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Diamond Monster Sound MX300 Manufactured by
Diamond
Multimedia
Review by Chamila
Sumanasekera
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Introduction
PC sound technology never seems to be content to merely settle down at any one level. As always, manufacturers seem very keen on exploiting new innovations and the most recent developments in the audio scene. From the very first ISA sound cards that came out during the late ‘80s to modern PCI sound cards, the audio industry is certainly heading rapidly in the right direction alongside the graphics industry. Nowadays, every thing incorporates the phrase “3D”, to such an extent that these two innocuous letters have become virtually standard issue in computers. Features and products are evolving at a breakneck pace, leaving yesterdays winners lonely and abandoned, in the unending search for the Holy Grail of technology- the cutting edge.
And now, the sound card revolution has finally made itself felt, sending a deep shudder through the entire industry. The two multimedia giants, Creative Labs and Diamond Multimedia have been at each others throats with the most competitive products and fighting tooth and nail in a never-ending battle for market share. Ever since the release of the Sound Blaster Live!, however, Creative Labs took the lead, and have managed to maintain an edge over their competition until now.
Now, tables have turned again, with a spectacular comeback by Diamond Multimedia. Their new brainchild is called the Monster Sound MX300, which is the fourth addition to the Monster Sound product lineup. The new card is based on a hard-wired Vortex 2 (AU8830) processor from Aureal, rather than an analog device as with previous Monster Sound cards. This second-generation Vortex processor is capable of delivering 600MIPS of audio processing power. Supporting Aureal’s A3D 2.0, Creative’s Environmental Audio (EAX), four speaker support, 96 simultaneous DirectSound channels, a 64 voice DLS hardware wavetable engine and support for up to 320 voices, the Monster Sound MX300 seems to have all the qualifications to make it the perfect gaming sound card. And all this at a price of $99, including a decent software bundle provides a much better deal than previous versions, considering that the Monster Sound MX200 debuted at $150.
Is the new Monster Sound MX300 truly a dream come
true? Or is it just another sound card, strutting momentarily through the
spotlight? That’s what we’re here to find out.
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