Help buying a sound card??

Funtoss · Apr 18, 2011, 01:23 AM

Hi, i m thinking of getting a better sound card as i currently have a cheap c-media 8738 sound card lol

i was thinking of getting an ASUS Xonar DG
is it good?
would it make any difference??

please help, thanks

Jack Doph · Apr 18, 2011, 01:45 AM

It should, yes.
That Xonar is quite good actually, even if it's still driven by C-media (8786 though).
There are better in the Xonar range, but they are also a fair bit more expensive. To my ears, they're worth that extra expense, but if it's mainly for gaming, then this should do just fine

Funtoss · Apr 18, 2011, 01:58 AM

i have a logitech x-530 5.1 speakers, would it give better sound and bass?

gpost3 · Apr 18, 2011, 04:32 AM

You need to be more specific, what do you mean "better"? Some people like the extra boomy bass, some people like tight punchy bass. I personally aim for accuracy. What is your budget? and what are the speakers and the sound card mainly used for? (gaming/movies/music?)

Funtoss · Apr 18, 2011, 08:06 AM

sound card is for music and gaming but mostly MUSIC

umm i want the boomy bass i think

my budget is around $50 NZ dollars

Funtoss · Apr 18, 2011, 08:14 AM

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/C...-369035880.htm

or

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/C...-369326573.htm

which one should i go for? and would it work on windows 7 64 bit?

claylomax · Apr 18, 2011, 08:34 AM

Every time one of this threads comes up, I always recommend my card. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-...o-presentation it's a bit more than the DG though.

D4S4 · Apr 18, 2011, 08:40 AM

i have x-230 (almost the same -3 speakers) and i doubt you'll hear much of a difference, i think you'd rather invest into some new speakers.

gpost3 · Apr 18, 2011, 08:49 AM

Between those two, I would say go with the Xonar. It will work with 64 bit windows
http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/com...ards&os=64-bit

I agree with D4S4, your speakers are the weakest link in getting good sound. Another option is - if you do most of your listening while sitting - then consider getting a pair of good headphones from Sony or any other known company. If you want to get better speakers, then I suggest picking up an Amp from Yamaha, Sony or any brand with a pair of bookshelf speakers but this setup will cost you a lot more.

Jack Doph · Apr 18, 2011, 08:56 AM

^ +1.
Cannot beat headphones for music listening.
Handy for gaming too; no-one in the house (or neighbourhood) will complain about all the explosions in Game X

You'll be surprised how much better the sound will be with better speakers, or a decent set of cans, even with on-board sound

Funtoss · Apr 18, 2011, 10:53 PM

hmm, what speakers should i buy then?
can anyone tell me speakers that are better than x-530's and also good in bass sound?

D4S4 · Apr 18, 2011, 11:49 PM

how much $$$ do you want to spend? i haven't been checking out the latest speaker models but the price range would be good info for somebody who knows more.

Funtoss · Apr 19, 2011, 10:50 AM

around 200$ NZ

gpost3 · Apr 19, 2011, 10:58 AM

For that price, you could get a pair of M-Audio AV40 which will run you around $120 and use the remainder to get an 8 inch home-theatre subwoofer from Energy, Sony or Yamaha (or any decent brand).

Funtoss · Apr 19, 2011, 11:32 AM

how do i connect a home-theater subwoofer to a computer ?? can i connect it to my x -530's?

micropage7 · Apr 19, 2011, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funtoss

how do i connect a home-theater subwoofer to a computer ?? can i connect it to my x -530's?

basicly its same like computer speaker but you need to change the jack into 3,5 so you can plug in to your pc or buy adapter for that

gpost3 · Apr 19, 2011, 07:47 PM

You connect a home theatre subwoofer using a Y split connector with 3.5 mm headphone jack on one side and 2 (or 1) female RCA jacks on the other. Something like this:

Then you plug that jack into the back of your sound card and configure your audio settings to use 2.1

hat · Apr 19, 2011, 09:14 PM

That's how I have mine set up. I have a quad home theater system and I use these cables that are 3.5mm on one end and RCA red/white on the other. Get those hooked up to the receiver's analog inputs and that's all there is to it...

Funtoss · Apr 19, 2011, 09:23 PM

Wow thanks so much guys! i m going to try this

hat · Apr 19, 2011, 09:25 PM

Connecting your home theater to your machine will grant you much better sound quality with onboard sound than you could ever dream of getting from your pc speakers with any sound card out there. I still might look into a sound card for features, and/or noticeably improved audio quality (since you'll actually have something good hooked up to it).

Scrizz · Apr 20, 2011, 04:23 PM

I love my polk bookshelves.

Apr 18, 2011, 01:23 AM	#1
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	Help buying a sound card?? Hi, i m thinking of getting a better sound card as i currently have a cheap c-media 8738 sound card lol i was thinking of getting an ASUS Xonar DG is it good? would it make any difference?? please help, thanks

System Name:	My Heater
Processor:	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3.2ghz
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Hard Disk:	2x Western Digital 640GB (1.28TB)
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW DL
CRT/LCD Model:	Viewsonic VX2349wm 24"
Case:	Raidmax Hurricane
Sound Card:	C-Media 8738
PSU:	Aywun Megapower 650w 80+
Software:	Windows 7 64 Bit

System Name:	Frankenstein v7
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Case:	Antec P280
Sound Card:	Creative Labs X-Fi Elite Pro
PSU:	Corsair HX850
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System Name:	My Heater
Processor:	Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3.2ghz
Motherboard:	Asus P5B-E Plus
Cooling:	Zalman CNPS 9700 NT
Memory:	Patriot 4GB 800MHz DDR2
Video Card:	EVGA GTX 460 1GB
Hard Disk:	2x Western Digital 640GB (1.28TB)
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW DL
CRT/LCD Model:	Viewsonic VX2349wm 24"
Case:	Raidmax Hurricane
Sound Card:	C-Media 8738
PSU:	Aywun Megapower 650w 80+
Software:	Windows 7 64 Bit

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Apr 18, 2011, 01:45 AM	#2
Jack Doph Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Upright down-under (Brisbane, Australia) Posts: 468 (0.55/day) Thanks: 835 Thanked 110 Times in 97 Posts System Specs	It should, yes. That Xonar is quite good actually, even if it's still driven by C-media (8786 though). There are better in the Xonar range, but they are also a fair bit more expensive. To my ears, they're worth that extra expense, but if it's mainly for gaming, then this should do just fine

Apr 18, 2011, 01:58 AM	#3
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	i have a logitech x-530 5.1 speakers, would it give better sound and bass?

Apr 18, 2011, 04:32 AM	#4
gpost3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 50 (0.06/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 14 Times in 13 Posts System Specs	You need to be more specific, what do you mean "better"? Some people like the extra boomy bass, some people like tight punchy bass. I personally aim for accuracy. What is your budget? and what are the speakers and the sound card mainly used for? (gaming/movies/music?)

Apr 18, 2011, 08:06 AM	#5
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	sound card is for music and gaming but mostly MUSIC umm i want the boomy bass i think my budget is around $50 NZ dollars

Apr 18, 2011, 08:14 AM	#6
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/C...-369035880.htm or http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/C...-369326573.htm which one should i go for? and would it work on windows 7 64 bit?

Apr 18, 2011, 08:34 AM	#7
claylomax Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: London Posts: 1,385 (1.21/day) Thanks: 119 Thanked 251 Times in 217 Posts System Specs	Every time one of this threads comes up, I always recommend my card. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-...o-presentation it's a bit more than the DG though.

System Name:	Jaspe
Processor:	i7 3820 4.62Ghz 1.36v
Motherboard:	BIOSTAR TPower X79
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Sound Card:	Onboard
PSU:	Antec Signature 650w
Software:	Windows 7 64

Apr 18, 2011, 08:40 AM	#8
D4S4 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 614 (0.33/day) Thanks: 158 Thanked 78 Times in 62 Posts System Specs	i have x-230 (almost the same -3 speakers) and i doubt you'll hear much of a difference, i think you'd rather invest into some new speakers. __________________ Send your kids to music lessons. This commercial music bs needs to die. I'm on Soundcloud

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Software:	Win7 x64

Apr 18, 2011, 08:49 AM	#9
gpost3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 50 (0.06/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 14 Times in 13 Posts System Specs	Between those two, I would say go with the Xonar. It will work with 64 bit windows http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/com...ards&os=64-bit I agree with D4S4, your speakers are the weakest link in getting good sound. Another option is - if you do most of your listening while sitting - then consider getting a pair of good headphones from Sony or any other known company. If you want to get better speakers, then I suggest picking up an Amp from Yamaha, Sony or any brand with a pair of bookshelf speakers but this setup will cost you a lot more. Last edited by gpost3; Apr 18, 2011 at 08:59 AM.

Apr 18, 2011, 08:56 AM	#10
Jack Doph Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Upright down-under (Brisbane, Australia) Posts: 468 (0.55/day) Thanks: 835 Thanked 110 Times in 97 Posts System Specs	^ +1. Cannot beat headphones for music listening. Handy for gaming too; no-one in the house (or neighbourhood) will complain about all the explosions in Game X You'll be surprised how much better the sound will be with better speakers, or a decent set of cans, even with on-board sound

Apr 18, 2011, 10:53 PM	#11
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	hmm, what speakers should i buy then? can anyone tell me speakers that are better than x-530's and also good in bass sound?

Apr 18, 2011, 11:49 PM	#12
D4S4 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 614 (0.33/day) Thanks: 158 Thanked 78 Times in 62 Posts System Specs	how much $$$ do you want to spend? i haven't been checking out the latest speaker models but the price range would be good info for somebody who knows more. __________________ Send your kids to music lessons. This commercial music bs needs to die. I'm on Soundcloud

Apr 19, 2011, 10:50 AM	#13
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	around 200$ NZ

Apr 19, 2011, 10:58 AM	#14
gpost3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 50 (0.06/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 14 Times in 13 Posts System Specs	For that price, you could get a pair of M-Audio AV40 which will run you around $120 and use the remainder to get an 8 inch home-theatre subwoofer from Energy, Sony or Yamaha (or any decent brand).

Apr 19, 2011, 11:32 AM	#15
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	how do i connect a home-theater subwoofer to a computer ?? can i connect it to my x -530's?

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Case:	Lian Li PC-7FNW
Sound Card:	Creative Audigy Value
PSU:	VenomRX Red Diamond 650 Watt
Software:	Windows 7 64-bit
Benchmarks:	Classified

Apr 19, 2011, 07:47 PM	#17
gpost3 Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 50 (0.06/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 14 Times in 13 Posts System Specs	You connect a home theatre subwoofer using a Y split connector with 3.5 mm headphone jack on one side and 2 (or 1) female RCA jacks on the other. Something like this: Then you plug that jack into the back of your sound card and configure your audio settings to use 2.1

Apr 19, 2011, 09:14 PM	#18
hat Maximum Overclocker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 12,236 (5.15/day) Thanks: 2,054 Thanked 2,039 Times in 1,549 Posts System Specs	That's how I have mine set up. I have a quad home theater system and I use these cables that are 3.5mm on one end and RCA red/white on the other. Get those hooked up to the receiver's analog inputs and that's all there is to it... __________________ My Heatware “Inb4 smartphone LN2 overclocking.” -radrok

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Apr 19, 2011, 09:23 PM	#19
Funtoss Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Zealand Posts: 555 (0.68/day) Thanks: 278 Thanked 62 Times in 53 Posts System Specs	Wow thanks so much guys! i m going to try this

Apr 19, 2011, 09:25 PM	#20
hat Maximum Overclocker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 12,236 (5.15/day) Thanks: 2,054 Thanked 2,039 Times in 1,549 Posts System Specs	Connecting your home theater to your machine will grant you much better sound quality with onboard sound than you could ever dream of getting from your pc speakers with any sound card out there. I still might look into a sound card for features, and/or noticeably improved audio quality (since you'll actually have something good hooked up to it). __________________ My Heatware “Inb4 smartphone LN2 overclocking.” -radrok

Apr 20, 2011, 04:23 PM	#21
Scrizz Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Brandon, FL, US Posts: 2,129 (1.01/day) Thanks: 728 Thanked 292 Times in 267 Posts System Specs	I love my polk bookshelves. __________________ ~Scrizz Protected, Mother Approved~

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