Anyone using sound cards these days?

Yall

I have been using my Realtek AC97 on board audio for almost 2 years now. Bought Dark Messiah of M&M and the sound quality was awful. I'd experienced something similar with Half Life 2 and a trip to some message boards had me convinced the problem was that my CPU needed to offshore some work and a sound card was the best option.

There is a really long and painful story but I'll give you the short one - for want of a SPDIF jack (don't get me started on Creative Labs "flexjack") I ended up with the Creative X-Fi Platinum. It sounds good and the sound issues with DMofM&M have gone away, but I'm considering taking it back as $200 seems pricey for decent sound in one game. Plus, now my SPDIF jack is at the front of the PC, thanks to the "Live Drive" or whatever CL calls it these days, plus my case door won't shut now due to the protrusions.

In a nutshell, I was wondering how many of my fellow PC gamers were getting by with on board sound, and for those of you using high end sound cards, do you think it's worth it?

Kewop Decam

No, and if you do choose to buy one stay away from the overpriced SoundBlasters.

Chaintech makes good sound boards for cheap

drhazard

I don't think I've ever made a computer without a sound card in it. It's just not something I want to leave to the all-in-one of a motherboard.

And I use the X-Fi Platinum as well, and have been happy with it.

brynstar

I use an X-Fi, but I do quite a bit of audio production on my machine. I also have great speakers that can take advantage of its capabilities, so I like it, and think it's worth it personally.

Regardless, even if you're not one to use a high end card, having a card with decent acceleration and sound quality is a good thing as onboard sound usually doesn't quite cut it for gaming, in my experience.

Yall

I was just suprised to see almost none of the CL products had optical or SPDIF. Do they think everyone has a set of PC speakers or something?

I'm probably gonna uninstall their crapware and see if Circuit City will take it back.

garathkane

yes I use a seperate sound card..

sound quality is greatly increased and there is some small performance gain for disabling the onboard sound.

I use an X-fi extreme music.. its great.

Yall

I'm torn....

If I can figure out a decent way of running the SPDIF cable through the back and being able to close the case door, I may keep it.

Anyone else have any ideas? I could put the live drive in backward and run the cable through the back of the PC and then replace the drive bay door. That seems like it could be done, but it just seems kinda cludgy.

xzzy

I've heard good things about turtle beach cards, but haven't made the plunge on one myself. I haven't been able to figure out if their cards do "real" 5.1, as in dolby pro-logic and all that jazz, on every sound that comes out of the PC.

I just want a super duper card that allows me to send one wire out of my PC, plug it into my reciever, and it automagically gives me true surround sound or processes stereo signals to give a reasonable facsimile thereof.

They're hard to get solid info for.

Turtle beach has a $30 card with optical output, which seems like an amazing price compared to how much Creative Labs charges for the same thing. Even their top end card is only $80.

Legitimate First

I'm still using my trusty SB AWE, it just sounds noticably better than the crappy onboard stuff.

Plus I had random crashes from those things on 2 different boards (ABIT and ASUS) which both went away when I put old faithful in.

I'll buy new one if it dies at some point...

HarshLanguage

Err, Kewop, why the hate for Soundblasters? They're the industry standard for a reason. While the actual benefit over, say, Realtek built-in audio may be minimal in most cases, it's something. And while the top-end CL offerings are pricey with some unnecessary frills (livedrive), the low and midrange cards aren't. In fact, that's what I'd recommend to the OP - get a lower-end CL card, even an old model, with a standard SPDIF jack.

taliosfalcon

my motherboard apparently has "Intel® High Definition Audio" whatever that is..and to my untrained ear it sounds better than if i put my somewhat old audigy 2 zs in

Kewop Decam

HarshLanguage wrote:

Err, Kewop, why the hate for Soundblasters? They're the industry standard for a reason. While the actual benefit over, say, Realtek built-in audio may be minimal in most cases, it's something. And while the top-end CL offerings are pricey with some unnecessary frills (livedrive), the low and midrange cards aren't. In fact, that's what I'd recommend to the OP - get a lower-end CL card, even an old model, with a standard SPDIF jack.

I hate the super high prices. I can get something that's really close to their sound quality for a much cheaper price

rayofash

I wish my onboard AC97 chip was Realtek. Then I could play NWN with sound (it's the only AC97 chip the game works with) .

Rohan

I haven't had a seperate sound card in my pc for years, the last one being the SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 (which was their premium card before the Audigy came to be). Onboard sound is fine for me.

LewieP

does any cheap decent soundcard with 6.2mm (is that the size it is, my sennheiser HD515 headphones use them and I have an adapter to make it fit 3.5mm) output, it would be great to not have to use an adapter.

HarshLanguage

Kewop Decam wrote:

HarshLanguage wrote:

Err, Kewop, why the hate for Soundblasters? They're the industry standard for a reason. While the actual benefit over, say, Realtek built-in audio may be minimal in most cases, it's something. And while the top-end CL offerings are pricey with some unnecessary frills (livedrive), the low and midrange cards aren't. In fact, that's what I'd recommend to the OP - get a lower-end CL card, even an old model, with a standard SPDIF jack.

I hate the super high prices. I can get something that's really close to their sound quality for a much cheaper price

I will admit I haven't bought a new SoundBlaster card for a while, but when I did buy mine there weren't any cheaper alternatives that I can recall. But I got a "Gamer" bundle that was a pretty good deal; perhaps they've stopped offering stuff like that? I know the Platinums have always been quite expensive, though.

Also, is there any other way to get EAX compatibility than with a real CL card?

Kewop Decam

HarshLanguage wrote:

Kewop Decam wrote:

HarshLanguage wrote:

Err, Kewop, why the hate for Soundblasters? They're the industry standard for a reason. While the actual benefit over, say, Realtek built-in audio may be minimal in most cases, it's something. And while the top-end CL offerings are pricey with some unnecessary frills (livedrive), the low and midrange cards aren't. In fact, that's what I'd recommend to the OP - get a lower-end CL card, even an old model, with a standard SPDIF jack.

I hate the super high prices. I can get something that's really close to their sound quality for a much cheaper price

I will admit I haven't bought a new SoundBlaster card for a while, but when I did buy mine there weren't any cheaper alternatives that I can recall. But I got a "Gamer" bundle that was a pretty good deal; perhaps they've stopped offering stuff like that? I know the Platinums have always been quite expensive, though.

Also, is there any other way to get EAX compatibility than with a real CL card?

I think they still have the gamer bundles, but it's usually some old game or something you either have or don't want to play.

SithDrummer

Kewop Decam wrote:

No, and if you do choose to buy one stay away from the overpriced Pile-of-shit-Blasters.

Fixed for personal enmity.

I use a Turtle Beach Riviera right now, but my onboard sound isn't terrible.

drhazard

Kewop Decam wrote:

HarshLanguage wrote:

Kewop Decam wrote:

HarshLanguage wrote:

Err, Kewop, why the hate for Soundblasters? They're the industry standard for a reason. While the actual benefit over, say, Realtek built-in audio may be minimal in most cases, it's something. And while the top-end CL offerings are pricey with some unnecessary frills (livedrive), the low and midrange cards aren't. In fact, that's what I'd recommend to the OP - get a lower-end CL card, even an old model, with a standard SPDIF jack.

I hate the super high prices. I can get something that's really close to their sound quality for a much cheaper price

I will admit I haven't bought a new SoundBlaster card for a while, but when I did buy mine there weren't any cheaper alternatives that I can recall. But I got a "Gamer" bundle that was a pretty good deal; perhaps they've stopped offering stuff like that? I know the Platinums have always been quite expensive, though.

Also, is there any other way to get EAX compatibility than with a real CL card?

I think they still have the gamer bundles, but it's usually some old game or something you either have or don't want to play.

Ah, yes. I remember the days when the final decision between one card and the next rested more in what games came with it than with the price. :P

xzzy

SithDrummer wrote:

Kewop Decam wrote:

No, and if you do choose to buy one stay away from the overpriced Pile-of-shit-Blasters.

Fixed for personal enmity.

I use a Turtle Beach Riviera right now, but my onboard sound isn't terrible.

Are you using the optical out? 5.1 setup?

How does it handle playing mp3's, ie, any stereo signal? To DVD's painlessly come out with 5.1 surround?

Elessar Elfstone

AuzenTech makes awesome sound cards. I've had the X-plosion model in my comp for about 10 months now and don't regret the purchase at all.

Aretè

I have always loved the flexibility of the platinum series of sound blaster cards. The extra jacks in the front are perfect for routing an S/PDIF or Toslink from my front drive to my Onkyo receiver.

It all has to do with taste/preference and how you are going to use it, I have my computer set up so I can switch it over to the DVI on my plasma and just route the sound with the platinum card and if the movie carries the signal I can get really nice 6.1 surround sound.

Plus making Germans go boom in company of heroes has never sounded so satisfying. :twisted:

FreddyD

I bought an Audigy 2 ZS Gamer because BF2 did not like my onboard. It fixed all the stuttering problems, the sound was much better, and I got about a 10fps increase too. There are also options to upmix stereo sound to 5.1 using CMSS although I don't really use them.

But the biggest difference between onboard and dedicated sound isn't what you hear, it is where you hear it from. After hearing what the card could do in stereo I bought 5.1 speakers the next day.

Yall

Aretè wrote:

I have always loved the flexibility of the platinum series of sound blaster cards. The extra jacks in the front are perfect for routing an S/PDIF or Toslink from my front drive to my Onkyo receiver.

That's why I like it... all except for the SPDIF being on the front.

gneGne

Elessar Elfstone wrote:

AuzenTech makes awesome sound cards. I've had the X-plosion model in my comp for about 10 months now and don't regret the purchase at all.

Quoted For Similiar Experience

And what speakers are you using?

ToadTheMushroom

Depends what speakers you have.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS because it goes with my 7.1 surround sound uber speakers. Makes a world of difference.

But if you are running desktop stereo then why even bother with a soundcard, if you need to offload cpu then get the cheapest one possible.

victor_c26

Since this is a sound card thread of sorts: I just ordered parts to build a computer for the Kitchen. How does the old SoundBlaster Live card compare to the Realtek ALC888?

Other than the fact that the Live card is probably only 2.0 ch (Nabbed it from an old P3 tower), how does the sound quality compare to the new Realtek sound chips?

I'm going to use it with 2.0 speakers for now, since it's going to be a web/workstation computer for now.

Weaver

ToadTheMushroom wrote:

Depends what speakers you have.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS because it goes with my 7.1 surround sound uber speakers. Makes a world of difference.

But if you are running desktop stereo then why even bother with a soundcard, if you need to offload cpu then get the cheapest one possible.

I have the same card with a 7.1 set-up. It is so awesome.

SithDrummer

xzzy wrote:

SithDrummer wrote:

Kewop Decam wrote:

No, and if you do choose to buy one stay away from the overpriced Pile-of-shit-Blasters.

Fixed for personal enmity.

I use a Turtle Beach Riviera right now, but my onboard sound isn't terrible.

Are you using the optical out? 5.1 setup?

How does it handle playing mp3's, ie, any stereo signal? To DVD's painlessly come out with 5.1 surround?

I was using 4.1 for awhile, but when I moved I "temporarily" switched to simple stereo. MP3s are clear and as loud as I like. I had a few issues getting surround to work in the 4.1s at first, but once it worked fine, it stayed that way. I didn't play too many DVDs in it, though.

As for the Sound Blaster, my last card was a SB Audigy X2 (Gamer?) and though it was sufficient for awhile, it kept "forgetting" about the two rear speakers, for no reason at all that I could discern. Couple that with the fact that it was inexplicably difficult to jar its memory when this happened, and I was more than ready to try out the Riviera.

Drez

I have an onboard Nvidia sound chip, but I use my Audigy 2 ZS instead.

Drez

ToadTheMushroom wrote:

Depends what speakers you have.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS because it goes with my 7.1 surround sound uber speakers. Makes a world of difference.

But if you are running desktop stereo then why even bother with a soundcard, if you need to offload cpu then get the cheapest one possible.

Isn't using a PCI soundcard less CPU intensive than using an onboard one? I can't really remember...but I know using one is less CPU intensive than the other.

Manic205

Sound cards are definitely worth it. My friend and I have the same surround sound speakers and setup, except he is using his onboard audio.

My Audigy 2 ZS sounds miles better than his Realtek AC97 drivers.

ToadTheMushroom

Drez wrote:

ToadTheMushroom wrote:

Depends what speakers you have.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS because it goes with my 7.1 surround sound uber speakers. Makes a world of difference.

But if you are running desktop stereo then why even bother with a soundcard, if you need to offload cpu then get the cheapest one possible.

Isn't using a PCI soundcard less CPU intensive than using an onboard one? I can't really remember...but I know using one is less CPU intensive than the other.

Having a soundcard is less CPU demanding than not having one.

Having onboard sound (eg, AC97) is less CPU demanding than not havng one.

Having a sound card is less CPU demanding than having an onboard one.

Im a little confused still, but basically just like GFX cards, the more you have the bestter things run.

Elessar Elfstone

gneGne wrote:

Elessar Elfstone wrote:

AuzenTech makes awesome sound cards. I've had the X-plosion model in my comp for about 10 months now and don't regret the purchase at all.

Quoted For Similiar Experience

And what speakers are you using?

Logitech Z580s. Whatever was the model before the current Logitechs. Love em to death.

Dratatoo

I use the nforce2 onboard audio chipset. Compared to other onboard solutions it doesn't drag down the performance and has a seperate HW mixer and supports 5.1 - Personally I don't want to occupy the only PCI slot in my Shuttle PC with a additional soundcard. Its a pretty good IMO.

...possible to get EAX effects on non CL soundcards?

Yes it is possible. Most modern soundcards support EAX til 2.0, mostly through emulation. I believe if EAX 3 or 4 features are not present the game automtically falls back to basic EAX 1.0 or 2.0

To me it seems that most games nowadays rely more on alternative methods to generate and process sound. The recent use of Open AL is an example. I remembered that Creative was seriously pissed that Doom 3 didn't shipped with EAX.

The disadvantage of onboard audio is that in the worst case the components on the board are generating interference which degrate the sound quality. Other disadvantages are:

a) onboard sound is not very well supported and most likley new drivers never appear after the initial mainboard release

b) crappy non-compatible drivers

c) poor performance because the CPU has to do "the work"

To defend the Soundblaster a bit:

Its industry standard so it most likley works seamlessly with other operating systems. (Linux) Most of the SB cards hold their value. I am still using my Audigy with was released around 2002. My friend is still using his Soundblaster Live! 1024 which came out around 2000 - 2001.

Drez

I like the Audigy's "What You Hear" recording option which the Nforce2 chipset doesn't have.

Dashui

It's been said, but the X-Fi is pretty amazing. It turns any headphones into a quality sounding eight speaker set-up. I don't think I'd use anything else at this point, but it's too bad Vista mucks everything up in terms of sound.

brynstar

Dashui wrote:

It's been said, but the X-Fi is pretty amazing. It turns any headphones into a quality sounding eight speaker set-up. I don't think I'd use anything else at this point, but it's too bad Vista mucks everything up in terms of sound.

This is truth. One of my favorite things about the X-fi that I didn't mention in my earlier post is how amazing it makes headphones sound. I have a nice pair of cans, and I live in an apartment, so when it's time for quiet hours at night, the gaming can still commence!

Dratatoo

[quoteI like the Audigy's "What You Hear" recording option which the Nforce2 chipset doesn't have.[/quote]

I believe its called "Stereomix" in the Nforce2 recording options.

Grygonos

Chaintech's AV-710 series uses the VIA Envy 24 chipset, has a 192KHz sampling rate via Wolfson DAC when used in Stereo Hi-Sampling mode (repeat does not work in surround). Has an optical audio out on the card, and is CHEAP. I use this in my main gaming machine, and I can tell you it's quite good.

xzzy

SithDrummer wrote:

xzzy wrote:

SithDrummer wrote:

Kewop Decam wrote:

No, and if you do choose to buy one stay away from the overpriced Pile-of-shit-Blasters.

Fixed for personal enmity.

I use a Turtle Beach Riviera right now, but my onboard sound isn't terrible.

Are you using the optical out? 5.1 setup?

How does it handle playing mp3's, ie, any stereo signal? To DVD's painlessly come out with 5.1 surround?

I was using 4.1 for awhile, but when I moved I "temporarily" switched to simple stereo. MP3s are clear and as loud as I like. I had a few issues getting surround to work in the 4.1s at first, but once it worked fine, it stayed that way. I didn't play too many DVDs in it, though.

So stereo mp3's came out through all four speakers? I ask because I constantly have to dick with the EAX console to get it to work, which is annoying because it's shitty software. Stereo-only games (like world of warcraft) are very stubborn about it also.

I just want a decent sound card that always sends sound to all speakers, even if it's not an authentic 5.1 signal.