From 3dss.vup3d.com
>>>Well, USB audio is finally with us. Win 98 has provided USB support to the masses, and Labtec (now there's a surprise) have USB
speakers out. And they have so far failed to make any impact. Porqoui, mon ami?
Well, as we all know (pay attention at the back), USB speakers take advantage of the extra bandwidth offered, and take a pure
digital audio stream. By virtue of the DAC that is included in them, they decode this digital audio stream and play sound. Wonderful,
eh?
The `advantage' of this is that by keeping the sound in the digital domain until it actually reaches the speakers, the sound should not
be affected by that bane of PC audio, NOISE. USB speakers should give out crystal clear audio every time.
But as everybody knows, there is a major drawback, and that is processor occupancy. USB speakers do not require much in the
way of the processor for straight digital audio, but require an absolute shedload of cycles for MIDI, because all of the MIDI has to be
done using a softsynth, and we all know how everybody hates those.
This is all a complete U-turn from the current PCI philosophy of audio acceleration. Initially, the first wave of PCI soundcards have
been more about audio enhancement, with DS3D and A3D. Quite a few `1st-gen' PCI cards use processor cycles for some things
(stand up Vortex 1 and Audio PCI). However, the eventual goal is to have a soundcard that accelerates performance, such as the
reports from Skip that Vortex 2 improves Unreal's frame rate, and the hardware MIDI and effects on the Live!
USB is meant to be a consumer medium, but I can see USB audio dying a death as a consumer product. If people want cheap
sound, they'll buy a $30 sound card. If people want a good sound system, they'll pay $100-$200 for a Live! or Vortex 2. Nowhere in
the scheme of things can I see room for USB speakers. It smacks of Video CD to me - a product created because the technology
existed.
Now I can here people screaming about how easy it is to add USB speakers - good old plug and pray. But the fact is, 99% of
people who don't have the knowledge to fit a sound card (and let's face it, it ain't rocket science) will already have sound in their PC.
Where I think USB speakers are going to succeed is with the corporates. Imagine a corporate environment - most systems have no
CD or sound card. But for whatever reason, Joe Bloggs needs sound on his PC. Provided all these PC's have a USB port and
compatible OS (VERY big IF), a set of USB speakers can be lent to him for however long he needs it. The overall cost saved by not
fitting a sound card into every system is not inconsiderable, so it makes perfect sense. Provided, of course, the corporate PC
manufacturers fit the damn USB ports.
The only part I think USB speakers will play in what we consider to be `our' market is if soundcard manufacturers put a USB socket
on their card. This gets the DAC's out of the noisy PC but won't drain the processor one jot. Creative have gone some way towards
this with their `Digital DIN' socket on the Live!, though we will have to see how this pans out.
So there you go. USB speakers are not for us. We want superb 3D sound and great MIDI. USB speakers can't deliver on either
score.
Simon (UK ass Kicker) King
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