View Full Version : Recommended sound card?
Vince2005
10-09-2005, 01:23 AM
What sound card would you recommend for listening to music and some gaming?
ripken204
10-09-2005, 02:23 PM
and audigy 2 zs if you want to spend that much, or the 24bit sound blaster live
One_Hertz
10-09-2005, 04:06 PM
X-FI Xtrememusic will do loads better.
nn_step
10-09-2005, 07:14 PM
don't get the live.. it has compatablity issues..
but for the cheap Via has good chips
for the quality x-fi is the best choice...
Vince2005
10-10-2005, 01:52 AM
Is it worth it for the X-fi?
One_Hertz
10-10-2005, 10:06 AM
Xtrememusic is definately worth it, but not so sure about platinum and fatality because you still get essencially the same card with the same sound quality priced a lot higher.
ripken204
10-10-2005, 01:14 PM
get the x-fi if u want amazing music and have amazing speakers, but the audigy 2 zs is all that you really need
nn_step
10-10-2005, 06:52 PM
Is it worth it for the X-fi?
It all depends on how big of an Audiophile you are...
cetoole
10-13-2005, 10:52 AM
The best soundcard for you depends on several variables, what your budget is, what your speakers/headphones are, and how much music vs. how much gaming you will be doing with them. Answer these, and I will see what I can come up with, and unless you are only going for gaming, the XFi isnt the best.
nn_step
10-13-2005, 06:37 PM
and if you are Unix audiophile I find the best choice is the Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 but that is based on my experience
i think audigy 2 zs and x-fi sound similar in quality, but x-fi really boosts FPS which is what you want in games.
Brock Landers
10-16-2005, 06:58 PM
Actually, I just read hexus' review of the x-fi and that was not the impression that I got. There wasn't more than a 2 or so FPS difference between the Audigy 2 and the X-Fi. Go with the one easier on your wallet.
I'm getting the A2 because I have a good stereo that I listen yo my music on when I want to experience the whole music thing. Any other time I listen to music, it's because I want some background noise.
If music is more important to you, then get the x-fi or a card that is aimed at the professional musicians market.
Good luck, man.
S1nn3r
10-19-2005, 04:18 PM
If you are not totaly obsessed with getting 3D super duper mega audio(i.e EAX 4.0) in games id get an Audiotrack Prodigy 192. I have one and its a lovely card indeed and it "just works". Drivers are not a bloated mess like Creative's and it has a realy nice headphone amp to boot.. picked mine up direct from Audiotrak here in the UK for just under £100.
Or if thats to expensive then Audiotrak do a fair few other models to,all use some version of the VIA Envy 24 chipset which is a very good audio chipset in general.
euclid
10-19-2005, 09:37 PM
if music is a consideration take a look that the ESI juli@. onboard DAC is the same as more expenssive cards and it has built in rca out so no need for breakout cable to run interconnects to a headphone amp or stereo receiver.
chaintech is a good cheap ($20) option too.
nn_step
10-20-2005, 07:51 AM
if music is a consideration take a look that the ESI juli@. onboard DAC is the same as more expenssive cards and it has built in rca out so no need for breakout cable to run interconnects to a headphone amp or stereo receiver.
chaintech is a good cheap ($20) option too.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
NO onboard sound chip will ever be as good as expensive PCI cards ever!
Look at ever test ever made on sound...
Vince2005
10-20-2005, 09:43 PM
Well the onboard sound on the DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D is ok I can notice a diffrence between that and my Audigy LS its broken so I need a new one.I would say 90% of the time I'm listening to music and I don't have relly high standards but I can tell the quality diffrence between onbaord sound and a sound card.I use Sennheiser HD 515 headphones.My budget is around 70 at most and I don't care about FPS in a game I care about the sound quality for music and movies.
Dissolved
10-20-2005, 09:54 PM
look for a used zs...
nn_step
10-20-2005, 10:11 PM
Well the onboard sound on the DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D is ok I can notice a diffrence between that and my Audigy LS its broken so I need a new one.I would say 90% of the time I'm listening to music and I don't have relly high standards but I can tell the quality diffrence between onbaord sound and a sound card.I use Sennheiser HD 515 headphones.My budget is around 70 at most and I don't care about FPS in a game I care about the sound quality for music and movies.
Then I suggest Maya...
Good but not the best and it is kind of cheap these days...
and It has none of the driver issues Creative has had...
euclid
10-21-2005, 04:20 PM
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
NO onboard sound chip will ever be as good as expensive PCI cards ever!
Look at ever test ever made on sound...
onboard DAC is the digital to analog converter onboard the SOUNDCARD... the ESI juli@ is a 140$ PCI card that has the same DAC as the $200 m-audio audiophile192.
AND NO POS BREAKOUT CABLE IS NEEDED TO RUN THE STEREO SIGNAL TO AMPLIFICATION.
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/esi-julia/ :slapass: laugh it up!
Aguanteboca
10-25-2005, 09:43 AM
Easy X-Fi. Simply great and destroys my previous Vortex 2 and Augidy 2 cards. Dont believe the creative haters...X-Fi is the real thing. Headphone features are amazing.
Not a pro musician card of course but it will do for most not so pro musicians.