Poor sound quality

Dollar · 09-26-2006, 04:24 AM

I have a laptop in which its built in sound card quality is getting rather distorted nowadays. I have bought an affordable Comodow USB sound adapter in an effort to solve this problem. However, the problem became more serious. Now the sound quality via the Comodow USB sound card is even worst than the built in sound card(Soundmax). I knew I have wasted my money on this pathetic USB sound card, which costed me a mere 20 bucks. Now, I dare not put my gamble on the "Creative USB Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit External", which will cost about 4 times more. I have also aborted the idea of changing the entire motherboard together with the sound card as it will cost 20 times more. Now, can anyone help me? What should I do to get value for my new high end 2.1 channel speakers?

By the way, the sound quality via my mp3 player to speaker works great, so the problem can be isolated to sound card, not speakers.

chrisalviola · 09-26-2006, 12:13 PM

I have seen that USB sound card on stores i did not bought it, someone on this forum adviced me not to.

Dollar · 09-26-2006, 12:38 PM

Bleh! However someone adviced me to buy a USB sound card in this forum instead.
So how are you going about solving the internal sound card issue?

chrisalviola · 09-26-2006, 12:45 PM

if its a laptop how are you going to change the board? even the sound built in it.

Dollar · 09-26-2006, 01:04 PM

You can't possibly be using a bad sound card (be it built in or external) forever right and not doing anything about it? There must be a solution for this.
Anyone else can offer any solutions?

**Archangel** · 09-26-2006, 01:10 PM

the creative IS a good card, i've only heard good things about it.
altough, i dont excpect it to be as good as a PCI card in a normal pc.

but.. what does the sound actually sound like?
does it sound like youre in a hollow tree? or does it echo or what?
usually there is a Equolizer in the sorftware of a soundcard, maybe check that out, because you can alter the volume of different frequenty ranges with it, so you can alter the sound quite a lot with something like that.
( at least, My creative card has a software equolizer with it

)

fade2green514 · 09-26-2006, 07:35 PM

well, sound blaster, a creative labs product, would be the one i suggest. ive got an internal audigy 4 in my desktop, and it came with a remote even... the quality was probably 5 fold over that of my integrated sound, just because the sound card could hit more sounds at once. try playing a video game with music in the background and having the noise stay clear - my audigy 4 does it fine. you don't notice a huge difference until you switch back to integrated to compare - needless to say i could seriously notice the difference when i switched back.

pdc76 · 09-27-2006, 09:04 AM

i owned the Sound Blaster Live! external, and i can't say anything bad about it. i found it for $40 at staples. it helped me through a time when my internal went bad, and i needed something to make due until i got another internal. i heard externals were better because they don't pick up the internal pc "noise". any truth in that?

**Archangel** · 09-27-2006, 09:43 AM

well... indeed it could be that external soundcards dont pick up so much EMC from the rest of the pc because theire outside the case.. altough, with modern print layout desifgs,.. (like the audigy2 and 4 etc) i really doubt it matters much. and i bet the X-fi series grinds any external anyway.

pdc76 · 09-27-2006, 09:54 AM

i think i saw a x-fi sound card for a laptop. it's a card that goes in the side, not usb. maybe you can try that.

09-26-2006, 04:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dollar Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 175	Poor sound quality I have a laptop in which its built in sound card quality is getting rather distorted nowadays. I have bought an affordable Comodow USB sound adapter in an effort to solve this problem. However, the problem became more serious. Now the sound quality via the Comodow USB sound card is even worst than the built in sound card(Soundmax). I knew I have wasted my money on this pathetic USB sound card, which costed me a mere 20 bucks. Now, I dare not put my gamble on the "Creative USB Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit External", which will cost about 4 times more. I have also aborted the idea of changing the entire motherboard together with the sound card as it will cost 20 times more. Now, can anyone help me? What should I do to get value for my new high end 2.1 channel speakers? By the way, the sound quality via my mp3 player to speaker works great, so the problem can be isolated to sound card, not speakers.

09-26-2006, 01:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
Archangel Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Netherlands Age: 21 Posts: 7,837	the creative IS a good card, i've only heard good things about it. altough, i dont excpect it to be as good as a PCI card in a normal pc. but.. what does the sound actually sound like? does it sound like youre in a hollow tree? or does it echo or what? usually there is a Equolizer in the sorftware of a soundcard, maybe check that out, because you can alter the volume of different frequenty ranges with it, so you can alter the sound quite a lot with something like that. ( at least, My creative card has a software equolizer with it ) __________________ God's busy, can I hellp you? Newton is dead, Einstein is dead, I don't feel very well either Xfire - Mirrari Intel Q6600 ( @3.6GHz) Asus Triton 79 Amazing 549/3200 4x 1Gb Corsair XMS2 DDR800 ( @ 960MHz ) Asus Maximus Formula Asus & Sapphire HD3870 512Mb Logitech MX Revolution mouse, G-15 keyboard, Saitek X-45 AeroEngine II case Corsair HX620W PSU

09-26-2006, 07:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
fade2green514 Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: buffalo ny Age: 19 Posts: 3,186	well, sound blaster, a creative labs product, would be the one i suggest. ive got an internal audigy 4 in my desktop, and it came with a remote even... the quality was probably 5 fold over that of my integrated sound, just because the sound card could hit more sounds at once. try playing a video game with music in the background and having the noise stay clear - my audigy 4 does it fine. you don't notice a huge difference until you switch back to integrated to compare - needless to say i could seriously notice the difference when i switched back. __________________ Core 2 Duo e6300 (3000 grit lapped) Thermaltake big typhoon - cpu full load 43C DFI Infinity 975X Crossfire motherboard 7800gt 256mb + NV silencer 2x2gb G.Skill ddr2-800 5-5-5-15 (1.8v) 2x80gb WD 8mb sata2 in RAID 0 system drive 1x250gb Seagate 7200.9 storage drive

09-27-2006, 09:43 AM	#9 (permalink)
Archangel Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Netherlands Age: 21 Posts: 7,837	well... indeed it could be that external soundcards dont pick up so much EMC from the rest of the pc because theire outside the case.. altough, with modern print layout desifgs,.. (like the audigy2 and 4 etc) i really doubt it matters much. and i bet the X-fi series grinds any external anyway. __________________ God's busy, can I hellp you? Newton is dead, Einstein is dead, I don't feel very well either Xfire - Mirrari Intel Q6600 ( @3.6GHz) Asus Triton 79 Amazing 549/3200 4x 1Gb Corsair XMS2 DDR800 ( @ 960MHz ) Asus Maximus Formula Asus & Sapphire HD3870 512Mb Logitech MX Revolution mouse, G-15 keyboard, Saitek X-45 AeroEngine II case Corsair HX620W PSU

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09-26-2006, 12:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
chrisalviola Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 861	I have seen that USB sound card on stores i did not bought it, someone on this forum adviced me not to.

09-26-2006, 12:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
Dollar Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 175	Bleh! However someone adviced me to buy a USB sound card in this forum instead. So how are you going about solving the internal sound card issue?

09-26-2006, 12:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
chrisalviola Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 861	if its a laptop how are you going to change the board? even the sound built in it.

09-26-2006, 01:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
Dollar Silver Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 175	You can't possibly be using a bad sound card (be it built in or external) forever right and not doing anything about it? There must be a solution for this. Anyone else can offer any solutions?

09-27-2006, 09:04 AM	#8 (permalink)
pdc76 Platinum Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 757	i owned the Sound Blaster Live! external, and i can't say anything bad about it. i found it for $40 at staples. it helped me through a time when my internal went bad, and i needed something to make due until i got another internal. i heard externals were better because they don't pick up the internal pc "noise". any truth in that?

09-27-2006, 09:54 AM	#10 (permalink)
pdc76 Platinum Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 757	i think i saw a x-fi sound card for a laptop. it's a card that goes in the side, not usb. maybe you can try that.

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