Testing:

Selecting Speakers	Adjusting Balance	7.1 Configuration
Mixer Settings	Adjusting Effects	Karaoke Anyone?

Changing Bass Frequency

Card Information

The Drivers CD also includes the Xear 3D Audio Configuration utility. As you can see it has the similar settings and configurations we all would like the ability to control. You can configure the number of channels, adjust balances and volumes, set your own special effects, select bass crossover frequencies, play with the mixer, and sing to your heart's content whether an MC or Karaoke fan.

 

Test System

Card Installed

Test notes: The FOXCONN motherboard has onboard Realtek ALC882D HD 7.1 + 2 Channel audio. The Realtek and b-Enspirer will be compared using various DVD and video game formats. The latest Realtek Sound Drivers and Bluegears Audio Drivers were both installed as each sound system was tested.
 

Realtek ACL882D HD
Onboard HD Sound Processor

Oxygen HD CMI 8788
PCI HD Sound Processor

To best test and compare each audio processor's capabilities, it was decided that using a Music, Action, Drama, and Theatrical DVD or CD would provide the best basis to compare sound quality. The Xear 3D Oxygen HD Audio software was also installed and used.

In movie format, each processor was capable of utilizing every channel affectively. No abnormalities in channel distribution were apparent and both seemed to match in response time. What was obvious was the fact that the b-Enspirer did produce a cleaner and more crisp level of sound, most noticeably in the back ground affects.

Fiber Optic Port

Optic Cable Connected

Voices carried well on both processors, especially the center channel quality. Voice quality hasn't been much of an issue with many sound processors lately. What really put these to the test is a nice theatrical DVD or CD that pushes the chips to their limit when it suddenly requires every channel to catch every nuance or frequency change. This is one area that the b-Enspirer is able to shine. The entire sound spectrum was produced with new energy and clarity where the Realtek wasn't quite able to. After four weeks of using the Realtek, things that were missing suddenly became apparent.

There isn't much to really test here aside from the quality of sound and voice being carried through the speakers. Listening to different genres of music made apparent the differences in the frequencies that weren't able to be produced. Mid-range sounds were fine on both sound processors, but the low and high frequencies were much more lively and crisp from the b-Enspirer.

Headphones Plugged

Altec Lansing AH-52

Nice Red PCB

And finally, we come to gaming. Wow! Battlefield 2 is one of the most recent titles with various mods and expansion packs that have kept it a well played game. The game is packed with so many ambient sound files, you are probably not aware of what you may be missing if you are still on that onboard 5.1 sound chip. The test speakers came a live which also provided a difference experience thanks to the better environmental sounds. This time around no one was able to sneak up on the squad. Weak sound production is no longer a problem. Need more be said?


Summary:

We all know sound cards produce different sounds and can often be very different in quality. The speakers all used in the test were selected originally for the best, most affordable sound quality to be used with a Home Theater PC system. This worked out great when putting the Enspirer through the various sound tests. There is really no comparison between the Enspirer and the Sony Theater component receiver. Crisp sound and livelier environmental effects are only the beginning of the card's abilities.

During any of the testing, the card never once eluded to any imperfections in the components or circuitry used. Even better, the Enspirer's packaged Xear 3D Software was stable and accepted changes and settings without any issues, especially when testing the microphone settings. All too often something goes wrong with microphone settings, especially with software used in various games and hosted servers. It was a nice change of pace not worrying about incoming and outgoing voice quality.

Thanks to Oxygen sound processor, a distinguishing difference can be heard and felt without question. This kind of difference has reinforced the adage that onboard sound processors can't really match quality when compared to this kind of sound card. The sound card seems to be aiming for users looking for an alternative to pricier 7.1 sound cards that don't want to sacrifice quality of sound just to gain a few extra buttons. At about the $100.00 level, man users will find this a much more appealing option when considering the pricier Creative X-Fi sound card.


Conclusion:

The Bluegears b-Enspirer is presently a unique sound card being that it is capable of surprisingly good sound quality and boasts the most up to date features and options found among few other sound cards. When considering how the sound card rates based on price and performance, there isn't anything negative that can way against it. Every specification was met when put to the test and even exceeded a few expectations.

If you are considering a new sound card solution and have the opportunity to sample this sound card, you won't be disappointed. The Enspirer could perhaps be the perfect 7.1 channel upgrade, especially if you want to save money. We'd like to thank Bluegears for the b-Enspirer which now offers an alternative for the enthusiasts.