DF, the audio newbie

DF is BUSY · Nov 30, 2013

I feel like i'm venturing into unknown territory here

long story short, got an urge to pick up a decent priced sound card; something entry level but noticeably better than my onboard.

- current onboard is realtek alc892
- these are my speakers [click here]
- considering that its entry level, budget $50 or less?

'appreciate the help.

FR@NK · Nov 30, 2013

Save your money.

Kursah · Nov 30, 2013

I know nothing about those speakers...but if you want an upgrade for cheap sell those speakers and find a used pair of logtech x-230 (I am partial to my pair that's still going after so many years of use, I have yet to see a sub-$100 PC oriented 2.1 setup sound as good as these even after all these years): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SQ0A4/?tag=tec06d-20

You could find a cheap version of my personal favorite card, the one that sold me on sound cards and upgrading from onboard audio: Creative X-Fi Xtreme Music: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Creative-So...und-Card-/251373028947?_trksid=p2054897.l4276

Still a very good sound card imho. Though another good option in your price range that also features a dedicated headphone amp is the Asus Xonar DG: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132052

But if you want to go with the newest of the new, the OEM version of the Creative Z series is a popular choice. Great features, solid sound, I have heard the new software is better, if I needed a sound card right now I'd go with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102054

I love my Auzen card, it's been a champ since 2009. I can't knock it too hard aside from shoddy driver support from an almost non-existant Auzentech, I may have to try out one of these new Z-series cards in the future...though I'll need good reason to replace my Auzen!

I'm sure your speakers sound good, one of those sound cards will make them sound better...but my G/F has the Asus/Logitech X-230 combo and it's great....the Creative card would be amazing just from my experience with their cards. Many bash their drivers/software...but I've never had any deal-breaking issues in all honesty. But I went from an X-treme Music (wish I still had it...) to this...so maybe I missed a few bad ones. Either way, well worth your consideration. Also do some research so you can buy the right card for your needs and desires. Get a card, and if you don't like your speakers, sell them and replace them. If they sound good, then enjoy!

:toast:

Mussels · Nov 30, 2013

yeah those speakers are pretty terrible, so unless you have good headphones you didnt mention you're throwing money away for no gain.

DF is BUSY · Nov 30, 2013

appreciate the straight-forward responses, honestly!

/urge

System Name	IVY BRIDGE
Processor	i7 3770K
Motherboard	ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
Cooling	PHANTEKS TC14PE
Memory	GSKILL ARES DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE GTX 770 WF OC
Storage	SAMSUNG 830 / GSKILL PHOENIX / SAMSUNG F4 / SEAGATE MOMENTUS / SEAGATE HDD 1.5
Display(s)	ASUS 24" / DELL 20"
Case	CORSAIR AIR 540
Audio Device(s)	ASUS XONAR DG
Power Supply	COOLERMASTER V700
Software	WINDOWS 7 ULTIMATE x64

Processor	7900
Motherboard	Rampage Apex
Cooling	H115i
Memory	64GB TridentZ 3200 14-14-14-34-1T
Video Card(s)	Fury X
Case	Corsair 740
Audio Device(s)	8ch LPCM via HDMI to Yamaha Z7 Receiver
Power Supply	Corsair AX860
Mouse	G903
Keyboard	G810
Software	8.1 x64

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case	Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low \| Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

System Name	IVY BRIDGE
Processor	i7 3770K
Motherboard	ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
Cooling	PHANTEKS TC14PE
Memory	GSKILL ARES DDR3-1600
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE GTX 770 WF OC
Storage	SAMSUNG 830 / GSKILL PHOENIX / SAMSUNG F4 / SEAGATE MOMENTUS / SEAGATE HDD 1.5
Display(s)	ASUS 24" / DELL 20"
Case	CORSAIR AIR 540
Audio Device(s)	ASUS XONAR DG
Power Supply	COOLERMASTER V700
Software	WINDOWS 7 ULTIMATE x64

DF, the audio newbie

DF is BUSY

FR@NK

Kursah

Super Moderator

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

DF is BUSY