Advantages: 5.1 sound anywhere you like
Disadvantages: Feels a bit flimsy & cheap, lack of internal mic support?

...I came across the trust 510ex when hunting for an external sound card for my new laptop, id never looked at such a product group before now and so chose to rate the various offerings the only way my little Yorkshire self knew how - price. If, like me, you are out there to get portable 5.1 sound compatibility for the lowest price possible then you really can't go too far wrong with this. After a quick session on the usual price comparison engines Amazon proved to be the cheapest option by some margin, so much so there could be a nice business opportunity for anyone wanting to flog these on using eBay! £19 is the sum they require from you to obtain this shiny box so what actually is it? To give you a bit of background and hopefully highlight the possible uses/advantages of this product ill explain why I wanted such a thing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheap as hell
Disadvantages: Sounds cheap as hell

...Digital Surround 511 5.1 sound card. While the name certainly suggests "quality and professional" I can assure you, it ain't! I got my purchase home, and began the process of installing it. I am not a complete computer whiz, but I assumed that following the instructions should see me through the process. In fact, it's not all that difficult - remove a couple of screws and just clip it in. I put the cover back on and fired the machine up. At this point I expected to hear a noticeable change in audio quality, as my current on-board sound can become relatively scratchy and a bit strained at high pitch or high volume. However, on start up, I was greeted with a blank screen - no sound, no picture, nothing. A number (at least 5 times from memory) of attempts to take the card out and put it back in, trying every conceivable method, in case... Read review

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Advantages: Great quality sound, cheap
Disadvantages: None whatsoever

...I was in the hunt for a new sound card and picked up this Sound blaster 'Live' by Creative from PC world for just £35. The sound blaster Live is powered by the EMU10K1 digital signal processor which means you get very high sound quality without losing any of the power of your PC which other sound cards and onboard sound chips may take away as they require your PC's processor to power the sound, this ofcourse is great news for gamers who need all the spare power they can get in order to obtain maximum framerates. The Creative sound blaster Live 5.1 has the ability to connect to dolby digital and multi-channel digital speaker systems and provides an awesome quality of surround sound in all its glory through 5.1 (providing you have surround sound speakers ofcourse) so you can experience movies via your PC as tho you were in a cinema... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent sound quality, easy installation
Disadvantages: None that i can see

...I concider myself abit of a musician, so not only do i require good sound quality from a soundcard but good recording quality aswell. The sound blaster live! 5.1 sound card is certainly the ideal choice for anybody who really appreciates I consider myself a bit of a musician, so not only do I require good sound quality from a soundcard but good recording quality as well. The sound blaster live! 5.1 sound card is certainly the ideal choice for anybody who really appreciates excellent sound quality. The playback back quality is simply remarkable, you will hear underlying melodies and bass lines in songs you didn’t know existed, become so audibly intertwined into a game the experience will become real and simply feel as if you have your own on-set seat while watching your favourite movie. On a recording level you can achieve... Read review

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Advantages: CHEAP, great sound,
Disadvantages: big box

...can see why. Anyone who has experienced 5.1 surround sound when playing games will know what I'm talking about. These have to be one of the best surround sound speaker sets available that don't cost £200 or so. I got my set in a deal with the sound card for £90! That's a saving of over £100 compared to PC World. Well I got my speakers home and the first thing I realized was the amount of leads there are. Then I thought there are 5 speakers to connect and I can tidy them away behind things. The installation of the speakers was especially easy. I had the OEM version, and I only had a wee diagram to refer to. It is thankfully self-explanatory; each socket on the subwoofer is clearly labeled and easy to read. There are also handy little stickers you can wrap around the leads to let you know what's what. There is one really useful... Read review

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Advantages: good quality at a low price
Disadvantages: headband a bit heavy

...Playing a lot of online games I needed something that would compliment my surround sound pc card. Many stereo headsets would have done but you would not be taking advantage of the surround sound features. Not knowing the brand or reading any reviews I went and bought it. And boy am I glad I did !. After ordering it online, it turned up in a box made of thin card board with all the features on the front. When I opened it there was a glossy black box inside, I opened that and was surprised by the packing. All the components were in plastic bag placed on a satin covering and a bow tied around it. This really impressed me as they had taken the time to present something properly. What you get ... Padded head band High-quality microphone Adjustable head band Collapsible, padded earpads made of velvet-like material In... Read review

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Advantages: Quality sound for a low price
Disadvantages: Short rear speaker cables

..., you can buy extension leads but it would have be nice if Creative just made them only a meter or two longer, this is a common problem in all surround systems I've encountered, everything else is perfect. A sound card or onboard audio with 5.1 sound option is required to take full advantage of the system but thats becoming a standard now on most devices. I use my PC for everything from movies, music, and games and I'm completely satisfied and have been for the past three years, when or if they break down then I'll upgrade. The system can be bought for about £35, they seem pretty rare now, looks like they've been replaced by newer versions. Best bet is to keep an eye out for them on ebay.... Read review

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Advantages: Good software bundle, cheap, works well.
Disadvantages: Only stereo out on analogue

...'s built in sound card with MP3s sounding dynamic and clear (assuming they're recorded at a half decent rate). The midrange worked well and the bass sounded tighter than the existing card too. I haven't tried using it with an external 'proper' amp and speakers, just the ones I use on my PC but despite that, it gaves things a real kick. Conclusion The SoundBlaster MP3+ is small, light and does the job admirably. If you want to upgrade your existing soundcard or have one that is playing up and you want an easy way to get something working then you should strongly consider the MP3+. The main outputs are stereo only which may put off a hardened gamer or a DVD fan wanting multi-channel surround sound but for the rest of us, this is a great device at a great price. Using the digital output does get you the full 5.1 experience but to be honest, I... Read review

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Advantages: Easy setup, simple controls
Disadvantages: Very low output volume on 5.1 setup, completely unbalanced audio

...The speaker look very nice but looks mean very little on a speaker system. The system is relatively easy to setup with the usual 3 jack plugs used on most PC analogue 5.1 surround sound systems. You have the usual routing of the five speaker cables to take care of which plug into the rear of the control unit. The rear speakers have plenty of cable length to use when positioning the where desired. There is also a large, unique lead that connects the sub to the control unit which is also easily attached. The system comes with a rather bulky power supply that could have been neatly tucked away in the sub box, therefore only requiring a figure 8 power cable to do the powering up side of things but this is, after all, a budget system. The Controls on the front of the control unit are very basic and easy to get your head around... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: True 5.1 surround sound, clear quality, built in mic.
Disadvantages: Not very durable and breaks easily.

...Theres not many headsets out there that can say they have full 5.1 surround sound. The medusa 5.1 pulls this off very well and is a fantastic headset for gaming. Let me start of with the packaging. The headset is wonderfully packaged inside the box. Complete with soft lining and ribbon to finnish. A nice surprise. It comes with all the cables that you need, and more that I couldn't work out what they were for. Set up was a little tricky and the manual that it came with wasn't the most helpful. After about an hour or so of fiddling with the cables and doing sound checks I managed to get the 5.1 working, including the microhpone. The quality you get from the headphones is great. Crisp sounds and a decent level of volume. Obviously the 5.1 isn't as distinguished as a full set of surround sound speakers will ever be, but it does... Read review

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