Karajan v Audigy 2

[keithyr]

hopefully easy question.

 

how does the karajan audio module on the NF4 ultra D compare sound wise with an audigy 2 ?

 

Reason i ask is i have the chance to buy an audigy at 1/2 price but the karajan sounds not bad in games at the moment.

 

is it worth the £20 outlay - note only really for playing BF2 through Medusa 5.1 headset or a set of 5.1 logitech speakers (not high end)

 

cheers

 

keith.

[pduan87]

I am also wondering about this. If the onboard is pretty good, I'll stick with it. If not, I'll get an Audigy/X-fi or something.

[Fight Game]

ya, onboard is ok to good, but if you can get an audigy 2 at half price, nobody could argue against that.

 

Edit: Could you get me one at half price?

[Worm]

The onboard Karajan produces 16-bit sound (analog) whereas a dedicated sound card will produce 24-bit sound. The difference between the two is the capability to record and playback in full digital sound at high frequencies.

 

But you don't have to break the bank by buying a full blown Audigy sound card. Get the Live 24-bit version which only costs around $26 @ Tekheads and supports EAX 3.0, or just under £20 in OEM format (you don't get the installation CD with the OEM version).

[PoppyMcShotgun]

My philosophy on sound cards is this:

 

You can't put a 4-cylinder in a ferrari... or a V-8 in a VW Bug...

 

In english, that means if you have a really nice Klipsch 5.1+ $400 speaker setup, but only using onboard sound, that's a crime...

 

In the same respect, if you have a bad butt sound card, and using a 5.1 sound system that only pushes 75watts total, that's a crime as well...

 

Good speakers go hand in hand with a good sound card. You just aren't using either product to their full potential if they don't compliment each other.

 

Good Speakers + Good Sound Card:

Pros:

-Sounds AWESOME

-Looks cool

-Great Geek Factor

 

Cons:

-Can be expensive

-Might be intimidating to those who don't know how to install anything

 

The choice is yours!

[Sharp]

Hello,

 

Its not just 24bit vs 16bit.

 

It is all of this.

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/produ...duct=4915&nav=3

 

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/multimedi...digy2-zs_2.html

 

Audigy 2 value/ZS = 64 3d hardware voices.

EAX4, for improved surround/environment sound effects.

This is very good for gaming, a gamers card.

 

(Who's Who in Audio bit)

http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Sound-Cards/Audio-Hardware/8/

 

(At the bottom, 3D audio bit, EAX4)

http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Sound-Cards...io-Hardware/10/

 

http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Sound-Cards...io-Hardware/11/

 

Overview of SB cards,

http://www.answers.com/topic/sound-blaster

 

What is THX certification?

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/featu...ies/thxcert.asp

 

An old review before the drivers had EAX4.0.

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/

 

- The Realtek is only a CODEC, the drivers add game support/effects by using your CPU.

- It does not come close to the Audigy2.

 

If you are a gamer or want the best sound possible, get an Audigy2.

[dmo580]

A lot of people claim that audio is so easy to tell apart. If you configure Karajan and Audigy 2 in the right manner, I bet like 80% of us would be like wow... you can't really tell. Pepsi Challenge?

 

Iono, but unless you're a true audiophile, I say its pretty damn good already.

[briantaylor]

For me the bigger deal is as Sharp said, the CPU and bus usage. If you check out some [H]ardOCP motherboard reviews look at the on-board audio testing section you will always see a 5%-10% FPS decrease when they use CPU-bound games. Granted, in most current games the percentages would be lower but in my opinion it is still better to move that off the CPU when possible.

 

Brian Taylor