edifier HCS2330 and xonar phoebus settings

Actually, most 2.1 kits do come with an amplifier, but it's usually hidden inside the subwoofer cabinet. Or else you would need to buy an integrated amplifier (or preamp + amp) or a receiver to use them.

Shouldn't be any different than what you're already doing with your onboard audio. Just plug in the green connector and you're good to go.

The driver gives you options such as equalizer or DSP effects which are probably best kept disabled. Also you should probably want to set your sampling-rate to 44KHz, which is the usual rate for music.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeneticX 

24 bits 44100 hz ?

 

what's the diff between 16 and 24 bits ?

24-bits is fine.

This is the size of each sample, more bits allow for more dynamic range (or finer details). Most music is 16-bits, and that's enough for any actual music, but setting your soundcard to 24-bits will do no harm (the remaining bits will be set to zero), and it will help preserve detail in case you want to use Windows' volume control.

On the other hand, you should not set a different sampling rate (the 44.1KHz number) than the one used in the music, or else it'll have to be resampled, and this is a lossy process (some information is lost).

Think of it this way: suppose you have four consecutive squares drawn on a paper (the music sampling rate), and four pebbles each in the middle of one of these squares (your sound device has a matching sampling rate). Now you increase your sampling rate to five pebbles, how are you gonna fit these in the four squares? You're gonna have to use some approximation, they won't fit perfectly in the middle of the squares anymore.