[baneat]

Hi. I need an audio card to replace on board sound. I don't care at all for 5/7.1 setups because I'll be using headphones or a pair of speakers all the time with it. What's the best value and quality card for me? I don't want to spend extraneous amounts of cash unless it's necessary. I'll use MS1's and my Fiio E5 if it improves the sound.

 

[exander]

I really like my 1212m.

 

[MCC]

Try to find an old Chaintech AV-710- it used to retail for $25 and is truly one of the best in the <$100 range, esp. w/ the Black Gate mod. It sounds about as good as dad's Pioneer Elite DVD player for reference.

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by exander /img/forum/go_quote.gif I really like my 1212m.

x2

Be warned however, if you plan to play games on your PC, the E-MU will give more trouble than its worth in SQ, in which case you should either look for a different card or attempt to go dual-card.

Cheers!

 

[Alydon]

Before we can really answer your question we need to know a couple things.

What OS are you using?

What all do you plan on using it for? Movies, games, music, etc.

 

[baneat]

I'll give you some more info.
I'll be using Windows Vista 64 bit (AMD phenom 2.6GHz quad)
I'll use it for movies games and music
Use it with perhaps a pair of monitor speakers (numark MS 16)
90% of the time I'll use it for playing games like CoD4 CS:S a bit of Crysis etc. etc.
I'll never need any more than 2.1 because I don't own any equipment that does all that and I don't have 5 ears.
I want some directional audio (I know MS-1s aren't great, but I need some)
I'll use my Fiio E5 amp with it if you recommend that I do.

 

[baneat]

Bump, Is this section of Head-fi dead?

 

[ROBSCIX]

What's your budget? The Xonar DX is a fairly cheap card with great sound qulaity.

 

[joe_cool]

"90% of the time I'll use it for playing games"

Just get a Creative X-Fi.

 

[Alydon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joe_cool /img/forum/go_quote.gif "90% of the time I'll use it for playing games" Just get a Creative X-Fi.

I wouldn't go with an x-fi since he's using Vista and for music an x-Fi is mediocre (although still much better than onboard).

At the risk of sounding like a broken record I'll second ROBSCIX's recmmendation of an ASUS Xonar DX (PCI-Express) or D1 (PCI). For $65 after rebate on Newegg they really can't be beat. It'll give you comparable game performance and superior music playback when compared to an an x-Fi.

The Chaintech AV-710 is also a good card like MCC said, but they're almost impossible to find new nowadays.

And yes, you will want to use your E5 w/ it.