M-Audio’s Revolution 7.1 is a PCI-based audio card that’s gained fans among Mac users looking for better audio than what their Power Mac provides. Users who have upgraded beyond Mac OS X v10.2.6 have had problems, however — now those problems have been corrected with a new driver update.
The Revolution 7.1 provides up to 7.1 surround sound output, with a digital coaxial output connector, mic and line in input jacks, and four discrete surround speaker outputs as well. The US$119.95 audio card supports DTS output and Dolby Digital 5.1/EX and 6.1 DVD decoding (with supported software). It can also produce real-time stereo-to-surround conversion, SRS “virtual surround” from stereo sources and more.
Version 1.2.7 of the Revolution 7.1 drivers are now available for download from M-Audio’s Web site. Changes in the new version include support for Power Mac G5s that come shipped with Mac OS X v10.2.7 and 10.2.8 (even though, as of this writing, 10.2.8 had been pulled from circulation on APple’s Web site). What’s more, the new version gains support for Mac OS X v10.3, codenamed “Panther.” Support for 4.0 and 5.0 speaker sets has been added, too.