How is the SB Live! 24bit USB card, or the AUDIGY2 NX USB2 sound card? - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

zaqintosh · 10-25-2005, 04:50 AM

Right now I'm plugging my headphones directly into my motherboard sound (ac97 nforce2).

From what I've read the soundquality even into consumer headphones is questionable. That aside, I get tons of interference just from moving my mouse around

First, is there a big quality difference between these two extrnal cards? SB Live! 24bit USB card and AUDIGY2 NX USB2 ? The sb live! is obviously CONSIDERABLY cheaper.

That aside how does this compare to the bithead? Are these cards accompanied by a decent amp? I wouldn't need a cmoy ONTOP of one of those cards would I (for quality I mean... my phones are easy to drive). And, in the event I do get harder to drive phones (like the hd555).. would they still be ok?

thomaspf · 10-25-2005, 05:58 AM

For what its worth

I recently played around with an Audigy 2NX and was surprised how good the headphone output was.

Cheers

Thomas

zaqintosh · 10-25-2005, 01:54 PM

thanks for the tip, also I'm wondering... is the headphone amplification better on an audigy2 nx usb than say a regular audigy 2 internal pci soundcard?

(minus the interference from being inside the PC case)

Ikon · 10-25-2005, 03:39 PM

The Live! 24bit external and the Audigy2 NX use both the same chip, but there are AFAIR differences in the output-stage (DACs/op-amps).

I had the Live! 24bit external and noticed that the headphone-out is much worse than the front-out. It's not a too bad device, but do yourself a favor and connect your amp/phones right to the stereo front-out.

Ikon · 10-25-2005, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by zaqintosh

That aside how does this compare to the bithead? Are these cards accompanied by a decent amp? I wouldn't need a cmoy ONTOP of one of those cards would I (for quality I mean... my phones are easy to drive). And, in the event I do get harder to drive phones (like the hd555).. would they still be ok?

These things won't give you more output than an internal card. Although the HD555 also aren't hard to drive, an amp is never a bad idea.

The bithead should beat the crap out of both

zaqintosh · 10-25-2005, 04:32 PM

I guess I just figured the audigy2 NX usb was better than the bithead because it actually draws power from a wall outlet, instead of just the usb.

The bithead only grabs a few volts from the usb (or a battery). The bithead's extra pricetag is a result of its portability? Anyhow perhaps the opamps on the bithead are superior as well.

And I really don't get why they don't just put kickass opamps in audigys, how expensive is a good opamp?

thomaspf · 10-25-2005, 04:53 PM

The 2NX implements asynchronous USB audio which can implement lower jitter than the high priced solutions that are peddled around by modders these days.

I don't think the Live! 24bit external implements this, so there are more differences.

Cheers

Thomas

mbd2884 · 10-25-2005, 05:52 PM

I would go with the Audigy 2 NX. I used to have the Live! version, it was very good for how much I spent, I thought. But now I use an Audigy 2 ZS Notebook and the sound is really nice, noticeably different. I disagree, don't go Bithead. If you were using it for portable audio too, then get bithead. But if you to do gaming or use it for other computer applications, even cubase, the bithead would be terrible. As much as people here like to trash creative's chips, they aren't that bad. Its like here they use words like Denon headphones are junk, that's crap. For your money, the Audigy 2 ZS is very nice and allows you to do some recording and game and use some sofware synths. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, although it needs an external power source, which sucks. But seems its a desktop so its not that bad, thinking if you had a notebook. Plus the SPDIF output and optical outputs is a nice touch. Bitheads as far as I know are just a headphone amp using some Texas Instrument chip.

sgrossklass · 10-25-2005, 07:18 PM

Since you appear to have a desktop PC, I'd strongly suggest going with a PCI card, such as a Revo 5.1. These usually give better sound for the money and are more flexible.

thomaspf · 10-25-2005, 10:32 PM

Hard to believe that an internal sound card fed from the internal power supply and in the midst of all the EM interference of the PC will produce better sound than an external unit.

Internal cards with really good sound tend to be rather expensive as a result of addressing these issues.

Cheers

Thomas