Philips PSC724 Ultimate Edge
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Located in the bottom right hand corner of the PSC724 is the audio workhorse of the card, the VIA Vinyl Envy24GT. With ability to support 24-bit multi-channel audio and 192kHz sampling rates, the Envy24GT is firmly squaring off with Intel's "High Definition Audio" solutions incorporated in their next generation i915 and I925X chipsets. Users can have four 24-bit inbound streams passing through the card without having the streamed bit-rates altered. In other words, what you pipe into the card will be the same fidelity what as you pipe out.
In reference to the remaining pictures above, moving left to right, we find the information sticker with the product/serial number, headers for connecting the soundcard to the front control panel on your computer and lastly the AUX/CD ports.
Before we move on, if you are not fully comfortable in the world of bit-rates and kHz, take a few minutes and read through VIA's very comprehensive guide on 24-bit audio. It should clear up a lot of questions, and help the rest of this article make a bit more sense, if this technology is foreign to you.
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(click the above image to view Philip's demo movie)
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Bringing together all the features of the PSC724, is the "Sound Agent 2 HD". Most of the note worthy images are depicted across the top row which are entitled; "QSizzle", "QRumble" and "Qxpander". These three features are all audio enhancements which broaden the scope of any sound that passes through the card. QSizzle increases the amount of treble, QRumble boosts the bass level and Qxpander broadens a normal stereo signal into one which simulates surround sound.
The main portion of the control panel also hosts two drop down menus, one which gives access to the environmental (reverb) settings and the other which allows quick selection of preset configurations. The environmental list is pretty comprehensive, though some of the options are a bit strange. We can honestly say we've never had the opportunity to listen to music in a sewerpipe, but for those who have and enjoyed it, you are good to go. The present menu automatically adjusts the EQ, QSizzle, QRumble and Qxpander to what Philips thinks are the optimal settings for listening to whichever genre of music you choose.
Also incorporated with the Sound Agent 2 is a sampling program called Intelligent Media Processing. "IMP" continuously analyzes each audio stream, whether it is mono, stereo or surround and optimizes the output of each configuration. This means that the average user will spend less time adjusting the Volume/EQ and more time enjoying their choice of media.
For a more in-depth guide of Sound Agent 2: Click Here
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Above are a few Gif animations which showcase the various environmental and reverb settings. As usual, click the thumbnail image to view the full size version. For those who are using dial-up, no need to fret, we took you into consideration and have made the images 56k friendly.
