32 MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2003
Take last year’s soundcard winner, the Sound Blaster Audigy
2, improve its signal-to-noise ratio, and add support for 7.
speakers, and you’ve got a new soundcard champ that should
do you proper into 2004. But wait, it gets better. The Audigy
2 ZS also lets you listen to DVD-Audio discs—the operative
word being “Audio.” These new music discs offer 24-bit 192kHz
sampling that puts the 16-bit 44.1kHz sampling rate of audio
CDs to shame. Like its predecessor, the Audigy 2 ZS is a true
accelerator. Most mobo-bound audio-chip and add-in
soundcards ask your CPU to do all the work, but the Audigy 2 ZS
hands off many audio processing chores to its own onboard DSP.
$200, http://www.soundblaster.comHowever: If you don’t give a hoot about frame rates in 3D
games, you might consider the Revolution 7.1, a superb-sounding
alternative to the big A2.It’s plum criminal how Cooler Master has trimmed down
its line of sexy PC enclosures to just a handful of models.
Fortunately, however, one of the last survivors is also
the best of Cooler Master’s breed. The Wave Master TAC-
T01 is so lovely, in fact, we used it for this year’s Dream
Machine. The TAC-T01 comes with a snazzy blue LED
light that illuminates the front bezel, as well as a top-
mounted cluster of audio I/O and USB ports. (We’re
beginning to think such top-mounted clusters should
become an industry standard.) The TAC-T01 isn’t as
big as some of the other Cooler Master cases that
reside in our case hall of fame, but these days, bigger
isn’t better. With everybody intent on shrinking cases
to the size of a pimento loaf, the Wave Master strikes
a good compromise between huge and diminutive
without completely compromising expansion. $158,
http://www.coolermaster.comdrives, count ’em. It also has front USB
ports and a washable air filter, all for just $99.CASE
Cooler Master Wave Master
TAC-T
Take last year’s soundcard winner, the Sound Blaster Audigy
2, improve its signal-to-noise ratio, and add support for 7.
speakers, and you’ve got a new soundcard champ that should
do you proper into 2004. But wait, it gets better. The Audigy
2 ZS also lets you listen to DVD-Audio discs—the operative
word being “Audio.” These new music discs offer 24-bit 192kHz
sampling that puts the 16-bit 44.1kHz sampling rate of audio
CDs to shame. Like its predecessor, the Audigy 2 ZS is a true
audio accelerator
soundcards ask your CPU to do all the work, but the Audigy 2 ZS
hands off many audio processing chores to its own onboard DSP.
$200, http://www.soundblaster.comHowever:
games, you might consider the Revolution 7.1, a superb-sounding
alternative to the big A2.SOUNDCARD
Creative Labs Sound Blaster
Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
alternative to the big A2.Yeah, but: In
some cases, extra
steel is useful. Antec’s
PlusView 1000AMG
gives you a case window
and room for 10 drives. Yes, 10
drives, count ’em. It also has front USBalternative to the big A2.