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[Elder Legend]

I've built 3 PCs in the last 10 or more years or so and not once did I ever buy a sound card for my builds.

It's that time again, where I am looking to build a new machine either next year or the one after. Anyways... who still buys sound cards? What do they provide ? Is it just for audiophiles? Someone with good knowledge please explain to me who still buys these?

Doesn't majority of audio quality just comes from how good of a headset you have? Or am I speaking nonsense?

 

[64bitmodels]

Doesn't majority of audio quality just comes from how good of a headset you have? Or am I speaking nonsense?

no
if you plug a pair of HD600s into a regular old headphone jack they're gonna sound like crap

Sound cards are useless these days, but DACs/Amps are incredibly useful and pretty much needed for any sort of critical listening or lossless audio

 

[Kilau]

Last time I tried to add in a sound card, because my receiver couldn’t decode what I wanted to send to it, it caused nothing but conflicts and game hanging.

I returned the card and replaced the receiver.

 

[LQX]

No. Most motherboards these days have great onboard audio, and if that is not enough their are ton of cheap amp/dacs which are better to have than a internal sound card.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

To get the best sound quality possible you will need a dedicated DAC or sound card.

Doesn't majority of audio quality just comes from how good of a headset you have? Or am I speaking nonsense?

Hell no! The whole signal chain is important!

 

[Patrick S.]

I'm using a Focusrite sound interface to be able to hook up my guitar to the PC. That has been the first time I've bought PC audio hardware in like 15 years.

 

[DGrayson]

I think the problem is that the definition of sound card is something but the functions is something else.

Several people here have recommended a DAC/AMP combo, thats great, I use one myself, but really its just an external sound card.

A sound card is simply taking the function of a digital to analog converter away from the mother board, and offloading the job to an internal card connected by PCI-E or whatever. Normally they include an AMP function as well. So ya, a good sound card is like an external DAC and AMP but built into your computer.

So rather than asking, is there a point in a sound card, you should really ask yourself if you care about having the best sound in games or music from your computer. If you answer yes you should consider the ways to accomplish this, the first step being the DAC, then the AMP and then the actual source of sound like headphones, speakers etc. The DAC and AMP can be accomplished several ways, buying a motherboard with supposedly a good DAC/AMP, or relying on the MOBO DAC but using an AMP. You can also use a soundcard for this, or you can buy a desktop DAC/AMP and do it that way. Finally you could hook up your computer to an AV Receiver with HDMI and do something similar.

The point is that, the job that sound cards do is still equally important, so its not really correct to say that there is no point to sound cards, however there may be better ways to get the best sound than a sound card.

 

[Damigos]

No point in getting a sound card, except if you have a remote controller and many extra ports

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I still have a sound card, but at this point, I'm only using it for optical out to a receiver. It's a an Asus Xonar STX that I've had for more than 9 years, but it still does the job (although, you have to use some iffy 3rd party drivers for it to work on modern Windows, which is... not great.) When I rework this build in a couple months, I'm finally going to ditch it and just use HDMI or USB audio out from the motherboard to the receiver. Sound cards have kind of run their course, and the better solution these days is to just have something external. You avoid the interference of an internal sound card, and your options for hardware are a lot better. It's kind of telling that the only option for people who do still want a sound card is a Sound Blaster that's been out for years at this point. Everyone else has closed up shop.

 

[KungFucius]

I have been using HDMI to AVR since HDMI was added to video cards. It used to be a pain in the ass with Windows as shutting the screen off or letting the PC sleep would fuck up the audio connection, but nowadays this isn't much of an issue.

 

[Kadve]

I'm sticking to mine at least. The motherboard that i used to have hated my speaker setup and i don't trust any onboard audio since.

 

[lukilladog]

Nope, the human hearing is rudimentary and at the same time the human bias is a bitch, that is why so many people defend their hardware (Not because of stubborness mind you, your brain can make you hear and see stuff that is not there, and naturally make you resist to believe other way).

 

[azertydu91]

Honestly ,I think they are useless until MS sort their shit out about sounds in windows.Either format/compression/channel number/audio level etc are always problematic.

 

[dcx4610]

It depends on how much you care about sound. To me, I still like a dedicated sound card. Part of it is me just being stubborn and wanting dedicated hardware because it was required all of my life. Another part is loyalty to brands like Creative. But also, it's the software and extra features.

I like having a good EQ and the ability to tweak sound which is hard to find on motherboard sound. My sound card (Sound Blaster AE-9) also comes with an external box which has a headphone amp, mic inputs, volume control, etc. which allows me to hook up high impedance headphones. All of that is worth it to me.

I'd say the average person doesn't need a sound card but if you are an enthusit or audiophile, it's a worth it for the extra options and functions. I trust Creative to manage my sound more than Windows or some random motherboard drivers.

 

[Fart Knight]

Only if you want the authentic MIDI sound.

 

[Fredrik]

I'm using a Focusrite sound interface to be able to hook up my guitar to the PC. That has been the first time I've bought PC audio hardware in like 15 years.

Steinberg UR22 here for the same reason, plus studio monitors. Prior to that I used to just plug in a 2.1 speaker system into the motherboard, no issues.

 

[Patrick S.]

Nope, the human hearing is rudimentary and at the same time the human bias is a bitch, that is why so many people defend their hardware.

Yeah, humans can only hear in 24 fps.

 

[rofif]

no
if you plug a pair of HD600s into a regular old headphone jack they're gonna sound like crap

Sound cards are useless these days, but DACs/Amps are incredibly useful and pretty much needed for any sort of critical listening or lossless audio

Thisis exactly why usb headphones/digital audio is so good.
It also sends power and they can make headset sound independent of the source isnce device dac is inside.
So internal dac + more power through usb/sub c.

 

[CeeJay]

no
if you plug a pair of HD600s into a regular old headphone jack they're gonna sound like crap

Sound cards are useless these days, but DACs/Amps are incredibly useful and pretty much needed for any sort of critical listening or lossless audio

Of course they will need an amp and sound shit without one, they are high impedance (300ohm) headphones, they won't work properly without an amp and sound worse than even the cheapest pair of earbuds. Unless you are also doing some music production on the computer there is no need for such a high quality pair of headphones imo. A pair of decent quality low impedance cans sound more than good enough for gaming with the on-board sound.

 

[M1chl]

If you create music, then yes. For ASIO, ASIO4ALL requires beefy CPU when you are doing more than just a few tracks.

 

[Strider Highwind]

Man you took me back to when I used to buy sound cards. I use a USB Interface for engineering music(I do freelance audio engineering on the side for a few tv shows lol) hooked up to some studio monitors on my PC Now and it blasts

 

[Strider Highwind]

If you create music, then yes. For ASIO, ASIO4ALL requires beefy CPU when you are doing more than just a few tracks.

Salute!

 

[lukilladog]

Yeah, humans can only hear in 24 fps.

Well, humans are known to be able to detect a single frame out of 400, but we cannot even hear the difference between 44khz and 192khz in our own audio systems.

 

[Drew1440]

I have had the onboard sound fail on some motherboards, so PCI sound cards are a good replacement. Although I tend to use the HDMI onboard sound on my graphics card.

 

[Orta]

Haven't used one in years, saying that I'm half deaf from years of gaming through headphones so either a €500 soundcard or onboard audio, doesn't make one iota of difference to me

 

[Joyful]

If u have decent headphones u need an amp

Which usually is reserved for the more expensive tier mobos.

 

[peronmls]

No unless you use it for music production and need better latency. Zero need.

 

[nikos]

no
if you plug a pair of HD600s into a regular old headphone jack they're gonna sound like crap

Sound cards are useless these days, but DACs/Amps are incredibly useful and pretty much needed for any sort of critical listening or lossless audio

Pretty much this.

Doesn't need to specifically be a sound card, but better audio hardware = better audio. Could be an audio interface, external DAC/amp, internal sound card etc. Some motherboards have decent onboard audio, but it's still not nearly as good as dedicated hardware.

 

[SF Kosmo]

For professional recording perhaps. Not so much for gaming.

 

[HoodWinked]

analog in.

 

[Slicker than your average]

So will this improve my Audio if I plug my speakers and headphones in.

Behringer U-PHORIA UMC22 Audiophile 2x2 USB Audio Interface with Midas Mic Preamplifier https://amzn.eu/d/2UScIyB

 

[VN1X]

Still using my ASUS Xonar Essence STX II to drive my Beyerdynamic 990 DT Pro. Higher impedance requires a soundcard.

(also the range is so much more wider and detailed compared to any other supposed 'surround' or 'gaming' headsets)

 

[Wildebeest]

It isn't audiophile nonsense if your onboard audio is not amplified enough to properly drive your headphones. But at least there is less risk of you going deaf.

 

[Buggy Loop]

DAC/AMP for me

For a long time I had the PC connected to the home theatre via HDMI anyway so that was good. Then I had a cheap schiit stack, but better than motherboard audio. Now I have schiit Jotunheim 2 + Bifrost 2 and it’s pretty damn sweet.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

No - I already spend way too much to get the best graphics. I can't start doing the same for audio. I'll stay blissfully ignorant, thank you.

 

[Futaleufu]

Only if you want the authentic MIDI sound.

That can be solved by loading a soundfont of your choice.

 

[dorkimoe]

I have audioengine A2+, hook up thru USB on my pc, should i get a DAC with it or just keep it like this?

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

havent bought a sound card since the audigy (and i still miss EAX).
graduated to using receivers, then moved on to processors/preamps + standalone amps.
external DACs tend to be only 2 channel (stereo), so for surround sound you need a receiver or processor.

onboard is 1000x better than it used to be, and can outperform many sound cards... but it's far from the best.

games, movies, songs, TV shows... they all use sound, so upgrading your sound makes a large, wide impact.

regarding headphones, since theyve been mentioned a few times already here: not all headphones, including high-end ones, require extra amplification (i.e., head amps). you need to understand the characteristics of the headphones you own.
and gaming/PC speakers and headphones are generally poor-to-average quality.

Doesn't majority of audio quality just comes from how good of a headset you have? Or am I speaking nonsense?

the quality of the speakers matter the most. throw all your money at that first.
then worry about the quality of the signal (DAC/processor/receiver/sound card) and the amplification (head amp/receiver/separate amps).

 

[YCoCg]

Only if you want the authentic MIDI sound.

That authentic MIDI sound...

 

[Elder Legend]

havent bought a sound card since the audigy (and i still miss EAX).
graduated to using receivers, then moved on to processors/preamps + standalone amps.
external DACs tend to be only 2 channel (stereo), so for surround sound you need a receiver or processor.

onboard is 1000x better than it used to be, and can outperform many sound cards... but it's far from the best.

games, movies, songs, TV shows... they all use sound, so upgrading your sound makes a large, wide impact.

regarding headphones, since theyve been mentioned a few times already here: not all headphones, including high-end ones, require extra amplification (i.e., head amps). you need to understand the characteristics of the headphones you own.
and gaming/PC speakers and headphones are generally poor-to-average quality.

the quality of the speakers matter the most. throw all your money at that first.
then worry about the quality of the signal (DAC/processor/receiver/sound card) and the amplification (head amp/receiver/separate amps).

Thanks for the detailed response. I haven't used or touched speakers for more than half my life at this point. I only have a GoPro XLR, Condenser Mic and Headset. My PC is mostly is being used for video production for YouTube and stuff lol. Never really cared for surround sound and I feel like current day headsets are good enough.

 

[Platinumstorm]

Short response, If you're still using external speakers like I do. Yes. Everyone says onboard is equivalent. It's not. I tried.

 

[DGrayson]

No - I already spend way too much to get the best graphics. I can't start doing the same for audio. I'll stay blissfully ignorant, thank you.

I definitely understand your point and audio can go even higher than graphics for cost, but its super unnecessary. A nice tabletop DAC/AMP combo for 200 bucks will last you forever and make a HUGE difference.

 

[Starbuck2907]

Audio cards sound better and relieve your MB of some processing duties. Years and years ago, this resulted in higher frames while gaming.

For 95% of people, modern onboard audio is fine. If you are an audiophile or mix/master/record multiple tracks at once, then one may be helpful, depending on the daw and software you use. Sometimes, audio cards won’t play nice with certain other audio hardware.

Basically, they still have a niche market, but their use is highly context dependent. It seems to me that people that grew up having them back when they were common still enjoy having them because they generally do sound a little better and come with good eq software.

 

[rofif]

Imo absolutely not.
Usb headphones have dac outside of noisy pc and usb delivers more power to headphones than possible through 3.5 alone.
This means that usb headphones can sound the same no matter from what device.
And that the noise interference is gone since the only analog part is from dac to speaker.

I will say more. People saying that hd600 needs an amp are missing a point. It just needs usb power which it would have if it was not 1980s headphone. Fiio e10k delivers more than enough power.
300ohm headphones are antiquated relict. It was always debatable if higher impedance is worth it. My koss porta pro 60ohm sounds 99% the way best headphones sound.

That ancient koss porta pro with fiio sound the same or even a bit worse than wireless pulse 3d from their dongle. That is usb audio. No noise and wireless.
And for speakers, if you use hdmi, it omits the sound card totally. My tv plays perfectly fine, very similar to how presonus played on e10k.

Sound cards are annoying. If you need anything, then just get usb dac. You will power most headphones and move noise outside of pc.

Tl;dr I don’t bother. USB wireless pulse 3d sound amazing. Why bother with cards, drivers, cables and settings… for a higher price too

Edit: most people don’t even use motherboard audio but just gpu audio! That is not motherboard passed audio.

 

[Wildebeest]

I'm a fan of keep it simple, stupid when it comes to audio. 70s tech of stereo mixes and high impedance headphones with a flat frequency response is tech that just reliably works. A lot of engineering in contemporary music and movies just sounds absolutely awful. In some cases it sounds quite good if you have the perfect setup they want you to have and manage to sit in the perfect position, but in the case of music mixes they are just all sorts of messed up and awful. Back to the 70s would be a step forward.

 

[Vindicator]

Switched from the onboard soundchip to an USB Rode mic with headphone out, thats currently good enough... besides that there are also an RME Multiface/Hammerfall PCMCIA card and a Novation Synthesizer with integrated audio interface lying around due to lack of time/room for music-related stuff.

 

[nightmare-slain]

for the average person no there is no need. i'm more than happy with the sound that my motherboard produces and while i wouldn't call myself an audiophile i probably care more about sound quality than the average person. i used to have a soundcard but when i got a new motherboard i thought it sounded better than with the card. plus the card was causing a lot of stability issues so i took it out.

if you consider yourself an audiophile and/or need the highest quality audio possible for your job or your band then definitely get an external dac/sound card.

whatever you find on your motherboard/cpu is only going be considered "good enough". audio is good enough for non professionals and integrated graphics are good enough for non professionals/gamers. while there is a bigger difference between a dedicated sound card and graphics card it's still the same thing. if you need it then you'll know you need it. i know i need a graphics card to do 3d/AI stuff and play games and i know i don't need a sound card to enjoy music.

 

[ThatPolishGuy]

For me USB DAC is the way to go. I have regular laptop so the jump is quite big. I also have a good stereo system so it instantly shows the difference. It could be the new motherboards have decent audio quality chips, can't really tell.

 

[old-parts]

As others have said if your not fussed integrated audio is fine.

The sound quality from a dedicated card is better but its a question of taste and what audio processing settings you like. I've owned a few Creative Soundblaster and Asus Xonar cards over the past 10 years, all were better than mobo integrated audio even with the most basic headphones. Motherboard integrated audio would probably kill off the remaining sound cards if they actually put any effort into their software processing and control panel settings but they don't, you can fiddle about with things like peace ao to try & fill those gaps but they are still lacking in features that can only be licensed.

These days you don't even need to open up your PC the Creative Soundblaster G6 is a USB soundcard and performs exactly the same as its internal counterparts with the full control panel for audio processing.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Depends how well onboard soundchips can drive the speakers/headset/headphones.