Is Buying a Sound Card Worth The Money? An Enthusiast's Perspective

[dividebyzero]

I want dividebyzero to comment on this matter,like most of his postings.Share your opinion on this dividebyzero.

Sorry, I'm about the last person whose views would be relevant. I've been profoundly deaf for about six years! I do have a cochlear implant that approximates about 80% of "normal" hearing, but sound fidelity takes a back seat to practicality.
Onboard or discrete sound are too nuanced to differentiate with my telecoil headphones. The primary differences are noticeable in the source sound (bitrate). Sensitivity and loudness I can configure manually with the C.I.'s controller...to a degree.

 

[Guest]

Ohh sorry for that div..yes I can understand it must be very difficult for you.
I previously had realtek,but now due to mobo(z77 series) upgrade and it has onboard via hd audio,which sounds much better than realtek.Gigabyte did a nice job sticking up with via audio solution in their gaming grade mobo.
And thanks for the reply div (y)

 

[sorin popa]

This article just convinced me to buy a sound card. I went for a similar model. I have to say, there really is a difference compared to the integrated card. Thanks.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

If you don't mind sharing, what model did you buy sorin?

 

[Raoul Duke]

It seemed a soundcard was all you could do for great audio, but I have been reading (thank to this thread) and it seems the way to go is USB cable to a DAC for the ultimate computer sound

 

[Guest]

Enthusiast's perspective with little computer speakears? An "Enthusiast" should have an AV Receiver digitally hooked up to his PC, and then it doesn't matter one bit if a discrete soundcard is used or not, as the D/A conversion is done by the amplifier. Proper HiFi speakers connected to the AVR, done. I'm using large Canton Ergo 100 DCs I bought in the 90s for about $2000.

 

[cliffordcooley]

The one thing I'm having trouble with in the comments is linking audio with PC Enthusiast. I remember being highly enthusiastic about audio systems before PC's became the norm in everyones lives. To me Sound Enthusiast are on a completely different channel than PC enthusiast. Even though many times the two are likely associated with one another, especially in todays world. I could never merge my enthusiasm for PC's with my enthusiasm for audio. In my mind they still and will always remain independent from each other. As many have noted, true sound enthusiasm will lead to external hardware not relevant to PC's.

 

[Randomthom]

I'm an audiophile. I have a degree in sound engineering, a job in audio and am a major home recording hobbyist.
It's very funny reading the comments here and seeing people write that "you're not an enthusiast until you own X/Y/Z". First-off, that's bollocks, you're an enthusiast if you care and your ears can tell the difference.
The article isn't written about enthusiast-level sound or for enthusiasts. It's written for all those people who are using onboard sound, all-the-while wondering if they would benefit from spending a little bit of money in that area.
The article also does a good job of pointing out that spending a little can make a big difference in quality.

I will agree with one point made by many posters, it was probably not the best way to test with a software-EQ enabled. I could go into more detail as to why that is the case but I'll just simply say that it makes the comparison less-than-perfect (though comparing audio is always less than perfect). That doesn't make the conclusions drawn wrong or invalid, just less-than ideal.

 

[Guest]

I still use an Audigy 2 ZS and it works great and sounds WAY better than any onboard sound I've heard. People need to realize that when you buy a $330+ mobo and it has a non-Realtek chip on the motherboard you paid for that to be on the motherboard and not a separate card. Some of these higher end mobos come with a separate PCI-e sound card, but remember now if that card or PCI-e slot die you no longer have a backup audio solution until your new card or board get there.

Also the day the onboard video is better than an aftermarket card is the day onboard sound will be just as good....I'll be waiting for that day. Something tells me that day will never come, as video and audio continue to advance so will the technology needed to process it.

FYI - HT Omega is releasing a PCI-e version of the Halo XT mid-2014 that will be my next sound card I will purchase as my Audigy 2 ZS has run it course for the last 6 years with no complaints and the current Halo XT is PCI only.

 

[Guest]

It depends on what purpose you have with your soundcard. The last two years a lot of poor souls bought
the shitty krk's , which are hyped like dre's headphones. But why would you even consider buying dj/studiospeakers.... Good studiomonitors ain' fun to listen to. And to make them sound a bit nice, you need a soundcard. But not a studio soundcard when it comes to headphonesound , I haven't found one external card whicht beats the asus xonar essence stx. I personally would just buy a nice hifi set when it comes to sound enjoyment and a insidecard from about 100 euro... and if you want a nice sound, you'd better can buy the pioneer dj range, same price or mackie hrmk2( indeed the old ones but does it well with studio and dj sound) or jbl lsr 305. Krk sound sooo dull and lacks power. If you think that thing sounds good then you might as well play it with your onboardcard, which offcourse get better... watch the asus boards and connect it to a hifisystem, lots more fun. My monitors are also more dj like then studio speakers cause I'd like to make sound with the synth and some nice rythems and I scratch a lot but I have an external valve compressor and sound sound enhancer/exciter and an reverb unit , so the lifelesness of mp3's are removed easily.

10 years ago everybody bought standard a soundblaster with his desktop, but if you look at those things now
it's funny. If you want nice krk's , buy the vxt serie with the 400euro cheapest sub from krk, that one ain't shitty. except for your neighbours....

gr. richard

 

[Guest]

If that is what you are doing you definitely have no need for a sound card. Optical out from the PC into an outboard DAC will sound way better. Or one of the USB DACs into headphones is OK too. Course these are more expensive. The most interesting question to me is, does having a sound card make a modern game have better sounds?

 

[James of Tucson]

Are you producing the audio, or merely consuming it? This makes *all* the difference.

 

[VitalyT]

What is article from 2013 doing on the front page of TechSpot in late 2015?

 

[Badelhas]

This is totallly a CLICKBAIT article since it's more than 2 years old already.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

A dedicated soundcard? Of course not, your only wasting your money. If you're an audiophile why aren't you using a DAC amplifier instead?
For the vast majority, the onboard sound of new mobo's is excellent these days, especially if it's complimented by dedicated circuitry and stuff like Nichicon audio caps. A lot of mobo's integrate that nowadays.

 

[Julio Franco]

What is article from 2013 doing on the front page of TechSpot in late 2015?

As stated in the article (right after the brief intro) and marked in the homepage (green text):

Note: This feature was originally published on 12/03/2013. We have revised it and bumped it because it's as relevant today as it was before. Part of our #ThrowbackThursday initiative.

This is the third article bump we have done recently (one every other week), carefully selecting and in some cases bringing up to date articles we published a few years back but are just as relevant today. The other two:

In Hindsight... Infamous Tech Industry Predictions and Quotations

Xerox PARC: A Brief Nod to the Minds Behind Laser Printing, Ethernet, the GUI and More

 

[Sarcasm]

I actually bought a sound card only because my on-board audio stopped working for some reason. Might be placebo (or maybe not) but I did notice Music sounds great when the volume is turned up. (also two year old article or not, still was an interesting read)

 

[tomkaten]

I don't game much, so I bought this external DAC from Amazon UK and never looked back. It sounds amazing, better than most sound cards I've heard, including an X-Fi modded with high quality components (japanese audiophile capacitors and Hi-Fi Opamps).

It's a basic device but a very effective one. I simply love it.

 

[TomSEA]

People who claim that "MOBO sound is just fine," have more than likely never used a sound card and are just guessing. I have a ASUS Xonar Essence STX installed and whenever any of my computer geek friends visit, they're all amazed at the sound. Of course, you need to match it up with a decent set of speakers and headphone or you'll get nothing out of a sound card. The best Hi-Fi setup advice I got was when an audiophile friend told me, "your system is only as good as the weakest component." You buy a $200 sound card and pair it with $35 speakers, you're going to get $35 sound.

For Franco: Maybe you should move all of these two year old posts somewhere so the most current ones hit the top of the page.

 

[Evernessince]

The Xonar DX is very entry level and the ATH-M50 are a bad choice for gaming.

The Essence STX is a huge step up and I wouldn't even consider that an audiophile card.

ATH-A900x would have been a much better choice of headphones at around the same price. The m50s are more for people who need to be mobile.

 

[sauerkraut17]

Interesting that one isn't a PC enthusiast if they don't use a dedicated sound card......that's just elitist talk right there.

 

[infiltrator]

I have used dedicated sound cards before, now I am using on-board sound card on a high end Asus motherboard. Sometimes, it can be a little challenging to tell each apart, but I have to say, that a dedicated sound card can deliver a different audio experience.

 

[Viraf P Chinoy]

I agree that this has been a point of debate for LONG but there was never ever any doubt in my mind that a Sound Card will sound MUCH BETTER than onboard audio. I've always used high end Intel chipset boards from Asus / Asrock (& once from Gigabyte) but despite that I've always had a sound card in my PC. In the past I've used SB Live, SB X-Fi Elite Pro & at present am using Sound Blaster Z. Yes I've been a die hard Creative fan so most of my cards are creative only. However in my house in the 2nd PC I also have Asus Xonar DGX card which is value for money / sounds great & that too on Analog speakers.

It is a pity / tragedy that you even guys (like most conducting sound card reviews) have not mentioned anything about digital audio. In most sound cards we've analog connectivity only. SB Z Card from Creative is the 1st card to have Digital option on the card itself. I'm using Logitech Z906 THX 5.1 system connected thro Mediaworks Toslink digital cable which I imported from Amazon USA. The digital sound that I hear after the Toslink cable being used is from a different world. Whether MP3 songs, MP4 / WAV movies, DVD / Bluray / 3D Bluray all these are a totally different experience altogether.

There was never & will never be any doubt that a sound card is always an integral part of my PC. That may be due to the fact that I hear / see everything more on my PC than TV / Mobile. But that's the way I work & would continue to work in future as well.

I'm pretty sure / confident that digital audio from onboard may sound good no doubt but it beating SB Z card is very much doubtful. Another aspect may be no one has ever taken any pains in importing the Toslink cable from USA & then hearing digital sound. They would be more than happy using a local digital cable like MX which may sound good but not the BEST. Even connecting headphones on the Pod of Z906 make them sound very GREAT while otherwise they would sound NORMAL.

I think I've written enough & queries / feedback from any other Techspot users are welcome.

 

[Adhmuz]

SB Z Card from Creative is the 1st card to have Digital option on the card itself.

Sorry but no, digital Toslinks are nothing new, and the SB Z is NOT the first card to have digital output. It came out in early 2013, I've personally been using my Razer AC-1 since 2007 with a digital Toslink connecting it to my home theater, and there are more that predate it as well. Buying that sound card was probably the best investment I ever made, it's just unfortunate it's a legacy product using PCI... But I love the quality of the sound and the ease of use when I need to change from digital to analog.

 

[feathers632]

I use Auzentech X-Meridian 2G geared towards music use but fine for games. The drivers aren't bloated like the creative ones. Will never buy another creative after the awful x-fi titanium. Onboard can be very good these days but for musicians there are generally issues with latency unless u use software to fix it (that has issues too).

Then again if you're a guitarist you'd go for a USB guitar/audio interface. My Yamaha THR-10 sends guitar audio via USB to PC.

Many soundcards (creative especially) have used a sales gimmick called "posittional audio (CMSS)". This is a totally fake feature. It's supposed to provide accurate positional audio over headphones. Not possible with any existing conventional or surround headphones. They are NEVER able to project sound in front of you. The sound only ever appears from "behind" or to the sides. For anyone who wants working (genuine) positional audio it has to be at least a 5.1 speaker setup.

The binaural 3d sound demos out there also fail to provide 360 sound. Again it's only every behind or to the sides.

I've owned surround headphones including 2 sets of multi driver ones from 2 different companies. Both designs failed to provide positional audio.