is there a big difference with sound cards?

[qubit]

if you have shit Chinese $15 headset or speakers, a $200 sound card will not make them sound any better.

You'd be surprised. Running it through the crappy little speakers on my monitor actually made quite a bit of difference, with the sound having a lot more treble and sounding much punchier, although still poor, lol. A lot of that is due to the extensive eq available on the X-Fi cards, of course. And of course, one needs to run it through a decent amp and speakers/headphones to get the full benefit.

 

[Kursah]

There is a noticeable difference, yes. The biggest differences I've noticed rely on what the analog outputs have for op-amps and what the software allows for EQ tuning and shaping and the form of signal boosters. Going from onboard years ago to an old X-Fi Xtreme Music was a MAJOR difference. Going from that card to a much more expensive Auzentech X-Fi Forte was a slight difference but that card better handled the style of sound I liked (bass heavy), and had a headphone amp on rear and front outputs.

I also own an Aune T1, which is a solid investment if you want a quality and affordable external sound solution.

Something else to keep in mind is how you drive what you're listening to. Right now and for over a year I have been using optical to my Denon AVR 1613, relying on my sound card only for its EQ. I recently removed the sound card due to driver issues/bugs I was done dealing with and downloaded Equalizer APO and then found a 32-band EQ to tune my wound with.. My onboard is the not-stellar Realtek ALC1150, and it is doing a fine job of sending the digital sound signals to my receiver. What am I getting at here? Well depending on your output choice you may or may not notice. If using digital, odds are you won't notice from your sound card... my Denon is doing processing to convert the sound to analog at this point. I am again pushing an EQ'd sound signal to my receiver.

Now if you are using your analog connections, then a better sound card will make a difference. Going from the onboard ALC 8xx series on my old lady's P61 board (specs in sig), to an Asus DX or GX ($30 PCI version) was very noticable. We have an old pair of refurbished Logitech X-230's and they also use headphones on that PC a lot...so direct analog connections to the PC. This is where a good sound card can make the most difference. A good sound card does not have to be $100, 200 or 300+. Really, I feel that if you're used to cheap sound...and you feel it sounds good, you might not find the value in something that creates a similar sound that costs way more...depends on how sensitive to sound changes you really are.

I really like the cheap Asus sound cards, even with stock drivers. I also miss my old X-Fi XtremeMusic, that card was truly a gem. The Auzen Forte is good, but its drivers were a nightmare and newer drivers are no longer being made for this card that I could find...there were some from one or two years ago iirc.

It really depends on the sound you want too...honestly it pays to keep it simple because audio gear gets expensive very fast. I got into audio, next thing I know I have a $300 pair of Denon D2000's, a $120 sound card, a $250 receiver, a $400 pair of HE-400's, a $100 pair of JVC HA-DX3's, etc. etc. etc.... and honestly I've stayed on the cheaper side of things. Other users here can add a couple zeroes to the end of what I've spent.

If you're happy with it, don't change it, if you want change, be specific in what you want from your sound and if possible go somewhere and test different hardware (tough to do for many).

 

[PLAfiller]

Here are my 2 cents: lots of people are convinced modern day Mobo's are equipped with decent or sufficient audio codecs and only if you are audiophile or you are having 500 bucks headphones you need a dedicated DAC for them. That may be true, but my humble experience show otherwise.

Few years ago I bought very cheap Creative 24 bit live, which is running the same audio chip as the 2 times more expensive Creative Music X-Fi. Well I had an expensive MoBo then, but WOW what a difference in the audio. Everything from Youtube, Skype, games sounded SO much better. Since then I've never run onboard audio to my financial ability. Right now I have Creative X-Fi go Pro + JVC RX700 (budget setup I know), but I am planning to get a higher class USB sound card since my next build is hopefully mini ITX.

I'd say this: know how you use your audio - whether you are a Headphone person or a Speaker person and if you get a deal on a sound card- get it. I mean I paid 10 EUR, back then it really wasn't that big of a deal.

 

[Moofachuka]

Hey everyone, I just have a general question about sound cards. I have been using the same one for a few years now. Its a rocketfish sound card which is basically a rebranded audigy se that i payed around 30 bux for. so my question is if i where to upgrade to a really expensive sound card would I notice a huge difference.

depends, if you play PC games (especially FPS) go for Creative Zx for surround sound. It's also good for music without breaking your bank, and lasts for many years Cheers!

 

[Aquinus]

You hear it in the speakers or form the AC adapter itself?

Yeah, if I get up really close to it I can hear the squeal coming from the AC adapter. I suspect it's inductor wine from a high frequency VRM that's oscillating at a resonant frequency. I suspect the resonant frequency changes when you plug in the iPod because when you put current on the output capacitors, you're changing the characteristics of the circuit. So it makes sense that the pitch drops when the iPod is plugged in. It also doesn't have a choke on the USB cable because there is no cable. The dock is entirely enclosed. There is probably a RCL circuit involved at some point. It's worth noting that the AC adapter is weird, it doesn't have a 0v ground, it produces something like +17v and -17v, probably to drive the output on the DAC, so I suspect something weird is happening with the conversion... maybe a transformer is oscillating or something. Who knows.

Either way, I do feel that if you don't have good headphones, a good audio device won't mean anything. I've used nice headphones before, but flat response headphones kind of changes everything for the better for me.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Yeah, if I get up really close to it I can hear the squeal coming from the AC adapter

I would have got mad and discarded the device in your place

Either you or the postman (didn't use Mailman for a reason ) dropped it, and the transformer coils are deformed inside(gap), but in most cases, poor design as such. +/-17? Well only if there is further inside a circuit that creates artificial zero, such low currents why not.

Flat response? I wonder what you mean by that? AKG K550? They are boobless flat , I use Beyerdynamic DT-150, they are not actually flat, they have raised a bottom bit, but sound very straight, critical and honest and look ugly as hell . But driving them is very tough, 250Ohms, they doesn't feel good at low voltages, like sound cards deliver.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

You'd be surprised. Running it through the crappy little speakers on my monitor actually made quite a bit of difference, with the sound having a lot more treble and sounding much punchier, although still poor, lol. A lot of that is due to the extensive eq available on the X-Fi cards, of course. And of course, one needs to run it through a decent amp and speakers/headphones to get the full benefit.

I am still inclined to say that one will notice a bigger improvement in sound if they change speakers or headset first.

 

[Ferrum Master]

I am still inclined to say that one will notice a bigger improvement in sound if they change speakers or headset first.

The most important thing that many notice only... The new card goes to eleven lol. Not the fidelity.

 

[Frick]

There is not an ultimate solution that fits all . And using all that... your spouse will hate you

And everyone around you.

 

[stoggs1]

I have some headphones i got from garden ridge fridge for about 15 bucks. There pretty good for gaming and music. audio sounds pretty clear on them actually for what I payed for. There also semi noise cancelling which I like as well. Only issue I have with them I wish they where a little bit louder. Some games sound quieter with them than others.

Also when I wear them I can't hear my loud ass pc which is a definate plus. I have 8 fans in my rig lol.

 

[qubit]

I am still inclined to say that one will notice a bigger improvement in sound if they change speakers or headset first.

Oh yes, absolutely. Indeed, changing those are the single biggest improvement one can make to sound by a country mile.

It's just surprising how audible the differences between electronics are though, even through cheap speakers or headphones. Comparing the X-Fi card with a previous cheapie, but decent Creative card and the onboard sound will all processing settings to flat, still revealed noticeably more presence and clarity than you'd think, even through those tinny monitor speakers. I wouldn't have believed this was possible had I not tried it myself years ago.

Back in the 80s, I had a decent 3-head tape deck* and two sets of headphones, one supercheap around £5 and one reasonable pair for about £80, but not audiophile by any standards. The supercheaps had a pretty crap sound as you might expect, especially the midrange, sounding all peaky and boxy, but could surprisingly kick ass with the bass. The big surprise was that the quality drop of the analog recording was somewhat more obvious using the cheap headphones than the better ones, even with metal tape. I don't know exactly why that was, but I suspect that it was due to the poorer treble and the peaky midrange which did it, with the decent treble of the better headphones masking some of the quality loss in the midrange, perhaps. Also, back then, I used to record off FM radio which has never exactly been a high quality signal source.

*A Denon DR-M33HX for cassette deck enthusiasts.

 

[MarioOVER9000]

Well.. you will notice some difference but it won't be huge unless you have really good speakers/headphones.