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7.1 Surround Sound Coming to the Mac!

pgwalsh

pgwalsh

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 21, 2002
1,639
218
New Zealand
Via M-Audio's Sonica Theatre (USB) and Revolution (PCI). 24bit/96Khz. I think this is great. I really like M-aduio's products. I have the 10/10 and it's great.

http://www.m-audio.com/products/consumer/index.php

Now who makes 7.1 speaker system that I can use with this?

MK Audio - no, but they might if we ask.

They have awesome speakers. Same as what lucas films uses to mix star wars.
 
Re: Umm one prob!!

Originally posted by Macmaniac
The DVD player in the current Apple line up does not have dolby digital. SO your kinda stuck. Hopefully they will add support eventually. For know you need an external DVD player.
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That is a problem. I wonder if the card will recognize the digital signature and be able to decode the digital sound anyway? If they make it for the mac you'd think they'd recognize this. It'll be good for games and mixing audio too.
 
Re: Re: Umm one prob!!

Originally posted by pgwalsh
That is a problem. I wonder if the card will recognize the digital signature and be able to decode the digital sound anyway? If they make it for the mac you'd think they'd recognize this. It'll be good for games and mixing audio too.
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no need to fret guys, there's another DVD player availible for OSX from versiontracker that supports 5.1 audio. and im sure apple will support it with the next update to the DVD player.
 
I tried the open source DVD player M-Audio have as a download to support 5.1 sound and it didn't work for me trying to play multiple tracks. Hopefully, I'm an isolated case.

It does seem to be taking Apple a while to get going updating the DVD player. Perhaps, there's something else more interesting...all new to work on a portable player?
 
I can't find this in the uk anywhere... does anybody know if a similar device is available here?
 
Originally posted by paulwhannel
Would a portable player need 7:1 more than a desktop computer?

;)
pnw
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I'm note sure what you mean regarding a portable player needing 7.1, but i f you want a great surround effect 7.1 is it. It adds two spearkers behind you instead of on your right and left ear and this adds a more realistic approach to surround sound. 10.2 is the bomb, but wont be around in home theaters as in movie theaters for a while.

If you need a solution for a powerbook or ti ten go with the usb solution from M-Audio.
 
Originally posted by bousozoku
I tried the open source DVD player M-Audio have as a download to support 5.1 sound and it didn't work for me trying to play multiple tracks. Hopefully, I'm an isolated case.

It does seem to be taking Apple a while to get going updating the DVD player. Perhaps, there's something else more interesting...all new to work on a portable player?
Click to expand...
Did you just download the firmware or software and not install the card? Also if it's an Apple solution I'm not aware of a surround sound solution for iDVD etc. This may be an issue better served email Apple tech support.
 
Originally posted by pgwalsh
I'm note sure what you mean regarding a portable player needing 7.1, but i f you want a great surround effect 7.1 is it. It adds two spearkers behind you instead of on your right and left ear and this adds a more realistic approach to surround sound. 10.2 is the bomb, but wont be around in home theaters as in movie theaters for a while.

If you need a solution for a powerbook or ti ten go with the usb solution from M-Audio.
Click to expand...

Uck, god, 10.2? What the hell is the point of 10.2? Sub-range frequencies are all non-directional anyway. Marketing BS, the whole thing.

How many concerts have you been to where the band was BEHIND you? Exactly.

And screw home theatre. The whole thing is centered around men with small *****es.
 
Originally posted by springscansing


Uck, god, 10.2? What the hell is the point of 10.2? Sub-range frequencies are all non-directional anyway. Marketing BS, the whole thing.

How many concerts have you been to where the band was BEHIND you? Exactly.

And screw home theatre. The whole thing is centered around men with small *****es.
Click to expand...

people who actually appreciate quality movies appreciate them in surround sound...and as loud as they can with the best digital television. don't go knocking on quality products and media
 
Originally posted by springscansing


Uck, god, 10.2? What the hell is the point of 10.2? Sub-range frequencies are all non-directional anyway. Marketing BS, the whole thing.

How many concerts have you been to where the band was BEHIND you? Exactly.

And screw home theatre. The whole thing is centered around men with small *****es.
Click to expand...
Well you may not have an ear for it and that's okay too. Most movie theaters have 10.2. Two subs in the front to produce that big effect. It's not practical in a home unless you can afford a room in your house dedicated to the theatre experience. 7.1 makes for a more realistic effect for sure. However, I only like it for movies. Could be useful too if you want to turn your livingroom or den into a dance hall. Ha!;)
 
Originally posted by mnkeybsness


people who actually appreciate quality movies appreciate them in surround sound...and as loud as they can with the best digital television. don't go knocking on quality products and media
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy Clockwork anymore if Alex's voice was booming all around me. Just because I don't see the need to 10.2 in my ****ing bedroom doesn't mean I don't like good movies.
 
Originally posted by pgwalsh
Well you may not have an ear for it and that's okay too. Most movie theaters have 10.2. Two subs in the front to produce that big effect. It's not practical in a home unless you can afford a room in your house dedicated to the theatre experience. 7.1 makes for a more realistic effect for sure. However, I only like it for movies. Could be useful too if you want to turn your livingroom or den into a dance hall. Ha!;)
Click to expand...

yeah.. i may not have an ear for it. Me and my terrible audio engineering ears. I could proally call up Biphop and tell them to cancel my label deal cause my ears are so bad.
 
Originally posted by springscansing


yeah.. i may not have an ear for it. Me and my terrible audio engineering ears. I could proally call up Biphop and tell them to cancel my label deal cause my ears are so bad.
Click to expand...
Yea, I'd call them up. Especially because your way of using audio in your bedroom is the only viable way of using a computer. Not that someone may have one in their living room or office. I'll give it to you that 10.2 is excessive, but I like it anyway. :p :D
 
Originally posted by pgwalsh
Yea, I'd call them up. Especially because your way of using audio in your bedroom is the only viable way of using a computer. Not that someone may have one in their living room or office. I'll give it to you that 10.2 is excessive, but I like it anyway. :p :D
Click to expand...

I do not care where it is, 10.2 is silly for a home. Dual subs are okay in a theatre where the room is so big that you want to fill it with vibrations somewhat equally, but for a room in a house (unless its around 60 feet wide) this is stupid. Serves no purpose.

The best thing for listening to music on is still a good pair of loudspeakers. You can get a lot better pair of speakers that will sound a hell of a lot better than some Bose piece of **** surround system for the same price.
 
Frankly, I dont care how many speakers there are, 5.1 6.1 7.1 10.2, I just want there to be a unified standard, so all media will come in the same format, so if I have a 10.2 system, it will actually be put to use. If you have a 7.1 system, but 5.1 media, its worthless. Find some sort of happy medium, and finalize it. People will be more inclined to buy a home theater if they know that every DVD will take advantage of it, not just the newest Star Wars of Lord of the Rings epic.

[begin rant]For the record, I think 10.2 is not worth it in the home, someone told me they heard 10.2 (the version he heard was pretty much 5.1 twice)and the only thing that distinguished it from 5.1 was when the orchestra finished, the standing ovation moved from the bottom 5.1 to the top 5.1 set. That sounds cool, but I dont want to buy 10 identical speakers and 2 subs. Thats another thing, Surround sound (music at least)is mixed with 5 identical speakers, the center is not flat, and the rears are not smaller than the fronts. Yet most home theater setups have at a minimum 4 identical speakers with a flat center, and the worse ones have smaller rears. This might be fine for movies, but music is so cool in surround, but theres no market because all the speaker setups are for movies[/end rant]
 
Originally posted by voyagerd
I bought one from M-Audio:D

I get it tommorrow, i'll tell you about it then...
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Please do. I'll be looking forward to your review.

Oh, I agree that 10.2 is nuts (even though I mentioned it in the first place). 7.1 can serve a purpose, but in reality, it' not going to make that much of a difference unless you have a room dedicated as a home theatre. Speaker location is really important when you do have a system like that. If there not at the right height and position, it can blow the expereince. People should do their homework before putting in a system.
 
It has compatibility with all sound formats up to 7.1(ex: mono,stereo,2.1,3.1,4.1,5.1,6.1, and 7.1) I'll post some screen shots of the setup app. I'm having a problem with Elite Force. I can't turn A3D on even though the card supports A3d Sound. Meh.. Help? Oh, well, good sound, I don't have any 3D audio to test it out with but each speaker of my Z-560's get a separate channel. It has a lot of 3rd party sets for different speaker setups. Here's the shots:
 

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