What sound card is best today?

[Archer]

I have been thinking for a long time about getting a sound card for in my rig but I have read bad things about this generation of creative cards. I was wondering if anyone wanted to float some suggestions from personal experience (I really don't care about what an article said, I can read also, I just want to hear some personal Exp.).

The last card I had was an audigy4 and have somehow lost it in a flurry of upgrades.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Auzentech X-fi Forte 7.1 I have is simply amazing sounding and I have had perfectly working drivers and function from the card. I am not an audiophile but this card made me a believer in sound cards over on-board sound!

[Archer]

Auzentech X-fi Forte 7.1 I have is simply amazing sounding and I have had perfectly working drivers and function from the card. I am not an audiophile but this card made me a believer in sound cards over on-board sound!

Just curious what speakers and does this card have optical and if so have you used it?

[BenchZowner]

It depends on the usage ( gaming ? music playback ? DVD/Blu-ray/HD-DVD movies ? ) and the speakers/headphones.

Can't recommend you some good tires without knowing the size of your car's rims :p

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

There is a big thread on the card over at XS (when it comes back up) where people have used speakers and other such things. the card as 7.1 analog outputs as well as coaxial and optical (in one port) as well as an amplified headphone port for using the highest quality stereo monitors around.

[Archer]

There is a big thread on the card over at XS (when it comes back up) where people have used speakers and other such things. the card as 7.1 analog outputs as well as coaxial and optical (in one port) as well as an amplified headphone port for using the highest quality stereo monitors around.

Thanks I had been looking at that brand but I hate the reviews at the Egg so that is one vote Hmmm??? maybe a poll will be an idea for this.

[cm.]

Is there that big of a difference between sound cards these days? I'm using a pair of audio technica ATH-AD700s and i just don't think the extra $200-$300 odd (AUD) is worth it for marginally better sound.

Up to you I guess but I doubt there would be a huge difference.... or maybe i'm just deaf from listening to music too loud :p

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

well the auzen is top quality parts and it has a changeable op-amp. its only $140 and I was seriously amazed when I first listened to this card

[EnJoY]

I use the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude with stock OPAMPS and it sounds great. The only thing holding it back are my Klipsch Promedia 2.1's. :)

[zanzabar]

Is there that big of a difference between sound cards these days? I'm using a pair of audio technica ATH-AD700s and i just don't think the extra $200-$300 odd (AUD) is worth it for marginally better sound.

Up to you I guess but I doubt there would be a huge difference.... or maybe i'm just deaf from listening to music too loud :p

its a huge difference from onboard to sound card but good sound card to forte shouldent be huge

[Mr Tristan]

I use the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude with stock OPAMPS and it sounds great. The only thing holding it back are my Klipsch Promedia 2.1's. :)

Dude, Klipsch > all. How many years have we had those speakers we bought? I've taken mine to Rhode Island, back to Mass, to Seattle, back to Mass, to Rhode Island and THEN to Georgia and they still work like a charm.

[EnJoY]

Dude, Klipsch > all. How many years have we had those speakers we bought? I've taken mine to Rhode Island, back to Mass, to Seattle, back to Mass, to Rhode Island and THEN to Georgia and they still work like a charm.

Haha...that is true. Durable as all hell. I will never get rid of them for that fact alone. I damaged my subwoofer connector when I moved them down to the basement last summer for a party and they havent been the same since. I have a replacement connector, just haven't had the motivation to splice it.

[zacho]

I've also heard good things about the Asus Xonar D2X. It's around the same price as the auzen prelude.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

there was a huge war between the audiphiles at XS over whether the D2x or the Forte was batter and a few things can be said as fact from that discussion:

- The difference in sound quality between the 2 cards is subjective at best.
- The D2x passes its computations to the CPU which takes CPU power.
- The Forte has an X-fi audio processor and does not pass to the CPU for calculations.

Also the Xonar doesnt do X-fi (obviously) so its not the choice for gaming on top of passing calculations to the CPU.

[Jay]

the asus essence stx is what i really wanted to pair with my sennheisers
i just dont know if their really worth the $200 price tag, AND THEIR SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE :(

[redshift]

i'll suggest onkyo soundcard from japan, the price around 150$

link review.
http://www.audiojunkies.com/blog/746/onkyo-se200pci-and-seu55sx-sound-cards

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

i'll suggest onkyo soundcard from japan, the price around 150$

link review.
http://www.audiojunkies.com/blog/746/onkyo-se200pci-and-seu55sx-sound-cards

hot damn that card looks wonderful and knowing onkyo from their receivers I would bet its one of the best there is for sound quality :up:. Thats a great find right there :)

[FAbian_101]

Im using Auzentech X-Fi Prelude as well...
This card just made me "dislike" on-board sound...

I checked out the onkyo card redshift posted...
Think it will sound good... but it does not look that appealing to me.. :P

Btw hi all.. lol

[drizzt5]

there was a huge war between the audiphiles at XS over whether the D2x or the Forte was batter and a few things can be said as fact from that discussion:

- The difference in sound quality between the 2 cards is subjective at best.
- The D2x passes its computations to the CPU which takes CPU power.
- The Forte has an X-fi audio processor and does not pass to the CPU for calculations.

Also the Xonar doesnt do X-fi (obviously) so its not the choice for gaming on top of passing calculations to the CPU.
I am looking at the Forte... but I don't see myself buying a sound card until I redo my rig. (new mobo+cpu+ram+gpu+whatever since my PSU might handle the new stuff)

[redshift]

more teaser from onkyo latest PCI sound card. :D
http://www.jp.onkyo.com/wavio/se_200pci_series/index.htm

[werty316]

The Auzentech X-Fi seems to be a great add-on sound card but I can't really say so since I haven't used an add-on sound card since SB Live! I'm not a audiophile so onboard sound is god enough for my needs.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Man you say that onboard sound is good enough, I know I did for a solid 3 years, but then one day you jump for the nice sound card and you say HOLY F**ing CRAP why the hell did I use onboard for all that time?

At least thats my experience, its definitely not an "oh I spent a lot of money so the placebo makes it good" kind of thing

[Archer]

I kind of miss having a sound as it also dumps a load off of the cpu in games and with what I plan on doing with this system I may need it.

[cm.]

I suppose that's fair enough, offloading processing time from the CPU is enough to make a cheapish card worth it. Too bad the 4pin mobo cable runs over all my left over PCI and PCIe slots and barely makes it to the socket.

[redshift]

the latest onboard soundcard is al888 from realtec and support 8.1 sound channel, some motherboards already using it.

well, comparing onboard souncard with internal pci surely no match though...free stuff vs $100-150 of cash.

[FAbian_101]

True... but most of the time...

Boards that do support 8.1 sound channel are mostly like the "higher-end" models...

So I would prefer to get a good decent priced OC board and pay the remainder for the sound card.. :P

Cause Im not such a rich dude to change hardware when the "latest" is up... :D

[zacho]

there was a huge war between the audiphiles at XS over whether the D2x or the Forte was batter and a few things can be said as fact from that discussion:

- The difference in sound quality between the 2 cards is subjective at best.
- The D2x passes its computations to the CPU which takes CPU power.
- The Forte has an X-fi audio processor and does not pass to the CPU for calculations.

Also the Xonar doesnt do X-fi (obviously) so its not the choice for gaming on top of passing calculations to the CPU.

Okay, so how does the Forte stack up against the Prelude?

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Okay, so how does the Forte stack up against the Prelude?

From what I hear the forte is a mini prelude with very comparable sound, it has the advantage of being native PCI-E where as the prelude is PCI. basically they are cards aimed at different segments. going from one to the other would really be a "sidegrade"