Price: $49.95

Today, we take a look at Guillemot's new PCI sound card, the Maxi Sound FORTISSIMO. "Why is FORTISSIMO in all caps?" you ask. Because it's LOUD (look it up). The FORTISSIMO is an inexpensive sound card with an impressive list of features: Four analog channel outputs (two stereo mini-plugs), an S/PDIF optical digital audio output, and support for not only Microsoft DirectSound3D but Creative Technology's EAX, Aureal's A3D 1.0 and Sensaura Interactive Positioning. This is an impressive list of features for any sound card and when you factor in the FORTISSIMO's low SRP of $49.95, it all looks like a wonderful deal. So we decided to put the card through a thorough listening and playing session to see how good it is. Should it end up in your next system? Read on and find out.

As we said in the introduction, the FORTISSIMO has an impressive array of features for any card, and doubly so for such a low-priced one. The first feature that jumps out at you is its four-channel support. There are the front two channels for normal use and two rear channels for surround sound. When you couple the four-channel support with DirectSound3D or Sensaura, you have the potential for some wicked audio fun in games and some pretty good movie sound. But four channels and those sound formats are not the ultimate in sound these days. No sir, Dolby Digital (a.k.a. AC-3), with its five channels plus subwoofer, is the current ultimate in sound immersion. Dolby Digital cards are right around the corner too. But the Guillemot engineers, clever people that they are, realized this and included an S/PDIF optical digital audio output for those who are planning to get or have a stereo system setup capable of Dolby Digital decoding.