[herbie53]

Hi,
I am looking for a new soundcard to replace my existing realtek ac'97 on board sound.
I've just realised recently how bad quality on board sound is after getting some Sennheiser hd205s

. Although my speakers are only logitech x230s, I want decent quality for the headphones. I also do recording from vinyl to mp3 and I am hoping a decent soundcard would improve that...
I have been looking at the Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio and the Chaintech AV-710 but I am very confused as to which one to go for!
Thanks

 

[Anax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by herbie53 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I am looking for a new soundcard to replace my existing realtek ac'97 on board sound. I've just realised recently how bad quality on board sound is after getting some Sennheiser hd205s . Although my speakers are only logitech x230s, I want decent quality for the headphones. I also do recording from vinyl to mp3 and I am hoping a decent soundcard would improve that... I have been looking at the Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio and the Chaintech AV-710 but I am very confused as to which one to go for! Thanks

Do you play games ? Does your onboard have a digital audio out? What operating system are you running.

 

[herbie53]

Hi, I do play games occasionally, but music is the top priority. I don't need any of the 3D effects for games as I generally play quite old ones!
OS is Windows XP and my onboard sound only has analogue jack plugs.
Thanks

 

[LFF]

I highly recommend you get an E-MU 0404USB. It is amazing for digitizing vinyl and the headphone output is no slouch.

 

[Silwad]

If you wish to spend less than $70, then the discontinued Creative SB X-fi Extreme Music Card is the best bang for your buck. Don't bother with the "new" ones, they suck major. If you don't mind spending more, take the more expensive recommendations.

 

[ROBSCIX]

A nice Prelude 7.1 with a OPA627AU sounds very good for music.

 

[demoNMaCHiN3]

ht omega claro+

 

[Anax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by herbie53 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I do play games occasionally, but music is the top priority. I don't need any of the 3D effects for games as I generally play quite old ones! OS is Windows XP and my onboard sound only has analogue jack plugs. Thanks

Well i just bought a ht omega claro + but i watch movies and play games and listen to music its a mix of all of them and decent stability . if you want top picks for music with decent prices . Look into E-mu or Juli@

 

[herbie53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silwad /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you wish to spend less than $70, then the discontinued Creative SB X-fi Extreme Music Card is the best bang for your buck. Don't bother with the "new" ones, they suck major. If you don't mind spending more, take the more expensive recommendations.

The Extreme Music seems quite hard to find now - I can get the Extreme audio for around £35 - what is the advantage of the older card?

 

[fzman]

i'm also looking for a soundcard to replace the onboard sound on an HP xp box. i do not play any games at all, so this would be for music playing and sound from streaming video. i'm looking at the xonar d2, the audiotrak prodigys (2 channel or surroound versions) and possibly one of the onkyo cards.

does the socketed op amp feature overshadow other circuit design and implementation features? i.e., would a card like an onkyo sound better no matter what opamps i put into an audiotrak?

how are the drivers on these cards -- which are 'best', that is, most stable and glitch-free?

sonically, is there much difference between these or any other cards you might recommend? it will be feeding a very good desktop headphone amp and beyer or ultrasone cans. i've got a very good sounding cd player (trl modified sony 595) so my sonic standards are high, and may skip the card altogether unless i can get great sound out of one of these cards, or some other card yet un-named, that is $200 or less.

thanks for reading this.

mark