Performance - RMAA 5.3
audio.rightmark.org
There are two ways to test the Entertainer, one with the Wolfson DAC and the other with VIA's SixTRAC. The SixTRAC is limited to 18 bit/48kHz resolution, and the Wolfson DAC, of course, is limited to 24bit/192kHz. We compared the Entertainer to the nVidia SoundStorm found on the ASUS A7N8X in 16 bit/48kHz mode. Some results are mysterious. The IMD, for instance, is rather high for a sound card with a 24 bit DSP. It also carries through to either DAC, which indicates a driver issue.
First off, a summary.
The Entertainer is not what I'd call high fidelity. It performs about the same as the SoundStorm, with the exception of a fairly high IMD. RMAA 5.3 gives it a 'very good' rating.
Frequency response is +0.11,-1.44 (40hz-15kHz). The SoundStorm frequency response is flatter and a touch more extended, but most won't find it audible. The Entertainer in 24 bit/96kHz looks the same with the -3dB point around 30kHz.
Noise for the Entertainer is -85.4dBA. It isn't quite as low as the SoundStorm, but both aren't bad either.
Dynamic Range is 84.5 dBA, which is a far cry from the spec of its DACs. Again SoundStorm measures slightly better at 86.6 dBA.
THD is at 0.0023%, which is pretty good. The SoundStorm is marginally better at 0.0020%.
IMD stands at a slightly dirty 0.495%. This is a rather dissappointing figure, and appeared in the 24 bit/96kHz results as well. Uninstalling and re-installing the driver had no effect on these results. SoundStorm was at a nice 0.015% IMD.
Stereo Crosstalk is a minimally low -90.8dB. Occasionally during measuring the right channel would cut out completely. Only an uninstall and reinstall of the card fixed the problem.
Quite frankly, the Entertainer is not a good performer in RMAA. There were numerous problems of channels dissappearing, removing the card from the system and re-installing drivers to get it to work correctly. The very high IMD seems to indicate there is some driver issue with the review system. Let us move on from the world of numbers to the world of sound.
