Introduction:

What is the first thing that comes to mind when I mention “sound card”?  For most people, their answer would be synonymous with playing games.  This is not an unusual answer by any stretch of the imagination.  For many, having a top of the line system is solely dependant upon how much money you can pry out of your bank account.  For those that can spend unspeakable amounts of cash for peripherals, they will of course be looking towards the very “top of the line” for their sound card purchase often spending upwards of $150.00 USD.  For the vast majority of us that cannot afford the “very best”, we must look to the midrange and lower priced sound cards to complete our systems.  Most of the midrange and lower end cards will forgo most of the bundled software, free games, demos, and even components embedded on the actual card to keep those prices affordable.  This is the norm, this is what to expect for your money at the affordable price range.  Don’t get me wrong, almost every sound card I have owned has come from this market and I for one are not ashamed of that fact.  For most of the games that are played these days, those affordable sound cards will work just fine.  You can still hear amazing detail in the popular games with a decent set of speakers or headphones.  Believe it or not, but there are actually many other things that you can do with a sound card besides just playing games.  Personally, I have used my various sound cards for capturing analog audio from a dual cassette tape deck.  I am what most consider to be somewhat of an audiophile, I have a love for many different genres’ of music.  I have about 400 or more cassette tapes of various forms of music that I have collected from the early 1980’s to more recently about three years ago.  Using the PC and my sound card, I can now backup my collection of music to the modern digital medium and then either burn my backups to CD or DVD.  Let’s not forget those MIDI musicians that still plug those Keyboards through the sound card to capture the music that inspires them.  Sound cards are also important when you capture audio along with your video from your VCR, digital, or analog camcorder.  There are a few more uses for a sound card, but those are the options that stick out foremost in my mind.

Today we will look into some of the features of the Mad Dog Multimedia Entertainer 7.1 DSP sound card and whether or not you should spend your hard earned money on this particular product.  There is no surprise that Mad Dog is gunning straight for all of those middle of the road consumers when they make these sound cards.  One thing that makes this card so appetizing right from the start is the fact that they take full advantage of VIA’s Envy24 HT-S Digital Processor which is capable of 24-bit/192kHz sampling rates.  I want to keep it simple and aimed towards those people that are new to PC sound cards with a simple understanding of affordability and quality.  With that being stated, let’s delve into the review of the Mad Dog Entertainer 7.1 DSP sound card.  For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to this card as “Entertainer” as the review proceeds.

About Mad Dog Multimedia:

Slogan:  Leading the computer peripheral industry with “Uncompromising Excellence”.

Welcome to Mad Dog Multimedia, a technology company that designs, manufactures and markets multimedia and peripheral products under a mantra of what we call "uncompromising excellence." We exist to create cutting-edge products that set the bar for quality and value.  Here at Mad Dog we pride ourselves on creating quality multimedia products including graphic cards, sound card, optical storage solutions and our new "Techie Toyz" PC accessory products. We are a company built on world-class systems and logistics, with the best and the brightest personnel in the industry. Our success comes from maintaining manufacturing excellence while ensuring our authorized resellers always have supply to meet the demand of the consumer. This strategy has allowed us to build a strong customer base and has positioned us for continued growth.  In just two short years our competitive spirit has made us into a $40 million technology company with over 100 new products scheduled to launch in 2003. We are proud of the fact that our success has resulted from our reputation for high quality products and outstanding customer service. This combination has bred a high level of customer satisfaction and has allowed us to expand into new business categories within each of our strategic retail customers. Mad Dog is a company that has survived and thrived in this challenging economy and will continue to forge ahead with "uncompromising excellence".

24-bit Digital Sound:

Most of newer sound cards out now will almost always have a 24-bit Digital Processing featured on their cards.  They have a good example of what 24-bit really is over at VIA Arena, so please check out their article for more information about why 24-bit is the way to go and then come back here for the rest of this review.  Go ahead, we’ll wait on you....

S/PDIF Definition:

S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is the latest audio transfer file format providing impressive quality via optical fiber and allows you to enjoy digital audio instead of conventional analog audio. It allows the transfer of audio from one file to another without the conversion to and from an analog format, which could degrade the signal quality.  Normally, there are two sets of S/PDIF inputs/outputs, one for RCA connectors, the most common one used for consumer audio products while the other is meant for optical connectors which provide better audio quality. Through a specific audio cable, you can connect the S/PDIF connector to other ends of the S/PDIF audio module, which bears S/PDIF digital output. However, you must be equipped with a set of speakers that fully supports the S/PDIF format to take advantage of this technology and quality.

S/PDIF Connector Plugs & Ports. Click image for larger picture.	The optical lens of the TOS-Link Cable. Click image for larger picture.

Box Hype:

The Entertainer 7.1 utilizes a revolutionary 24-bit Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to bring unrivaled audio quality to the value, mainstream, and enthusiast markets.  With support for up to 8 discreet audio channels and dual S/PDIF connectors, the Entertainer 7.1 underscores Mad Dog Multimedia’s commitment to uncompromising excellence.

• Quality and Clarity: 24-bit sound is a quantum leap beyond traditional 16-bit sound cards. Spectacular audio quality and clarity!
• Digital Sound: Two (2) S/PDIF connectors enable TRUE digital sound coding and decoding. Deafening, earth shaking sound so real, it’s frightening!
• Flexibility: Whether 2, 4, 6, or 8 audio channels, you’ll be swept away by the sound quality. It’s your choice!

Ok folks, I like to list as much info from the website and the box as possible so that you won’t have to run to another site for more information about this product so beware, many tables of information upcoming!