jancz3rt

Heya guys,

I am a great music fan (Trance, Hard Trance, Techno, Hard House and Hardcore). Now I am going to buy myself Logitech Z-2300 2.1 THX 200W RMS speakers (replacing my excellent but rather old and weaker AIWA SC-C57 system). Now, are onboard soundcards really as bad as people make them out to be? Is there a noticeable difference in them versus PCI based Creative Soundcards? I am not interested in buying something that is only better on paper but in reality brings minimum advantages.

JAN

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magicman

It's hard to put all PCI sound cards in the same group against onboard sound, as I've found some PCI cards can be just as good (or bad) as onboard sound. Having said that, generally the quality increases in line with the amount you pay, and at a certain point, you'll notice a good enough difference to warrant the buy.

What would your hypothetical budget be? If you were looking at a higher end of sound card, you would definately hear a difference, even I hear a difference with my X-fi and I'm using the crappest 5.1 system money can buy. Although I can't say for certain, I imagine a much bigger difference would be apparent with a good set of speakers to back it up.

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jancz3rt

My problem is that I do not have enough even for the cheapest X-FI. The only one I could afford would be the following:

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE :

Technical Specifications

24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96kHz sample rate
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96kHz to analog 7.1 speaker output
16-bit and 24-bit recording with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz
SPDIF output up to 24-bit resolution at selectable sampling rate of 44.1, 48 or 96kHz
64-Voice polyphony and multi-timbral capability
128 GM & GS compatible instruments and 10 drum kits
2MB or 4MB GM SoundFont Bank included
On-Board Connectors

Line level out (Front / Side / Rear / Centre / Subwoofer) or Headphone out
Line In / Microphone In / *Digital I/O
Aux Audio in
* Supports SPDIF Out for Stereo Digital Speaker/ connection with Creative Digital I/O Module (sold separately)

Sound Blaster Audigy SE Audio Performance

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) = 100 dB (2V)
Frequency Response at -3 dBr = <10 Hz to 40 kHz
Specifications are based on digital-to-analog audio playback (for example: CDDA, WAV, MP3, Dolby Digital)

Link: http://www.creative.com/products/pro...ct=14257&nav=1

JAN

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[-0MEGA-]

I have that sound card sitting in my closet collecting dust, lol. It was a decent upgrade from onboard, but you would be much, much better off not buying it, and waiting until you can afford the $65 X-Fi.

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jancz3rt

Ok I will wait then. Too bad I am from Europe and we are forced to pay way more. If I could, I would buy in the states. I would be able to afford it for that price anytime.

JAN

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magicman

I agree with Geoff on that one. Have you looked into how much it would cost to import american goods to you, Jan? When I've not minded waiting I've done that on occasion, and it's actually saved me some money. I think I bought a legit Norton Ghost from Israel once...

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