Would I notice the difference?

tuxify

New Member
I am currently using the onboard sound on my Gigabyte P35-DS3L (Realtek ALC888). I got these really nice studio headphones (ATH-A700s) but I don't think I'm getting the most out of them because I'm using onboard sound.
I'm thinking of getting a sound card, and the only brand I've heard anything about is Creative Sound Blaster.
I found THIS card, which I wouldn't mind getting if it was going to greatly impact my sound quality.
What would be the difference between getting the above $25 card instead of getting a $100 Creative SB card?
And will I really notice a difference (a $25+ difference) if I got this card over just using onboard sound?
Thanks.
 

cohen

New Member
Great card there, i have that and i have the logitech X 540's and i love it, and it sounds a lot better than the onboard.

i say get it, and i don't think you'll really know the difference with the higher one.
 

tuxify

New Member
I figure $25 isn't much, and if I don't get that much sound quality, it's not a big deal. I guess I'll order it.
 

diduknowthat

formerly liuliuboy
The onboard sound is horrible for that board. However, that sound card isn't particularly great either. I would say either fork out for a better one or save up some money for it. That sound card is more for people who want more channels that their onboard sound has.
 

StrangleHold

Moderator
Staff member
Uhnless you have onboard sound with a old motherboard. The Audigy SE is a pretty low end sound card. I would say the onboard Realtek ALC888 is equal to or better.
 

tuxify

New Member
Something like This?

I'm only posting Creative stuff because it's the only brand I've heard of. I really don't feel like spending more than $60 on a soundcard.
 

diduknowthat

formerly liuliuboy
Something like This?

I'm only posting Creative stuff because it's the only brand I've heard of. I really don't feel like spending more than $60 on a soundcard.

That is basically a Audigy SE, just renamed and bundled with different software. Even more of a ripoff :).
 

realmike15

New Member
I am currently using the onboard sound on my Gigabyte P35-DS3L (Realtek ALC888). I got these really nice studio headphones (ATH-A700s) but I don't think I'm getting the most out of them because I'm using onboard sound.
I'm thinking of getting a sound card, and the only brand I've heard anything about is Creative Sound Blaster.
I found THIS card, which I wouldn't mind getting if it was going to greatly impact my sound quality.
What would be the difference between getting the above $25 card instead of getting a $100 Creative SB card?
And will I really notice a difference (a $25+ difference) if I got this card over just using onboard sound?
Thanks.

to be perfectly honest... realtek onboard audio is just as good as the best creative card. creative cards are more of a marketing gimmic then anything else. the only thing those cards really offer, is the game decoding technology (ex: EAX).

if you want a card that actually plays 2-channel music with real claritiy, get an audio editing card...

m-audio makes nice stuff
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829121008'

again dont waste your money on creative, none of their cards are actually very good at all. they jam packed with tons of features, but have terrible ADACs (analog-digial-analog converts)
 

realmike15

New Member
Care to explain, or is the sky just turning pink?

already did...

"again dont waste your money on creative, none of their cards are actually very good at all. they jam packed with tons of features, but have terrible ADACs (analog-digial-analog converts)"

not to mention no one uses creative cards at the professional level for referencing material... wonder why
 

TrainTrackHack

VIP Member
"again dont waste your money on creative, none of their cards are actually very good at all. they jam packed with tons of features, but have terrible ADACs (analog-digial-analog converts)"
I've been very satisfied with my Creative cards, and general consensus is that Creative cards are better than onboard - I've yet to see a onboard sound that beats any of Creative card (of course we don't count the ancient ones, though by SoundBlaster 4.1 produces just as good sound as my Realtek onboard)
 

Jerrick

New Member
Ill just throw this in here.

My motherboard has HD audio built win and supports from 2-7.1 systems. Besides that, I also have Dolby Home Theater built in with quite a bit of options in there.

How does my onboard sound compare to sound cards? Im hopping its going to take the place of my old SB Live value card.

Its about time I can use all the speakers I got that my friend gave to me as a birthday gift.
 

diduknowthat

formerly liuliuboy
I don't know what onboard sound you're using, but the onboard sound on my motherboard, Realtek ALC888, SUCKS. I've tried using an old cheapo 5.1 sound card and it sounded a much better. My current card, the xtrememusic, sounds brilliant, even with cheap, sub-par 5.1 speakers.
 

Jerrick

New Member
Realtek ALC889A codecs.

Says, "HD audio inlcudes multiple high quality digital-to-analog converts that support 48KHz sampling rate.
 

tuxify

New Member
Wow, that's a lot of different opinions. I think I'll bring my question to an audiophile forum, as they might be able to give me more of a combined answer.
 

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
to be perfectly honest... realtek onboard audio is just as good as the best creative card. creative cards are more of a marketing gimmic then anything else. the only thing those cards really offer, is the game decoding technology (ex: EAX).

if you want a card that actually plays 2-channel music with real claritiy, get an audio editing card...

m-audio makes nice stuff
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829121008'

again dont waste your money on creative, none of their cards are actually very good at all. they jam packed with tons of features, but have terrible ADACs (analog-digial-analog converts)

Let’s stick to the facts eh champ? This is the second time you have posted here with this bs.

ADAC - Myth 1 - Creative's are rubbish.For those who don't understand the (SNR) signal-to-noise ratio compares the level of a desired signal (such as music) to the level of background noise. The higher the ratio, the less obtrusive the background noise is. Thus the higher signal to noise ratio the better.

The realtek ALC888 ADAC has a SNR of around 97dB whereas the Creative Titanium (not the best btw), has a SNR of 109dB. Now remember dB is a logarithmic scale, so that is significantly better. Put it this way, 30dB is 100 times more than 20dB so you get the idea that 109 is much better than 97 (its actually less than that on its DAC).

Verdict: Now unless you want to record, which he doesn't, a Creative is better - significantly.


Summary of the other aspects that are better on the Creative card (remember this is not the best one):

  • Digital Dolby Support.
  • X-Fi
  • EAX
  • 64mB or RAM onboard which allows sound samples to be processed onboard.
  • PCIe x 1 card which means it leaves the PCI slot free
  • DTS encoding...

Do I need to go on?

Unless you are recording in a home studio environment, nothing else is up to scratch, and it will definitely beat any onboard sound, even simply because of the interference from the motherboard is reduced....

Conclusion, will you notice the difference? YES! Provided you are not intending to record professional level recordings, you will notice a significant difference in noise reduction and sound quality with the Creative card over the onboard (any) sound solution.

btw Oregon is beautiful, spent most of this year there in the far NE.
 
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realmike15

New Member
haha I like how you call me sport in an attempt to display a greater understanding of sound cards. now let me explain something to you..

the importance of a quality sound card is not it's SNR.. but it's ability to convert the signal from digital to analog without any change in the sound. something having nothing to do with specs and something that cannot be defined in numbers.

the fact still remains no recording studio using creative sound cards for referencing (listening) to material because they are not true to source reference system... in other words sucks.

feel free to sprout off more numbers about things you clearly don't understand
 
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