Hardware Review: Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 HiFi - Page 4

takisot · 03-08-2007, 02:20 AM

Hello everybody!
This is my first post to this nice on line community and I would like to ask for your help on an issue I have with this wonderful audio card:
Everything works like a charm, exept that I cant find any option in the control panel for bass management via analog out i.e. I cannot set my speakers to be large or small and I cannot send the the <80khz signal to my sub as I would like because my main speakers havent a big woofer.
Do you have any solution on this? Maybe an external bass management software?
Thanks in advance.

durwood · 03-08-2007, 07:57 AM

Welcome!

I sent you a PM, but I thought I should respond here as well for others who might want to know. Well this card does not have that feature. Creative Labs and Turtle beach cards have that kind of feature. However, if you use a program called Frequency Allocator Full/Lite you with get crossovers for each channel which will do your bass management. www.thuneau.com

You won't be able to set speaker size, but you won't need it. This program is much more powerful then the stuff provided with other soundcards.

durwood · 03-13-2007, 06:29 AM

Just an update....

I was finally ready to try to switch over to all audio processing done on the computer with this card but I ran into a problem. I was having some small issues getting the audio processing setup, and then when I was ready, I found that I had lost half a channel. So now my 7.1/8 channel card is only a 7 channel.

I lost the right channel, channel 8. I can still use the card since my sub is mono anyway, but now I don't know if I can trust this card.

Now to find out if Audiotrak has any customer support.

RedGTiVR6 · 03-13-2007, 07:25 AM

What died? Just lost stereo output?

durwood · 03-13-2007, 08:26 AM

No that's the weird part. I only lost the right channel on channels 7 and 8 of the card. I thought maybe I screwed something up in the control panel settings. I double checked everything. Then I thought, maybe the driver is corrupted so I removed the old driver and re-installed it. When that didn't work, I checked to make sure the dongle cable had continuity. That checked ok. SO then I thought, well maybe the one of the opamps died so I moved them around to see if the problem would follow the opamps. Nope. So then I decided to try it in a completly different computer. No luck. Now instead of 8 channels its only 7 channels. Still enough to work with, but something electrical failed on the card. I am going to see if I can get it replaced under some type of warrarnty, but the only available cards left are out of Germany. Germans don't believe in things failing or warranties so this should be fun.

RedGTiVR6 · 03-13-2007, 08:28 AM

I'd worry that the problem would get worse...hitting other channels...

that sucks!

durwood · 03-13-2007, 08:34 AM

Exactly. I can see it now....card slowly starts to fail, sofware fails sending a bad signalt o card, speakers -> amps killing all my speakers or at least the tweeters. I am seriously considering some type of extra tweeter protection now.

If I can't get the soundcard replaced I am going to have to seek alternatives.

1) Auzentech X-Meridian + VAC
2) Sondigo Inferno +VAC
3) Waveterminal 192M
4) Other pro options. I don't have firewire anymore so extreanl cards are out unless I do a firewire PCI card.

Iceman_jkh · 03-13-2007, 09:04 PM

Sorry to hear that mate

.

My audiotrak Prodigy 7.1LT is still going good (~2 years). Hopefully yours is just an unfortunate one-off.

domko · 04-05-2007, 03:04 AM

Hi Durwood,

Before buying Audiotrak 7.1 HiFi sound card, I have few questions:-
1) How about the sound quality about this card?
2) The input and output Opamp can be replaced or not? Input only or Output Only or Both?
3) After replacement of opamp, is the sound better?
4) Output voltage is extremely low. 0.6Vp-p or 0.3Vp. Can we modified the Opamp to get better?

I want to purchase the Audiotrak 24/192 sound card or other brand.

Best regards
Dominic Ko

domko · 04-05-2007, 10:50 AM

Hi Everybody,

I am going to purchase one Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 HiFi sound card and have the following questions:-

1) Is this sound card sound quality good or not? Excellent?
2) Is the Opamps for Input and Output able to replace? Input Only or Output Only or Both?
3) After replacement, the sound quality is better than default?
4) Output voltage is extremely low. 0.6Vp-p or 0.3Vp. Can it be modified by output opamps chip?

Thank you

durwood · 04-06-2007, 06:46 PM

Hi Domko,

1) Seems like a good card to me for the money but don't expect too much support from Audiotrak. All I have to compare ti to though is a Creative Audigy1 and 2. It sounds better than both.

2) Not sure about the input opamp. There are 5 replaceable opamps and it's only an 8 channel card, so either the 5th opamp is for the headphone output, or the input.

3) I believe it is better. Time had passed from when I listened to it with the originals and the burr brown ones now. Another few people felt there is an improvement over the originals.

4) The only way to change it would be to replace surface mount resistors. I do not know of anyone that might have attempted this or even though about it. What values, I don't know. Which ones to replace, again I don't know. The outputs were still pretty strong when listening with my headphones though.

durwood · 04-17-2007, 10:18 PM

Update on my card....

I was constructing a new dongle cable and as I was measuring I found out that the yellow connector is wired as a mono connector which is the channel that was giving me problems. It makes no sense an I need someone with a Audiotrak Prodigy Hifi to help me out.

My manual say this:
orange=back surround
yellow=center/sub
black=rear left/right
green=front left/right

here is what i noticed when I adjusted the sliders in the control panel:
yellow=back surround
black=center/sub
orange=rear left/right
green=front left/right

can someone check to see how yours works if you have this card?

bjm2020 · 04-20-2007, 09:14 AM

Can anyone confirm if this card works with the rear and sub sliders in the centrafuse mixer.

domko · 05-29-2007, 03:04 AM

Hi,

Is there any one have the NEW or Updated Driver for Audiotrak 7.1 HiFi Driver?
Pls send me the link or the driver to me.

Thank you for your help.

Best regard
Dominic Ko

durwood · 05-29-2007, 07:11 AM

Check the korean audiotrak website. the newest driver I have seen is 1.03 for windows XP. The 64bit edition is only a beta driver and don't expect any updates for those or even Windows Vista.