Although sound on your computer might seem like something you can just pick whatever and be done with, you might be surprised at how much of a difference a good sound system compared to a crappy one will do to enhance your computing experience. Not mentioning the benefits of gaming, with the increasing use of MP3 technology and broadband internet connections, a regular uneventful Windows work time can become something as soothing (or exciting) as a Friday night out in the city. Simply said, playing some sort of music while doing anything will make the computing experience so much more enjoyable; in fact, as I am typing this, I'm listening to my (currently) favourite singer, Brian McKnight through my surround speakers.

Everything about the sounds that come out of your computer starts with the sound card. Sound cards have come so far in quality that almost all sound cards sound really great; however, like all things, there are exceptions... which sound excellent! One of these, the Sound Blaster Live! series of cards made by Creative is one of them. These sound cards plug into your computer’s PCI slot, and feature second to none in terms of sound quality. The most appealing part of this card, however, is its EMU10K1 processor. According to Creative, this chip is about as powerful as a Pentium 90 CPU! What’s all this power used for? Gaming, of course! The Live! features a 3D audio API called Environmental Audio or EAX. EAX is most useful for gaming purposes, as it will enhance the sound to make it sound almost realistic. For example, if you’re driving down a tunnel in Need For Speed: Porsche Unlimited, you would hear echoes bouncing off of the walls... all this is produced by the EMU10K1 processor. In another example, if there is someone walking up behind you in Half-Life, you actually hear them behind you so you would be able to turn around and blow that sucker out of the world!

Creative's EAX technology, however, is not the only player in the 3D audio sector. A company called Aureal also has a technology called A3D which does the similar things that EAX is capable of doing. Aureal, however, has been having legal troubles lately and, if I'm not mistakened, they have already reached a point of bankrupt; therefore, I would not recommend purchasing a product based on this A3D API. A3D does have some impressive backings from many big players in the gaming industry. The game Quake3, for example, is an A3D-only game. Even such, I still wouldn't recommend purchasing an A3D product because of the uncertain future of Aureal (you can still emulate 3D sounds for games such as Quake3 with EAX, and they still sound really great).

If, however, you would like to save some dough and opt not to purchase a Live! sound card, you shouldn't even bother to purchase the other sound cards that are available. In my mind, there are basically 2 levels of sound controllers-Live! or built-in. Many motherboards, including those based on the i810(e) chipset, feature built-in sound. This might be sufficient enough for you if you're not much of an audiophile; however, I strongly suggest you invest in a nice Sound Blaster Live! sound card and a set of good speakers (such as a set of 4-point surround speakers with subwoofer) regardless if you decide to go high-end or low-end to make your computing experience that much more enjoyable.

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