Entered CNET Catalog: 10/04/2005
SKU: CT-AV710
Manufacturer: Chaintech USA
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User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1
User Rating: 
9/10
I love this card
Pros: Price, performance
Cons: one strange quirk
Review:
The moment you hear the sound from an ENVY-24 based sound car you can't go back to AC97 or the Realtek ALCxxx series!
At about twenty-five bucks the AV-710 is a huge bargain for the audiophile or somebody that just wants better sound. MP3's sound better, games sound better, DVD playback sounds better. It even records audio better, and there is no hissing or EMI noise.
I've heard that this card does not have acceleration but I've suffered no slowdowns in game play because of it, and I also hear it doesn't have Dolby Digital but it may have DTS. I don't know myself, never tried it.
The only quirk with this card is the later models sometimes boot up with a high pitched screeching noise. A 2nd reboot fixes the problem, but its a problem the first generation cards didn't have. I'm hoping its a driver issue. Chaintech stopped supporting this card but luckily VIA still keeps its ENVY-24 reference drivers up to date!
I bought 4 of these things because refuse to listen to substandard integrated audio solutions that motherboard manufacturers always use.
At about twenty-five bucks the AV-710 is a huge bargain for the audiophile or somebody that just wants better sound. MP3's sound better, games sound better, DVD playback sounds better. It even records audio better, and there is no hissing or EMI noise.
I've heard that this card does not have acceleration but I've suffered no slowdowns in game play because of it, and I also hear it doesn't have Dolby Digital but it may have DTS. I don't know myself, never tried it.
The only quirk with this card is the later models sometimes boot up with a high pitched screeching noise. A 2nd reboot fixes the problem, but its a problem the first generation cards didn't have. I'm hoping its a driver issue. Chaintech stopped supporting this card but luckily VIA still keeps its ENVY-24 reference drivers up to date!
I bought 4 of these things because refuse to listen to substandard integrated audio solutions that motherboard manufacturers always use.
