Identical to the Monster Sound MX200 in virtually all areas, the M80 from Diamond provides a little more bang than the firecracker it is named after. The only differences between the M80 and the MX200 lie in the software bundle and a few variations in the hardware used. m80.jpg (13123 bytes)
The installation process for the M80 went exactly by the book, and didn't stray at all from that of the MX200. The M80 is a much more affordable yet purposely toned down version of the MX200, supporting only 32 wavetable voices in hardware courtesy of its AdMOS Adwave 32 MIDI Synthesizer daughterboard in comparison to the 64 voices supported by the Roland Dream 64 on the MX200.

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MIDI is hardly ever used in newer games and will probably never be found in a first person 3D shooter, so this little difference may not be of any interest to you.

The DSP on the M80 is the same exact unit present on the MX200, both capable of processing up to 23 simultaneous audio streams in hardware and the M80 carries the same Diamond Freedom 5600 PCI controller to make the two cards virtually identical. From a physical point of view, the M80 features one less Stereo Line-Level Output making it impossible to connect 4 speakers to the card, the inputs on the board remain unchanged from its more expensive MX200 counterpart.

Once again, by using the Monster Cable you can connect the M80 to your existing legacy ISA sound card for support when running older DOS games. Under Windows, the M80 accelerates all DirectSound and DirectSound3D games/applications and provides the same crisp, clear, and beautiful sound quality that the MX200 does. The only other thing lacking from the M80's package other than the MX200 label is the presence of the 2 CD's containing Outlaws and the special edition of Rage's Incoming. cable.jpg (15066 bytes)

Provided that those differences don't matter to you, the M80 is a much better buy than the MX200 since it produces the same audio effects as the MX200 (minus the support for a quadraphonic speaker setup) at a price more affordable to most, the M80 will set you back around $99 retail.

Diamond Monster Sound MX200 Diamond Sonic Impact S70
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