Real surround sound via USB2.0

Once more Sandberg has turned everything upside down by simplifying what could otherwise be difficult and confusing for many computer users. This time it's a real Surround sound card, with analogue and optical digital inputs and outputs, which Sandberg has placed in a smart little box that just needs to be plugged into a USB port. Hey presto – real cinema sound on your computer without needing to touch a screwdriver. So the time when you had to be a computer technician to upgrade your computer with high-end sound is well and truly over.

It looks like you'd expect it to. No surprises there. A neat, little black box and a separate USB cable to connect it with. The package also includes a really good user guide, a warranty card for the five-year warranty and a CD. We'll come back to the CD later.

The Sound Box is extremely compact. The front and back are generally also teeming with different inputs and outputs. Headsets, standard stereo speakers, 2.1 systems, 5.1 surround and 7.1 surround systems can all be connected to the front in addition to the AUX input. For the slightly more advanced user, you can find Toslink ports on the back for optical digital connection to professional sound systems. Microphone connectors have been put on the side of the box.

On the top of the box you can find the mute button and volume control as well as a couple of control lights. Another advantage of having the sound card on the table instead of buried deep inside the computer.

Installation is just as effortless as for most other USB devices. The driver is installed from the CD and the USB connector is plugged in. No screwdrivers, no talk of a PCI bus, no risk of conflicting resources and overheating. This is why it's clever to have an external sound card.

There are extra goodies on the CD. Unbelievably enough, the Xear 3D sound program is included in the package from Sandberg. Xear 3D is not exactly standard sound software. It gives you an advanced mixer and equaliser; you can select different filters and effects, there are pre-settings for certain genres; and you can adjust the key and have a little fun into the bargain with the "Magic Voice" function. This can give you a sinister voice, make you sound like Donald Duck and make young girls sound like fully grown dock workers. There is also a special karaoke function which reduces the vocals in a piece of music so that you can sing over them.

The Sandberg USB Sound Box 7.1 is simply a great solution for anyone who wants to improve the sound on their computer, regardless of whether you want to have better sound for everyday use or use the output with a professional surround sound system. You receive a five-year warranty and free access to the Sandberg Helpdesk with each purchase.

You would think that this would be priced at a completely different level. But a price level has been selected for this that can only be explained by the fact that Sandberg is aiming at the mass market with the Sandberg USB Sound Box 7.1. Click your flag to view the current price in your region.

Sandberg A/S
Tel.: +45 7026 8500, Fax: +45 7026 8508
E-mail: info@sandberg.it, www.sandberg.it

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