Looking for a sound card!

satindemon4u · Aug 28, 2011, 01:51 AM

Alright so. After a couple pages of testing, trial and error, and a little anger it has been decided that my onboard audio is shot. Therefore I am in need of a card!

Looking for some ideas. Would like to keep the budget at or under $100. The lower the better I suppose. However, I don't wanna pay $10 for a piece of crap.

Anyway, thanks for any and all suggestions guys!

qubit · Aug 28, 2011, 02:04 AM

I recommend a Creative sound card. I've had three now and they're all excellent. Be aware that some people have had bad experiences with the sound drivers and hate them for it, but I haven't.

Get one with an X-Fi chip in it - you won't believe the difference! My ExtremeMusic sounds awesome and the difference from my old, budget Creative sound card was immediately apparent. Of course, it leaves onboard in the dust.

The ExtremeGamer is a cheaper version of mine (discontinued, alas) but has the same featureset and very similar sound quality.

satindemon4u · Aug 28, 2011, 03:52 AM

Ok sooo.....

Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 70SB104000000 7.1 Ch...

?

That has the X-fi in it but the 3 egg review kinda sky's me away from it.

KieranD · Aug 28, 2011, 04:24 AM

Actually i would say a cheap sound card is no better than today's onboard. Auzentech and ASUS make some decent cards, personally i would not go for a Creative card and go with one of those instead.

satindemon4u · Aug 28, 2011, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KieranD

Actually i would say a cheap sound card is no better than today's onboard. Auzentech and ASUS make some decent cards, personally i would not go for a Creative card and go with one of those instead.

Well, I just need a card period since right now I don't even have onboard. :/

majestic12 · Aug 28, 2011, 05:33 AM

I got a refurbished X-fi Titanium from Creative Labs for $50. The X-treme audios aren't real X-fi cards (they lack the EMU20k1/EMU20k2/CA20k2 processors)...

As you're just looking for a basic sound card that works though, I'd probably go with an Asus Xonar DG (it's only 13 bucks after the rebate!)
ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Xonar DG ...

Is a PCI card okay?

You can get that same card (the Xtreme Audio) as an OEM deal for under $40, but that extra $10 for the refurbished X-fi Titanium gets you a lot more in the way of audio quality.

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Chann...
Oops -the refurbished Titanium is out of stock at the moment -still can be worth checking out though
http://us.outletstore.creative.com/c...nd-Blaster.htm

hat · Aug 28, 2011, 05:37 AM

I have Xonar DG. It's lacking some advanced features, but I'm not sure what. It had something to do with 5.1 compression on the optical out or something... it didn't affect me so I didn't bother remembering the specifics. For me, the DG seems to be overpowered in amplifying the audio volume. It's great for boosting tracks with low volume, but if you play tracks with normal volume and you leave the windows volume control at 100%, there will be clipping and it will be distorted. Keep the volume at 40% and you're good to go.

satindemon4u · Aug 28, 2011, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by majestic12

I got a refurbished X-fi Titanium from Creative Labs for $50. The X-treme audios aren't real X-fi cards (they lack the EMU20k1/EMU20k2/CA20k2 processors)...

As you're just looking for a basic sound card that works though, I'd probably go with an Asus Xonar DG (it's only 13 bucks after the rebate!)
ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Xonar DG ...

Is a PCI card okay?

You can get that same card (the Xtreme Audio) as an OEM deal for under $40, but that extra $10 for the refurbished X-fi Titanium gets you a lot more in the way of audio quality.

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Chann...
Oops -the refurbished Titanium is out of stock at the moment -still can be worth checking out though
http://us.outletstore.creative.com/c...nd-Blaster.htm

The first link you posted, I will skip on seeing as how it has over 40 reviews, most of which are 2 eggs. :/

HOWEVER: I did find this.... (looking for PCIe btw, if possible)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...WS#ReviewStart

majestic12 · Aug 28, 2011, 05:52 AM

One can't expect 5 star quality for 13 dollars :-P
Haven't heard the DX, but that looks like a very nice card. Infinitely better than the onboard you were using. Curious, what do you use for speakers/headphones?

satindemon4u · Aug 28, 2011, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by majestic12

One can't expect 5 star quality for 13 dollars :-P
Haven't heard the DX, but that looks like a very nice card. Infinitely better than the onboard you were using. Curious, what do you use for speakers/headphones?

A set of x-530's for speakers. Headphones are just some Rosewill, nothing special.

majestic12 · Aug 28, 2011, 06:02 AM

If you don't mind the price, I suspect the DX would more than meet your needs then. It's probably overkill, but it will scale well with better audio equipment if you decide to upgrade in the future.

Jetster · Aug 28, 2011, 06:07 AM

Can you just use your HDMI some how?

qubit · Aug 28, 2011, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by satindemon4u

Ok sooo.....

Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 70SB104000000 7.1 Ch...

?

That has the X-fi in it but the 3 egg review kinda sky's me away from it.

You're right to be wary of it. It's not a true X-Fi card, as the reviews say, it's s bit of a con. The ExtremeGamer is and you'll love it.

BumbleBee · Aug 28, 2011, 06:43 AM

don't spend a lot on a sound card. I recommend taking advantage of HDMI and buy a receiver.

satindemon4u · Aug 28, 2011, 06:45 PM

I do have the HDMI. Have never messed with it though. I will at least look at receivers I guess.

Negative on the receiver. For one, I don't need 50 audio connections, lol. Secondly, I can't afford to pump out a bare MINIMUM of $100 for one.

AhokZYashA · Aug 29, 2011, 04:50 PM

onkyo wavio SE90

Aug 28, 2011, 01:51 AM	#1
satindemon4u Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 433 (0.45/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 18 Times in 15 Posts System Specs	Looking for a sound card! Alright so. After a couple pages of testing, trial and error, and a little anger it has been decided that my onboard audio is shot. Therefore I am in need of a card! Looking for some ideas. Would like to keep the budget at or under $100. The lower the better I suppose. However, I don't wanna pay $10 for a piece of crap. Anyway, thanks for any and all suggestions guys!

System Name:	The Beast xD
Processor:	AMD Phenom II x4 945 Processor 3.00 ghz
Motherboard:	ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Kingston 2048MB (1024MB x2) and GSkill 4096MB (2048MB x2) TOTAL: 6 gigs
Video Card:	NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
Hard Disk:	Stock 140GB Hitachi and 2TB WD External
Optical Drive:	Optiarc DVD RW Lightscribe
Case:	Stock
Sound Card:	Stock
PSU:	Antec 650W
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Aug 28, 2011, 02:04 AM	#2
qubit Overclocked quantum bit Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Quantumville UK Posts: 8,648 (4.34/day) Thanks: 4,178 Thanked 3,303 Times in 1,943 Posts System Specs	I recommend a Creative sound card. I've had three now and they're all excellent. Be aware that some people have had bad experiences with the sound drivers and hate them for it, but I haven't. Get one with an X-Fi chip in it - you won't believe the difference! My ExtremeMusic sounds awesome and the difference from my old, budget Creative sound card was immediately apparent. Of course, it leaves onboard in the dust. The ExtremeGamer is a cheaper version of mine (discontinued, alas) but has the same featureset and very similar sound quality. __________________ Siggie in the post.

System Name:	Quantumville™
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System Name:	The Beast xD
Processor:	AMD Phenom II x4 945 Processor 3.00 ghz
Motherboard:	ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Kingston 2048MB (1024MB x2) and GSkill 4096MB (2048MB x2) TOTAL: 6 gigs
Video Card:	NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
Hard Disk:	Stock 140GB Hitachi and 2TB WD External
Optical Drive:	Optiarc DVD RW Lightscribe
Case:	Stock
Sound Card:	Stock
PSU:	Antec 650W
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Aug 28, 2011, 03:52 AM	#3
satindemon4u Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 433 (0.45/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 18 Times in 15 Posts System Specs	Ok sooo..... Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio 70SB104000000 7.1 Ch... ? That has the X-fi in it but the 3 egg review kinda sky's me away from it.

Aug 28, 2011, 04:24 AM	#4
KieranD Eligible for custom title Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 5,460 (2.59/day) Thanks: 1,640 Thanked 821 Times in 712 Posts System Specs	Actually i would say a cheap sound card is no better than today's onboard. Auzentech and ASUS make some decent cards, personally i would not go for a Creative card and go with one of those instead. __________________ http://myinstants.com/instant/transformer/

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Aug 28, 2011, 05:33 AM	#6
majestic12 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: boondocks, Michigan Posts: 455 (0.37/day) Thanks: 112 Thanked 144 Times in 113 Posts System Specs	I got a refurbished X-fi Titanium from Creative Labs for $50. The X-treme audios aren't real X-fi cards (they lack the EMU20k1/EMU20k2/CA20k2 processors)... As you're just looking for a basic sound card that works though, I'd probably go with an Asus Xonar DG (it's only 13 bucks after the rebate!) ASUS XONAR_DG 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Xonar DG ... Is a PCI card okay? You can get that same card (the Xtreme Audio) as an OEM deal for under $40, but that extra $10 for the refurbished X-fi Titanium gets you a lot more in the way of audio quality. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Chann... Oops -the refurbished Titanium is out of stock at the moment -still can be worth checking out though http://us.outletstore.creative.com/c...nd-Blaster.htm

System Name:	Majestic Command (ver. 2.1)
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Optical Drive:	Lite-On 20x DVD burner
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 23" LED backlit
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Sound Card:	X-Fi Titanium>AT-HA25D>ATH-AD1000/ESW9
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Aug 28, 2011, 05:37 AM	#7
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	I have Xonar DG. It's lacking some advanced features, but I'm not sure what. It had something to do with 5.1 compression on the optical out or something... it didn't affect me so I didn't bother remembering the specifics. For me, the DG seems to be overpowered in amplifying the audio volume. It's great for boosting tracks with low volume, but if you play tracks with normal volume and you leave the windows volume control at 100%, there will be clipping and it will be distorted. Keep the volume at 40% and you're good to go. __________________ My Heatware “Inb4 smartphone LN2 overclocking.” -radrok

System Name:	Starlifter // Dragonfly
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Aug 28, 2011, 05:52 AM	#9
majestic12 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: boondocks, Michigan Posts: 455 (0.37/day) Thanks: 112 Thanked 144 Times in 113 Posts System Specs	One can't expect 5 star quality for 13 dollars :-P Haven't heard the DX, but that looks like a very nice card. Infinitely better than the onboard you were using. Curious, what do you use for speakers/headphones?

Aug 28, 2011, 06:02 AM	#11
majestic12 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: boondocks, Michigan Posts: 455 (0.37/day) Thanks: 112 Thanked 144 Times in 113 Posts System Specs	If you don't mind the price, I suspect the DX would more than meet your needs then. It's probably overkill, but it will scale well with better audio equipment if you decide to upgrade in the future.

Aug 28, 2011, 06:07 AM	#12
Jetster Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,875 (2.35/day) Thanks: 935 Thanked 865 Times in 633 Posts System Specs	Can you just use your HDMI some how?

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Aug 28, 2011, 06:43 AM	#14
BumbleBee Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cybertron aka Canada Posts: 4,083 (2.65/day) Thanks: 827 Thanked 1,202 Times in 920 Posts System Specs	don't spend a lot on a sound card. I recommend taking advantage of HDMI and buy a receiver.

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Aug 28, 2011, 06:45 PM	#15
satindemon4u Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 433 (0.45/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 18 Times in 15 Posts System Specs	I do have the HDMI. Have never messed with it though. I will at least look at receivers I guess. Negative on the receiver. For one, I don't need 50 audio connections, lol. Secondly, I can't afford to pump out a bare MINIMUM of $100 for one. Last edited by satindemon4u; Aug 28, 2011 at 08:18 PM.

Aug 29, 2011, 04:50 PM	#16
AhokZYashA Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 703 (0.44/day) Thanks: 197 Thanked 138 Times in 130 Posts System Specs	onkyo wavio SE90 __________________ siggy thanks to PVTCaboose1337 Cans : Etymotic ER4P, DT770/80, Sennheiser HD600 Setup : iPod Classic 6th 80GB > Etymotic ER4P "When a Pettanko hugs you, she's holding you closer to her heart"

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