Buy.com DOTD - Soundblaster Live! Platinum5.1 $124.99 after PM/Coupon with Staples.com

[volfan]

Here it is Also, you should be able to PM with Staples.com and use $30 off $150 coupon to get it down to $124.99 + shipping. This is the one with LiveDrive and Remote.

 

[Thump553]

Is it just me, or does buy.com's "deal" price seem mightly high, or average, at best? Used to be their DOTD were actually good to great deals.

 

[konichiwa]

Great deal if you want a sh!tty sound card. :disgust:

 

[stevent76]

I just pricematched it with Staples. $124.99 + tax. Sweeeeeet

 

[mam9373]

What's wrong with this card?

 

[randomlinh]

some ppl don't like creative Mainly cause all they've been doing is rehashin the same stuff for the last 3yrs... is it because they're lazy, or because their product works? that is a debate that just keeps going.. and going... and going....

 

[AppleTalking]

Even for the $124.99 at Staples it's still a ripoff. The SoundBlaster Live! cards are almost 3 years old and do not sound nearly as good as more recent sound cards like the Philips Acoustic Edge and the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, both of which are available for less money. Plus there's that nasty Via KT133 chipset bug that people are still having problems with, even after applying the latest 4-in-1s. If you absolutely must have a breakout box like the Live! Drive, look at the Hercules GameTheater XP. It offers the same sound chip as the Santa Cruz, extremely low CPU utilization, and very stable drivers. All in all, the SoundBlaster Live! cards are a ripoff.

Nick

 

[DieselMan]

AppleTalking, well said! I couldn't agree more with you

 

[chrisbest01]

the next generation soundblaster going to release soon, so might as well wait for it.

 

[SpideyCU]

For a "breakout" box, I like my cheap $50 one that I got at a computer show.

http://www.futurepowerusa.com/products/newqgold.html

Of course I have my FPS2000 speakers connected to my Live! Value through the digital DIN connection, so I simply turn my speakers off when connecting headphones to these things. A bit ghetto, I know, but still neat.

And, yeah, SB's been rehashing the same-ol' forever (my Live! card is the only component that I still have from my old K6-III 400 box since the "new" cards really weren't any better). Not that I really care...it's one thing in my system I haven't been upgrading (unlike video cards!) and I can live with.

 

[gizo]

how did you get the coupon for $30 off on $150 ?

 

[Gusfo0]

All in all, a sound card is a sound card. It also depends on what speakers you have. If you have some cheap Labtec speakers it's not going to make a difference if you have a Sound Blaster Live! or one of the newer Phillips / Turtle Beach cards.

I have a Sound Blaster Live! with Klipsch 4.1s and I don't "use" all the card's features. I just use it and accept the fact that it puts out surround sound. It does the job just fine.

I don't really know that much about these "new" sound cards since I haven't read anything about them, but what more can they offer me if I don't use the goodies this card comes with.

 

[gizo]

thanx volfan!!! my gf just got herself a sblive plat too! gotta love the remote
keep up with the sweet post!

 

[Csium]

Always the nice SB Live sux's bashing... This is what you get with SB, mature drivers, linux support, low processor usage, complete game compatability. Might be a problem with VIA's chipsets, but supposedly fixed. Not everyone has this problem, and if you by retail, you can always return.

Acoustic Edge - nice card, cheap, no linux support, high cpu usage, stability issues in win2k.

GameTheater XP, Santa Cruz(same chip) - supposedly best sound quality, linux support, high cpu usage, minor driver issues.

I've been researching this a long time. I was going to get the Acoustic Edge, until I found out that not only is Phillips not working on it, they haven't released pertanint information for any else to write drivers for them.

I then decided to get the santa cruz, but I figure I'm going to get the Audigy(Live replacement) when in comes out in a few months(hopefully). Besides, I won't have my sound system back until next school year.

 

[AppleTalking]

GameTheater XP, Santa Cruz(same chip) - supposedly best sound quality, linux support, high cpu usage, minor driver issues.

Wait second there. The Santa Cruz and the GameTheater XP do NOT have high CPU utilization. If you can point me to a benchmark that says differently, I'd like to see it. Both the Santa Cruz and the GameTheater use a programmable DSP chip that automatically optimizes itself for the application, reducing CPU load. When playing MP3s on my 1.2GHz. Athlon, WinAmp uses 2.5% of my CPU time, which is incredibly low for playing MP3s. As a matter of fact, Hercules has further optimized their drivers for even lower CPU utilization in games. My Santa Cruz, though, has not had any noticable effect on game performance, though.

They do have the best sound quality.

And don't put down the Creative bashing, it's one of my favorite things to do.

Nick

 

[volfan]

Thanks, gizo. This was my first post! Glad you found the coupon. I have never had any of the VIA-Soundblaster issues discussed so much in these forums either. I'm don't dismissing the fact that there are some, but I think they have consistently been the leader in Sound Card technology for a reason. But I think they do need to get their act together on releasing something new and not rest on their laurels.

 

[randomlinh]

btw, the breakout box on the XP is a lot more useful than the newgold.

 

[smartt]

Oh no! Not the X vs Y crap. If you are in the market to buy anyhting, just compare the specs and prices yourself. Don't get caught up in the my sound card will beat up your sound card hype.

 

[riddelrp]

<< When playing MP3s on my 1.2GHz. Athlon, WinAmp uses 2.5% of my CPU time, which is incredibly low for playing MP3s. >>



Ahh . . . I have a SB LIVE! X-GAMER, P3 800 @ 894 with 256 ram on a 440bx board. Might I mention that this system is outperformed by your 1.2 Ghz athlon [right?].

Well, while writing this, playing MP3s and browsing in 4 other IE5.5 windows I am only using about 2% of my CPU . . . . Hmm... I would think that this is LOWER CPU usage then the card you have . . . .

I mean I am new to this whole SB vs all war, but I am just saying what I got and how it is goin'.

If you want my &quot;full&quot; specs see &quot;my rigs&quot; link in my sig
-RYAN

 

[AppleTalking]

I never said that your SoundBlaster didn't have low CPU utilization, nor did I say that my Santa Cruz card had lower CPU utilization than your SoundBlaster. All I said was that my Santa Cruz card does not have high CPU utilization. I think that comment was borne out by my posts.

Don't take my comments too seriously. I'm not trying to start a war. I was simply saying that the Platinum card is a bit overpriced for the sound quality and features that it offers.

Nick

 

[XXXXXkevXXXXX]

I have the platinum. I like it. I have no issues with it. 5.1 dvd sound is awesome.

 

[konichiwa]

<< I have the platinum. I like it. I have no issues with it. 5.1 dvd sound is awesome. >>

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[bradm20]

I have the X-Gamer 5.1 and Live Drive, which is essentially the exact same thing, and I love the setup. The Live Drive alone is worth it to me.

 

[Imported]

Geez.. wish I had that nasty VIA KT133 bug with the Live! cards, then maybe I could get a SantaCruz or GTXP, but since I have no bug.. I gotta stick with my Live! card..

 

[ThatPianoGuy]

Although I've not done much research into the GameTheater.. As a musician I've found the live drive to be incredibly helpful. Although the stupid remote is about worthless, being able to connect all my cables in the front has helped a ton. Plus the sound is very good, and it comes bundled with a lot of helpful software. Its not the greatest, but $120 for midi access in the front, digital dins, decent software, and 5.1 sound, its not a bad deal.

My 2 cents..
Rob