Jump to content

Onboard sound or an expensive soundcard?... Worth it?...


Icez84

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 76
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Im just using onboard too, never have my headphones off so I don't see the point myself.

If I lived alone and had no kids then sure I'd be playing BF2 on a 5.1 speaker system making the neighbors hit the deck during an artillery strike...lol

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

zs but honestly theres not much difference you could always check revision and eax version to be anal, but personally get the cheap one,lol

 

LoL i love ya idea, get da cheap one, maybe i'll just spend 35usd for a second hand audigy then, but again is there anythin i should look out when purchasing a second hand soundcard?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

hmm, not really, just think of this, if your a really big headphone user, maybe you should try and find a second hand with a front panel thingy, so you can easily connect it from the front... it makes life much easier

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone ever thought of using the digital output from the onboard solution to drive their amp?

 

I've measured the signal from my various mobos optical and coaxial outputs (K8N Neo, K8N Neo2, DFI NF3, DFI SLI-DR) with my dScope, and the output is pretty clean - in all cases far, far superior to the analog output. If you don't have a digital input on your amp, a simple analog-to-digital converter will provide clean analog sound to an outboard speaker setup.

 

Alternatively, if all you're doing is passing an analog signal to a speaker setup, or even just a digital signal, check out some of the less expensive products from Hoontech and M-audio. I think they provide superior product to the Soundblaster brand, and a significantly lower price point. I have an M-Audio Revolution 5.1 and Hoontech ST Audio DSP24 (among a few dozen others) and both provide near-studio quality ouput.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone ever thought of using the digital output from the onboard solution to drive their amp?

 

I've measured the signal from my various mobos optical and coaxial outputs (K8N Neo, K8N Neo2, DFI NF3, DFI SLI-DR) with my dScope, and the output is pretty clean - in all cases far, far superior to the analog output. If you don't have a digital input on your amp, a simple analog-to-digital converter will provide clean analog sound to an outboard speaker setup.

 

Alternatively, if all you're doing is passing an analog signal to a speaker setup, or even just a digital signal, check out some of the less expensive products from Hoontech and M-audio. I think they provide superior product to the Soundblaster brand, and a significantly lower price point. I have an M-Audio Revolution 5.1 and Hoontech ST Audio DSP24 (among a few dozen others) and both provide near-studio quality ouput.

 

 

 

english please?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyone ever thought of using the digital output from the onboard solution to drive their amp?

 

I've measured the signal from my various mobos optical and coaxial outputs (K8N Neo, K8N Neo2, DFI NF3, DFI SLI-DR) with my dScope, and the output is pretty clean - in all cases far, far superior to the analog output. If you don't have a digital input on your amp, a simple analog-to-digital converter will provide clean analog sound to an outboard speaker setup.

 

Alternatively, if all you're doing is passing an analog signal to a speaker setup, or even just a digital signal, check out some of the less expensive products from Hoontech and M-audio. I think they provide superior product to the Soundblaster brand, and a significantly lower price point. I have an M-Audio Revolution 5.1 and Hoontech ST Audio DSP24 (among a few dozen others) and both provide near-studio quality ouput.

 

never tried that...i would be interesting in hearing how good it sounds, and yes the m-audio products are a good alternative to creative, but as A_G's mentioned in an earlier post....go for a used audigy2 Zs, helps take the sound processing burden off the cpu, and better sound than your onboard (which is pretty decent to begin with)

 

its kinda like using onboard video to do gaming with...sort of....we all would much rather have a good graphics card do the work, and tax the cpu less, same with sound....at least thats the way i look at it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

not a chance unless youve got serious hardware on the speaker side and i've sampled the xfi elite.

 

 

Thats funny...... I have some cheapo Cyber Acoustic $30.00 2 speaker and sub woofer set up and when I went from onboard sound to this card the increase was 3 fold! And it completely screems no .!!!!!!

 

 

Now just imagine what it could do with some Klipsch speakers!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites


×
×
  • Create New...