Decent sound card

nathanjrb

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
I'm thinking of getting a sound card instead of using the on-board sound. Can anyone suggest a decent mid-range one?
 
nathanjrb

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
Mostly a 5.1 surround sound system, connected via the green/orange/black 3.5mm cables. Budget is around £70, but no more than £100.
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
5.1 via the analogue connections.

I'd suggest a ASUS DXG, (PCI-E) go for about 30 quid, will do everything you require. :)
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
nathanjrb said:
What is the best type of connection for audio?
Click to expand...

nathanjrb said:
How on earth can you tell what's the best from all this:?

http://uk.asus.com/Multimedia/Audio_Cards/Gaming_and_Entertainment_series
Click to expand...

well, I'll try and answer both questions, :)

the best type of audio depends on your needs as a PC user, and what you want from your sound. Also what sound hardware you have? What budget you have? etc etc

If you want a fully digital sound system/headset, then you will need a card that has a optical output (spdif) and importantly if said sound card can and encode and output Dolby Digital 5.1 through that optical connection. I use a ASUS DX PCI-E for this, which is connected to a 5.1 digital headset, (tritton ax pro's) which gives me DD 5.1 in everything on my PC. But it is the soundcard that does the work not just the headset. Keynes has pretty much the same setup as me, so may be worth if he posts his opinions. It is however, expensive as you need a decent soundcard AND either a digital headset OR a expensive digital sound system.

If you want to use normal analogue connections but still want 5.1 sound from games etc, (say if you dont want to spend loads on sound, which is fine) then i'd go for the ASUS DGX, similar to the DX but cheaper and ideal for use with analogue connections. But I'd still suggest getting a decent headset, ideally that will work with 5.1 analogue connections. I think Corfate has a setup like this.

yeah you can spend more on a soundcard and go for a really high end one, but unless you have loads of money and very high end gear I wouldn't bother. If you have super sensitive hearing or class yourself as an audiophile, than its up to you really. The two cards I linked are quite small in size, but some of the more expensive models are quite large (not like the size of a gpu though), so do bear that in mind when choosing your case and components.

I hope that helps mate,
 
nathanjrb

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
Thanks that's helped a lot. The reason I'd be using analogue is simply because that's what I've been using from my 5.1 speaker system. These are the connections at the back. So is that the optical connection you mean? I think it can do both :/

I wouldn't say I'm an audiophile, but I can appreciate great sound and I usually like to get the best I can afford. Once I have the sound card I'll be getting a headset too - unless there's some awesome bundles?

I mostly use the speakers for movies and music - but I'm slowly branching into the gaming culture and require headphones for late at night.

Thanks for your help.
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
yeah thats an optical connection, also called spdif.

can you link the actual speaker setup you have? Whilst its got a optical input, I wonder If it can decode Dolby Digital.... hmmm

i prefer my headset so i can keep my awesome sound to myself... that and I dont need to listen to the soaps... .or the other half yelling at me for being on the pc! :)
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
in that case, I'd suggest making use of the 5.1. I tend to suggest ASUS cards because they are cheap and do exactly what they do on the tin. I had a bad experience with creative cards, therefore I dont recommend them at all.

I think, the asus dx would be a good choice. Bear in mind though, that it does need an additional power connector. But the connector comes packaged with it, then you just plug that into the card and into a molex connector from your psu.
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
nathanjrb said:
Thanks - so what cable would I use to connect them to the speakers?
Click to expand...

you will need an optical cable, like these http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...cal+sound+cable&sprefix=optical+sound,aps,211

:)

you may also need to do a bit of tweaking in the win7 sound settings, bottom right, right click on volume, and go to playback devices.

and you may need to have a play in the asus sound settings when you install the DX and the drivers/software. If you have a drama just give me a shout.
 
nathanjrb

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
Hi again,

I have another question. As mine is a 5.1 setup - could I buy a 7.1 card and still use the 5.1 speakers? Then if I wanted to upgrade to 7.1 later in life I could do?
 
nathanjrb

nathanjrb

Prolific Poster
Also, following advice from here:

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Speakers/How-to-connect-my-Z-5500-s-to-analogue-sound-card/td-p/980003

It appears that by using optical or coaxial cables, the z5500's would be doing all the work and not the sound card itself. In order to prevent this I need to use the 3.5mm jacks (green/black/orange).

Is that correct? This is all so confusing. The gf wants to buy me some headphones for my birthday, but I don't want to pick those until I've chosen the sound card....
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
I'm going to give my onboard sound a blast before getting a sound card. Just need to spec some speakers and headphones now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top