Drivers Hercules Sound Cards & Media Devices

Right-click the listing for your sound card or audio device, then select Update driver Browse my computer for driver software Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer. Select the audio device whose driver you want to update, select Next, and then follow the instructions to install it.

Select Update Driver. If Windows doesn't find a new driver, you can try looking for one on the device manufacturer's website and follow their instructions. Reinstall the device driver. In the search box on the taskbar, enter device manager, then select Device Manager. Right-click (or press and hold) the name of the device, and select Uninstall.
The package provides the installation files for C-Media CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device Driver version 5.12.1.644. If the driver is already installed on your system, updating (overwrite-installing) may fix various issues, add new functions, or just upgrade to the available version.
The Hercules Graphics Card was released to fill a gap in the IBM video product lineup. When the IBM Personal Computer was launched in 1981, it had two graphics cards available, the Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) and the Monochrome Display And Printer Adapter (MDA).
C-Media sound card drivers. Install drivers automatically. C-Media PCI Audio Device. USB PnP Sound Device. USB Audio Class 1.0 and 2.0 Device Driver. C-Media USB Sound Device. USB Composite Device. USB Audio Device. C-Media CM6501 Like Sound Device. USB Human Interface Device. C-Media High Definition Audio Device.

Most people associate the brandname of Hercules with videocards. But in November 1999 Herculeswas purchased by Guillemot Corp.,a well known manufacturer of game and audio attachments for computersand game consoles. As a result of such amalgamation the market has receiveda sound card called 'Game Theater XP' - the hero of our today's review. Themanagers of Guillemot have decided to use a renowned brand-name instead ofthe name of their own company.

The manufacturer intends the card for a wide circle of PC users -from hard-core gamers to 'home theater-lovers'. The developers of this cardtried to satisfy all the demands of gamers, first of all, as far as functionalityand convenience are concerned. Let's examine this card and check whetherit justifies its $200 price tag.

Appearance And Box's Contents

In a gigantic box there are the following components:

PCI sound card with an unusual connector DB-44;
External module or rack;
2-meter cable (very thick);
A couple of CDs with software and drivers;
User's Manual in 7 languages;
Gilded adapter 'stereo jack - stereo mini jack'.

Sound Card

This PCI sound card surprises me with its small dimensions and the absenceof a heap of connectors. There are only a 44-pin connector for the cableand a line-in mini jack. It is quite rational that internal connectors, but CD_IN and AUX2_IN, are taken away since they are rarely used.

By the way, a couple of years ago the absence of an internal connector'CD Digital in' could be considered as a disadvantage of the card, buttoday a great bulk of CD/DVD ROM drives can read CD-DA discs via IDE bus.And the software support is provided by WMP of the 7th version, WinAmpvia its plug-in CD Reader.In W2K such support is organized on the OS level. This connector canbe useful only for connecting with another sound card, but gamers and theater-loversare hardly interested in it.

Well, it is our old fellow - the CS4630processor from Crystal Semiconductor.

Many of you might remember it from the SantaCruz review (there was a lot of criticism towards the card taking intoconsideration its price and destination, but a bit later the Santa's driverswere reworked, and starting from the 4071 version the card works, at least,stable).

Let's see what this DSP is famous for:

420 MIPS performance;
140 MHz internal frequency;
32-bit intermediate data storage;
hardware support of DirectSound3D and all current Sensaura technologies(both for 2 and for 4 speakers);
10-band equalizer;
high quality hardware SRC (sample rate converter) which leaves the dynamicrange after conversion higher than 90 dB;
supports up to 2 AC'97 codecs;
PCI Bus mastering;
SB Pro emulation via PC/PCI in a DOS mode and in a DOS window;
digital interface support (IEC-958 consumer version):

32/44.1/48 KHz S/PDIF in
fixed 48 KHz S/PDIF out.

The card is furnished with two 4-channel codecs - the CS4294-JQfrom Crystal Semiconductor.

Let's have a look at the ratings of the codecs:

Common
0 dB level, FS	1 Vrms
Channel isolation	87 dB
DAC
Bit capacity	20 bits
Frequency range, FR	20 - 20,000 Hz +/- 0.5 dB
Dynamic range, DR	87 dB A
Distortions + Noise, THD+N	-74 dB FS A @ - 3 dB FS
DAC
Bit capacity	18 bit
Frequency range, FR	20 - 20,000 Hz +/- 0.5 dB
Dynamic range, DR	85 dB A
Distortions + Noise, THD+N	-74 dB FS A @ - 3 dB FS

The card lacks for a 'professional 20-bit sound', but it is a good solutionas a game card with elements of a home theater. The listening tests beloware going to show the real sounding of the card.

Drivers Hercules Sound Cards & Media Devices

External Module

A 2-meter 44-pin cable connects the sound card with a stylish externalmodule with gilded connectors. The gilding is meant not for theimprovement of the sound but for avoiding an oxide film which can worsen the contact.But as for the home equipment the material used for connectors doesn'tmatter much since its influence on the sound is outweighed by the DAC and amplifying partquality. That is why in this case gilded connectors are some kindof a charm. Why not? :)

Look at the full-sized (1/4') phones and mic jacks. The second line-in(the first one is on the card) is combined with a mic input. In the extremeposition of the mic's signal amplification regulator the switch shifts anelectric circuit to the line-in (two gilded connectors).

Besides, on the front panel of the external module there are 2 USB connectorsand one standard Game/Joystick one.

Now as for the rear part of the module:

Output RCA connectors for an active acoustic system are duplicated withminijacks, unlike the center and the subwoofer. The USB hub is introducedwith two connectors on the front panel (1,2) and two on the rear one (3,4).The digital input and output are made both in coaxial electricaland optical implementation. For connection of MIDI/MP3 keyboards and synthesizersthere are standard 5-pin DIN connectors.

On the top cover of the unit is an emblem of the penguin (Guillemot'slogo). A big metallic case (well-shielded) stands on 4 plastic legs. Thecase is very difficult to disassemble; there are more than twenty bolts insideand outside.

Inside there is a great deal of buffering elements and amplifiers. Thereare no any DACs or ACDs, and all the codecs are located on the card. It shouldbe noted that a normal scheme with a transformer is realized for RCA S/PDIFinputs and outputs, it provides a standard signal level and galvanic decoupling.

Installation And Connection

Drivers hercules sound cards & media devices download

The test system configuration:

CPU - the Intel PIII-733EB (133X5.5, Coppermine);
RAM - 128 MBytes (133 MHz);
the ABIT BE6-II motherboard;
HDD - the Quantum KA, UDMA66 7200 rpm;
DVD-drive - the Creative 5240E (2.5-5x);
CD-RW recorder - the TEAC CD-W54EK;
33 MHz PCI bus (133/4);
the GeForce2MX video card with TV-out;
Ethernet netcard;
the SB Live! Player 5.1 sound card (EMU10K), digital coaxial interface(S/PDIF).

The tests were run under the Win9x operating system with installedDirectX 8.0a.

The CD with drivers includes the following programs:

Sensaura Virtual Ear - a program for adjustment of 3D audio positioningalgorithms;
PowerDVD 3.0 - a soft DVD player
Musicmatch 5.1 Jukebox - mp3, wma player;
Siren Jukebox Express - a program for keeping an mp3 directory on a computer;
Magic Player Jukebox - another mp3 player, with visualization;
Yamaha XG Studio - a soft MIDI XG synthesizer S-YXG50;
Kool Karaoke Lite - a light version of the karaoke player;
ACID Express - a multitrack audio editor for creation of your own compositionsof musical fragments (loops).

While we were testing the card the manufacturer released new drivers (version 2.01).After the installation of the drivers into the system the following deviceswere added:

The developers release new driver versions quite often which indicates their effort to eliminate errors. In this case you can see animproved interface of the proprietary utility - the control panel:

The 'Main' bookmark contains settings for recording and reproduction levels,as well as a choice of connection scheme for reproducing devices:

The 'Mixer' allows to adjust volume levels of different channels, and choosea source of the digital signal: optical or electrical RCA connector.

EQ is a hardware 10-band equalizer. There are 8 presets and manual adjustment.

The MIDI parameters are adjusted in the 'MIDI' bookmark. You can choose your ownDLS bank and adjust the number of hardware and soft MIDI voices.

The last bookmark is meant for adjustment of hardware acceleration for Sensaura,DirectSound 3D and MP3 algorithms, enabling of stereo base extension function,echoes suppression mode for teleconferences, and adjustment of digitaloutput operation.

The CS4630 And MP3 Decoding

In the review on the Santa Cruz I mentioned that I didn't feel any acceleration of MP3 sinceI used only WinAmp, AudioStation and Windows Media Player 7.0, and thisfeature of the CS4630 processor is available only with a special filterin use - DirectShow. Let's look at the option File/Properties/Advancedof Windows Media Player v.6.4.07.1112 from the standard complete setof Win98SE.

First, with an enabled MP3 acceleration in the card's drivers:

When the MP3 acceleration is disabled we get the following picture:

And what about the processor utilization? When playing an mp3 file of 48 KHz 16 bit with 256 Kbit/sstream on the PIII-733EB processor (5.5 x 133) a standard SysMon utility indicates such results of the HerculesGame Theater XP in comparison with the Creative SB Live! Player 5.1:

with acceleration enabled (with Hercules filter) ~ 1%;
with acceleration disabled (with Fraunhofer filter) ~9%;
Live 5.1 (with Fraunhofer filter) ~8%.

Well, the acceleration does really take place here. But don't we lose inquality? My conclusion is that highs and middles have become a bit metallic.For acoustic systems cheaper than $200 it may be unimportant.

We have also compared the processor utilization with the popular WinAmpplayer with dll's of Wave out plug-in (v 2.00) and (v 2.02):

Hercules Game Theater XP ~ 6%;
Creative SB Live! Player 5.1 ~5%.

The sound was very close to that of WMP6 with Fraunhofer filter. As for the usageof the DirectSound plug-in in WinAmp - the high-pitched jingling makes itsutilization unacceptable on more or less good equipment.

Test Measurements

Since our digital measurements has gained some weight and they may interest not all of our readers, we have taken them out into a separate page. I recommend to read it!

Listening. Music

We were listening to the card's performance with the usage of the F&D IHOO 5.1 (active acoustic system) and the Philips HP600 headphones. As test compositions we used music of different genres, mainly from CD-DAs. Since most of you have lots of MP3 compositions, such files are compulsory participants in our tests of any audio equipment. In this case MP3 files are used to define the quality of operation of an integrated equalizer in real conditions.

So, I have drawn the following conclusion:

The sound of all modern PCI sound cards, including the Hercules Game TheaterXP, satisfies 90% of PC users.
Among the remaining 10% there are not many people who have Hi-Fi equipmentto notice the difference in sound among different sound cards. Even withsuch good speakers as the IHOO 5.1 you should listen very carefully in orderto feel the difference between the Live! Player 5.1 and the Hercules Game TheaterXP.
Hercules's card has some peculiar timbre which might please you withits transparent highs and some synthetic sound. In my opinion, it soundssimilar to the Live! Player 5.1 / Live! Platinum 5.1 cards.
The Hercules Game Theater XP is a good choice for listening to Techno/Pop/Rockcompositions.
Many people use music as a light background during their work or rest, which isquite natural. For real music lovers the built-in codecs of common soundcards are not suitable. They need, at least, external high-quality converters.And the Hercules Game Theater XP offers a complete set of digital interfaces.
An equalizer built in the control panel of the Hercules is not thatbad. It easily outweighs both the imperfection of the sound source(e.g. of an MP3 file), and of the reproducing equipment (e.g. computersets poor in basses). It is much better in quality than WinAmp's equalizer: itdoesn't spoil or flatten the sound.
Listening with headphones is rational to be made via a special connectoron the front panel of the external module. Unlike the line-out, you can feelan electric coherence of the output with 32-Ohm headphones, and thesound has a very pleasant timbre.

DVD

Unlike the Platinum 5.1, the tested card has a licensed versionof the DVD player - PowerDVD 3.0 (6-channel version). It allows to load adisc with a movie into the DVD drive without much problem and enjoy the normal6-channel sound coming from 6 analog outputs. You have to choose '6 speakers'mode in the player settings:

We were listening to movies and trailers with a soundtrack coded in DolbyPro Logic, Dolby Digital, DTS formats. The sound quality is quite decent(much better than that of cheap 5.1 cards based on the ForteMedia FM801, somewhereat the same level with the Live!), the channels' volume level is easy to controlfrom the proprietary control panel. Besides, there is also something for4-channel acoustic system owners. After choosing the 4 Speaker Output mode,the signal undergoes downmixing from 6 to 4 channels. And if you have connectedan external decoder (e.g. for movies with DTS tracks), you should choose'Use S/PDIF Output'.

Games

This card has a hardware realization of the Sensauratechnology which means:

DS3DTM enhancement;
Sensaura3DTM - efficient two-speaker implementationwith full feature set;
Sensaura MultiDriveTM - 360 degree verticaland horizontal positioning with four or more speakers;
Sensaura EnvironmentFX™ - acoustical rendering with full EAX™ 1.0, EAX 2.0and I3DL2 reverb compatibility;
Sensaura ZoomFXTM - 'perfect sound realism';
Sensaura Virtual EarTM;
compatible with A3DTM 1.0.

The card is supplied with the following game programs:

GameLoft.com - a client for a famous game server;
Tachyon - a space 3D shooting game;
Rayman2 - an arcade;
10Six - a tactic shooting game;
Thief II - a simulator of a medieval spy;
Diakatana - an adventure 3D shooter;
Q3A NVIDIA demo - special levels for Q3A from NVIDIA.

Hercules Drivers For Windows 10

In games we have encountered one interesting peculiarity. Since the cardhas 3D sound positioning algorithms based on Sensauratechnologies, including MultiDrive, there are only 4 working speakersin games: front and rear. The center and subwoofer unfortunately 'keepsilence'. It is good if you speaker set allows to direct the signal tosubwoofer, or (like in our case with the IHOO 5.1) the front and rear speakersare full-frequency devices. And what if not? Without a subwoofer the soundin games becomes much poorer.

With the usage of the following drivers of 2.01 version:

TBCDS3D.VXD v. 4.12.01.2101
AUDIO3D.DLL v. 4.12.01.2007
CRLDS3D.VXD v. 4.12.01.2101
CRLDS3D.DLL v. 4.12.01.2002

dated 17.04.2001, the situation hasn't changed. Note that 6-channelcards based on the Q3D API (the FM801) and EAX2.0 API (the Live!5.1) haven't got suchproblems: the sound in games is coming out of all 6 speakers.

Nevertheless, Sensaura sounds quite good. Many consider that SensauraEnvironmentFX™ sounds even better than EAX 2.0. I would say it soundsa bit different, it has some peculiar nuances. As for MacroFX™ and ZoomFX™technologies, their realization in the form of DS3D extensions makes their usage in the program difficult (awkward). I don't know any games supporting these technologies,except the demo-programfrom Sensaura. But the recent signing of the agreement on licensingof Sensaura algorithms for the upcoming X-Box from Microsoft makes me feeloptimistic.

Drivers Hercules Sound Cards & Media Devices Free

By the way, the card is supplied with a very interesting utility - SensauraVirtual Ear. And while for other sound cards (for example, the YMF 7x4)it is offered as a paid upgrade, here everything is included in the priceof the card.

Drivers Hercules Sound Cards & Media Devices List

It allows to adjust the card for a definite person's ears in order to reachthe most realistic audio 3D positioning. I've tried this technology, but felt almost no improvements.

Conclusion

The Hercules Game Theater XP is a stylish and interesting solution foran advanced user.

Highs:

aesthetically beautiful and multifunctional external module
powerful sound processor - the CS4630
good sound of 20-bit codecs
low CPU utilization when playing MP3 files
soft DVD player - PowerDVD
soft MIDI synthesizer - YAMAHA XG Studio (S-YXG50)
well-balanced complete set of the software
support of all Sensaura technologies, wide compatibility with game standards
digital coaxial and optical inputs and outputs.

Lows:

lack of 6-channels sound in games
lack of a remote control.

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Category: Sound Card
Manufacturer: Hercules
Caution Level: Not Stated
Download File Size: Not Stated
Operating System: Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP
Latest Version / Release Date: Not Stated / Not Stated

Windows device driver information for Game surround Muse 5.1 DVD

This is a driver that optimizes the Hercules sound card to its full potential. The soud card has a 3 stereo output for headphones or 5.1 speakers. It comes with a Dolby digital cinema experience and a crystal clear digital music on the 5.1 channel. The software package that comes with the drivers also comes with the latest power DVD installation pack, the drivers are compatible with the latest operating system which is windows XP. The Hercules sound card and is intuitive and sophisticated, it is destined to be the users favorite media pack. It gives the options of listening to music through the 5.1 channel, mix music and at the same time record music. The user can view digital videos and at the same time take stills from the video that helps one various slide shows from various digital clips.

Outdated Drivers?

Hercules Dj Controller Driver Download

Unless you update your drivers regularly you may face hardware performance issues.

To check your drivers you should manually verify every device on your system for driver updates