Sound Card choice?

[c00z]

I am currently running Nvidia's soundstorm onboard sound. However, I feel that a seperate sound card will get better performance due to onboard interferance. Thus, my question is who makes the best audiophile sound card is it creative, m-audio, or others? I would like to spend under $200 on the stand alone card.

[royphil345]

The Creative cards are good for the money. I've heard the M-Audio had some glitches mostly with gaming. Maybe corrected by new drivers now, not sure.

Very happy with my Audigy 2 these days. Changing some settings in the Creative Audio Console made it sound WAY better when hooked up to my home theater through the digital out. There are settings easier to find on the newer drivers like "bit-perfect" (probably not really) output and turning off some effects I never knew were being applied.... Output sounds more natural to me at 44,100 Hz than the default 48,000 Hz (for CDs and mp3s anyway...). Not sure if I'd be happy with the analog output... Haven't tried it since I've discovered these settings.

The "bit perfect" setting surprised me the most. You can really hear alot of the music was missing at the default setting. I always assumed the card was giving me the highest quality output it was capable of. Not so... maybe to reduce CPU load for gaming?

Don't think you could get much better sound than what I'm getting now through the digital output without going to a pricey professional card that bypasses the Windows Mixer. Noise is not a problem at all.

[basite]

under $200, you can get the creative xi-fi extrememusic, and save $70, it's a really good card

[Geekgreg]

I bought the Bluegears b-Enspirer with 109.99 from newegg. Dolby and DTS digital sound is excellent. Linux, 64 bit and 32 bit driver is ready. No problem on the control panel. No noise. Over 110 dB. Good enough for my htpc. Personally I don't like Creative at all.

[Dusty Chalk]

I love my M-Audio Sonica.

[ericl]

What is it for? Home theater, Gaming, Stereo Music, Recording? Is it going to a home theater receiver or a two channel amp? Whatever your application, there's an ideal card.

No matter what application you want, look for an external card with an external power supply. This isolates the card from the noisy computer environment/power supply.

If you're going for two channel audio only, i'd recommend the Firestone Audio FUBAR II
http://www.firestone-audio.com/cgi-bin/product.asp?pdtseqnm=2

If you're going into a home theater receiver, you want an external usb sp/dif converter.. there are many on the market for about $100 or less.

[johstripper]

I am currently running Nvidia's soundstorm onboard sound. However, I feel that a seperate sound card will get better performance due to onboard interferance. Thus, my question is who makes the best audiophile sound card is it creative, m-audio, or others? I would like to spend under $200 on the stand alone card.

I read some pretty good reviews recently about Creative's new X-Fi cards.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/08/18/creative_x/index.html

[c00z]

I was wondering does the Sound Blaster work with digital coaxial?

[royphil345]

The Audigy 2 does. Some of the others as well... Probably wouldn't bother buying anything below the Audigy 2 for a big improvement in sound. Use the settings I mentioned a few posts back. The Audigy 2 is giving me VERY good sound. WAY better than the original Audigy in my other computer. The trick seems to be not to let it up-convert and to use the "bit perfect output" setting. You'll need a mono 1/8" plug to rca plug cable (the digital-out is a mono 1/8" jack).

The up-conversion the Creative cards do is horrible. Anything up-converted sounds VERY bright. Hard to believe they still haven't addressed this issue and still have everything being up-converted and also compressed at the default settings. Don't even think you can change this without using the digital output, or change it at all on the older cards. Like I said... The Audigy 2 is sounding great using the digital out and proper settings through my main system. Took awhile to get sound from my computer good enough to use in my main system. The original Audigy and SoundBlaster Live cards weren't quite up to the task.

[c00z]

Is there not something newer than the 2003 soundblaster audigy 2? I mean three years has passed and has there not been any improvments in soundcards that have a digital coaxial output?

[royphil345]

Yeah... You know about the M-Audio and X-Fi... Whatever else is out there now...

I'm sure they have the same SPDIF digital out. Not too hard to look at the specs. Since you just said "SoundBlaster"... I thought you might have been wanting to go with an older or lesser model to save money... Wanted to warn you against it ...

You might want to go with the Audigy 2 and save money if you'll be using the digital out. I'm satisfied with it and pretty picky... LOL... I really don't think the newer cards will sound much better. Only weakness I see after selecting "bit perfect output", selecting 44,100hz as the output frequency, and turning off the CMSS effect... is that the Windows Mixer is still in the loop. There are a few pro-audio cards that can completely bypass it, but PRICEY... I don't see any advantage to the newer Creative cards when using the digital out.

Maybe the newer cards they advertise as being more music oriented sound better through the analog outs. The Audigy 2 only seems to let you tweak the settings when using the digital output. Music sounds compressed and bright without changing the settings. I still can't figure out why on a "high-end" audio card, the output is so compressed at default settings. Changing to the "bit perfect output" setting from normal is like comparing a 128 kbs mp3 to a CD. Finally realized why I wasn't happy with my previous sound cards. Always assumed the output you got was the best the card could do. The difference was dramatic. Finally some smoothness and weight to the music. I don't think you can change the setting for the analog outputs though. The "bit perfect output" setting is not available on the older cards.

[basite]

xi fi is available in different versions, you have internal ones, internal ones with a extra 5.25" module (for in the front of your pc, in a cd player slot or something) and then you have the external ones, when you go for creative, you will maybe not have "The" audiophile soundcard, but you can be sure of the support, and features, and most importantly, the xi fi haves this thing, called, "24 bit crystallizer" which well, "converts" all your audio files into 96khz, 24 bit files (well, not that it will actually convert the files, it will just, decode them, "upmix" them) this really helps, according to all the reviews i read (quite alot). and yes, the cmss effect, which is actually only of any good if you have smaller speakers in a wrong setup, and if you have a surround system, and you want to play stereo music through all speakers, this is quite a good upmix.

anyways, whatever card you buy, you might wanna use the digital out, most dac's in soundcards suck.

Hope this helped,

Basite.

[basite]

forgot to mention, myself, i've got a creative audigy 2 ZS, gold plated connections, 24 bit 96khz support, really good card, never had any problems at all, and, it's THX certified if this means anything to you...


Greetings,
Basite.

[swwdts]

THX stuff has good specs.w/ everything they make it,has to be a good sound card to be THX cert..Evertime I turn on my computer it shows that it is now adding my soundcard???? It has been it since I got the computer for my b-day in feb 06 & I have no idea why it still reads that it is now installing my sound card.I hope this( my reply ) is not spam.

[basite]

this looks interesting too, it's simple, external and not to expensive,

http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=209&subcategory=668&product=15913&nav=0

[swwdts]

It does look interesting.Do you know where it can be bought other than on line?

[basite]

dunno yet, it should be available in all computer shops that sell creative
(pretty much everyone), but their online service is very good too...

but i can't tell you like "oh, yeah, that shop over there will sell it" because i'm on the other side of the world...

[Nicholsen]

Hello to the forum. This is my first post.

I have been running the basic Xi-FI card for about 6 months and think it is a real value. I think I paid about $125. I also bought a Roku Sound Bridge on the same day which is well reviewed (which is basically an outboard card run off the network and located at your stereo), but haven't hooked it up yet. (Maybe that is the best evaluation of the Xi-Fi card and its unique features)

The basic sound of the Xi-Fi is very clean. It also has the "Crystalizer" feature and a very good virtual "surround sound" feature which are defeatable and can also be adjusted to taste. For LP's and CDs they probably should be avoided. For sources like streaming audio and MP3, they seem to add something to the final sound quality. I run both at about 33 (out of 100) on a pretty good 2 channel system. It makes streaming audio on Rhapsody far more listenable than older cards I have used.

On the other hand, I read nothing but good stuff about the M-Audio cards, which are harder to find locally but might appeal to someone with a more purist approach. For example, the Xi-Fi card does not have RCA outs. You have to use 1/8 miniplugs and an RCA converter. I run the signal through 60 ft. of good quality cable to my system and think the sound is pretty good. However, I am sure a shorter run (and better cables) would improve the sound.

Just one man's opinion.

[gychang]

No matter what application you want, look for an external card with an external power supply. This isolates the card from the noisy computer environment/power supply.

If you're going for two channel audio only, i'd recommend the Firestone Audio FUBAR II
http://www.firestone-audio.com/cgi-bin/product.asp?pdtseqnm=2


Is there an economy model?, I do want to connect my PC to my old stereo receiver...

thanks,

gychang