Is a sound card really needed?

[pushkaraj]

I am wondering whether a sound card is really needed if one has an onboard sound solution like realtek 6.1 , etc. coz i also use a cmi8738 sound card but except for a slight improvement in the bass reproduction there isn't much difference i have noticed. Probably i might not b havin so-called "MUSIC EARS" 2 recognise small differences in sounds. But then is it dat there will b a hell lot of differencs between realtek onboard 6.1 and a sound card like 1 from the creative audigy series ???

[damnthenet]

Today's integrtated audio comes with good fidelity in terms of music reproduction. The real need for a good audio card comes when there's a need to produce (record) quality music.
The good sound cards come with a lot of features to minimise noise levels etc. For those who aspire to be musicians and composers, a sound card is almost inevitable.

[pushkaraj]

THANX:-P Got ur point dude. I had once used Fruity Loops Studio and noticed dat there was reduced latency in the processing of sound with my cmi8738 than my onboard sound .

This is a sincere question to all u music lovers and audiophiles out there who swear by there expensive sound systems

Wat i wanna know is dat is it worth buying a creative audigy series or even better sound card for simply listening to 128 kbps ,or for dat matter ,320 kbps, mp3 .

ALso i wud like to know whether will the sound qaulity b considerably better if i replace my creative sbs-370 2.1 speaker set with an Altec Lansing ATP3 2.1 set

[janitha]

Originally Posted by pushkaraj

THANX:-P Got ur point dude. I had once used Fruity Loops Studio and noticed dat there was reduced latency in the processing of sound with my cmi8738 than my onboard sound .

This is a sincere question to all u music lovers and audiophiles out there who swear by there expensive sound systems

Wat i wanna know is dat is it worth buying a creative audigy series or even better sound card for simply listening to 128 kbps ,or for dat matter ,320 kbps, mp3 .

ALso i wud like to know whether will the sound qaulity b considerably better if i replace my creative sbs-370 2.1 speaker set with an Altec Lansing ATP3 2.1 set

Definitely.

[zyberboy]

use this little player which will give better sound in the same hardware for mp3's.Adjust the eq to rock and turn off auto amp.This player is considered as the best by audophiles around the world.
http://un4seen.com/

[Lucky_star]

Creative will come no-where near the ATP3 in perfomance. The bass and treble clarity is perfect for the Altec Lansing in its range.


And for listening to mp3s be it 128 or 320 kbps, onboard audio is more than enough. Make sure the onboard is realtek and not Sigmatel or soundmax.

[pushkaraj]

Hey cyberboy_kerala, Tried and tested xmplay as suggested by u. Trust me dude, i did not find much diff between dat player and wmp11, atleast on my config: CMI8738 sound card + Creative sbs-370 2.1 speakers .

Anyway thanx for suggesting me dat player coz it comes in an amazingly small size- JUST 300 kb APPROX- and givin the same performance as dat of wmp11. Must say, great technology goes behind the making of such a light weight player. I am truly amazed. Probably by installing their bass addon, i will get a better bass reproduction .

And lucky_star, thanx for ur reply. By the way,hav u any idea whether is Altec Lansing MX5021 "REALLY" better than ATP3 ,given its high price(7900 approx) .

I hav kept my subwoofer on the lower side of my computer trolly beside the cabinet. So will the vibrations caused by it affect the cabinet in anyway?

[zyberboy]

Originally Posted by pushkaraj

Hey cyberboy_kerala, Tried and tested xmplay as suggested by u. Trust me dude, i did not find much diff between dat player and wmp11, atleast on my config: CMI8738 sound card + Creative sbs-370 2.1 speakers .

yeah,but keep using this player for playing music for atleast two weeks,then change to wmp11 then u will feel the difference.you can also try foobar2000.
I was using wmp11+dfx even though wmp11 sounds good,xmplay feels better for wide variety of music.

[Gigacore]

If u want High Definition Audio Quality u need a soundcard.

Advantage:

The onboard audio will use system's RAM for processing the audio. But the Soundcard will have a builtin RAM for processing the sound. Thus will improve the system performance without giving much workload on RAM. It is just like a Graphic Card does.

[Lucky_star]

you will notice little or no perfomance difference with a sound card installed. It doesn't need too much RAM. It does the same work which an MP3 player does. Nothing else. Can't compare with the capability and workload of a graphics card.


@ Puskaraj. Dude, you want too spend 7900 bucks on a 2.1? If you can spend that much then go for a 5.1 model. MX5021 is superb. additionally it has got remote and THX certification and a very big bass driver. That's why its overtly priced. But if you are looking for a 2.1 from Altec, then I would say, go for ATP3. It won't dissappoint you.

[pushkaraj]

Thanx Lucky_star ang intel_gigacore. By the way, Lucky_star, probably u misunderstood intel_gigacore coz i think wat he means to say is dat there r certain commercial audio creating and editing softwares out there- Steinberg Nuendo and Fruity Loops Studio, just to name a few. These softwares r so demanding dat if u don't hav a sound card, they will definitely overload the cpu. Basically as i earlier said, there wil be a "noticeable" latency in the processing of sound.

As for lucky_star, i think he is right. Can't compare the graphics card's workload and capability with dat of a sound card. But then in certain situations, like the one mentioned above, the sound card plays a significant role in reducing the workload on the cpu and the onboard sound.

So to conclude, probably for simply listening to good quality music, a combination of ATP3 and the onboard realtek sound should suffice

One of my questions has been left unanswered:
I hav kept my subwoofer on the lower side of my computer trolly beside the cabinet. So will the vibrations caused by it affect the cpu's working in anyway?

[deathvirus_me]

Wat i wanna know is dat is it worth buying a creative audigy series or even better sound card for simply listening to 128 kbps ,or for dat matter ,320 kbps, mp3

YES ..... but u'll know how to actually go about it .. for example , u should just use players like Winamp , but actually use some additional plugins for enhancing the player to make full use of ur sound card ...

Creative will come no-where near the ATP3 in perfomance. The bass and treble clarity is perfect for the Altec Lansing in its range.

For the price of an AL 2.1 speakers set , u should easily bag a Creative Inspire 5.1 speaker set ..

you will notice little or no perfomance difference with a sound card installed. It doesn't need too much RAM. It does the same work which an MP3 player does. Nothing else. Can't compare with the capability and workload of a graphics card.

Yes the performance diff. is noticeable , particularly if u use ingame effects like EAX 4/5 ... now for windows , the performance diff. will only be noticeable with playing , say , 24 bit 192 KHz VBR audio ... the CPU usage will be quite low compared to an onboard solution .. ingame , a sound card ensures that u can get the maximum sound effects with minimal performance loss ..

And about comparing sound cards , u can do that too .. for example , u can;t expect the Creative SB Live 24 bit to be as good as a Creative XFi .. lol ..

Also , for any onboard user , u can benchmark ur onborad sound using this : http://audio.rightmark.org/products/rm3ds.shtml

Post back some results in u deem so .. I'd really like to see and onboard solution keeping the CPU usage down below 0.5% usaing 64 channel at 96 KHz output ...

[pushkaraj]

YES ..... but u'll know how to actually go about it .. for example , u should just use players like Winamp , but actually use some additional plugins for enhancing the player to make full use of ur sound card ...

I love using wmp11 as it has <<live search>>. Can u suggest some good dsp plugin for it?

For the price of an AL 2.1 speakers set , u should easily bag a Creative Inspire 5.1 speaker set ..

Don't u think it will b better to listen our usual mp3 songs,WHICH R STEREO, on a 2.1 speaker set coz i think the 2-channel output will b routed to the 5 channels instead of being routed to only 2 channels and probably this might affect the original reproductin of sound.

Post back some results in u deem so .. I'd really like to see and onboard solution keeping the CPU usage down below 0.5% usaing 64 channel at 96 KHz output ...

I am equally eager to know the results of my onboard realtek and cmi8738 sound card . But due to some reason, i m not able to download dat application, probably bcoz of my snail-like slow airtel gprs connection. As soon as i get it, i will post the results.

[zyberboy]

For wmp11 use DFX plugin
yes 2.1 speakers hav better working than 5.1 in stereo music.

[deathvirus_me]

Don't u think it will b better to listen our usual mp3 songs,WHICH R STEREO, on a 2.1 speaker set coz i think the 2-channel output will b routed to the 5 channels instead of being routed to only 2 channels and probably this might affect the original reproductin of sound.

yes 2.1 speakers hav better working than 5.1 in stereo music.

I think ur not aware of CMSS 3D offered by Creative for their sound cards ?? In modes like CMSS 2 , the audio is actually upmixed with added room acoustics ... once u hear it , u'll never wanna go back ..

Also , i'm not really in WMP .. For Winamp , use AudioburstFX ... put the settings to the max ur card supports , and u'll be surprised urself ... I use it along with "Acoustic" Audio effect , and the sound experience is awesome ..

[thrash_metal]

Shifted from a Creative 5.1 live to a Audigy PLatinum Pro ..... theres a HUGEEE difference .....

[pushkaraj]

OK deathvirus_me. i hav attached 2 screenshots of my onboard realtek and cmi8738 sound card 3d studio test results.

Will check out both DFX and AudioburstFX .

Hey thrash_metal, wat is the cost of Audigy Platinum Pro?

[Lucky_star]

CMSS 3D is really a goood feature in creative cards. I have felt the difference.
If you wanna buy a card then buy the audigy series or the X-Fi series. and mix it with a 5.1 speaker system like the inspire 5.1 or anything from altec, and you will bring a whole theatre into your house.

Yes the performance diff. is noticeable , particularly if u use ingame effects like EAX 4/5 ... now for windows , the performance diff. will only be noticeable with playing , say , 24 bit 192 KHz VBR audio ... the CPU usage will be quite low compared to an onboard solution .. ingame , a sound card ensures that u can get the maximum sound effects with minimal performance loss ..

I thought he wanted it for listening to MP3s only. Ok, thanks for the info.

I hav kept my subwoofer on the lower side of my computer trolly beside the cabinet. So will the vibrations caused by it affect the cpu's working in anyway?

It will not be a problem if your your subwoofer isn't jumping like a barking dog hitting the bottom of the table, and trying to knock off the CPU.

[hitman050]

What card could I get for under 2k to improve sound quality for HD 720p movies. I have an X-530 speaker set, and crappy onboard Soundmax AD1988B.

[Lucky_star]

Originally Posted by hitman050

What card could I get for under 2k to improve sound quality for HD 720p movies. I have an X-530 speaker set, and crappy onboard Soundmax AD1988B.

You will get a simple soundblaster 5.1 card It will cost 1100 bucks. Don't know the present price. It has got features like CMSS which makes a theatre like effect and its much much better than the soundmax.

[aneesh kalra]

I have an altec lansing mx 5021 and belive me it is actually very good but it is more of a home theatre replacement rather than a comp. speaker replacement but still a good speaker with well pronounced highs and lows(much beterr than the atp3) although it distorts at max volume.One query do I need a thx certified soundcard for this.At presen tI run it on 865 onboard soundmax.

[deathvirus_me]

OK deathvirus_me. i hav attached 2 screenshots of my onboard realtek and cmi8738 sound card 3d studio test results.

Hmmm , take a look at my review of an Audigy 4 here : http://www.techtalkz.com/member-revi...igy-4-oem.html

If u notice carefully ... while using 16 samples at 44.1 KHz , with the Realtek HD Audio , the CPU usage was 8% using EAX ... and with the CMI card , it was over 1% .. though it makes hardly any noticeable performance difference for general OS usage ... think of this : a card that lets u use maxed effect , and keeps CPU usage below 0.5% ??

PS : Why didn't u post the graph ??

[goobimama]

CMSS I have found reduces fidelity in the sound quality and on researching the net, it is true. Dolby ProLogic II is much better at upmixing.

As for a good soundcard, the creative soundcards don't stand a chance when compared with an Auzentech X-Meridian or even its lower counterparts.

A good soundcard:
- produces high signal to noise ratio
- improves low quality mp3 files (X-Fi crystalizer, Auzentech has something of their own)
- Reduces CPU usage
- Decodes DD and DTS signals much better than a software decoder
- provides for EAX sound effects in games..(5.1, 7.1)
- Has the power to output/input sound at high resolutions (192Khz/24bit)

You will NOT feel the difference in a blind test on an average speaker system as onboard soundcards have grown quite a bit. But plug in something good, and yes, I can tell the difference.

[techno_funky]

Originally Posted by deathvirus_me

Hmmm , take a look at my review of an Audigy 4 here : http://www.techtalkz.com/member-revi...igy-4-oem.html

If u notice carefully ... while using 16 samples at 44.1 KHz , with the Realtek HD Audio , the CPU usage was 8% using EAX ... and with the CMI card , it was over 1% .. though it makes hardly any noticeable performance difference for general OS usage ... think of this : a card that lets u use maxed effect , and keeps CPU usage below 0.5% ??

PS : Why didn't u post the graph ??

How much did you get that Audigy 4 OEM for and where do I stand with my ATP3 and onboard audio (Relatek ALC882 HD 8-Channel) I mean should I really go for a high end sound card.

[deathvirus_me]

Well , it's definitely recommended to put in a good sound card .... And , i got my Auidy 4 for just under 4k's ... its an OEM one , so it misses out some features from the Pro , but overall , its a real bang for buck ..

CMSS I have found reduces fidelity in the sound quality and on researching the net, it is true. Dolby ProLogic II is much better at upmixing.

Hmmm , i quite like to use CMSS 2 along with "Acoustic" audio effect ... sounds really better than the original ..

[goobimama]

^^ I've got the Audigy 2 ZS. Maybe something has improved in the Audigy 4... Acoustic effect is also my favourite...

But Creative has left us like dogs when it comes to Vista drivers.... the sound card just about works...

[deathvirus_me]

Who cares about Vista anyway ?? Plus , they said they're gonna charge for the Alchemy driver for Audigy , lol .. how long would it take to get the drivers over the net .. Plus , why move to Vista anyway ?? The uber crappy driver support .. lol ..

[aneesh kalra]

Do I need a thx certified soundcard to run my thx certified 2.1 altec lansing mx5021.What I had heard that souncards should only be considered if one wants accurate poisitional sound from one's 5.1 speakers.

[thrash_metal]

Got it for 14.5k ... !

@aneesh kalra : Dude THX is a very crazy certification , to have an optimum THX sound u not only need your Speakers + sound procssing + music/movies to be THX certified but also the room in which you are listning in !!! You can check the specifications (google THX)

[blackleopard92]

how much does mx5021 costs?