Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo* II

Croydon, March 21st 2001 - Hercules is thrilled to announce its new Gamesurround Fortissimo* II, the exciting follow-up to the award-winning Maxi Sound Fortissimo*. Gamesurround Fortissimo* II combines a cutting edge audio accelerator, ultra realistic sound quality and all the software tools necessary to experience the best from games, MP3s, CDs and DVDs.

"Hercules Technologies is known for its high standards when it comes to graphic cards and we wanted to make sure that those standards were also applied to our advanced audio range." said Claude Guillemot, president of Hercules Technologies. "The Gamesurround Fortissimo* II offers some of the most unique and innovative new features at the best price". Some of the exciting features include a dedicated headphone output, 4-channel output, optical in and out connectors on the metal bracket, and a Hercules designed control panel directly accessible from the task bar which includes a 10 band equalizer! All this makes the Gamesurround Fortissimo* II a product that will, without a doubt, seduce the most demanding customers.

Get ready for the rush!

With Gamesurround Fortissimo* II, gamers can expect an adrenaline rush! This new sound card calculates 3D audio effects in hardware, accelerates up to 52 3D hardware channels and an unlimited number of voices. To fit with power gamers' expectations for superior acceleration in games, Gamesurround Fortissimo* II incorporates one of today's most powerful audio Digital Signal Processors, the Cirrus Logic® SoundFusion® CS4624. Gamesurround Fortissimo* II also includes the must-have Sensaura* Positional Audio technology, which allows for optimal compatibility with most advanced 3D audio games (includes A3D* 1.0, EAX* 1.0 & 2.0 API support).

The ultimate solution for digital music and internet audio

With its 20-bit quad output, Gamesurround Fortissimo* II delivers professional audio reproduction. Yamaha's S-YXG50 wavetable SoftSynthesizer* guarantees high-end sound quality and for acoustic instrument sound reproduction is compatible with both General MIDI and Yamaha XG standards. This new processor also reproduces excellent quality MIDI sound.

Chock full of features

The Gamesurround Fortissimo* II has something for everyone. Thrill seeking gamers will be seduced by the famous voice control software - Game Commander® 2 SE. Electronic musicians will enjoy using both the virtual Home Studio Storm* Hercules® SE as well as Acid Xpress* to create their own music with a personal touch. Digital audio listeners will love to use the famous MUSICMATCH* Jukebox and Siren Xpress* software application to encode their creations to MP3, find new artist's songs or manage all their digital files. Aspiring singers will have hours of fun with Kool Karaoke* Lite. Finally, DVD buffs will benefit from the PowerDVD* 3.0 software DVD player on Gamesurround Fortissimo* II which features 4-channel outputs to experience world-renowned Dolby Digital* sound on their favorite DVD movies.

Gamesurround Fortissimo* II comes with a two-year parts and labor warranty and is backed by our technical support service. This soundboard is equipped with all the technical features needed to make it serve as a benchmark, not only for gaming and multimedia applications, but for music as well.

Gamesurround Fortissimo* II will be available at the end of April for approximately £44.99