Philips Ultimate Edge Sound Card Review

The Ultimate Edge also marks the arrival of a new addition to the Envy family, the Envy24GT. Targeted at high-end sound cards, the Envy24GT brings true 24-bit, 96kHz audio to six output channels for only $70. Philips has also stirred in some special sauce of its own, giving the Ultimate Edge a little more spice than your average Envy24. How does the Ultimate Edge perform, and more importantly, how does it sound?

…In my view, the Ultimate Edge occupies a sort of middle ground between the Audigy2 ZS’s spectacular gaming performance but vocal-biased music playback and the Revolution’s lackluster gaming performance but well-balanced music playback. If you’re all about gaming, skip over the Ultimate Edge and hook yourself up with higher frame rates and more extensive EAX support with an Audigy2 ZS. However, if gaming isn’t a priority, you’d do well to consider Philips’ Ultimate Edge. The Edge is a better gamer than the Revolution 7.1 without inheriting the Audigy2 ZS’s vocal-centric playback baggage. For general music playback on desktop PCs, media-centric home theater systems, and even a little light gaming every now and then, the Ultimate Edge is a well-rounded performer with an affordable price tag. Sounds good to me.

Philips’ Ultimate Edge sound card
Envy on the edge @ The Tech Report