, and the experience has been entirely positive!

As a Mac user, I've seen a lot of players that needed Windows software or drivers. Not the Lexar - it needs no drivers or special software. You just plug in to a USB port, then drag music files in and out. Simple!

I wasn't too sure about the single "joystick" control, but have since come to the conclusion that it's an elegant way of handling things. With that single control, you can easily and intuitively move between different songs, play modes, EQ settings and more.

The sound quality is absolutely great, though the ear buds were useless for me (a side note: was I sick from school the day they taught people how to jam ear buds into your ears? I can't make them stay in!) which is the only reason I've given the product 4 stars instead of 5. I've substituted the very inexpensive & lightweight SONY MDR-WO8 headphones, and it's a great combination.

A side note: I've got tinnitus (a condition in which you have constant ringing/whistling in the ears), and frequently need to have "white noise" to mask the unpleasant sounds. I've put several sound effects tracks on this player - white noise, rainstorm, babbling brook - and can use the player anytime and anywhere I need. Dedicated in-the-ear systems for tinnitus sufferers run hundreds of dollars, so the Lexar is a bargain (plus, there's still room for plenty of my favorite music!). Highly recommended.

I've been happy with my Lexar Media Jumpdrive. As a USB flash drive that will store any files you drop on it, as well as play about 2 hours of audio in MP3 and WMA format.

Transfering music is as easy as plugging it in. It is automatically picked up by the operating system as a removable drive - no drivers, no CD, works on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, you name it.

The case is durable and fits in my hand well, but could be a bit more substancial. Navigation is fairly intuitive with one joystick that controls all functions.

Sound quality is great... I can't complain about the earbud headphones that it comes with. The backlit screen is easy on the eyes and battery life is pretty decent off of 1 AAA battery (included).

Room for improvement: I'd love a belt clip... the lanyard doesn't do much for me when working out.

This is an excellent mp3 player and jump drive. With plenty of features to boot, a VERY easy to use interface and no setup or software installation ready to go, just hook it up and it's ready!

Pros:
-Ease of use, no installation of software
-Great volume varience
-One button control works quite well
-Even though it is USB 1.1, files trasfer very fast, at about 3 seconds for a 4 mb song.
-Good sound quality
-Back-lit display can be seen perfectly in the dark
-Scrolling text display, songs can be played in random order, displays battery life, and more!

Cons:
-Doesn't seem like the sturdiest thing in the world; I wouldn't drop it
-Slightly bulky, but it will still fit easily in your pocket

Conclusion: A great product! You perhaps could get more than 128mb for the price, but this unit seems to be on sale quite often. 128mb seems to be the threshold for a good mp3 player, as I have this baby filled with about 29 songs.