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Author Topic: Best soundboard on the market  (Read 4218 times)
CVSickle
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« on: August 28, 2014, 09:17:29 PM »

I've heard on multiple occasions in US videos that the obsidian soundboard is the best soundboard on the market.  Does anybody want to share their opinions on what they feel makes obsidian so special?
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Master Bluespike74
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« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2014, 10:21:35 PM »

1.  It has a coating that makes it more durable for combat.  I have two other soundboards and I had to make sure I found something really durable to protect the boards from potential short circuits against the hilts.

2.  Very loud. 

3.  You don't have to work with SD cards to change sounds. 

4.  Already wired so no extra solder work. 

Those are my best pros for the board based on my experience.

I do have suggestions for improvement based on other boards I have experience. 

1.  Have the ability to wire illuminated AV switches without the need for Dyna Ohms or extra resistors. 

2.  Smaller so that they can fit into v2 series hilts.

3.  The ability to put more than one sound font on the board.

For the price and durability and ease of wiring, I believe their claim is supported.  Of course you are never going to get any saber smith to say in an advertisement that someone else's product is better than theirs. 

These are just my opinions on the reasons I like the Obsidian.  I have 2nd generation and 3rd generation boards in my sabers. 

Extra supporting statement:  I lost a pommel during a demonstration and the force of a move ripped the board and speaker from the hilt.  The board and speaker hit parking lot pavement and rolled 15 feet.  When I recovered them, they were still making the sounds although now I have to rebuild my hilt.

Hope that helps you in your research.

Blue
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Molina00
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« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2014, 02:57:40 PM »

I have experience three different soundboards now, not counting the Force FX ones.  Of the three the Obsidian board is my favorite.  I love how you can sample the soundfonts in the Obsidian launcher prior to syncing them to your board so there isn't as much trial and error in getting fonts you like.  As Master Blue suggested, multiple soundfonts would be nice and different colors with each font, but overall I am an Obsidian fan. 
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« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2014, 07:31:33 AM »

i dont have much experience with other boards... yet... Wink but based on watching vids of other boards i agree with multiple sound font settings like 2 different settings would be cool. I also think that the SD card would be a little easier because you could just swap cards ... also i have seen the blaster block combo effect and it looks sweet... but all in all im am very happy with the Obsidian...

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« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2014, 06:01:52 PM »

I love my obsidian board, for most of the same reasons listed above.  Durability being a prime issue, but also the interface software is intuitive and easy to use.

The one option that I see elsewhere is a way to adjust volume "in the hilt" as it were, without having to connect to computer support.  This is very minor, mind you, more of a convienience than anything else, so that's a "wish list" kind of thing.

Obsidian remains my favorite.
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« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2014, 06:46:20 AM »

I'll take a crack at it and I will try to be as objective as possible with my personal top 3 reasons.

1. The Sound. Obsidian, quite frankly, has the best sound system available and plays the highest bit rate audio files, higher than any other board. But high bit rates mean nothing if the amplifier is crap, so we really over-engineered the amp. The amplifier we use is true digital and is the epitome of efficiency.  Our amplifier is also the most powerful amp on any sound board, period, and is capable of outputting more watts than our 1" speakers can handle. For all you DIY'ers out there, try hooking one up to a 6x9 car speaker and be prepared to be impressed.

2. The Durability. In case you didn't know, we build dueling sabers and any component that goes into our sabers needs to survive. Point blank, there is no sound board anywhere that is as durable as the Obsidian. It is encased in epoxy and has no moving parts. It's an up-armored device. That pretty much speaks for itself.

3. The Versatility. Obsidian can provide more output power than any other board. Obsidian's output power system is isolated from the sound system, which is why Obsidian's input voltage is flexible to the needs of the builder. A builder can use a multitude of power sources and input voltages without making any changes to the board and without harming the audio system. This means you are not limited to powering just one type of lighting device, or a lighting device at all. You could power an airplane with it if you wanted to. More practically, it means not being limited to just LED's. People with EL and Plasma sabers have been able to finally install sound in them using Obsidian. This makes the possibilities endless, and from the standpoint of a sabersmith, that's awesome.

That's my personal top 3. There are a heck of alot more reasons, some that were already mentioned, but for me, this is enough.
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« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2014, 03:59:32 AM »

^ Awesome Ultra!  Good to know the nuts and bolts of Obsidian. 

This may sound a little lame, but for as much as I've used my sabers(including some failure with internals, which were handled by US, thanks guys) I kind of view them as a piece of steel in there, Obsidian does what it's asked of through interface and combat, over and over.  So what you get for what you pay, you end up ahead of the curve.
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« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2014, 10:52:10 PM »

^ Awesome Ultra!  Good to know the nuts and bolts of Obsidian. 

This may sound a little lame, but for as much as I've used my sabers(including some failure with internals, which were handled by US, thanks guys) I kind of view them as a piece of steel in there, Obsidian does what it's asked of through interface and combat, over and over.  So what you get for what you pay, you end up ahead of the curve.

Very true!  Ultra laid out the best reasons you could ask for, but my rationale comes down to an overall analysis of what you get for the money.  There are some other boards out there that do various things (many of which the Obsidian has covered) but their base cost as well as the price for their installation shoots way up above Ultrasabers prices.  I personally like all the perks the Obsidian offers - durability, Flash on Clash, swappable soundfonts, and a nice loud volume.  When you consider the fact that you're getting all that for $100 or so installed, it's mind boggling... seriously, trust me on that one.  I just did an install using another board for a friend, and the price ran up through the roof!

On a side note, the durability thing is very valid - my main saber of choice (especially for sparring) is still my Dark Prophecy with Obsidian sound.  I've put that thing through hell and it's still running, knock on wood!
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