Here are the Razer Barracuda HP-1 Headphones that I reviewed a few months ago. The HP-1 is a surround sound headset, complete with subwoofer.
To connect the HP-1 headset, connect the plug directly into the HD-DAI connector.
The Barracuda headphones were awesome with the onboard sound card. Though a fair amount of tweaking was necessary, the AC-1 put some more life in the headphones. The bass threshold allows you to get a little more sub in the mix.
I will have to say that I really didn't enjoy listening to music through the headphones as I did though speakers, but that's me. The environmental controls helped some, gave the sound a little more "space". It was rather hard to listen to Pink Floyd in 5.1... too many sounds coming from too many directions. Music of a more conventional nature sounded great, though.
But, the real purpose of the headphones is gaming, so game we will.
I spent several hours playing Morrowind, Battlefield 2, Silent Warrior and Oblivion. It was amazing, I knew exactly where the sounds were coming from. Everything was so incredibly clean and clear.
The Razer ESP was pretty wild. You can really draw sounds from a distance. It actually was a little annoying with RPGs... you think that you are about to be attacked, but your opponent isn't even in sight. I guess the only problem I have with the dashboard is that the Razer ESP is maxed as the default. I never remembered to shorten the range after a reboot.
Comparing the sound quality between using the headphones with the AC-1 both digital and analog, I found that though the sound was somewhat better in digital, it was very good in analog too.
This is when the problem arose. When plugging the headphones back in, the offset connector caused me to really have to force the plug back in. While doing this, I distorted one of the pins on the headset plug, and it shorted against the side of the connector. I don't know what it damaged, but the headphones no longer would work in digital mode and the connector gets pretty hot when I try. They work fine in analog mode.
It is a long story, but we reviewers don't deal directly with Razer, and I've had a rather hard time getting in touch with the engineering department. I have had this card well over a month, and I felt it was time to get the review out. When I finally get in touch with them, I will make a post on the OCIA.net forums, and maybe an addition to this review.
I talked with a reviewer from another website that has reviewed the AC-1. His card was the same way, but he really didn't have as much as a problem as I did. We decided that maybe the design of the PCI slots on his case was somewhat different than mine, and less of the HD-DAI connector is covered by the case. The SilverStone TJ-05 case I am using is extremely heavy duty and the metal is probably much thicker in that area than other cases.
Anyway, be aware that this problem exists. Be very careful when plugging the adapter or HP-1 headphones into the HD-DAI connector. Try to plug it in as straight as possible and wiggle it as little as possible. If you can get away without actually screwing the connector in, that would probably be best.
The Razer Barracuda AC-1 Gaming Audio Card is truly amazing. With some decent speakers, it provides audiophile quality sound from your computer. Even MP3s compressed at lower bitrates sound good. Using 5.1 speakers gives you a truly "surround sound" experience. And with the HP-1 headset, gaming is truly incredible.
Yes, there is a problem with the location of the HD-DAI connector's placement on the PCI bracket. Hopefully, it is a bigger problem with the configuration of my case than yours. I damaged a $130 set of headphones, so be aware and be careful. I will let you know the verdict when the Razer engineers contact me.
The Razer Barracuda AC-1 Professional Gaming Audio Card earns the OCIA.net seal of approval!
Thanks to Razer for providing us with this review sample.
