Sound Card......How big did you go?

Boomer313

New Member
OK.....What sound card do you use and suggest? Why?
2-channel, 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 ?
$20, $40, $100, $150?

And if I install a 6.1 sound card (which my receiver will support) will the audio I am playing from itunes, CD's or radio be enhanced at all compared to the 2 channel card I am using today?

If I install a higher level sound card, do I want one that has digital (coax, fibre) output, or is seperate mini plug connections for each channel the way to go?

Help....what have you done in this area, and are you happy with the results?

Boomer313
 
And if I install a 6.1 sound card (which my receiver will support) will the audio I am playing from itunes, CD's or radio be enhanced at all compared to the 2 channel card I am using today?

Yes and no. Your music will not be improved by going to 6.1 as apposed to 2 channel (music is usually two channel, unless it's a DVD-A multi mix) though as long as the card has a better DA converter and you are using lossless files then yes it will sound better, in the same why that it would sound better if you go from cheap components to more expensive components.
 
Last time I bought one new, I went two channel with a budget of $100. In that price range, I got a M Audio Audiophile 2496. Good sound card with rca in/out, and a breakout cable with s/pdif in/out via rca, plus midi. A little confusing to set up, but it sounds great.
 
I'm looking to build a dedicated server for my system, and am having trouble choosing a card.

My preamp is limited to analog inputs, so a quality DAC is a must. While I'm looking for a high quality "audiophile" result, I don't want to overspend either.

Any ideas, suggestions, etc., about brands, DAC's, etc., are appreciated.
 
Actually, a USB DAC might be the best way for me to go - anyone have positive experiences/recommendations?
 
Actually, a USB DAC might be the best way for me to go - anyone have positive experiences/recommendations?

A USB DAC is often the way to go these days, even my two DACs which I use with my Lynx card via AES have USB.

Look at the Matrix mini, the Maverick D1, and the Musiland monitor 01 for starters. These are listed in order from most expensive to least.

The EMU 0202 USB would work well too.

DC
 
My desktop PC computers all have AudioScience sound cards installed. I use Adobe Audition for editing and Sony Sound Forge CD Architect for burning. I use BSI WaveCart for playback and BSI Simian. OS used is XP SP2. Expensive but reliable in daily use and worth it. I use retired broadcast automation PC hardware at home. :tresbon:
 
As far as PCI card goes, the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 is IMHO the minimum 2-channel card you should get at (now) under $100. They've been around a while, I paid $150 for mine maybe nine years ago.

Many years ago when USB first came out it wasn't really trustable for audio due to speed and latency problems, but that's changed. Maybe there's some good USB interface that costs less than the AP2496, I'm not really familiar with the market nowadays, though Lynx and EMU are good recognizable names. Be sure whatever you get is truly intended for professional recording, and is NOT the consumer-grade stuff that comes with a computer.

I wouldn't trust anything with the name Creative, Soundblaster, Audigy, or SBlive on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_Audigy#First_generation
Stay away from any brand of "consumer" soundcards that are sold in computer stores, or any sound interface built into a motherboard even if it has a vacuum tube on it.

There, I think I've stirred up enough stuff. :)
 
BTW, to answer the OP, I got an E-Mu 1212 (but if you think the M-Audio is confusing to set up...).
 
As far as PCI card goes, the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 is IMHO the minimum 2-channel card you should get at (now) under $100. They've been around a while, I paid $150 for mine maybe nine years ago.

Many years ago when USB first came out it wasn't really trustable for audio due to speed and latency problems, but that's changed. Maybe there's some good USB interface that costs less than the AP2496, I'm not really familiar with the market nowadays, though Lynx and EMU are good recognizable names. Be sure whatever you get is truly intended for professional recording, and is NOT the consumer-grade stuff that comes with a computer.

I wouldn't trust anything with the name Creative, Soundblaster, Audigy, or SBlive on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_Audigy#First_generation
Stay away from any brand of "consumer" soundcards that are sold in computer stores, or any sound interface built into a motherboard even if it has a vacuum tube on it.

There, I think I've stirred up enough stuff. :)

The optical and coaxial outputs on my mobo work fine...into any DAC I've ever used them with...Anthem pre/pro, "digital" receiver (Panny SA-XR55), standalone Analog Devices AD1955, etc.
 
The optical and coaxial outputs on my mobo work fine...into any DAC I've ever used them with...Anthem pre/pro, "digital" receiver (Panny SA-XR55), standalone Analog Devices AD1955, etc.
That's digital I/O. and not a "sound interface" with the usual analog mic in/line out on the MB, not at all what I was speaking of...but whatever.
 
That's digital I/O. and not a "sound interface" with the usual analog mic in/line out on the MB, not at all what I was speaking of...but whatever.

Well, it's not really "whatever" when one of the OPs questions was specifically about digital connections.
 
As far as PCI card goes, the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 is IMHO the minimum 2-channel card you should get at (now) under $100. They've been around a while, I paid $150 for mine maybe nine years ago.

Many years ago when USB first came out it wasn't really trustable for audio due to speed and latency problems, but that's changed. Maybe there's some good USB interface that costs less than the AP2496, I'm not really familiar with the market nowadays, though Lynx and EMU are good recognizable names. Be sure whatever you get is truly intended for professional recording, and is NOT the consumer-grade stuff that comes with a computer.

I wouldn't trust anything with the name Creative, Soundblaster, Audigy, or SBlive on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_Audigy#First_generation
Stay away from any brand of "consumer" soundcards that are sold in computer stores, or any sound interface built into a motherboard even if it has a vacuum tube on it.

There, I think I've stirred up enough stuff. :)

I 100 percent agree on that, I had the creative 5.1, not bad, but my kids got me the creative 7.1 for Christmas, crap , and I felt sorry for my kids as they see daddy not using it. It sounded like a continous repetitive thumping sound rolling over at about 3 times per second. Then I had the bright idea to call customer support, what a waste of time, as they were reading the trouble shoot guide, the same as I had infront of me. The first thing they said was that to check my cables, I knew it was a lost cause, as soon as they said that. I bought the Xoner D2, the VGA slot type, a big improvemnent, but it does take more memory, still have it and I love it.

Sorry OP's, I got carried away, if you buy a 7.1 higher end audio card , it can enhance your music and all most any way you like . Buy the 7.1 and then you have the option of setting it from 7.1, 5.1 and all the way down to 2 channel if you wish. I am using the regular phono plugs as my distance from the computor to the amps is about 10 ft, it would not benefit you much if you went fiber optics, unless your reciever has that, and you have 20ft or more to go. Also the tiny phono jacks can have poor contact problems over time [hum] and can also get pulled out, if you move your computor away from were it is sitting to plug, lets say a USB in to load a file etc. I always turn off the amp , when I do that, other wise I have had good luck with that, on my Xoner card, but all way's had contact problems, with my Creative card, over time.
But yes, with a good card, you have a lot of different settings, you can even re arrange your speaker settings and positioning settings.
 
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Well, it's not really "whatever" when one of the OPs questions was specifically about digital connections.

The OP asked if he should use digital IOs. A question that, IME, depends less on the computer and more on what it is being plugged into.
 
As far as PCI card goes, the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 is IMHO the minimum 2-channel card you should get at (now) under $100. They've been around a while, I paid $150 for mine maybe nine years ago.

Many years ago when USB first came out it wasn't really trustable for audio due to speed and latency problems, but that's changed. Maybe there's some good USB interface that costs less than the AP2496, I'm not really familiar with the market nowadays, though Lynx and EMU are good recognizable names. Be sure whatever you get is truly intended for professional recording, and is NOT the consumer-grade stuff that comes with a computer.

I wouldn't trust anything with the name Creative, Soundblaster, Audigy, or SBlive on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_Audigy#First_generation
Stay away from any brand of "consumer" soundcards that are sold in computer stores, or any sound interface built into a motherboard even if it has a vacuum tube on it.

There, I think I've stirred up enough stuff. :)

Nah!! All very good points. That is why I went with a RME Hammerfall 9632. I was to find on Ebay for 250.00.
 
I just bought a Auzentech X-Plosion 7.1 Cinema today as NCIX is having a decent sale on them this week.

I got it because I'll eventually need a sound-card with optical out that works in Windows 7 - 64 bit. I'm still using XP-SP3 on both of my PCs even though I'd already bought Win7 a couple months ago.

I've not noticed any difference in sound quality, though it seems I have to turn the dials up a bit more with the newer card to achieve the same volume levels as before.

Edit: Well after listening to music for most of the day yesterday on the new card, I have now noticed differences in sound quality. The differences became more apparent in the midnight hours when the ambient noises dropped to near zero. There is definitely more clarity and detail coming through with the older and much cheaper Chaintech 5.1 card when compared to the Auzentech Cinema card. I'm not sure what chips the Auzentech card uses, but the Envy24 on the Chaintech sounds great!

I suppose it's possible some of the settings in the Auzentech drivers may have changed things for the better, but at a default "flat EQ" I prefer the Chaintech (Envy24) sound.

Edit 2: So I'd taken the Auzentech card out of my main (work) pc (AMD on ASUS mobo), and installed it into my gaming rig (Intel on ASUS mobo). It might just be the software, or the way I'd set things up, but the Auzen card sounds better on my gaming rig than on the work rig. It doesn't make sense to me that soundcards using optical out should sound any different from each other, so I'm assuming there were/are other issues at play here. I even matched the player versions and settings (foobar2000 1.0.3) to rule out any differences that could make. It's possible I had inadvertently had a DSP mode on at one time or another during testing, which would have really changed the sound...I'm not exactly sure why there were differences, but it seems better to me in the other pc.

All in all, I've been fairly pleased with it since the switch to the gaming box. I didn't pay much for this card (which I've learned uses Creative chips/tech) which has optical out (all I wanted really) and it works in Windows 7, at least according to the hardware compatibility wizard at MS site.

/edits


THC
 
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I've tried them ALL....bah to them all!! What I found is that Microsoft plays games with it's user on coxial/SDIF access usage. When WinXp SP-2 was released THEY turned off digital out, when you use their drives. Instead of using the release or OEM drivers. Soooooo when question them about they had 2yr look, with hand in the cookie jar!! RME Hammerfall DSP9632 should be the only choice. YES!! It does sound much cleaner and natural than the other OEM. I found mines on E-bay, so you'll have to keep an eye on the prices. I was able to grab one for 250.00 USD.
 
ASUS Xonar STX or ST (depending on your open slots) for a dedicated 2 ch. server. Forget about listening to music in anything but stereo. The Xonar line IS audiophile grade, it was what it was DESIGNED for, not as an audio studio recording interface.
Roll the opamps to tune it the way you like.

I use the internal spdif out to my video card (HDMI) then onto my receiver for using surround/etc on movies.
 
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