Motherboard: Intel D865PERL (Springdale) Review :: Sonic Focus 1.0

If you could see sound picture Sonic Focus 1.0 as looking through a new clear pair of glasses in lieu of your older yet functional pair and that may be a somewhat strange but accurate way of describing what Sonic Focus does for your PC sound. Clarity, this is the key word when one describes the essence of what this new software does for your audio environment as it truly brings out and focuses your sounds life. Tom Paddock and his team have developed a very viable piece of software in the form of Sonic Focus that is currently only offered on the Intel line. This is something that will most undeniably give Intel an edge in the audio quality battle as this software is like icing on the cake to good sound making it great sound. Speaker quality is also important for load clear sound so if you are an audiophile I would suggest some Kliptch, Yamaha or other high quality speakers for the best overall effect.

When I attended IDF last fall I got to take an NDA tour of this product in its earlier stage and it blew my mind to hear such difference form just a few bytes of code. Music, games, movies all had a very noticeable and clearly audible difference when the Sonic Focus product was turned on and when it was off. A little history on the team leader of Sonic Focus finds Tom Paddock rocking and rolling along as the soundman for the Grateful Dead and he has also worked with many other studio and touring bands. What he brings to the table is his experience for over two decades in the sound industry. The Grateful Dead whether you are fan or not was a pioneering group when it came to onstage and studio sound and they helped shape many of the things used commonly today in the live sound environment. Sonic Focus currently only works in the 2.1 speaker mode but do not be surprised if by late summer that changes to support for something much more impressive.

Tom came down to my lab to visit me my cat and a few industry friends including our own Niso Levitas in a more personal and relaxed surrounding so that we could show in-depth what Sonic Focus was all about and what it offers you as the interactive user. Sonic Focus really shines using MP3's and this is one area that highly impressed everyone there for the demonstration. Games and Movies are also enhanced and unlike most products that go about just getting a louder sound Sonic Focus clarifies the sound without all the noise associated with that approach. The interface or GUI as most techies call it offers the user an array of sound enhancement environments that are controlled by user friendly ergonomic sliders to control the amount of change you desire. Below are some thoroughly technical information segments regarding the Sonic Focus user interface and the control properties of the GUI that allow the user to create many various sound environments using the Sonic Focus 1.0 software.

Sonic Focus User Interface

1. IMPORTANT!! Set the WAVE level slider in the Volume Control panel or the Sound Max Control panel to 50% as shown below. (Hint: open the Windows Sounds and Audio Devices control panel, click the "Audio" tab, and click the Volume button in the "Sound Playback" section.)
2. Set the master Volume slider to whatever position best matches your speakers.
3. If you experience sub-woofer distortion, with or without Sonic Focus, try disabling or minimizing any bass boost in other audio applications or control panels that you may be using.