[beamrider]

Have tried the SB Live, and currently have the Game Theater XP (which is great, but half the stuff isn't compatible with W2k). So I'd like recommendations on a good sound card for myself, something that has a line-out jack on it, so that I can connect a headphone amp and my HD600's to it......Also must have a coax digital output. Other than that, I don't care if it is 5.1, or 4 channel, or what.

 

[jim]

Don't know much about sound cards myself, but apparently a lot of people like the audiophile 2496... I think it retails somewhere between $200-300, but I'm really not sure.

 

[dhwilkin]

Yeah, the Audiophile 2496 is a really good card. It has analog and digital coaxial line-outs, and with a little looking on the web, can be had for around $150.

 

[Pat]

I say try the SBLive! value or something else relatively inexpensive with a digital output and pipe it to an outboard DAC like the Cal Gamma. The Audiophile 2496 is good too apparently. I haven't personally tried either, yet

.

Let me know how it goes!

 

[dhwilkin]

The only problem w/ the digital output of the SBLive is that it gets resampled before it gets to the DAC, thus eliminating some of the benefits. The Audiophile 2496 does not do resampling.

 

[lini]

beamrider: SB Audigy line is due in a few months and rumors are that these cards will have 24bit/96kHz-dacs - so maybe you should wait a little...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[Sirwar]

I did a search on the audigy, and I haven't seen anything implying 24/96, and you'd think it would be a pretty major feature.

 

[dhwilkin]

At this point, 24/96 support for the Audigy is just a rumor. Still no official word or leaks from any soundcard site. Even if it did, would it be as good as the Audiophile's 24/96 support? We'll see...

 

[sapphiremodena]

How bout the DiO 2448 ?
[Only $105 US]

 

[Sirwar]

I might get the dio 2448, since then I can use my Gamma.

 

[cubanmafia]

What about the cards offered by Hoontech? Looking at the specs, they are fully featured, and are at an amazing pricepoint. Does anyone around here have any first-hand experience with their professional audio cards?

 

[sackley]

Thanks for bringing up the dio 2448. I think I am going to grab one of those at the end of the summer. I can run that parallel to my SB Live! Value, right? So I can have my speakers running off the SB and my MG Head running off of the dio?

 

[Sirwar]

personally, when I get a dio I'm going to see if I can pass my gametheather through it so I don't have to switch any cable and I can use my headphones for everything. then I can use the dio for music and GT for games.