sound cards?

[bluzeboy]

i have a X-fi Xtreme sound card ,is there a better card for listening to music,i am not a gamer just for music.i,m looking to enhance my listening as much as possibe,the X-fi Xtreme seems to be geared more to gaming.
any suggestions will be Appreciated.

[eraser_svk]

X-fi is definitely not the best source for music.

If you are up to modding, you should check this

Hotrodding the X-Fi: A Layman's Guide (No 56k)

otherwise, tell us, what is your price limit for a new source

[bluzeboy]

eraser_svk-around 300$

[infinitesymphony]

For $300 and under, here are a handful of potential upgrades:

AuzenTech X-Fi Prelude
Asus Xonar D2
E-MU 1212M
E-MU 0404 USB
Zhaolu D2.5C DAC
Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Gold
KECES DA-151

[bluzeboy]

thanks alot ,infinitesymphony.I'll check them out

[athenaesword]

Originally Posted by bluzeboy

i have a X-fi Xtreme sound card ,is there a better card for listening to music,i am not a gamer just for music.i,m looking to enhance my listening as much as possibe,the X-fi Xtreme seems to be geared more to gaming.
any suggestions will be Appreciated.

may i know what xtreme card are you using? if it's gamer then obviously it might be subpar for music. the xtrememusic has always been a good card for its price though, although it's been discontinued.

[MAJ_T_Baggin]

You should probably listen to my opinion since this is my second post on these forums...

::rimshot::

Anyway, I've had the Auzentech Prelude for a while now and it does a fantastic job. As far as an on-board computer source for your music, it will make you hate your weakest link in the chain pretty fast.

My weakest link was speakers and headphones. I have some HD595's now so now my weakest link is that most of my audio isn't ripped in a high quality like FLAC. So now I need to travel down that road.

I have no experience with the external cards, but if you want an internal card that seems to be able to do everything, the Prelude is a pretty strong contender.

[TaZ82]

In my opinion the Keces 151 is good upgrade from either onboard sound or creative audigy zs as I have owned both.

The Keces will give you better midrange and highs and soundstaging at the expense of bass.

Another soundcard that I think might suit your needs is the Onkyo SE-200 PCI.

[bluzeboy]

athenaesword-all I know is a X-fi Xtreme,i did not realize their was other versions.i don't have the box handy.

by the way I ordered the Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Gold

[athenaesword]

Originally Posted by bluzeboy

athenaesword-all I know is a X-fi Xtreme,i did not realize their was other versions.i don't have the box handy.

by the way I ordered the Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 Gold

well there's xtrememusic/gamer/audio. music's supposedly the best bang for the buck but it's been discontinued. but if u're looking a couple of hundred dollars budget i'm sure u'll be able to find something better.