Morrie’s wig shop
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Once upon a time, many moons ago.
These days not so much.
These days not so much.
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Is there a point in Sound Cards anymore?
- Thread starter Elder Legend
- Start date
Mephisto40
Member
If you do music production on your PC it's almost essential to have an external soundcard, so yes they do still have a point
marjo
Member
I use a Xonar card that encodes 5.1 to Dts and connect it to my receiver via an optical cable. Unfortunately, I don't have a better way of getting surround sound, since my receiver doesn't accept 5.1 analog input and trying to use HDMI for audio only causes issues since Windows expects another monitor.
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Depends.
They are basically un-usable / have no use.
If your setup is "livingroom pc with tv". then your audio goes trough HDMI to tv and/or amp, so soundcard would not even work. Maybe you could connect it to amps 5.1 rca connectors, if amp is old enough to have them.
and digital audio is "perfect" so it will be decoded in tv/amp and their quality is the weakest link, after speakers and acoustics.
For pc+monitor D Desk setup they could have some use, for small active speakers etc.
Laptop1991
Member
I've had loads of Creative cards over the years and still use my ZXR all the time, but there are software issues at times, but i still like my card, although you probably don't need them as much now as when EAX was a big thing way back.
Depends on the mobo and your setup.
You have a headset with high impedance and you might need to amplify the signal to get good volume and acustics.
Maybe your onboard only supports 5.1 or lacks the support of certain formats, like DTX: Headphones etc.
If you have a good mobo that suits your setup you might get diminishing returns from a soundcard. My brother upgraded recently and he thought the sound stage and high frequency tones are a little bit more clear. But just so much, or little, that it's hard to justify the 100 EUR, I think, he spent. Technically, it's still an improvement though.
So as always: depends heavily on your habits, setup, and how well your hearing is trained to certain things that bothering you but wouldn't be bothering other people.
You have a headset with high impedance and you might need to amplify the signal to get good volume and acustics.
Maybe your onboard only supports 5.1 or lacks the support of certain formats, like DTX: Headphones etc.
If you have a good mobo that suits your setup you might get diminishing returns from a soundcard. My brother upgraded recently and he thought the sound stage and high frequency tones are a little bit more clear. But just so much, or little, that it's hard to justify the 100 EUR, I think, he spent. Technically, it's still an improvement though.
So as always: depends heavily on your habits, setup, and how well your hearing is trained to certain things that bothering you but wouldn't be bothering other people.
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ThatPolishGuy
Member
It matters to some, depends what equipment do you have. Cheap headphones, not so much.
Better equipment? You can hear the imperfections in sound especially in trebles on low end audio cards or integrated chips. There's also audio format. If you listen only to mp3s and have a good card or USB DAC, you won't really push better signal. Only when you play some FLAC or other lossless format with a good equipment, you will hear how trebles and maybe mids were compressed as hell compared to mp3s.
I would argue about extra expensive audio voodoo stuff though. Audiophiles can be weird sometimes. I have a friend which listens to cables and stuff. Or if a CD is covered with 24k gold it suddenly sounds better than normal CD. I read about this japanese audiophile which bought his own power line because he heard distortions in the main power line
.
AJUMP23
Member
I appreciate you effort to my joke.It matters to some, depends what equipment do you have. Cheap headphones, not so much.
Better equipment? You can hear the imperfections in sound especially in trebles on low end audio cards or integrated chips. There's also audio format. If you listen only to mp3s and have a good card or USB DAC, you won't really push better signal. Only when you play some FLAC or other lossless format with a good equipment, you will hear how trebles and maybe mids were compressed as hell compared to mp3s.
I would argue about extra expensive audio voodoo stuff though. Audiophiles can be weird sometimes. I have a friend which listens to cables and stuff. Or if a CD is covered with 24k gold it suddenly sounds better than normal CD. I read about this japanese audiophile which bought his own power line because he heard distortions in the main power line
Rambone
Member
Depends on the individual's needs. If just powering headphones or earphones, then on-board audio is probably good enough for most. I personally have moved on to dedicated dacs and amps which I guess you can consider an external sound card but my buying internal sound card days are long over with.
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
When did most gamers just live with whatever audio chip is in their PC? Back in the day it was all about Adlib, then getting good Soundblaster cards.
Maybe 2000?
Maybe 2000?
Rambone
Member
I dunno, surfing /r headphones you would be surprised how many dudes are only rocking on-board audio still and then complaining why their new mid-fi headphone sounds like shit or doesn't get loud enough.
Well after that. You had EAX and A3D. Vista killed off what made those cards special back then. I switched away in 2012.
lukilladog
Member
What about external speakers?. Do you mean passive speakers?, because I´ve had no problems with powered sets.
Ps.- People were mentioning the analog input of sound cards, microphone or capture. I use that all the time to plug in my phone and watch stuff, on the gigabyte h610m and the asus b660m it works just as well as it did on my Xonar card... or maybe better, sound level might be a bit higher.
cinnamonandgravy
Member
your headset is made of speakers (small ones), but i get what youre saying.
if youre happy with what you have, stay happy.
maybe if a birthday or christmas comes up one year, and you cant think of something you want... maybe use the opportunity to get better headphones. you might be surprised by how much you like them.
existensmaximum
Member
Probably OT for this thread but nevertheless, if you want to record music for example, you need a dedicated sound card so you get low input latency during the recording.
Demigod Mac
Member
Am surprised Creative hasn't yet made a Sound Blaster with an HDMI audio port on it. One that could assist with processing Dolby Atmos would be nice.
Yet their latest and greatest card is still rocking the old Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect (5.1) encoders.
Yet their latest and greatest card is still rocking the old Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect (5.1) encoders.
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Digfox
Member
At a guess HDMI licensing, HDCP and that their core market is PC users on USB inputs. Tbf their competitors; Astro, Sennheiser all have similar boxes with no HDMI. And most headphones DAC/AMPs don't have HDMI either where it's of no benefit to audiophiles.
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Platinumstorm
Member
I'm hesitant to use the term passive speakers for the ones that I have, but it's the closest description. I use an old Creative surround set that plugs into a subwoofer; I'm not sure there is a receiver as part of it, which is why I hesitate to call them passive, but it's probably the most technically correct.
I have given thought to buying a receiver and passive speakers for my computer before, but I've dreaded running into technical issues with it, and don't really want the extra heat generation and power consumption in my computer area from a receiver. While these aren't the highest quality speakers in the world, they've always sufficed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005Z21D/?tag=neogaf0e-20
lukilladog
Member
The little ones are passive but are powered by the subwoofer, not the sound card. There are plenty of hq and affordable tiny amplifiers nowadays, more efficient and more powerful than the amp in that sub, one of those with some quality shelf speakers would kill it.
HiFiVideogameMusic
Banned
Separate dac to stereo amplifier to speakers.
MadchesterManc
Member
Haven't used one in ages myself, my motherboard has an optical out and that's all I need nowadays