Yamaha RP-U100 CAVIT External Audio Soundboard Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is one truly impressive PC Receiver (External Sound Card). Although Yamaha's website does not mention XP, it does work under XP. Just plug the USB cable into the computer and XP automatically installs all the required drivers. Install the software on the CD and you can control the receiver from the computer. Unfortunately the Yamaha driver does not work under XP (only 98/me/2000), and as a result I cannot get the inputs to work with the computer. On the positive side, since the unit works out of the box with XP with no drivers needed, you can rest assured that it will very likely work with future version of Windows. (It also works with Mac out of the box I've heard).
So, with that out of the way, let's talk about the important stuff.
First, the receiver can function without a PC. In fact, almost all the features can be accessed. You can select the inputs, set DSP mode, select FM preset, and tuning to a particular station, all without using the PC. This is extremely important, as you would not want to buy something that will only work when the PC is on. I am glad Yamaha designed the unit with this in mind.
The sound from the receiver is simply incredible. The DAC on the unit appears to be quite good. If you are using the build-in sound card on the motherboard or a plain old sound blaster, you should immediately hear the difference. The sound is richer, has more resolution, and has more punch to it. The amp on the headphone jack is also quite good and delivers excellent sound quality on cheap and expensive headphones. It plays loud enough and reach the max my ear can handle way before maxing out.
Perhaps the best thing is the unit is a looker. It looks really cute, according to one female coworker. The construction is rock solid, it weights a hefty 12 pounds! I've used an external Sound Blaster Extigy and this unit feels much more like a real receiver.
I think "Blair from Chicago" missed the point of having this receiver. This receiver is all about sound quality. It's like buying a BMW and complains that the Corolla also takes you there at a much cheaper price. :)
The only shortcoming is the software. Even though I acquired this in Aug 2003 (at an extremely good price btw), the CD still contains software from 1999 and Yamaha's website offers no software update. The software works, but by 2003 standards it feels a little strange. I am not that bothered by it however, I'd rather have awesome hardware and wimpy software than the other way around. I know I will be enjoying this receiver for years to come, no matter what computer/OS I will use in the future.

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Product Description:
Yamaha Electronics has introduced the world's first audio receiver to consider the computer as an important audio source. Designated @ PET RP-U100, the new PC Home Theater Receiver ushers in a new product category by bringing high quality audio reproduction, surround sound technologies - such as Dolby Digital and Yamaha's Digital Sound Field Processing - and traditional audio receiver functions to the computer via USB connection. The receiver's computer interface is simple and provided by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable which allows it to bypass the sound card and stream digital audio directly from the computer, as well as support Plug-and-Play and hot plugging.

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PPA 1455 - Sound card - 48 kHz - 5.1 - USB Review

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(More customer reviews)If you play a DVD with 5.1 channel surround sound on your computer, this box can decode it to give you the 6 analog channels. Surprisingly, the optical link would have only the L/R channels.Why they would strip part of the digital audio and not let people simply pass it on to a home audio system is hard to understand. Unfortunately, that was the reason I bought this device, and I missed the fine prints.I saw the heading "6 Channel External Sound" and that it has optical output, never imagined that the 6 channel sound was only in analog and not in digital. This caveat is stated in the last line of the description, very easy to overlook if you're not looking for it, especially when you don't think that anyone would design it that way. So I have to return this one and get something else.

Other than this deficiency, this external sound card works just fine with my Vista64 HP laptop. The software installation was easy, no conflict with the internal nVideo audio. They coexist just fine, but you do have to go into Control_Panel/Sound to select which one is the default device. Some media player would feed audio to both devices, but many would only serve the default one.

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Product Description:
Can your PC deliver 5.1 channel surround sound from the videos you're streaming? Or from your games? If your answer is "No", buying the PPA 1455 USB 6 Channel External Sound Adapter will let you say "Yes"!

Need to upgrade your PC sound system? It's simpler than you might imagine. You don't need any tools. Simply add the PPA 1455 USB 6 Channel External Sound Adapter to an available USB port on your desktop or notebook PC. While many people focus on upgrading video, many ignore the improvements in sound over the last few years. More people are downloading music, streaming Internet radio, and even streaming video. This sound adapter lets you add an optional 5.1 channel speaker system so you can listen to surround sound from websites and your DVD collection. If you use your PC for TV reception, this adapter is ready for Dolby Digital HDTV sound. Skype your friends and family (Skype is a virtual free PC-based phone service) and share. Tell them what a great adapter this is and how it really improves the sound output from your PC.
Plug n'Play allows you to connect the device to your PC right out of the box without having to read a long and boring instruction manual. There is also the feature of Hot Swappable, which you don't have to reboot your PC to connect/disconnect the external sound adapter. It is powered directly by an available USB port on your PC. No external power source required. It's a really simple way to upgrade.Only R, L channels PCM audio in 5.1 channels can be conveyed in digital playback mode Plug n'Play Hot swappable Compliant with USB Specification v1.1 Compliant with USB audio device class v1.0 Supports USB full speed up to 12Mbps serial data transmission USB bus power (through one available USB port to directly power the device) Supports multi-channel audio codec interface for 6-channel playback Requirement - Pentium or equivalent PCWindows ME

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Creative Labs SB1090 USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Audio System Review

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(More customer reviews)Under 'Creative audio control panel,' be certain that 'high speed' (2.0) is checked, and not 'full speed' (1.1). This may or may not solve lag and other commonly cited audio issues. That said,

I do not like this sound card. In fact, it's not really a sound card at all. More truthfully, it is a (large) software suite connected to a big volume knob. As far as I can tell, and from what I have read and seen in task manager), all of the real work is done with your computer. Well, this shouldn't be too much of a problem on modern machines, right? I mean, aren't the days of needing external chips to alleviate workload on the CPU long gone and irrelevant?

Maybe. But the fact is that I feel that I could have attained the same, cheap audio tricks via any number of winamp plug-ins, equalizers, et al. What I wanted was a superior external DAC than the noise coming from my onboard RealTek 'high definition' audio. The truth is that I can tell no difference between the two outputs until I turn on the effects of the x-fi, which are really annoying to a music purist. They produce listener fatigue and unwelcome distortion (music was not meant to be heard in simulated surround, and 'crystalizer' can get downright 'screechy').
The simulated surround or EAX is fine for watching movies and playing games, though. But if you are primarily a music buff and have decent speakers, I advise looking elsewhere.

There is good news, though. While Creative has a history of not supporting older cards on a newer OS, there is a functioning beta driver for Windows 7 already at their site. You won't be experiencing what thousands of people did when trying to use their XP cards on Vista, etc. However, the overall performance of the card is sluggish both on my XP install and my Win 7 beta. Adjustments are cumbersome and opening the severe bloatware of sound options is unacceptably slow even on fairly well-equipped hardware. I'd consider this a fluke of my install, but on two separate disks, and with two different OSes (XP and 7)? No. It's just bloated.

I got this new for virtually nothing, but I'd still not buy it again because I can honestly achieve the same effects by using the EQ of the iTunes, Mediamonkey, etc. Again, this is nothing but a ton of sound software that happens to have a physical body. You can do better for not much more money. However, as a solution for a broken onboard chip / output jack, this is an economical solution. But even then I'd almost recommend one of those USB thumb drive-type cards as they won't take up unnecessary desktop space or clutter your install with a ton of software that, btw, takes 20 minutes to install).

If the x-fi surround were anything but a fancy software suite, I'd rate it higher. Sorry. Just trying to save someone the grief if they are looking for a music solution. That's what these reviews are for.

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Product Description:
Adding the USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 sound card is the easiest way to make your music andmovies sound their best. X-Fi Technology restores details and vibrance your music and movies lostduring compression, making them richer and fuller, and expands stereo into surround sound withheadphones or speakers. Plus it includes PowerDVD software via free download for the ultimate PCmovie entertainment experience.

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Sabrent USB-SBCV USB 2.0 External Surround Sound Adapter - Add Sound to a Desktop or Notebook - Driverless! Review

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(More customer reviews)I was having problems getting the correct sound card driver for my laptop after upgrading to Win7. I was looking for an inexpensive external sound card came across this one among the many available on the net. Based on reviews, I decided to give it a try and I have to say, I am very happy with it. One of the features I like is this unit comes with an extension USB cable that makes accessing the volume and mute buttons a breeze. The sound quality is great and it is truly Plug-and-Play.

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Product Description:
This USB 2.0 Mic/Speaker 3D Audio Sound Card Adapter is a highly flexible audio interface, which can be used with either laptop or desktop system. No driver required, plug-and-play for instant audio playing and compliant with all mainstream operation systems. Features : Compact, portable, convenient to carry. Compliant with USB 2.0 Full-Speed (12Mbps) Specification. Compliant with USB Audio Device Class Specification 1.0. Compliant with USB HID Class Specification 1.1. USB Bus-powered mode, no external power required. Connectors: USB Type-A, Stereo output jack, Mono microphone-input jack. 2 LED indicators. Driverless for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Server 003/Vista/Linux/Mac OS. Specifications : Device Type: USB 2.0 Mic/Speaker 2.1 CH 3D Audio Sound Card Adapter. Device Interface: USB Type-A, Stereo output jack, Mono microphone-input jack. Function Keys: Microphone-Mute, Speaker-Mute, Volume-Up/Down. Dimension: 1.8" L x 1.0" W x 0.6" H (45 x 25 x 14 mm). Weight: 0.5 oz (14 g).

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