The purpose of sound cards?

So what is the purpose of sound cards nowadays? I know back in the day they used to not be built into the motherboard, but do today's cards really offer better sound quality?

Hell yeah, I've used sound cards for years and loved them, can't stand onboard.

To make your audio sound sexy and amazing. Onboard is still kidna crappy compared to a decent sound card

A good sound card will provide sound quality far superior to most onboard chipsets when paired with a good set of speakers. It gives you a better experience in games, music, and movies.

I don't know how people can tell with speakers since they are all so mudded anyway :P But with headphones it's pretty obvious.JigglyWiggly_

It's no different than testing 2 different amps with the same set of speakers in a music/home theater environment. There is a clear difference between a good/great amp and a poor/mediocre one. The same is true of different sound cards.

I don't know how people can tell with speakers since they are all so mudded anyway :P JigglyWiggly_

The best speakers aren't really good for games tbh. But if we are talking about sound quality sure, I mean I love big bass from speakers except like hell I'd be able to use it unless Ihad my own island :'(

I still keep my SB Audigy 2 Value around because one of my pet peeves is having the onboard audio and video (along with USB2) share an IRQ among each other. Although IRQ problems are a thing of the past, I still see the occasional stuttering and crashes with onboard sound when playing resource intensive games. The old soundcard has its own IRQ (IRQ 20) and my gaming has been mostly problem-free. There certainly haven't been any audio issues.

My Xonar DX blows away the onboard 7.1 sound in my PC.

i agree, sound cards aren't much better than onboard (not the $30 asus xonar dg that I have anyways), but they do have alot of inputs and if you're listening to headphones then its also definitely worth it. But for just a speaker setup then its not necessary for a soundcard, in fact I would be pretty suprised if someone could be able to tell the difference in quality b/w onboard and the soundcard.

i agree, sound cards aren't much better than onboard (not the $30 asus xonar dg that I have anyways), but they do have alot of inputs and if you're listening to headphones then its also definitely worth it. But for just a speaker setup then its not necessary for a soundcard, in fact I would be pretty suprised if someone could be able to tell the difference in quality b/w onboard and the soundcard.

blaznwiipspman1

Would you be surprised if someone could tell the difference between the sound of a Luxman or McIntosh stereo/surround amp and a $250 Onkyo? Almost anybody with a decent ear can tell there is a world of difference there, as long as you're using decent speakers. The same is true of good sound cards and onboard sound. The imaging is better, there's more punch, the highs, lows, and mids are better.. There is a big difference.

Some people talk about TVs like they're all the same too. They're nuts.

i agree, sound cards aren't much better than onboard (not the $30 asus xonar dg that I have anyways), but they do have alot of inputs and if you're listening to headphones then its also definitely worth it. But for just a speaker setup then its not necessary for a soundcard, in fact I would be pretty suprised if someone could be able to tell the difference in quality b/w onboard and the soundcard.

blaznwiipspman1

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i agree, sound cards aren't much better than onboard (not the $30 asus xonar dg that I have anyways), but they do have alot of inputs and if you're listening to headphones then its also definitely worth it. But for just a speaker setup then its not necessary for a soundcard, in fact I would be pretty suprised if someone could be able to tell the difference in quality b/w onboard and the soundcard.

hartsickdiscipl

Would you be surprised if someone could tell the difference between the sound of a Luxman or McIntosh stereo/surround amp and a $250 Onkyo? Almost anybody with a decent ear can tell there is a world of difference there, as long as you're using decent speakers. The same is true of good sound cards and onboard sound. The imaging is better, there's more punch, the highs, lows, and mids are better.. There is a big difference.

Some people talk about TVs like they're all the same too. They're nuts.

you're comparing high end audio equipment that could run you thousands to a $250 onkyo. Of course the more money you spend the better audio you get, but at this point Im having trouble telling the difference between my $30 creative a220 speaker plus sub combo connected to onboard audio and my M-audio av40 speakers connected to my asus xonar dg. Audiophiles will tell me that there is a world of a difference, but sadly the difference is almost non existant. The OP can get a soundcard but I'll warn him to not expect too much out of them compared to his onboard if hes only listening through speakers.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i agree, sound cards aren't much better than onboard (not the $30 asus xonar dg that I have anyways), but they do have alot of inputs and if you're listening to headphones then its also definitely worth it. But for just a speaker setup then its not necessary for a soundcard, in fact I would be pretty suprised if someone could be able to tell the difference in quality b/w onboard and the soundcard.

mitu123

yah that and also the headphone amp that comes on most soundcards are the only reason I'd get one.

[QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i agree, sound cards aren't much better than onboard (not the $30 asus xonar dg that I have anyways), but they do have alot of inputs and if you're listening to headphones then its also definitely worth it. But for just a speaker setup then its not necessary for a soundcard, in fact I would be pretty suprised if someone could be able to tell the difference in quality b/w onboard and the soundcard.

blaznwiipspman1

Would you be surprised if someone could tell the difference between the sound of a Luxman or McIntosh stereo/surround amp and a $250 Onkyo? Almost anybody with a decent ear can tell there is a world of difference there, as long as you're using decent speakers. The same is true of good sound cards and onboard sound. The imaging is better, there's more punch, the highs, lows, and mids are better.. There is a big difference.

Some people talk about TVs like they're all the same too. They're nuts.

you're comparing high end audio equipment that could run you thousands to a $250 onkyo. Of course the more money you spend the better audio you get, but at this point Im having trouble telling the difference between my $30 creative a220 speaker plus sub combo connected to onboard audio and my M-audio av40 speakers connected to my asus xonar dg. Audiophiles will tell me that there is a world of a difference, but sadly the difference is almost non existant. The OP can get a soundcard but I'll warn him to not expect too much out of them compared to his onboard if hes only listening through speakers.

To your ears. Sound quality is subjective; always has and always will be due to the physiological differences in hearing. Some people can recognize certain details promptly (hearing the difference between FLAC and 320kbps mp3s for example) while others cant. Different people will also have different preferences for sonic signatures. Your scenario is unfortunate but that doesn't necessarily mean that the difference isn't there. I personally can't discern the differences between FLAC and 320kbps in most cases but I do have friends who can consistently AB them in blind tests and produce accurate results.

I've never used the AV40s so I can't give any input regarding them but to me, there is a substantial difference between the Xonar Essence ST (with 2x LME49720 opamps) and my onboard realtek when using the Swan M200MKIIIs. Not only is the signature different (analytically cold vs. warm and fuzzy) but details such as depth perception, sound stage, and bass tightness also differ in contrast. Its the same ordeal when using my IEMs and headphones.

Onboard audio has come a long way in the past decade so that may be the reason why you can't discern differences between your Xonar DG and your onboard. The gap between onboard and low-midrange soundcards is becoming increasingly small.

sadly the difference is almost non existant.

blaznwiipspman1

When I upgraded from onboard sound to an Asus Xonar DX (which isn't even that high end of a card) the difference was noticable immeadiately to me. I could hear details in the music that weren't apparent before and the clarity was much better and much more crisp, also louder too. That was with both my Logitech Z-5500's and Creative T40 Series II's (both using analogue connections). If you're using SPDIF the difference will be much less noticable, possibly the only difference being EAX support etc. Also a half decent set of speakers is a much more important upgrade first.

Strictly speaking, though, sound cards aren't needed...in the same sense that a graphics card isn't needed on a motherboard with integrated graphics. Make of that what you will.NamelessPlayer

Pardon me saying, but I find this last bit somewhat confusing, as your post mainly speaks of the added features that come with some discrete sound cards and not of sound quality. If someone was only interested in sound quality, would there still be ample reason to purchase a sound card if he/she had an average ($400-$500) speaker setup?

[QUOTE="NamelessPlayer"] Strictly speaking, though, sound cards aren't needed...in the same sense that a graphics card isn't needed on a motherboard with integrated graphics. Make of that what you will.GS550L

Pardon me saying, but I find this last bit somewhat confusing, as your post mainly speaks of the added features that come with some discrete sound cards and not of sound quality. If someone was only interested in sound quality, would there still be ample reason to purchase a sound card if he/she had an average ($400-$500) speaker setup?

I'm using an Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card with Shure SRH840 headphones. I can tell straight away the difference between this and onboard sound. The Essence STX has a built in headphone amplifier with Dolby Heaphone support and virtual 7.1 output. It also beats Creative X-Fi's CMSS-3D in my opinion.

Do you guys think that I would notice a difference if I used a sound card with my Astro a30 headset? I'd be using the mixamp, of course.

[QUOTE="NamelessPlayer"] Strictly speaking, though, sound cards aren't needed...in the same sense that a graphics card isn't needed on a motherboard with integrated graphics. Make of that what you will.GS550L

Pardon me saying, but I find this last bit somewhat confusing, as your post mainly speaks of the added features that come with some discrete sound cards and not of sound quality. If someone was only interested in sound quality, would there still be ample reason to purchase a sound card if he/she had an average ($400-$500) speaker setup?

$400 to 500 is far from an "average" speaker setup. That's WAY more expensive than what you need to notice the difference in sound quality between onboard and a decent sound card.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

sadly the difference is almost non existant.

NVIDIATI

Even if he had a much more respectable PC 2.1 system like a Z-2300 even then the difference in sound stage would still be "obvious" and no way can they be the "same". He is just trolling or he has a seriously faulty set of AV-40's.

[QUOTE="NVIDIATI"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

sadly the difference is almost non existant.

Gambler_3

Even if he had a much more respectable PC 2.1 system like a Z-2300 even then the difference in sound stage would still be "obvious" and no way can they be the "same". He is just trolling or he has a seriously faulty set of AV-40's.

Some people are auditorily impaired and either don't realize it or won't admit it. That or they care very little about sound and think most others are the same.

[QUOTE="NVIDIATI"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

sadly the difference is almost non existant.

Gambler_3

Even if he had a much more respectable PC 2.1 system like a Z-2300 even then the difference in sound stage would still be "obvious" and no way can they be the "same". He is just trolling or he has a seriously faulty set of AV-40's.

bro you're saying that with a logitech pair of speakers....logitech bro. If you listen closely to the audio then the m-audio av40's are superior but its no where near 5 times better than the a220's relative to the price. I guess im just dissapointed, I was expecting the av40's to blow away any other speaker I own
(especially a cheap $30 set) right out of the water. In that perspective it failed, or maybe my expectations were set too high. Also as I said before sound cards only really benefit you if you have a set of headphones, otherwise its not worth the $$.

bro you're saying that with a logitech pair of speakers....logitech bro. If you listen closely to the audio then the m-audio av40's are superior but its no where near 5 times better than the a220's relative to the price. I guess im just dissapointed, I was expecting the av40's to blow away any other speaker I own
(especially a cheap $30 set) right out of the water. In that perspective it failed, or maybe my expectations were set too high. Also as I said before sound cards only really benefit you if you have a set of headphones, otherwise its not worth the $$.

blaznwiipspman1

And OMG given how much you post here it still baffles me sometimes what you say. You really expect expensive products to be proportionately just as much better as the price increase? Thats almost never the case.

And you have a cheap $30 soundcard with premium features like a headphone amplifier and dolby headphone processing, what more are you expecting out of it? You should try some of the more premium soundcards before calling them useless, I havent myself so I cant really say. The Xonar DG does sound quite similar to on-board audio with speakers but it wasnt supposed to do any better because it's a headphone dedicated sound card that does a remarkable job at boosting the headphone experience.

Could never go back to onboard sound ever again. Even my Asus Xonar DG blows any onboard out of the water. Sounds so beautiful it hurts. My buddy came over a couple of weeks ago... and all he wanted to do was listen to music with my headphones and sound card. He was shopping for one.

I have a £25 Xonar DG and through headphones i can tell the difference.

Especially in games. The first time i played CSS with this card i heard a guy drop a gun from 100 meters away through a wall. I was accused of hacking.

I have a £25 Xonar DG and through headphones i can tell the difference.

Especially in games. The first time i played CSS with this card i heard a guy drop a gun from 100 meters away through a wall. I was accused of hacking.

kraken2109

i have a question.

When you run a hdmi cable from your graphics card to a receiver that is hooked up to your HDTV, is the sound coming from the sound card?

I believe that sound from HDMI does straight from the computer itself (drivers). Which brings up a point! Why use a sound card when you can use by-definition uncompressed 7.1 digital HDMI sound? Monki0

If you send your sound through HDMI, then yes, there is no point in getting a sound card, as everything will be decoded on the receiver-level. However, that just means you'll need to spend big bucks on a good receiver instead, as it would have to have a good DAC and decent noise filtering on its own to replicate an analog sound signature from a good sound card.

[QUOTE="Monki0"]I believe that sound from HDMI does straight from the computer itself (drivers). Which brings up a point! Why use a sound card when you can use by-definition uncompressed 7.1 digital HDMI sound? ravenguard90

If you send your sound through HDMI, then yes, there is no point in getting a sound card, as everything will be decoded on the receiver-level. However, that just means you'll need to spend big bucks on a good receiver instead, as it would have to have a good DAC and decent noise filtering on its own to replicate an analog sound signature from a good sound card.

[QUOTE="NamelessPlayer"] The best [QUOTE="hartsickdiscipl"]

[QUOTE="GS550L"]

[QUOTE="NamelessPlayer"] Strictly speaking, though, sound cards aren't needed...in the same sense that a graphics card isn't needed on a motherboard with integrated graphics. Make of that what you will.GS550L

Pardon me saying, but I find this last bit somewhat confusing, as your post mainly speaks of the added features that come with some discrete sound cards and not of sound quality. If someone was only interested in sound quality, would there still be ample reason to purchase a sound card if he/she had an average ($400-$500) speaker setup?

$400 to 500 is far from an "average" speaker setup. That's WAY more expensive than what you need to notice the difference in sound quality between onboard and a decent sound card.

I believe that sound from HDMI does straight from the computer itself (drivers). Which brings up a point! Why use a sound card when you can use by-definition uncompressed 7.1 digital HDMI sound? Monki0

Was always quite happy with the onboard soundcards myself but had to switch to a dedicated one recently as I was getting alot of electromagnetic interference from my graphics card into my headphones.