About Monster Sound

Monster Sound is the first consumer-level audio card to take advantage of the PCI bus, resulting in maximum gaming sound quality under Windows 95/98. It's designed to bring you into the next generation of totally immersive, heart-pounding gaming action!

The Monster Sound family features Diamond's Freedom 5600 technology, delivering an intensely interactive, all-enveloping audio experience like never before! The increased performance from the PCI bus and the power of a programmable DSP, combined with Windows 95/98 DirectSound and DirectSound3D standards, goes far beyond typical stereo effects. It enables you to direct the audio to specific positions and to hear sounds coming and going in all directions. Plug in rear speakers for even more powerful positional 3D sounds to totally heighten your gaming experience!

How 3D Audio Recreates a Real World Listening Experience

PCI Audio Solution - PCI Bus-mastering capabilities, not available on the ISA bus (i.e., Sound Blaster cards), allow Monster Sound to process up to 23 streams of CD-quality digital audio simultaneously with zero processor intervention. This feature is critical for interactive 3D experiences.

Positional 3D Audio - Hear sounds above you, below you, and approaching you from every direction, using A3D, originally developed for NASA, or DirectSound3D technology, developed by Microsoft.

Fully Compatible With All New PC Audio Standards - Accelerates Microsoft's DirectSound, DirectSound3D, DirectInput and A3D.

Features an Advanced, Pro-Quality, Hardware Wavetable Synthesizer - Monster Sound incorporates an advanced hardware wavetable synthesizer, similar to synthesizers used in professional digital musical instruments.

Powerful Onboard DSP - Monster Sound features a powerful onboard DSP that accelerates DirectSound and positional 3D algorithms, as well as joystick inputs, freeing up your CPU for other important tasks such as 3D graphics, full-motion video, modem connections, etc.

Audiophile Performance - Using digital audio technology and AC '97 components, Monster Sound provides audiophile quality performance (>90dB signal-to-noise ratio).

Incredible Audio Utility Bundle - Stereo Rack Interface, Wave Editor, CD Play-list Editor, Internet Media Player (Supports Microsoft's NetShow^TM and Progressive Network's RealMedia^TM), MidiSoft's Studio Recording Session^TM (Providing a complete MIDI Editor, recorder and notator).

Easy Installation/Windows 95/98 Plug-n-Play Compatibility - Monster Sound is PCI Plug-n-Play compatible.

Technical Specifications

Game Support

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Technical Specifications

PCI Controller:
Diamond Freedom 5600

Digital Signal Processor:
Analog Devices 2181

Quad CODEC:
AC '97 Codec or Analog Devices 1843

Digital Audio Streams:
23

Wavetable:
32-voice AdMOS advanced hardware wavetable with 2MB ROM sample library

Sample Rates:
Supports up to 48 KHz

Signal to Noise Ratio:
Digital output >97 dB (A-Weighted) or >92 dB

Input :
Microphone jack (microphone not included)
Line In jack
CD Audio connector
Modem connector (for speakerphone)
AUX connector

Output:
2 Stereo Line Out jacks

Connectors:
Combination accelerated analog game port and MIDI in/out port, wavetable header, CD connector, modem connector, AUX connector




Game Support
Monster Sound currently accelerates all games using Microsoft DirectSound, DirectSound3D and Aureal A3D. Look for these logos on your gaming software to get the most out of your Monster Sound!



Minimum Hardware Requirements
Microsoft Windows 95
Pentium PC 90 MHz or higher
8 MB RAM (16 MB RAM recommended for optimum performance)
15 MB minimum free hard disk space for installation
CD-ROM drive for installation and bundled software
Existing sound card for running older DOS software
2 or 4 amplified speakers and/or headphones

How 3D Audio Creates a Real World Listening Experience

The A3D Audio technology that is part of your Monster Sound audio system was developed by Aureal Semiconductor, and is the result of many years of research into human hearing and digital audio reproduction. The following information provides a quick overview of the basics of A3D Audio technology:

In the real world, anyone can close their eyes, listen to a sound and pin-point its direction, distance and motion. Our ears allow us to hear 360 degrees in all directions, while our eyes cover only about 140 degrees in the direction we're facing. The eyes and ears work in close cooperation to provide us with a seamless perception of reality: when the ears hear a sound from behind, we decide to turn our head and look at an object.

A3D Audio is based on the following premise: since we can hear sounds three dimensionally in the real world by using only our ears, it must be possible to create sounds from two speakers or a set of headphones that have the same effect.

There are several listening cues that allow us to hear sounds three-dimensionally in everyday life. They are related to the fact that there are split-second differences between what each ear hears when listening to a sound: sound waves usually appear earlier and louder at the ear closest to the sound source. Additionally, the same sound, when originating from various locations around a listener, will sound differently because of the changes in the way it gets reflected and filtered by the shoulders, face and the outer ear before reaching the ear drum. These listening effects can be summarized in a set of audio filters called Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs).

Aureal's A3D technology uses advanced signal processing algorithms and HRTF measurement techniques. This digitally re-creates the above hearing cues along with the absorption, reflection and Doppler shift effects, which affect sound waves as they travel from a sound source, through an environment to the listener's ears.

The result is a revolutionary, real-life audio experience that surrounds the listener with sound in all three dimensions using only a single pair of ordinary speakers or headphones. A3D Audio moves audio beyond the one-dimensionality of stereo sound, and beyond two-dimensional, pre-recorded surround sound systems to provide interactive, three-dimensional audio.