MSI Integrates Creative SoundBlaster Cinema Audio Technology into Select Motherboards

[btarunr]

MSI, the world's leader in motherboards and graphics cards has chosen Creative Sound Blaster Cinema audio technology for its new motherboard lineup. Sound Blaster is the leading brand in PC gaming audio and MSI is excited about the prospect of providing class-leading audio technology with its motherboards. Thanks to the Sound Blaster Cinema suite of audio technologies, gamers can enjoy upgraded surround sound through their stereo headphones, enhanced gaming sound effects and Smart Volume control for long gaming sessions.

When using Sound Blaster Cinema, gamers will be able to hear their opponents more clearly and easily while enjoying the competitive advantage of accurate positional audio to reveal the precise location of their opponents. Sound Blaster Cinema will first be introduced on MSI's new Gaming motherboards, on display at CeBIT 2013 in Hanover from March 5th to March 9th.



"We are very excited to provide MSI with the latest in Sound Blaster sound technology on its new gaming motherboards"said Low Long Chye, general manager of audio for Creative. "This is the next step of our great ongoing relationship where MSI introduces new standards of Sound Blaster audio technology designed specifically for motherboard products."

Sound Blaster Cinema
Armed with the technology of the biggest name in PC gaming audio, gamers can leverage Sound Blaster Cinema to get the best sound enhancements for today's games powered by Sound Blaster SBX Pro Studio technology. Each of the five technologies of SBX Pro Studio is focused on delivering a more immersive gaming experience:

• SBX Bass - SBX Bass technology dramatically improves the sound experience by expanding the low frequency tones
• SBX Crystalizer - Ensures that every audio detail is heard by restoring the "highs" and "lows" that are compromised with audio compression
• SBX Dialog Plus - SBX Dialog Plus intelligently enhances voices in games and moves for dramatically clearer dialog
• SBX Surround - Goes beyond 7.1 surround sound creating unprecedented levels of audio realism including stunning surround effects that produce virtual speakers around, above and below you
• SBX Smart Volume - Address the problem of abrupt volume level changes in games by intelligently applying gain and attenuation to deliver consistent volume levels

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[btarunr]

Known boards with this: X79A-GD45 Plus; upcoming Gaming Series.

 

[virusek]

New name for X-Fi MB ? I love marketing...

 

[Fourstaff]

New name for X-Fi MB ? I love marketing...

You mean old name?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster

 

[TheMailMan78]

They don't even have proper windows 8 drivers.

 

[virusek]

They don't even have proper windows 8 drivers.

They have, because this is Realtek chip ... SBX Bass etc. is software "emulated" using sAPOs. Like in SB X-Fi MB (read: like Asus SupremeFx).

 

[nickbaldwin86]

MSI adding the same junk to there boards as Gigabyte.... do they not learn from each other?

 

[dj-electric]

Gigabyte's recent boards are epic, whats the problem with that?

 

[remixedcat]

So, creative has just switched to being a audio tech licensing company?

 

[Mussels]

i prefer basic realtek over this junk. i've used Xfi MB before, and never found it a real improvement. it changes things around and may sound better in some circumstances, but what kind of feature list is that? wheres the realtime encoding, or actual features people want?

 

[natr0n]

the logo is a lie !!1

 

[SaltyFish]

i prefer basic realtek over this junk. i've used Xfi MB before, and never found it a real improvement. it changes things around and may sound better in some circumstances, but what kind of feature list is that? wheres the realtime encoding, or actual features people want?

For an on-board solution, compatibility and working out of the box are the most important features. Realtek is great at driver support, which is more than what can be said about Creative's sound cards and Qualcomm Atheros' Killer NICs. And most of Realtek's on-board sound and NIC solutions aren't terrible products either. If you want a fancy sound card or NIC, that's what those expansion slots are for.

 

[Nordic]

I don't get why motherboard makers don't put a full featured sound card onto the board. Especially with matx and itx. You guys say creative motherboard is not good but why not put something good on there. I was shocked at how much better my $10 xonar dg was.

 

[Mussels]

I don't get why motherboard makers don't put a full featured sound card onto the board. Especially with matx and itx. You guys say creative motherboard is not good but why not put something good on there. I was shocked at how much better my $10 xonar dg was.

look at how large even a low end sound card is. yes you can fit a sound card in USB or on a motherboard, but to get good analog sound quality you need a lot more space to avoid interference.

onboard today is better than the dedicated card i had in my first two PC's, so its not like theres no progress at all - its just quiet, steady improvements

(in particular, i'm glad the whole 'electronic static whenever i move my USB mouse' problem doesnt exist anymore, cause that one sucked balls)


edit: i'm sure a mobo manuf could indeed get a high quality stereo sound card in, without needing large amounts of space. but then they'd get slammed for no 5.1/7.1, no optical, and so on by the average consumer who would never even USE those features. making it look good for marketing is a requirement before making it sound good, or most consumers wont buy it in the first place.

 

[Nordic]

The Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 the Gigabyte G1.Sniper M3 is very nearly the best audio I have ever heard, bar none.

That is from a Creative CA0132 SoundCore3D CODEC. Electrically shielded and all that, which is what I used to outline the audio portion of the board. It does have optical and has 5.1 but not 7.1.

That is just an matx board. Imagine an atx board. Itx could be hard but they could do a little daughter board like that asus one. I am sure there would be a market itx boards with higher end audio.

 

[bim27142]

Itx could be hard but they could do a little daughter board like that asus one. I am sure there would be a market itx boards with higher end audio.

I really really hope they would consider something like this in the future... Adding a daughter board with a discrete class sound card would be more fit than additional power delivery card... ITX is suppose to be targeted to SFF and not really for hardcore overclocking...

 

[Konceptz]

Does this utilize its own processor or does it still share resources from the CPU? I'd rather use a discrete card if its going to draw from the CPU.

 

[brandonwh64]

They don't even have proper windows 8 drivers.

You have to install the newest windows 8 realtek drivers then install the X-fi software from windows 7 to get it to work properly. My board has the same thing but with THX emulation and this is what I had to do. Its a pain to get it to work properly if you remember my frustration on TS LOL

 

[Nordic]

Does this utilize its own processor or does it still share resources from the CPU? I'd rather use a discrete card if its going to draw from the CPU.

Does any modern card take away from the cpu? Does one need to take it away with any modern processor?

 

[Konceptz]

Does any modern card take away from the cpu? Does one need to take it away with any modern processor?

umm 2 things....its not a card, its built into the motherboard and secondly you failed to answer the question....

 

[Mussels]

no modern sound cards use dedicated processors. its all done in software these days, since vista.

 

[remixedcat]

Best thing to get is a USB DAC and some studio monitors

 

[mckenziepiping]

Sound Blaster Cinema does not actually produce virtual surround sound?

So I just got an msi GT70 2OC laptop which came with Sound Blaster Cinema pre-installed. Can somebody tell me why it is that when I'm gaming or listening to surround-sound capable files with a stereo headset, I don't hear surround sound? I thought Sound Blaster Cinema was supposed to supplement the Realtek soundcard in processing the audio so as to produce virtual surround sound that can be heard on a stereo headset?

 

[Mussels]

because you'll need a better headset for that to work? its a marketing gimmick.

 

[mckenziepiping]

Yes but

Yes but the whole point is that they are claiming you don't need a special headset to hear surround sound