View Full Version : getting sound card worth it??
comc49
08-15-2008, 07:17 PM
Hi i'm wondering if i should get a sound card. i'am right now using onboard soundcard so is there a difference if i get a discrete sound card? i have this speaker. http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=25&product=10596
If gettin sound card is worth it, what is best one under 101 dollars?
depends on what you need it for. Music? Gaming?
In any case, with those speakers you won't notice much quality improvement with a dedicated card. If it's for gaming and you need to free up the cpu, you can get x-fi xtremegamer fatal1ty pro for around $100 on ebay.
comc49
08-15-2008, 07:25 PM
it will be mostly listening to music. o and i dl songs so most are around 128 and 192 bitrate so it's not worth it to get sound card?
depends on what kind onboard sound you have, some of them sound pretty decent...but like i said, with those speakers you won't notice much difference.
comc49
08-15-2008, 08:01 PM
i got really :banana::banana::banana::banana:ty onboard sound.. i'll just get a sound card anyways. what's a good one under $101 on retail?
xMrBunglex
08-16-2008, 01:01 AM
you won't notice a difference. i actually pulled the SoundBlaster out of my computer last year because i hated their drivers. i've been running onboard ever since and i'm much happier.
if you must buy a sound card, check out Auzentech. but you really won't notice even a teeny difference if you're listening to crappy 128k MP3 files.
adamsleath
08-16-2008, 01:02 AM
i actually pulled the SoundBlaster out of my computer last yearme too.
comc49
08-16-2008, 10:50 PM
well i bought soundblaster x-fi xtreme audio anyways. btw is there a way to enable both onboard and discrete sound card? i want to put my headphones on my onboard and speakers on my discrete.
grimREEFER
08-16-2008, 10:55 PM
well i bought soundblaster x-fi xtreme audio anyways. btw is there a way to enable both onboard and discrete sound card? i want to put my headphones on my onboard and speakers on my discrete.
yea, you just install the drivers for both, and create a shortcut on desktop so you can switch between audio devices easily.
comc49
08-16-2008, 11:33 PM
meh i'm too lazy for that...
krille
08-17-2008, 05:47 AM
It would probably have been better to spend all of the $180 on the speaker system. I don't think a $80 speaker set is good enough to warrant a $100 sound card. I would save my cash for some better speakers (or on a better or another graphics card or something) to be honest.
it's more like a $50 that he bough, that card is their basic version.
littleowl
08-17-2008, 08:54 AM
IMO any sound card that is 96khz or less is basic and not really worth the money because that is what most onboard sound cards put out. I want to get the Xfi 192khz card.
Jamesrt2004
08-17-2008, 08:57 AM
xtreme audio isnt even xi-fi its the audigy 2 chip if im correct
xMrBunglex
08-17-2008, 01:16 PM
i've never forgiven Creative for using that proprietary front audio panel connector on their sound cards. do they still do that? make it so you can't hook your case's front audio connectors to it? that is absolutely unforgiveable and i can't believe people actually put up with their crap and continue to buy their cards.
comc49
08-17-2008, 04:07 PM
yah i read that this card is not true x-fi. so should i return it and just get new mobo? since my speaker is not that good.
RADCOM
08-17-2008, 06:20 PM
I think I have every creative sound card since the AWE16, has anyone done a test with these to see what difference we can hear and the system performance since the soundblaster live? I can send you a free soundcard if you pay postage or donate something to a charity. I have some of the other sound cards from around that genre i.e the turtle santa cruz. Many thought this was very good sound card at the time but I can't remember those days lol. Pm me if you like :)
xMrBunglex
08-17-2008, 11:26 PM
yah i read that this card is not true x-fi. so should i return it and just get new mobo? since my speaker is not that good.
just buy a cheap sound card if you want. and never buy a Creative sound card. there are a million valid reasons to hate them.
krille
08-18-2008, 03:41 AM
IMO any sound card that is 96khz or less is basic and not really worth the money because that is what most onboard sound cards put out. I want to get the Xfi 192khz card.Why would you need or even want 192kHz? You can hear frequencies as high as 96Khz? The average human ear can only perceive frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 16 kHz and you only need 32 kHz for that. (An infants hearing is better, 16 Hz to 20 kHz, but it deterioriates over the course of life.) CD quality (44.1 kHz) is well above this (not to mention your everyday integrated sound at 48 kHz). Most speakers are even limited to 20 kHz, only professional studio monitors (usually up to 40 kHz) are made to output higher frequency sounds.
AFAIK the 192kHz (and even 96kHz) hype is just a marketing gimmick of no real-world use whatsoever (unless you're a professional, as it helps when resampling sounds, but then you wouldn't be asking here anyway...).
Even if you're part of the "well, maybe higher freqs can impact lower freqs" believers, 96kHz should be more than enough for your purposes.
The 24-bit is much more interesting in that case. It allows for better SNR and higher definition (256 times greater dynamic range).
JayG30
08-18-2008, 07:44 AM
you won't notice a difference. i actually pulled the SoundBlaster out of my computer last year because i hated their drivers. i've been running onboard ever since and i'm much happier.
if you must buy a sound card, check out Auzentech. but you really won't notice even a teeny difference if you're listening to crappy 128k MP3 files.
I've done the same. The only computers I would use something other than onboard for in today's market is a music server (really only if the computer is hooked directly to your system through cables) or a computer I know I will be plugging in high quality headphones too. Less hassle, just as good sound quality.
The 24-bit is much more interesting in that case. It allows for better SNR and higher definition (256 times greater dynamic range).
Agreed.
Side note, I've never understood this fascination with X-Fi sound cards. It seems to me that X-Fi is just Creatives patented sound processing. I don't want ANY sound processing on my music anyway. Same reason I wouldn't use THX processing. I do understand that the X-Fi cards are probably made better than their lower end models, but in the end if I want something better than what I get with onboard audio, I think I'll go a few steps above a sound card, especially an internal sound card that doesn't resolve the signal deterioration due to other components.
B.E.E.F.
08-18-2008, 02:23 PM
ASUS Xonar D2
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1173/asus_xonar_d2_ultra_fidelity_sound_card/
littleowl
08-18-2008, 02:31 PM
Why would you need or even want 192kHz? You can hear frequencies as high as 96Khz? The average human ear can only perceive frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 16 kHz and you only need 32 kHz for that. (An infants hearing is better, 16 Hz to 20 kHz, but it deterioriates over the course of life.) CD quality (44.1 kHz) is well above this (not to mention your everyday integrated sound at 48 kHz). Most speakers are even limited to 20 kHz, only professional studio monitors (usually up to 40 kHz) are made to output higher frequency sounds.
AFAIK the 192kHz (and even 96kHz) hype is just a marketing gimmick of no real-world use whatsoever (unless you're a professional, as it helps when resampling sounds, but then you wouldn't be asking here anyway...).
Even if you're part of the "well, maybe higher freqs can impact lower freqs" believers, 96kHz should be more than enough for your purposes.
The 24-bit is much more interesting in that case. It allows for better SNR and higher definition (256 times greater dynamic range).
So are you saying that this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102006) card would be better then this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102005) card?
I am in need of a good sound card and I guess I don't understand what would be the best to get.
comc49
08-18-2008, 06:56 PM
arg my card sounds terrible... it makes this electric noise on my speaker.. i'll return it for sure.
i've never forgiven Creative for using that proprietary front audio panel connector on their sound cards. do they still do that? make it so you can't hook your case's front audio connectors to it? that is absolutely unforgiveable and i can't believe people actually put up with their crap and continue to buy their cards.
That *was* a bad idea, I had a X Fi Extreme Music and could not do this, but the sound through decent speakers and headphones was great, I sold that card and bought an X Fi Extreme Gamer, that is just as good for music, but it will let me use my cases front audio connections, just plug them in and away you go ... could have done this with the Extreme Music, but it would have meant having to connect each case wire individually (there is a guide on the net somewhere) but agreed, this was bad, the X-Fi Extreme Gamer is a brilliant card though, you *can* use your cases front connectors, its fairly cheap and saves a few FPS in demanding games compared to using on board sound.