Best sound card

dydxdydx Cymru, UK
edited June 2003 in Hardware
Since my SB Live 5.1 has ceased to function, I need to start researching new sound cards.

For your information, the speakers Im using are Wharfedale Diamond 8s hooked up to a Sherwood 6.1 channel home theatre reciver.

Any ideas?

mD

Comments

  • CoasterCoaster
    edited June 2003
    Creative seems to get a thumbs down nowadays, I had a LIVE! card for ages, but they are PCI hogs.

    http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/santacruz/producthome.asp

    Gets good votes, but in the UK I think they are called something else...
  • dydxdydx Cymru, UK
    edited June 2003
    Had a Turtle beach in a Dell box a couple of years back.

    I recall it having decent MIDI voices.

    Does anyone have any experience with M-Audio cards?

    mD
  • FlintstoneFlintstone SE Florida
    edited June 2003
    I'm using an M-audio Sonica usb audio card but I haven't tried it in a 6.1 situation. For 4.1, it's killer. Better than the onboard on my K7D-Master-L and easier to deal with than anyother I've tried. It works in the MSI where the TB Santa Cruz wouldn't, for some reason and it was only like $50.00 US on Ebay!!

    Flint

    P.S. any reference to Ebay is purely Tex's fault!!
  • PyobliEPyobliE UK
    edited June 2003
    Originally posted by Coaster
    I had a LIVE! card for ages, but they are PCI hogs.

    Exact same situation as me, so I ended up with the USB Extigy. I was sceptical of a USB SC at first, but I love it. Really sexy black box on my desktop with lights n nobs, isn’t that what every boy wants?

    As my machine is a server for my households LAN and broadband, I couldn’t get the Live to use a free IRQ, so went the USB route. Its great, never clicks out due to alleged USB bandwidth problems, works flawlessly - And the remote is great.

    /me Happy :D
  • danball1976danball1976 Wichita Falls, TX
    edited June 2003
    The word best is such a temporary word
  • EnisadaEnisada Edmonton Member
    edited June 2003
    I'm loving my Audigy 2. I have to complaints about it. I use to have a Audigy, ewww. It was horrible. I notice a difference in my music and games when I upgraded. I would reccommend it. I gave my Audigy to my brother. LOL
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited June 2003
    The audigy2 has excellent sound quality (if/when it works properly in your mobo) and much lower cpu utilization than some other solutions *cough*m-audio*cough*

    I still haven't figured out how the m-audio board works- it has no cd audio connectors onboard, and doesn't do it's own processing- the cpu does it for it, so it's essentially onboard sound in a pci card form factor as far as I can tell... :confused:

    nvidia's soundstorm audio in it's nforce2 chipset rivals the audigy2 for sound quality when it's properly tweaked, unless my speakers are the limiting factor, which I don't think they are since they're THX certified Altec Lansing units...
  • CCWCCW Suffolk, UK
    edited June 2003
    Terratec make some nice cards, Creative are the most "popular" in the home though.

    Craig
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited June 2003
    Ive never had any problems with my Audigy and the sound quailty is great, only problem seems to be the discontinuation of drivers.

    NS
  • dydxdydx Cymru, UK
    edited June 2003
    I like the look of the Terratec card.

    http://productsen.terratec.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=149&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

    Does anyone have any experience with this board?

    mD
  • AsmoAsmo Kitchener, ON
    edited June 2003
    Originally posted by Geeky1
    The audigy2 has excellent sound quality (if/when it works properly in your mobo) and much lower cpu utilization than some other solutions *cough*m-audio*cough*

    I still haven't figured out how the m-audio board works- it has no cd audio connectors onboard, and doesn't do it's own processing- the cpu does it for it, so it's essentially onboard sound in a pci card form factor as far as I can tell... :confused:

    nvidia's soundstorm audio in it's nforce2 chipset rivals the audigy2 for sound quality when it's properly tweaked, unless my speakers are the limiting factor, which I don't think they are since they're THX certified Altec Lansing units...

    Which m-audio model do you have? The M-Audio revolution 7.1 is a much superior sounding card than the audigy 2 -- except when it comes to gaming. Oh, most soundcards now support digital sound from your cdrom -- meaning you don't connect anything to it, it goes over the IDE channels.

    The best cards out right now for GAMING is the audigy 2, there are many better cards if you are using your PC for music or movies mainly. The Audigy 2 is a good mix, offers decent quality and since creative has control of the most popular gaming API it works with everything.
  • mr-FUmr-FU
    edited June 2003
    geeky1...the m-audio revolution is a hardware sound solution...it doesn't use the cpu. m-audio would definitely not produce such a low-par soundcard, they are a high tier company making professional audio equipment.

    as a musician, i would definitely go for the m-audio revolution if i was on a budget...if not, why dontcha take a chance and buy a MOTU firewire audio device? :P
    but for gaming, the best solution is most definitely the audigy 2 without a question.
  • dydxdydx Cymru, UK
    edited June 2003
    This is a difficult decision.

    I do play games, although not as often as id like to since i dont have a lot of free timw what with work and exams and all..

    I will occasionally watch a DivX on the PC, but not DVDs, as i have a TV and DVD player close by, and its more convenient that way.

    I do also listen to a lot of music on the machine.

    This is quite the conundrum.

    I dont mind spending up to say £200 on a soundcard.

    Looks like the Audigy 2 is the best all round solution.

    Any ideas?


    mD
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited June 2003
    Asmo & Mr. Fu: I don't have any of m-audio's cards, but I've been looking @ their Revolution 7.1, and I read somewhere (I think it was Maximum PC, but I don't remember for sure) that it is NOT a hardware-based solutiion, that the chip on board basically just takes processed info from the CPU and outputs it, and that consequently it can use a pretty good chunk of cpu power, which makes it awful for gaming...

    So I may be mistaken, but that's what I've heard...
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited June 2003
    Tech Report - Update
    Firing Squad
    LAN Addict
    Tweaknews
    Techspot
    Digit-Life
    ITReviews
    InsideMacGames
    MidiMan
    Tweakbox
    Sharbor
    TechView

    Versiontracker Driver Information

    That should last you a while.
    NS
  • dydxdydx Cymru, UK
    edited June 2003
    What kind of processing overhead would the M-Audio bring?

    mD
  • AsmoAsmo Kitchener, ON
    edited June 2003
    The only processing overhead you'll get in a m-audio revolution would be in gaming, for music and dvd it is a far superior card. Gaming however, is touch and go with each game, some work fine, others not so good.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited June 2003
    The reason it gives overhead in games is because all the voices are software processed (done by the CPU). Anyway, read the damn reviews and stop asking questions. :p

    NS
  • mr-FUmr-FU
    edited June 2003
    lets not argue with NS...not only can he get really touchy and start spamming the place with attached sounds and ut smiley faces ;) but he has no life and spends entire weeks sitting infront of his compmuter reading reviews and accumaliting information..hahah
    cheers NS ;)
  • dydxdydx Cymru, UK
    edited June 2003
    Your on thin ice there Mr Fu...


    mD
  • dydxdydx Cymru, UK
    edited June 2003
    Ive decided to go with the Audigy 2.


    mD
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