RMAA suite is designed for testing quality of analog and digital paths of any audio devices, be it a sound card, an MP3 player, a consumer CD/DVD player or an acoustic set. The results are obtained by playing and recording test signals passed through the tested audio path by means of frequency analysis algorithms. A more common mark is also provided for those unfamiliar with measured technical parameters.
16 bit 44kHz
24 bit 96kHz
Games, Music and Movies
Battlefield 3 was initially a sore spot for the Phoebus as there were driver issues relating to punkbuster that caused CTDs and the like, though using the latest driver (still a beta mind...) I never encountered any issues nor drop outs and simply enjoyed crystal clear, immersive audio. Sounds such as reloading your rifle gave acute detail and explosions were impressive enough to startle. Deus Ex: Human Revolution caused cutis anserina with detailed delicate sounds that were vivid and enthralling. Gunfights were more interesting and NPC responses in the background were clearly heard.
Listening to music proved excellent as low mid and high ranged tones were reproduced, likely, to the limitation of my speaker setup. Listening to Tom McRae's Walking to Hawaii is pretty special, while I could describe the clarity of the acoustic guitar, bass and voice, each sounding great, the crazy strings were simply spellbinding and had a dimension that is only comparable to the live performance. Flesh Field's Uprising gave edgy electric guitars over a thumping electronic kick. No distortion or anomalies present.
Watching movies using the Phoebus really gave a new lease of life when compared to onboard solutions. Having jacks for a 7.1 surround out as well as S/PDIF gives great flexibility to how this sound card could be used. Giving noticeable direction to each sound source across all channels made watching movies an enjoyable experience. While some audiophiles may stick their thumbs down at no native 6.3mm jack, the versatile array offered does give a lot of options. For those looking to upgrade their sound, it is nigh on impossible to justify the cost of something like the Phoebus if you already own a recent mid-high end card as more often than not, an upgrade in speakers will likely net better audio quality. However, owners of older mid range sound cards with plenty of spare cash may well seriously consider the Phoebus being their next big buy. Needless to say, the Phoebus made watching movies such as Avatar and Megamind enjoyable and did give a recognisable improvement over my aging Creative X-FI Extream Music.
