The ADS-2000 can be controlled either on the unit itself or by a
small remote. The remote has nothing missing. Everything that you can do on the
unit itself, you can do with the remote control. It's one of the most colorful
remotes I've seen in awhile. Looks quite good really.
The ADS-2000 performed as advertised, offering true Dolby Pro
Logic sound with all the DVD movies that support Dolby Surround. It even works
with games that are produced with Dolby Surround. Wing Commander was an all new
experience with the ADS-2000.
Games produced with A3D or EAX doesn't sound too hot with the
ADS-2000. The A3D sound from Unreal cuts in and out because the Pro Logic
circuit doesn't know how to process it. Even turning off the Pro Logic and
setting the system to just stereo doesn't work unless you turn off A3D in the
Unreal control panel. But then you end up with just plane stereo and no 3D
sound. What I end up doing was plugging the front and rear outputs back into the
Aureal sound card when I wanted to play an A3D/EAX game. When it came time for a
DVD movie, I put the outputs back into the ADS-2000.
Music sounds great with the ADS-2000, as long as you leave the
setting on stereo. Playing music through the Pro Logic processor made the songs
sound totally un-natural over processed.
In the end, it was DVD movies that showed the power of the
ADS-2000. The unit really added something that was missing in my computer
system. I had 3D sound for my games but I was still hearing my DVD movies in
stereo. Sure I had rear surround speakers and you do hear sound from them when
playing a DVD movie with a 3D sound card. But the sound you hear is nothing more
than what is being played up front, only at a lower volume. A 3D sound card can
not process Dolby Pro Logic information and therefore only accepts the front
left and left channel and tosses out the rest.
For just $99, MidiLand has allowed me to enjoy DVD movies on my
computer with full Dolby 5.1 sound effects. The ADS-2000 is very easy to use and
offer great control over the 5.1 sound environment. The best part is, you don't
have to use the MidiLand ADS-2000 with a computer. The ADS-2000 can turn any
home VCR or DVD player into a home theatre. I can see lots of people buying the
MidiLand ADS-2000 and S4 7100 speaker system as a home theatre setup. For $299,
one can get a complete Dolby 5.1 surround sound home theatre system. That's not
a bad deal at all.
If you thought adding a Dolby Pro Logic decoder to your
computer was too expensive, think again. MidiLand has answer your prayers with
the ADS-2000. If you play Dolby Surround Sound games or watch DVD movies on your
computer, get one. Just like Triple H of the WWF, it is that damn good.
The Goods
The Bads
Verdict: 9/10
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