Griffin 4019-FIRESS FireWave Surround Sound for Macs
See it at Amazon.com for $41.00Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Finally surround sound for the mac!
I am using this with a PPC mac mini and it works great! This is the first true external 5.1 audio solution for the mac and it does not dissapoint. It uses a combination of the mac midi settings and its own software. Audio quality is crisp and clean. I would recommend this product for sure!
It was really easy to setup. All you had to do was plug it in and it showed up right away in the midi settings. Just select it as your prefered device and you are good to go!
(1 out of 5)Problem with hardware and/or software . . .
After installing the software on the CD and testing out the Firewave card . . . I started to notice that the songs from my iTunes were skipping quite a bit. I played around the Firewave settings for a while but nothing helped with the skipping problem. This problem is frequent enough for one not to just ignore it . . . this is in fact would be what I consider a show-stopper. The other minor issue is that the Firewave application has to be running all the time if you want surround sound. The settings in the Firewave app keep resetting themselves with each time you open the application, thus requiring the user to manually set the settings everytime the Firewave application is opened. That is absolutely asinine.
*********** UPDATE ***********
okay, i've contacted the company about the problem and they believed it was due to a faulty firewire cable that came with the product. they shipped a free cable out to me, and it fixed the problem.
(4 out of 5)FireWave is good if you don't have optical...
I bought this FireWave to provide 5.1 speaker outputs from my MacPro. It works fine, but I found that buying a set of Logitech Z-5500 speakers and using the Mac's optical output a better route to go. Bottom line is that if you have a Mac running OSX 10.3.9 and above, but no surround outputs, this FireWire driven external sound card works well. If you have an optical output (MacPro, MacBookPro, etc.) consider new speakers with an optical audio input.
(2 out of 5)Inconsistent
I've been trying to use the Firewave with a G5 iMac and a Logitech 5.1 setup. My results are very inconsistent. I cannot get the "virtual surround" Prologic II mode to work at all. Just silence when it's turned on. Surround sound DVDs and DVD-As :: sometimes they'll play in surround sound, sometimes they'll just be silent. It's impossible to tell what makes what work or not. There is nothing in the Troubleshooting guide that comes with the product that helps you out with these issues. Probably a waste of your money.
(4 out of 5)FireWave review from Alaska Apple User
This is an external firewire sound card enclosed in a small white compact case, which provides Surround Sound, Dolby Digital processors supporting up to five channels and a subwoofer. It comes with software CD and a firewire cable, which draws its power from your computer. While I do not own a 5.1 surround sound set of speakers I did connect it to my JBL Creature II speakers into my G4 Power PC laptop and was able to enjoy my iTunes songs with a greater degree of pleasure. Watching DVD movies also sounds so much better using the FireWave.
The device did not initially work, however after contacting the Griffin help desk (no 1-800 number) I was able to obtain the help needed to get the device working. Support for the FirwWave is located on Griffin's home page [...] under Hardware (RocketFM).
Since I am not a technophile these are from the Griffin website as far as the technical specifications:
"Audio Ports: 3 - 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo minijacks (Left/Right, Center/Subwoofer, Left Surround/Right Surround)
FireWire Ports: 2
Supported Audio Formats: Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II
Additional audio configurations are supported through Mac OS X's Audio MIDI Setup utility
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Line-out voltage: 2Vpp
Size: 132mm (5.20") wide x 77mm (2.83") deep x 25mm (0.98") tall
Listening to surround sound while on my G4 Power Pc is a real treat. You just do not realize the quality of sound that the FireWire helps produce through your external speakers. I'm going to be acquiring a 5.1 set of speakers in the near future, as I know that the full capability of the FireWave will shine forth.
FireWave ships for $[...] and requires Mac OS X Panther or later. They have an updated download - V1.0.0Software for Macs running 10.4 or higher.
The Griffin FireWave definitely enhances your laptop's speakers far and above anything that you can imagine. I only wish Apple would provide such technology. (Author's personal comment.)
I would recommend to anyone owning either a Power PC, or MacPro laptop or Mac mini to acquire one of these devices and start enjoying the audio side of computing. I do not own any computer games, however I would have to believe that with the FireWave being employed you would have to experience a great deal of pleasure in playing your latest games.