Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

Return to Computer Audio Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Best sounding PC soundcard.....

152.132.10.193
Posted on August 28, 2008 at 10:41:48
Iczerman


 
This is just for my computer. I'm using...Don't laugh....a Bose wave radio....kinda expensive but sounds REALLY good for this application. (tv sound is also coming through it).

What is a good sounding soundcard for listening to organ music on Youtube( You'd be surprized how much stuff is on there...).

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
As far as I know, Bose has 1 stereo input only - how are you planning to connect 2 sources?, posted on August 28, 2008 at 10:56:23
carcass93
Audiophile

Posts: 7181
Location: NJ
Joined: September 20, 2006
 If you have onboard audio in your PC, may be it's good time to play with it, to make sure you can accomplish what you want in principle.

 

RE: As far as I know, Bose has 1 stereo input only - how are you planning to connect 2 sources?, posted on August 28, 2008 at 12:57:04
Iczerman


 
I have a sony XBR5 that has a variable output and a pc input and 3 hdmi inputs..So all audio runs through the television.

 

EMU 1212M ($130-150) sounded not bad in my setup - for integrated solution., posted on August 28, 2008 at 13:41:14
carcass93
Audiophile

Posts: 7181
Location: NJ
Joined: September 20, 2006
 I wouldn't expect lot of responses, since most people here are interested in taking digital out to external DAC, but you're going to use the DAC on the card itself. I, for instance, have no idea how my current card (ASUS Xonar D2X PCI-e) sounds through its internal DAC.

Your best bet is probably reading reviews for different cards on Newegg.com.

 

RE: As far as I know, Bose has 1 stereo input only - how are you planning to connect 2 sources?, posted on August 28, 2008 at 13:56:43
Dawnrazor
Audiophile

Posts: 12592
Location: N. California
Joined: April 9, 2004
 Carc gives some good advice here.

If you are looking though for an easier card and less expensive, check out the M-audio revolution. It is around $60 or so and easy to work with (if you install the software before the card).

The emu is better I bet but it is made for the pro market...

 

Sorry, I just remembered, posted on August 28, 2008 at 17:48:34
Dawnrazor
Audiophile

Posts: 12592
Location: N. California
Joined: April 9, 2004
 The latest driver has a quirk that makes it hard to recommend this. There may be a fix (I haven't looked).

Basically, when you boot up, only the right channel works and it is pretty loud.

If you pull up the control panel and then try to adjust the volume, it then has normal operation..ie both channels at normal volume.

I am sure they will fix it at one point, but I for one don't use my non audio pc enough with sound to let them know. YMMV.

 

Agreed., posted on August 29, 2008 at 06:51:57
jeffmathers
Audiophile

Posts: 384
Location: SE Michigan
Joined: March 22, 2005
 These are nice cards. They pop up used from time to time over on head-fi.org. I got mine from a member there for under $100. I think it sounds great.

Jeff

 

Are you kidding, posted on August 29, 2008 at 07:45:26
prpixel
Audiophile

Posts: 271
Location: New Jersey
Joined: May 14, 2005
 He's running his audio from his computer, through a Sony TV and then to a Bose table radio. Do you think changing the soundcard is really going to make a difference? Save yourself some money and continue using the sound built into the mainboard.

 

No, posted on August 29, 2008 at 08:17:06
Dawnrazor
Audiophile

Posts: 12592
Location: N. California
Joined: April 9, 2004
 The op asked for a soundcard. I assume that the onboard audio was an avenue that had been tried, hence the question.

And I don't know about you, but my system has changed significantly in the last few years. Especially with the DTV transition coming, maybe a new tv/ sound system is in the future.

YOur point is well taken tough and why I didn't recommend the ESI Juli@ card :)

 

LMAO!!!!, posted on August 29, 2008 at 08:58:32
Dynaudio_Rules
 .
Karma Means Never Having To Say Your Sorry

 

RE: Best sounding PC soundcard....., posted on August 29, 2008 at 12:16:38
Presto
Audiophile

Posts: 5957
Location: Canada
Joined: November 10, 2004
 Well, that depends on how much you want to spend.

Word on the street is that the Lynx 2 series cards are the bomb but they're about $750. RME is priced similarly to the Lynx cards but Lynx seems more popular. Some guys swear by these cards and say they do as well (if not better) than really top dollar CDPs.

Then in the middle of the road you have Terratec, ESI, EMU, Edirol, and the more "prosumer" level M-audio stuff. These are not alway "cards" per se and can be USB devices or even Firewire. Some are a PCI "mother" card with an external bay or breakout box that contains the DACs. The price range is about $250-$500 roughly. Some guys swear by these too - but they're not all created equal. Watch for ones that have external boxes which are powered by the PC power supply. I think a very important consideration is getting an audio interface that has an input for external power. Then you can replace the factory "wall wart" with a better supply or even batteries to get the cleanest power possible to those DACs. This, according to many here, is the downfall of MOST low and medium price audio solutions. Dirty power (especially PC power) is a big source of clock jitter. This does not explain, however, why PCI cards in the category above work so well despite being INSIDE the computer AND being powered BY the computer's power supplies. This you have to figure out for yourself! Good design perhaps? Good filtering?

Here is a neat "newer" product from Terratec (a well regarded company)

http://www.mediatek.com.tw/eng/03_product/oemodm/SoundCard/HiFier_Fantasia/features.htm

Check out the features - it has externally powered USB Breakout box, just like I was saying. It's got AKM 4396 DACs (really really good) and is based on the latest chipset from C-Media - the "Oxygen" CMI8787. Look at the emphasis the company has put in their ad copy about being "isolated" from the noise of the PC. Are manufacturers starting to listen? I would say YES!!

Then, in the budget category you have M-audio "Audiphile 24/96", M-Audio Revo 5.1/7.1, Creative X-Fi X-treme music, and cards in this $100-150. I have a M-Audio revolution 7.1 and a Creative X-fi. The Creative seems to be "more detailed" but the M-Audio sounds more "clear" to me - I think the M-Audio is more transparent and neutral. The X-fi almost adds a "tizzy factor" to the high end which can be seen as high-end detail at first... but is it detail or just noise? The X-fi measures EXTREMELY clean on a RightMark Audio Analyzer (cleaner than the M-Audio) but the M-audio is a MUCH simpler card with simpler drivers. In fact, the "bloat" of the Creative intallation is quite a bear. It's also hard sometimes to figure out how to get the MINIMAL drivers installed. I've tried "minimalist" installations but then I got strange functionality.

Personally I would avoid the Creative X-fi unless you want to use your card for games, home-theatre media, and all of the other frills. If you just want a decent 2-channel audio card with decent analog outs, I would recommend:

M-Audio 24/96
M-Audio Revolution 5.1*
M-Audio Revolution 7.1*
Any newer card with a Cmedia 8787 chipset and decent dacs**

*Or any good card with an Envy 24 HT chipset. It's older technology, but stable with good drivers for XP or Vista.
** These could be the value leaders for price-to-performance ratio. But they may or may not have drivers that support ASIO even though the 8787 can support ASIO. The drivers NEED to be written for it as well. You may not need ASIO, but many guys here DO use ASIO to ensure bit-perfect playback.

Your biggest problem is the vast selection you have before you!

Cheers,
Presto

 

Thank you for the very detailed answer!, posted on August 29, 2008 at 21:14:43
Iczerman


 
Just the type of advice I was looking for!

 

RE: Best sounding PC soundcard....., posted on August 29, 2008 at 23:26:52
Dawnrazor
Audiophile

Posts: 12592
Location: N. California
Joined: April 9, 2004
 Hey Presto,

The Lynx L22 is the popular card and usually goes for about 675$ The 2 series adds more analog ins or outs:

http://www.jrrshop.com/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=0&keywords=lynx+l22&gclid=CLOig_r2tJUCFQsQagod2HoXRQ

Also, on your Revo 7.1 do you have an issue where all the sound is in the right channel until you click on the M-audio icon??

 

RE: Best sounding PC soundcard....., posted on August 30, 2008 at 12:50:15
Presto
Audiophile

Posts: 5957
Location: Canada
Joined: November 10, 2004
 Dawnrazor:

No - I can't say I've had any strange mapping issues like that. The previous XP version of the driver for the 7.1 was rock solid but SPDIF channels were not mapped in ASIO. The new driver, equally solid, DOES have SPDIF channels mapped in ASIO. (yay!) Then again, I would just use kernel streaming to get the SPDIF out of the Revo which worked really really well too.

I would remove all drivers and do a fresh install. Maybe even re-seat the Revo into a new PCI slot too.

Cheers,
Presto

 

RE: Agreed., posted on March 1, 2009 at 18:40:27
lag0a


 
Presto or anyone else, I currently use the Auzentech X-meridian's Digital output only and I'm planning to replace it with something for digital output only, what would be best? I'm looking for something in the $100-$200 range. Some say an internal sound card is bad with all the RF/EMI interference noise, and using the computer's psu as Presto pointed out so does that mean I should use an internal pci card, but all the work is really done by an external box with its own power supply like the HiFier_Fantasia? Does a word clock or super clock matter much for digital output?

 

Page processed in 0.028 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]