Sounds great!
Pros:
Easy setup, great sound quality, much better than built-in sound.
Cons:
Only that I didn't buy it sooner!
The Bottom Line:
If you aren't happy with your built-in sound (especially in a notebook), then give this some serious thought.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
My reasons for purchasing the SB Live external are probably a little bit unusual, but it was just what I needed!
My computer is a Dell Inspiron notebook. I use it for internet, gaming, and music, mostly. It doesn't have a super high-tech video card, so I can't play some of the newest games, but there are a few that I really enjoy. The problem I have been having with some games is that the audio is choppy, or plays at high speed (think Chipmunks Christmas album). I tried updating the sound drivers and playing endlessly with all of the settings, but nothing helped.
Also, I have been using my computer to put old records (yes, the vinyl kind) on CDs. Unfortunately, my computer doesn't have a very high-quality line-in. There is a lot of noise, and it is hard to get the line level set properly.
It was quite accidental that I came across the SC Live! 24-bit external sound card at a big computer store. I picked it up, as well as a couple of stereo cables (mini to RCA). The SB Live! comes with a USB cable, but no other cables.
Setup was very easy. You plug the SB Live! into a USB port, then install the software. There was no fooling around, it worked perfectly out of the box. Now, to try some games... The sound was perfect! I even turned up the games to the maximum sound quality. Awesome! At that point, I knew I had made a good purchase. But, I wasn't done yet!
I hooked the SB Live! up to my stereo (a 1970s vintage Sansui hi-fi receiver and turntable that plays through a pair of Bose speakers. I played a few MP3s, and they sounded great. On to the hard part! I put on a nice LP... Blues Brothers - Briefcase Full of Blues, to be exact. I went into the SB recorder (part of the included software bundle) and clicked on the recording wizard, which sets up the line level automatically. Then I selected the file type and sampling rate (you can import directly as a WMA or MP3, but I chose WAV so I could edit it later). Next, I hit the REC button. After a while, I hit the STOP button, and it asked me for a filename. Done! Believe me, this thing really has great sound quality -- 24 bit/96kHz!
Another great feature is the graphic equalizer. This is something that my computer was sorely lacking. There are also lots of other effects that you can play around with, plus karaoke! The thing that surprised me was how easy everything was to set up. It is much easier than the built-in sound that my computer came with... and it sounds better!
