Soundcard?

P

pibbur who

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I am considerning getting an internal or external soundcard. At the moment I'm considering the Sound BlasterX AE-5, which has got very good reviews. However some people claim that MB sound now is very good, so I won't notice any difference. Thechnical specifications exceed the MB device, but sometimes numbers are just numbers and not something I will hear.

I am fairly happy with the on-board sound on my Asus strix MB. However in some areas sound isn't as clear as I'd like it to be (not necessarily the fault of the sound chips), and it isn't - depending on the source - always as loud as I want (using headphones and yes I do take care of my ears).

I will use it mostly for gaming, some times for listening to music. The headphones I use are good quality, so if there is any significant difference, the phonjes should be able to reproduce it.

pibbur
 
It looks to me like that card has a high quality DAC, which can make a significant difference, IMO. I don't know how good a job it does as a headphone amp.

I'd be quite tempted, because I think you're getting hardware for which you could pay several times more, if it were inside a sleek hi-fi component box.
 
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Not satisfied with onboard (most probably Realtek's) chip -> always go for external soundcard. Anything from Creative Labs or Asus is a way to go, just make sure it's price is below $100 as pricier ones are overrated - I don't think any game uses high quality flac recordings so no professional equipment will make it sound better.

That's for gaming ofc. For recording Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2nd gen is no brainer. My brother's band tried several such products but only this one seems to have unnoticable delay (latency). Just remember, it's 2nd gen you want. Looks the same as the original one, but unlike the first series it's way more efficient and doesn't distort anything.

However, just like me you're at age when, well, the problem is not with devices really. So before buying anything, I'd check if everything I already have works well with my, or someone else's, grandkids.
 
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Ripper said:
It looks to me like that card has a high quality DAC, which can make a significant difference, IMO. I don't know how good a job it does as a headphone amp.
Click to expand...
It's supposed to have excellent headphone amps.

I'd be quite tempted, because I think you're getting hardware for which you could pay several times more, if it were inside in a sleek hi-fi component box.
Click to expand...
Ahh. This is a thing I'm looking for an excuse to buy, so: Thank you. :)

pibbur
 
Of course, I am now in considerable jeopardy of purchasing one of these shortly.

BTW, i wouldn't worry too much about internal sound cards. It's obviously not an ideal design decision to put analogue audio hardware near a source of electrical noise, but it's also quite likely that you'll never experience a perceptible problem.
 
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depends what your issue is with the sound. You might be better off with a pocket amp (fiio series). Also if you are building a new computer I'd wait on the sound card until after the computer is built as the sound circuitry has improved (depending on mother board you buy).
 
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pibbur who said:
It's supposed to have excellent headphone amps.


Ahh. This is a thing I'm looking for an excuse to buy, so: Thank you. :)

pibbur
Click to expand...

I think this is mainly an audiophile preference. Most people won't care about the difference. I'd like to say I know the difference between on-board and my Audigy, but I can't provide any evidence. Maybe you will. However like you said, the headphone amp is a really nice feature. That is one thing i'd like to get down the road.

I see it like buying speakers or headphones. Try then buy.
 
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pibbur who said:
It's supposed to have excellent headphone amps.

Ahh. This is a thing I'm looking for an excuse to buy, so: Thank you. :)

pibbur
Click to expand...

Did you manage to justify this purchase, pibbur? I'm curious to hear any reports.
 
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I've always been a supporter of Creative Sound Card but lately Driver updates have become inconsistent and they have shut down their forums, i don't think i'll buy another Creative product. The ZxR was the last one i bought and no drivers have been issued in over a year.
 
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Yep. Got it. Installed it. And…..

WOW (not the game)

It's an Asus Strix Raid DLX card. Not that I'm raiding, but it comes with a handy control box with headphone port, eliminating the need for in-cabinet cabling from soundcard to headphone port in front of cabinet, which apparently would be a source of noise.

There is a significant difference betrween the on-mainboard sound processor and this one, you don''t need to be an audiophile to appreciate that. Sound is clearer, instruments are better separated and small details like the faint tickling sounds in the background of Shine on you crazy diamonds, are more explicite. Game sound is similarly clearer and richer with well defined sound sources.

Virtual 7.1 works fine, the best I've heard so far, but to be honest, I may be a bit biased when it comes to that feature.

There is of course a configuration tool (Sonic Studio) Lots of settings, but I haven't delved into them at the moment.

Yes, I think getting the card was well worth the money I spent.

pibbur who now will take a loooong break before investing more in his retirement-present-super-pc.

PS. I tested the card using my Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro. For fun I also connected my trusty PortaPro headphones - they can't compete, of course, but they sounded surprisingly good. DS.
 
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I suspected as much.

Now I shall have to negotiate with Iron Bank of Braavos to see about acquiring one.
 
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Just tried it with Hellblade, Senua's Sacrifice. I can't remember how that sounded on mainboard audio, but this new soundcard definitely does the game justice, with all the voices in her head coming from everywhere.

pibbur who may or may not continue tempting innocent watchers
 
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I stopped using sound cards entirely about a year ago. I just use the Nvidia HD audio piped out from my video card's HDMI port and just let my Denon AVR receiver do all the post-processing. Feels purer that way. I use to hear a noticeable hiss coming from my Soundblaster Z card (admittedly I was using old analog connections though). Now it's dead silence between passages.
 
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I tried that, found it a bit cumbersome (awkward position of headphone ports) and since I don't have a receiver/external amplifier in my den, I missed the option to adjust things. As far as I remember it, the HDMI sound was not as good as what I have now, but that may be wishful thinking on my part.

No hiss from the new soundcard, and oodles of configuration features (which I admittedly at the moment doesn't use. But I'm going to use it!

pibbur who sounds a bit more happy than he uses to. Won't last forever.
 
I think these premium dedicated sound cards do way too much post-processing which can severely color the sound if you don't go easy on enabling these features. For the longest time I used the "crystallizer" option my SBZ had and it made MP3s and music sound great, even movie soundtracks seemed to boom with a new found dynamic range. I used it for a LOOOONG time, until I realized that it caused my speakers to clip at much lower volume levels than they would clip normally. So I stopped using all that jazz and now just rely on the Direct sound at the cost of some brightness.
 
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