SoundStorm is dead and is never coming back **Updated 3/3**

[Mem]

DP there`s nothing stopping Nvidia putting the SoundStorm in their reference design and leaving it up to the manufacturers whether they implement it or not,I know Nvidia would have to pay/renew their "Dolby license",so maybe it`s just not cost effective anymore for Nvidia,especially with no backing from the manufacturers.

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Who cares..... Not me.I already have an audigy2.

Ditto that!

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Robor

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Who cares..... Not me.I already have an audigy2.

Ditto that!

What I think is cool is that you can use that A2 and SS together, that way if you want the DD encoding you have it, and everything else you have the A2 for.

 

[Darien]

Originally posted by: Megatomic

Originally posted by: Darien
I wouldn't be surprised if most of the people that are bitching don't use the digital.

And so what if they are? They are still enjoying lower CPU utilization while gaming and playing back audio. And IMO the only downside to using the analog outs on a MCP-T mobo is that the chumpass mobo manufacturers, in an attempt to save like $.005 per board, went with crappy chips to provide D/A conversion (aka Realtek). If they'd gone with decent chips (like Sigmatel) the analog output would be even better than it already is.

Yes, the motherboard manufacturers have been reviled as much as NV themselves in regards to this entire situation. :evil:

It sounds like utter shit. Is that worth lower cpu utilization? here a lot of us are, touting the features of soundstorm and how it sucks that it's gone, but what's that all worth if you have to put up with subpar sound?

If it weren't for mobo manufacturers using the POS realtek components, I'd be bitching alongside the rest of you regarding the absence of soundstorm. But because they all (IIRC) used realtek, we had crap for sound. It was no better than the sb live 5.1 i had in my system before I upgraded to the nforce2.

...at least the drivers weren't a POS though 😉

If soundstorm ever comes back, here's to hoping it's either in pci/pcie form with nice DACs, or integrated without realtek.

 

[Darien]

Originally posted by: Mem

nV didn't ditch it, the board makers did I do agree they are fools if they aren't working on a add-in audio product with all SS features and more, now that PCIe makes it feasible.

Yeah I read that,it`s down to cost and most users are happy with current onboard solutions.

Why don`t the manufacturers have their high end boards with SoundStorm?It would make sense to me since then you could choose if you wanted SoundStorm or not,I guess the manufacturers want to tell us what we want but got it wrong again like usual.

Agreed. Though I'd hope nvidia would put more stringent requirements on what components manufactures can use when it comes to audio.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: Mem
DP there`s nothing stopping Nvidia putting the SoundStorm in their reference design and leaving it up to the manufacturers whether they implement it or not,I know Nvidia would have to pay/renew their "Dolby license",so maybe it`s just not cost effective anymore for Nvidia,especially with no backing from the manufacturers.

Then maybe its time for someone to back Nvidia.

How many people want Soundstorm performance and features? Perhaps it isnt as feature laden or as great as an Audigy 2 but it has some important features that people are fighting for. If people didnt want Soundstorm, NFS4 wouldnt have anything to whine about and this thread wouldnt have attracted this much attention.

If Nvidia could convince some board manufacturers such as ABIT who supported Soundstorm on their best Nforce2 board, they could make an onboard solution or perhaps even their own PCI-E solution which could rival Creatives generally accepted best offering.

If a PCI-E solution of sufficient quality and at a competitive price-point came out, Im sure they be able to turn some sort of profit out of it.

Some people have already 'boycotted' NF3 boards because of lack of Soundstorm. Some are even going to 'boycott' NF4 motherboards because of the lack of Soundstorm. Im not upgrading because I cant afford to upgrade... nevermind the cost of adding a sound card.

I hope by the time I do upgrade... looking to be after I graduate (hopefully) in June 2006 that Nvidia has came to its senses and produced a Soundstorm equivilent solution worthy of purchase. Failing that, I hope someone has a cheap sound card that sounds good.... After graduating Ill still be poor 😛

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Megatomic

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Elcs

Not really NFS4... thats just what we call whats coming out of your mouth. Nvidia may be canning Soundstorm but the plethora of users wont let it go without a fight.

You should practice what you preach NFS4.... stop your whining.

I'm not the one whining. It's gone. That's all I have to say 😀 Why don't you guys go picket NVIDIA or something or just not buy anymore of their products. Better then "Remembering the old times" on here😉

That's what we're doing, we're picketing NV. This is not the only forum where these discussions are occuring. We're bringing our gripe to the public through our biggest, most convenient outlet - the web.

Here's the thing, we don't care, we really don't. You're like PETA - most people don't agree with your viewpoint, and we're tired of your pushing it(whining), and that's why you're seeing backlash. Most of us don't use digital, and agree with Pariah's viewpoint because of that. We know what SS does and doesn't do, we don't care that it's gone, and we're tired about listening to a small group of people complain about something that doesn't apply to us.

 

[Megatomic]

Then don't enter the thread. It's not like this was a hijacked thread, right? You KNEW what the thread was about before you clicked on it.

If you don't like the topic, keep your nose out of it. It's that simple. And the PETA thing: come on, that was pretty damn weak. :roll:

 

[Arcanedeath]

Personaly I'm sad to see Soundstorm gone and wish Nvida would come out w/ an add in board or bring it back in their next chipset, but in the interm I guess I'm stuck w/ my old Audigy one if I ever upgrade from my XP system, I wouldn't be so unhappy about it if their was another solution on the market that actualy supported DD5.1 encoding on the fly, it's a pain to have to run 5+ cables to get the same sound I can get from 1 w/ Soundstorm. There's no other card or onboard solution on the market that can compare w/ Soundstorm based on price/performance either. If I want even similar sound quality (and that includes having to buy more cables and the card) I'm gonna need to get at least an Audigy 2 and I'm realy realy not happy w/ creatives products, their drivers are so awful it's nuts.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Then don't enter the thread. It's not like this was a hijacked thread, right? You KNEW what the thread was about before you clicked on it.

If you don't like the topic, keep your nose out of it. It's that simple. And the PETA thing: come on, that was pretty damn weak. :roll:

Here's how I see it. People were trashing NF4 because it didn't have SoundStorm. Well, people!! Are you really that surprised??? NF3 didn't have it and NF4 doesn't have. Not really a big shocker ya know...

So let's get this straight:

(1) NF3 didn't have it
(2) NF4 doesn't have it
(3) NVIDIA says that it won't come back

OK, I could understand the uproar with NF3 after being spoiled by NF2. But after that chipset ran its course, I would have thought that people would have sucked it up and moved on. NF4 comes around and people are again bashing NVIDIA again. Two chipsets without SS. Seems like a pretty clear pattern to me. Then NVIDIA says that SS will be no more. Yet people are STILL bitter. This has been a long time coming, this is nothing new.

So in a sense, people clinging onto SS are beating a dead horse.

 

[Mik3y]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Then don't enter the thread. It's not like this was a hijacked thread, right? You KNEW what the thread was about before you clicked on it.

If you don't like the topic, keep your nose out of it. It's that simple. And the PETA thing: come on, that was pretty damn weak. :roll:

Here's how I see it. People were trashing NF4 because it didn't have SoundStorm. Well, people!! Are you really that surprised??? NF3 didn't have it and NF4 doesn't have. Not really a big shocker ya know...

So let's get this straight:

(1) NF3 didn't have it
(2) NF4 doesn't have it
(3) NVIDIA says that it won't come back

OK, I could understand the uproar with NF3 after being spoiled by NF2. But after that chipset ran its course, I would have thought that people would have sucked it up and moved on. NF4 comes around and people are again bashing NVIDIA again. Two chipsets without SS. Seems like a pretty clear pattern to me. Then NVIDIA says that SS will be no more. Yet people are STILL bitter. This has been a long time coming, this is nothing new.

So in a sense, people clinging onto SS are beating a dead horse.

:thumbsup:

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Mik3y

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Then don't enter the thread. It's not like this was a hijacked thread, right? You KNEW what the thread was about before you clicked on it.

If you don't like the topic, keep your nose out of it. It's that simple. And the PETA thing: come on, that was pretty damn weak. :roll:

Here's how I see it. People were trashing NF4 because it didn't have SoundStorm. Well, people!! Are you really that surprised??? NF3 didn't have it and NF4 doesn't have. Not really a big shocker ya know...

So let's get this straight:

(1) NF3 didn't have it
(2) NF4 doesn't have it
(3) NVIDIA says that it won't come back

OK, I could understand the uproar with NF3 after being spoiled by NF2. But after that chipset ran its course, I would have thought that people would have sucked it up and moved on. NF4 comes around and people are again bashing NVIDIA again. Two chipsets without SS. Seems like a pretty clear pattern to me. Then NVIDIA says that SS will be no more. Yet people are STILL bitter. This has been a long time coming, this is nothing new.

So in a sense, people clinging onto SS are beating a dead horse.

:thumbsup:

And this affects you how? I don't understand your crusade against our crusade. 😕

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Megatomic
Then don't enter the thread. It's not like this was a hijacked thread, right? You KNEW what the thread was about before you clicked on it.

If you don't like the topic, keep your nose out of it. It's that simple. And the PETA thing: come on, that was pretty damn weak. :roll:

Here's how I see it. People were trashing NF4 because it didn't have SoundStorm. Well, people!! Are you really that surprised??? NF3 didn't have it and NF4 doesn't have. Not really a big shocker ya know...

So let's get this straight:

(1) NF3 didn't have it
(2) NF4 doesn't have it
(3) NVIDIA says that it won't come back

OK, I could understand the uproar with NF3 after being spoiled by NF2. But after that chipset ran its course, I would have thought that people would have sucked it up and moved on. NF4 comes around and people are again bashing NVIDIA again. Two chipsets without SS. Seems like a pretty clear pattern to me. Then NVIDIA says that SS will be no more. Yet people are STILL bitter. This has been a long time coming, this is nothing new.

So in a sense, people clinging onto SS are beating a dead horse.

Are you certain about that? The write-up closed by stating

Again, this is only my opinion based on what has been told to me. I could be entirely off base here, and NVIDIA is in fact working on a true SoundStorm 2 product that will go into a next generation chipset, as well as a standalone product that will be one of the first soundcards to run on the PCI-E bus (which is the only thing with enough bandwidth to feed the SoundStorm hardware and Dolby Digital Encoder). I wouldn't hold my breath though...

The writer says they don't believe Drew Henry who heads up the platform division because the PR Manager said it is basically dead, then says it is a fact that nV is working on SS2 as both integrated and add-in and that "I could be entirely off base here".

While Bryan Del Rizzo syas one thing it appears there are others inside nV saying otherwise, and the writer states SS2 R&D is a fact. So the question is: Is SS2 different enough from SS to technically not be classified as being Soundstorm in anything other than name? I just don't see any definitive answer here about Soundstorm's ultimate fate as the thread title suggests.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Again, this is only my opinion based on what has been told to me. I could be entirely off base here, and NVIDIA is in fact working on a true SoundStorm 2 product that will go into a next generation chipset, as well as a standalone product that will be one of the first soundcards to run on the PCI-E bus (which is the only thing with enough bandwidth to feed the SoundStorm hardware and Dolby Digital Encoder). I wouldn't hold my breath though...

The writer says they don't believe Drew Henry who heads up the platform division because the PR Manager said it is basically dead, then says it is a fact that nV is working on SS2 as both integrated and add-in and that "I could be entirely off base here".

While Bryan Del Rizzo says one thing it appears there are others inside nV saying otherwise, and the writer states SS2 R&D is a fact. So the question is: Is SS2 different enough from SS to technically not be classified as being Soundstorm in anything other than name? I just don't see any definitive answer here about Soundstorm's ultimate fate as the thread title suggests.

As I see it, you're reading that wrong, or the author of the story wrote it wrong, pick one. My interpretation is that the author is trying to convey that he's personally unsure of what Nvidia's doing; SS could be dead, or they could be working on it, he doesn't know. "In fact" is just added as a way to add shock to the statement if it were true.

When Nvidia PR isn't spouting-off about new products(especially those put against ATI), they're usually telling it like it is. If SS2 were in development, it would be a "no comment."

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Again, this is only my opinion based on what has been told to me. I could be entirely off base here, and NVIDIA is in fact working on a true SoundStorm 2 product that will go into a next generation chipset, as well as a standalone product that will be one of the first soundcards to run on the PCI-E bus (which is the only thing with enough bandwidth to feed the SoundStorm hardware and Dolby Digital Encoder). I wouldn't hold my breath though...

The writer says they don't believe Drew Henry who heads up the platform division because the PR Manager said it is basically dead, then says it is a fact that nV is working on SS2 as both integrated and add-in and that "I could be entirely off base here".

While Bryan Del Rizzo says one thing it appears there are others inside nV saying otherwise, and the writer states SS2 R&D is a fact. So the question is: Is SS2 different enough from SS to technically not be classified as being Soundstorm in anything other than name? I just don't see any definitive answer here about Soundstorm's ultimate fate as the thread title suggests.

As I see it, you're reading that wrong, or the author of the story wrote it wrong, pick one. My interpretation is that the author is trying to convey that he's personally unsure of what Nvidia's doing; SS could be dead, or they could be working on it, he doesn't know. "In fact" is just added as a way to add shock to the statement if it were true.

When Nvidia PR isn't spouting-off about new products(especially those put against ATI), they're usually telling it like it is. If SS2 were in development, it would be a "no comment."

I think its a case of nobody knows. I still think theres plenty of people who want Soundstorm 1 or 2 in some future onboard or pci-e solution to warrant its addition. However they really do need to make sure the analogue stuff has improved sound quality. Perhaps by the time the next Soundstorm comes out, the mainstream will be using Digital outputs.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Again, this is only my opinion based on what has been told to me. I could be entirely off base here, and NVIDIA is in fact working on a true SoundStorm 2 product that will go into a next generation chipset, as well as a standalone product that will be one of the first soundcards to run on the PCI-E bus (which is the only thing with enough bandwidth to feed the SoundStorm hardware and Dolby Digital Encoder). I wouldn't hold my breath though...

The writer says they don't believe Drew Henry who heads up the platform division because the PR Manager said it is basically dead, then says it is a fact that nV is working on SS2 as both integrated and add-in and that "I could be entirely off base here".

While Bryan Del Rizzo says one thing it appears there are others inside nV saying otherwise, and the writer states SS2 R&D is a fact. So the question is: Is SS2 different enough from SS to technically not be classified as being Soundstorm in anything other than name? I just don't see any definitive answer here about Soundstorm's ultimate fate as the thread title suggests.

As I see it, you're reading that wrong, or the author of the story wrote it wrong, pick one. My interpretation is that the author is trying to convey that he's personally unsure of what Nvidia's doing; SS could be dead, or they could be working on it, he doesn't know. "In fact" is just added as a way to add shock to the statement if it were true.

When Nvidia PR isn't spouting-off about new products(especially those put against ATI), they're usually telling it like it is. If SS2 were in development, it would be a "no comment."

Pure speculation sir but you did qualify it as such so no argument on that point. You are of course entitled to interpret differently, but I was linked to this as evidence that SS is dead yet nowhere is that stated as being a fact, just a quote from nV's head of propaganda 😉 Meanwhile the platform head says it will return, and even the writer indicates SS2 is in the works. Who and what to believe is impossible to logically conclude given the cotradictory statements and inserted opinion of the writer, so I will simply take the wait&see approach as only time will provide the answers some of us seek.

 

[Mem]

Meanwhile the platform head says it will return, and even the writer indicates SS2 is in the works. Who and what to believe is impossible to logically conclude given the cotradictory statements and inserted opinion of the writer, so I will simply take the wait&see approach as only time will provide the answers some of us seek.

I agree we`ll have to wait and see,remember Nvidia have spent quite a lot of time and research on the SoundStorm over the years,they won`t just completely throw it away,regardless of what the manufacturers think,I`m sure they have something in the pipeline down the road or the near future,as for now that secret stays with them.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Pariah

Originally posted by: Megatomic

Originally posted by: Darien
I wouldn't be surprised if most of the people that are bitching don't use the digital.

And so what if they are? They are still enjoying lower CPU utilization while gaming and playing back audio. And IMO the only downside to using the analog outs on a MCP-T mobo is that the chumpass mobo manufacturers, in an attempt to save like $.005 per board, went with crappy chips to provide D/A conversion (aka Realtek). If they'd gone with decent chips (like Sigmatel) the analog output would be even better than it already is.

Huh? So what if they are using analog? That means they aren't using the SS processor. That's like bragging about great onboard video and then using an inferior addin card which bypasses it. The only thing that SS does that Creative cards don't is real time DD encoding. If you're not using that feature there's no point in using the SS. Creative's cards are superior in every other way including audio fidelity for both music and games especially through analog. DD encoding is a feature for the lazy and uninformed and certainly does not belong in a highend rig for anyone that cares about audio.

Umm soundstorm was $5 more, Audigy2 is $99.

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: Elcs
Go Megatomic! Feels like the good old days of the Official ABIT NF7-S Thread 🙂

Those were the days, eh? I still like to bump the old thread occassionally with BIOS updates and tweaks.

 

[Bonesdad]

Originally posted by: Darien

Originally posted by: jm0ris0n
Muhahahaha ! Beautiful title !

Agreed.

I don't quite understand the soundstorm lovers -- just go buy a dedicated card and be on your merry way.

To all of you that used the POS analog connections on soundstorm nforce boards, go get yourself a sound card. My terratec card blows the onboard sound i have on my a7n8xe-deluxe away.

Some of you guys are made of $$$...part of the attractiveness of Soundstorm is you could have a decent (maybe not the best) APU without spending another $100+ on an audio card. I for one live in the real world, where I have a budget and have to eat and stuff...

 

[Acanthus]

Youd think with all the bang for buck preachers on here that people would understand.

Great sound, $5

Slightly almost un-noticeable to the ear better sound, with horrible drivers from a monopolized company whos only advance in 4 years is 2DB snr distortion, a firewire port, and yet another version of EAX, $99

Horrible POS C-media/Realtek garbage, $1 (what we have now)

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Youd think with all the bang for buck preachers on here that people would understand.

Great sound, $5

Slightly almost un-noticeable to the ear better sound, with horrible drivers from a monopolized company whos only advance in 4 years is 2DB snr distortion, a firewire port, and yet another version of EAX, $99

Horrible POS C-media/Realtek garbage, $1 (what we have now)

Typical nV related flame war-priceless

Fixed 😉

 

[Mem]

Agreed.

I don't quite understand the soundstorm lovers -- just go buy a dedicated card and be on your merry way.

To all of you that used the POS analog connections on soundstorm nforce boards, go get yourself a sound card. My terratec card blows the onboard sound i have on my a7n8xe-deluxe away.

Lol... it`s more then adequate for my gaming,besides for serious sound quality (music wise) I use my £2000 audiophile HI-FI 😉,you can`t deny for the price of a SoundStorm motherboard you get a lot of features and awesome value for money,drivers are also excellent,as to a dedicated soundcard I do have an Audigy collecting dust in one of my boxes somewhere,I just prefer using my Nvidia onboard sound.

Btw it`s not about being a SoundStorm lover,it`s about having more choices and getting good onboard audio with your motherboard that you`ve paid for ,why pay again for a dedicated soundcard?

🙂

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: Acanthus
Youd think with all the bang for buck preachers on here that people would understand.

Great sound, $5

Slightly almost un-noticeable to the ear better sound, with horrible drivers from a monopolized company whos only advance in 4 years is 2DB snr distortion, a firewire port, and yet another version of EAX, $99

Horrible POS C-media/Realtek garbage, $1 (what we have now)

Typical nV related flame war-priceless

Fixed 😉

we are bitching about nvidia, that fix doesnt make sense.

 

[Concillian]

Another Soundstorm supporter.

My points have been made already, but I will restate them briefly:
1) To a typical gamer SoundStorm is better than a Creative solution because audio quality doesn't matter so much and SoundStorm is WAY cheaper
2) I am smart enough to realize that VERY few people are CPU limited. For the most part, the CPU utilization is a moot point. pretty much everyone is video card limited and has CPU cycles to spare.
3) Umm, Creative drivers SUCK
4) nF3 not having SS was acceptable becasue the performance difference between A64 and AXP was not as big at the time, we could justify that they were working on implementation with nF4. Official word is the reason for the uproar now. Before we could at least have hope. Now we know that Neo is dead... I mean SoundStorm is dead.
5) I hope they come out with SOMETHING in the future.

I am undecided as to how I will move with my next mobo, but if nVidia had SS2, I wouldn't be considering anything else. With no SS2 and the "who gives a damn" hardware firewall replacing it, I will consider all available options when making a PCIe motherboard purchase. I will either use Realtek (a.k.a. RealPOS) integrated sound or a cheap VIA Envy sound card.

Mostly I'm frustrated. I bought Ensoniq. I bought Aureal. I bought SoundStorm. All were excellent alternatives to unCreative. It was sad enough to see Ensoniq and Aureal gobbled up by Creative, but now nVidia is simply giving up. That's the most frustrating part. Creative can't buy nVidia, so it seemed like it would be a viable alternative for a time to come. But then it just disappears.

With all the other features that motherboards have to offer, some form of decent quality should become standard. I mean RAID is now a standard feature despite the fact that numerous articles show NO performance benefit to the typical gamer? An increasing number of boards are putting TWO network ports on a motherboard! How many end users use two network ports? Now nVidia is putting hardware firewalls on their chipsets? WTF is with all this useless crap. How about worrying more about the basics like good quality sound output that saves me from having to spend another $30-100 on another sound card because a mobo manufacturer is too cheap to put anything but RealPOS integrated audio on-board.