SIIG SoundWave 7.1 PCI - sound card ( IC-710012 )

by SIIG

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006HDF6S
• Item model number: IC-710012
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 3, 2004

Product Description

1.High-definition 7.1 surround sound transforms your PC into a home theater system 2.8-channel output supports the newest Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES 6.1/7.1CH DVD audio formats 3.Supports the latest in 3D audio technologies, including Sensaura EAX, A3D , DirectSound 4.Two Digital Input/Outputs deliver 24-bit/96KHz audio quality 5.Customize internet audio with the power and surround sound of EAX audio technologies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a sound card that does what it is supposed to and sounds great!, February 7, 2009

By 

C. Miller (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SIIG SoundWave 7.1 PCI - sound card ( IC-710012 ) (Personal Computers)

I originally bought a Creative Soundblaster "5.1" sound card. Unfortunatly, it did not play in 5.1 sound nor would they even help me because the card was bought a year ago! (That's another story. Creative sucks.) What I wanted was a sound card that I could connect to my 5.1 receiver through the digital in/out rca connection. Most other cards that had a digital out feature costs twice as much, so I was a bit skeptical of the SIIG. It works perfectly. I play my dvds through my computer and they sound amazing, better than my old stand alone dvd player. Plus, my mp3s and flacs sound incredible. True 5.1 24 bit 96k sound. Plus, it does have some nice features with sound field adjustments and equalization. I highly recommend this card.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great low-cost sound card!, December 4, 2008

By 

MdniteEagl (Mt. Arlington, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SIIG SoundWave 7.1 PCI - sound card ( IC-710012 ) (Personal Computers)

I inherited my Dell minitower (running Windows XP Pro) from my old job after the company closed earlier this year, and while most of the hardware is top-notch (as the assistant IT director at the time, I spec'd it, and got as much as I could with my budget), one of the things that annoyed me was the very featureless onboard audio. It was so "plain" that it only had tone control... not even bass and treble.

So I was scouting some sound cards for when I had the time to install it. I was considering several brands... while I have had experience with Sound Blasters, they are not as adjustable as they could be unless you buy a really high-end model. Then I stumbled across this SIIG card. After some research, it looked like what I wanted... robust, adjustable, and inexpensive. Dell actually offers it as a recommended upgrade for my model of computer.

I purchased it and installed it in about 5 minutes - snapped right in to the PCI slot. The Dell manual said to simply disable the onboard from the BIOS and install the drivers/Xear 3D software from the CD. Could not have been simpler. After the drivers went in, it asked for a reboot.

What a difference.

Instead of that "tone knob", I now have a 10-band equalizer, and my mp3s sound amazing. The separation (even in headphones) is excellent, and the card allows beautifully clean recordings from all sources, even from streaming audio. All my various sound/media software picked it right up with no changes needed. Hopefully SIIG will keep up with the drivers on this, as my next PC (2010) will likely have Windows 7 and/or Linux and I would love to just swap this card into that new unit.

If you're looking for a great quality sound card without all the bells and whistles that gamers and audiophiles want - but yet still capable of 7.1 surround if you wish, and at a VERY reasonable price, definitely give this card a try!

Update: Feb 8 2011 - I was able to successfully install this card in my Windows 7 64-bit computer. Two keys... the cabling for the front jacks didn't work in this card (no biggie), and the drivers on the SIIG website are not up to date. You'll need to get the Windows 7 compatible drivers by doing an internet search on "c-media driver 8.17.40". If you install the driver at the SIIG site (which is 8.17.30), it will cause the computer to max the RAM load every time you open the control panel.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Damn you Vista x64!, May 13, 2008

By 

Centauri "Centauri" (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SIIG SoundWave 7.1 PCI - sound card ( IC-710012 ) (Personal Computers)

Is it my fault? Maybe. But I choose to blame Microsoft for deploying both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista that each require a different driver for identical pieces of hardware. This is one such piece of hardware. And the only Vista driver offered is not compatible with the 64-bit version.

The card arrived quickly, at least...