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Figge
08-23-2005, 06:35 AM
hello!
ok my current sound card sound terrible..dark and noisy..been thinking about getting a better but really dont know what to go for...maybe it could be a deacent experience listning to the pc with a good card? any suggestions? what do u use? etc...

pelly3s
08-23-2005, 06:49 AM
I use a Sound Blaster Live Platinum but i have been thinking of stepping up to the Sound Blaster Audigy4 Pro. Its a monster of a card that has a fairly high price though $299.

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=434&product=10853

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=14065 this one may also be an option

Ken Pachkowsky
08-23-2005, 09:07 AM
I know Bo has a nice one but can't remember the brand or model. I use a Carddeluxe and simply love it. Its in the 350.00 range as well.

http://www.digitalaudio.com/digitalaudio/myheadline.asp?S=75&P=5187&PubID=4401

Ken

djrobertc
08-23-2005, 09:16 AM
I used to have the Audigy but it had a surprising amount of noise. I upgraded to an M-Audio Audiophile 192 (http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audiophile192-main.html) and absolutely love it. :D

hector.murray
08-23-2005, 05:26 PM
The M Audio soundcards depend heavily on CPU processing power to deliver sound.
The Original Audigy sound card was developed before Windows XP was released, hence the lateness for the drivers from Creative as Micro$oft did not release the API code until a few weeks before the release of Windows XP final to the masses. Even after Creative got the API code, the drivers for Win XP still didn't seem right and I don't think they ever really got them right afterward. Using CoolEdit or Adobe Audition for music recording seems to bring out the noise in this card. For some reason the core media player does not. Also it has been my experiance that VIA and SIS chipsets do not interface as well with this card as Intel chipsets.
The Audigy2 ZS on the other hand has given me no issues at all, but from its' conception it was designed with Windows XP and ergo Media center in mind.
One of the features I like best is the variable subwoofer low pass filter, allowing you to vary the signals sent to the subwoofer from 10 HZ to 200Hz.
The Creative audio cards use onboard processors for sound production, which relieves the CPU of audio duties, freeing it up for other tasks.
If you are using a multi processor system or a system with a virtual second processor and dedicate one of the processors to audio duties then the M audio card should not be an issue. Also, if the machine is being used strictly for audio duties then there would be no problem. If however the machine is being used for file transfer, gaming, video editing or video encoding while processing audio it may take the system an inordinate amount of time to complete those tasks as opposed to a similar system with out an M Audio card or onboard audio.
I have not used the Audigy4 yet. I expect it to be a reliable audio card, but then you get what you inspect, not expect

Figge
08-25-2005, 01:50 PM
thanks guys!

since i do play some games from time to time. iŽll think ill go for the audigy..will probably work fine with the 4301b i have for the computer. way better than my current cheapest of chepoŽs.

later on i will rig up a computer out in the stereo room then iŽll go for some nicer usb card. maybe the audiophile. and play the tunes via lan.

boputnam
08-25-2005, 02:38 PM
Hey, Figge...

Try a SEARCH on this - there has been some great dialogue over the years.

soundmotor
08-30-2005, 01:27 PM
hello!
ok my current sound card sound terrible..dark and noisy..been thinking about getting a better but really dont know what to go for...maybe it could be a deacent experience listning to the pc with a good card? any suggestions? what do u use? etc...

If your computer has USB, an external soundcard is another option. I use both a Yamaha Cavit DP-u50 and a Turtle Beach Audio Advantage. The Yamaha is a 20 bit/96kHz unit & the TB 16 bit/48kHz. The Yamaha is used in a fixed location & the TB for mobile apps. The Yamaha is disco'd now but they show up for under $100 on eBay. It also is an analog & digital preamp, DSP effect controller, and has a subwoofer out. The TB is the size of a thumb drive and gives you HQ audio only. They both sound great and are noise-free. The integrated soundcard on my laptop has so much hiss that it is unlistenable on speakers with a tweeter.

M-Audio (Sonica & Transit) as well as Creative (Audigy 2 NX) are definitely worth checking out as well.

JumBLe
09-03-2005, 03:29 AM
Hi Figge,

I can also recommend MAudio-cards. I have used Audiophile AP2496 and Delta 410. Those are pretty cheap nowadays (<100...200 Eur).

Couple years ago I used 410 on my HTPC driving its analog-outputs to poweramps. WinDVD or Powerdvd did the DD/DTS-processing, no need for AV-amp. Not so handy as pre/pros, but it did the job. And the sound was great. Two-channel AP2496's sound was not so far away from SAT CDFIX...

RME and Lynx are better, but they are also more expensive. You can find them reviewed on Stereophile archives.

Search for the RME, Lynx, AP2496 and Delta 410 (or the big brother 1010 with balanced outputs) on the www.avsforum.com (http://www.avsforum.com). There were a thread where RME 96/8, MAudio Delta 1010 and Lynx Studio-card were compared to Lexicon pre/pro with good results. Maybe the review can't be found anymore...;)

- JumBLe -

jblnut
09-03-2005, 04:26 PM
This line of cards seems to have some real promise:

http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/20050818/index.html

I think that someday real soon we'll see real-time processing that actually improves the perceived quality of sound reproduction. It's inevitable that ever-increasing CPU power and programming sophistication will deliver things like amp and speaker "simulators" and real room effect generators. Things have been moving in that direction for some time but it hasn't triclked down into consumer gear...yet. The "crystalizer" that this card has sounds like a real step in that direction and not just a cheesy EQ/reverb gimmick (ala Carver's Sonic Holography - had it and wasn't impressed).

Can't wait to hear it :-)

jblnut

soundmotor
09-04-2005, 07:03 AM
This line of cards seems to have some real promise:

http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/20050818/index.html

Impressive, most impressive!

hector.murray
09-05-2005, 02:32 PM
X-fi Platinum arrives Wednesdy. I'll let you know.

Figge
09-09-2005, 01:07 PM
i got the audigy 2 for my current pc...but i have some plans for a second as mentioned and its gonna be a dedicated music pc so i will get some even better for that one.

the audigy was a really fine card and i have none complaints. feels like quality compared to my old card.

many thanks


btw, 4301b is some great speakers

hector.murray
09-09-2005, 01:56 PM
X-fi Platinum delayed - I hate merchants that sell an item bofore they have it in stock (website listed it as instock when I ordered it).

richard c.
09-09-2005, 04:40 PM
ART DTI - Parts Express 245-875 for $45.00! MCM 555-7685 same price.


Has anyone installed one of these to eliminate ground loop "hum" problems?

I just couldn't stand the constant 60Hz hum caused by connecting my grounded PC sound card (Creative Labs Live!) to my audio system which is also connected thru coax cable (DirecTV) to several rooms in my house. This Dual Transformer / Isolator completely eliminated the hum and passes the lowest audio signals nicely.

Freq response 10Hz to 50KHz (+ or - .5db)!

There are several other uses for this device, too.

Richard C.

Figge
11-13-2005, 03:28 PM
got a M-Audio 2496 now and it really is a great sounding card! have some trouble with pops,clicks crackling occationally but guess that can be fixed with some settings somewhere? gonna look in to it some day. anybody have this card?

morbo!
11-13-2005, 03:39 PM
no but i want one:(

duaneage
11-13-2005, 07:40 PM
I have the audigy first generation sound card. I got it right before the 2nd generation came out. The second and subsequent generations had a Content Pass circuit added to the processing chip. This provides for future DRM capability. Not wanting to have Big Media Record companies controlling my sound card I chose the non-DRM ready card.


I like the audigy overall but do not like the small, 1/8th inch jacks on the rear of the card. A screw in connector that provided at least RCA jacks would be better. The adapters I have to use are noisy and don't have good grounds. You will need audio isolation transformers if you connect it to a serious stereo.

I use the optical in/out on the front for my MD deck and the only complaint I have is the output level from the Audigy seems very low and I cannot increase it. When I try to make a optical recording I seldom can get enough gain from the sound card. I have not found a way to increase this, maybe someone knows a way?

Not a bad card for 150 bucks. The Extigy is a USB external model that offers more promise, I would buy one of those next.


I considered the M-Audios but they are more for studio work and the Audigy had more capabilities. The M-Audios do have isolated in/out and RCA jacks on the rear.

Jakeisuseless
11-13-2005, 09:45 PM
I have the M-audio Revolution 7.1. This is a card made for music playback. Real 192khz 24 bit, not resampled into 192khz 24 bit like all the Sound Blaster cards. The system I have in my room is almost deticated to to my computer. (Pioneer DSX-D514 (Cheap, circut city style, but to my ears, amazing sounding), two pairs of Accoustic Research AR48s) I have hundreds of albums on my computer. I absolutly love it.

Edit: it's kinda of quite though.

alessa
12-25-2009, 04:55 PM
I am a RME fireface 800 user, it's really an improvement to the point that nothing I have ever listen to in the world of external transport even in 10000$ price range being comparable to this direct Digital decoding from HDD, in terms of details and presence.

and I must say the sound greatly improved when I decided to use it with firewire 800 compare to firewire 400. the sound became more fast and dynamic.
I also did notice incredible improvement when using MME or ASIO codecs in the software options and also in windows sound control panel.
And i am still curious to found a better DAC than it's AK4396..

lgvenable
12-26-2009, 11:12 PM
well aside from it being :blink: Behringer :blink: , the HD-400 at 29USD is a bargain, and will eliminate the ground loop hum between RCA jacks, as it goes from balanced to unbalanced and vice versa.

It works well in sound systems as well, as I once used them to eliminate ground loop between my Denon 3806 and my amps. Now that I've gone to all balanced with the Integra DHC80.1; its a non-issue.

And if you hold your nose, and forget its Behringer........well it works. The sound engineer I've been working uses the same transformer to build into circuits for the same purpose. He was surprised, as he wasn't a Behringer fan either.