Hercules Fortissimo II Posted: September 9th, 2001
Written by: Tuan "GT2k" Huynh

Tech Specs

TECH SPECS TABLE

Data Transfer

PCI 2.1 bus

Audio Processor (DSP)

Cirrus Logic Sound Fusion CS4624

Audio Quality

· CD and Pro Audio quality 20-bit quad output and 18-bit dual stereo input codec · up to 48kHz sampling rate

Game Compatibility

· Sensaura based 3D positional Audio with support for Microsoft DirectSound™ 3D, EAX™ 1.0, EAX™ 2.0 , A3D™ 1.0, I3DL2™, MacroFX™, MultiDrive™, ZoomFX™, EnvironmentFX™
· Legacy audio support for older DOS games

Audio compatibility

· Compatible with Microsoft™ DirectSound™& DirectMusic™
· Compatible with Dolby Surround™

Software wave Wavetable synthesizer

· DSP accelerated engine for unlimited number of voices (64-voice hardware)

· 8MB General MIDI/GS™sample set
· GM™(General Midi) and Yamaha XG™ compatible
· Yamaha S-YXG50™:
  - 676 instrument sounds and 21 drum kits
  - Effects: reverb, chorus, variation...

External Connectors

· Analog din with: mic in, headphones, front and rear speakers
· Line in

The Drivers




The Fortissimo II Control Panel is very similar to what we’ve become accustomed to for Cirrus Logic based sound cards, however the control panel for the Fortissimo II looks like an exact clone of the Game Theater XP control panel with the exception of 6 speakers showing up on the Main tab, and the option to enable/disable MP3 hardware acceleration in the Other tab.

Driver performance was very good with no compatibility problems. The drivers were very stable without a single crash; very good on Hercules’s side considering they are version 1.0 drivers.

Enough with the features, let’s move onto how it performs. Test Setup AMD Duron 800
Shuttle AK31 v2 (KT266)
256MB Crucial PC2100
ATI Radeon 32 DDR (beta 3224 Drivers)
Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 40GB
Hercules Fortissimo II
Tekram DC-315U SCSI Controller
Network Everywhere NC100 v2
AOpen CRW1232A
Altec Lansing ADA890 (Analog and Digital)
Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 Software Setup Winamp v2.76 (Soft EQ Off) (Various MP3’s, 128kbps and up) (Subjective tests)

Power DVD 3.0 (Analog and Digital out test) (Ultimate DVD Platinum)

Half Life: Counter Strike (Gaming subjective test, EAX)

Unreal Tournament v436 (Gaming subjective test)

Unreal Tournament v436 with EAX patch
Reverend Thunder Time Demo1024x768 32bit color
No Sound
Sound
Hardware 3D Sound
Next Page