[JahJahBinks]

For those who own laptop including me, how much of an improvement can you get by getting an external soundcard like M-Audio Sonica? Do you mainly hear the difference when playing CDs or it can extend to relatively low quality MP3s (96-128kbps)?

 

[lan]

laptop sound is pretty crappy. you can get quite a substantial increase in sound quality. the sonica can skip i think depending on the USB on the computer or something. i recommend you get it from a place u can return easily. try it and see if it works fine on your computer.

 

[Wodgy]

There is an interesting review of the Sonica over at ExtremeTech (do a search) where they compare the Sonica against two different laptops, as well as a competing device, the Xitel HiFi Link. They also provide measurements to back up their results. Their basic conclusion is that whether getting a Sonica will make a big difference depends on your specific laptop.

Personally, I've owned the Sonica, Xitel HiFi Link, and the StereoLink 1200. The Sonica is the only one I thought made enough of an audible difference to keep, but the difference is relatively minor with my laptop, and I'm not sure everyone would keep the Sonica even if they could hear the minor difference.

 

[JahJahBinks]

Thank you!

 

[antness]

What kind of audio signal is output by USB? Is it digital or analog? Also, is the audio always on the output of USB or does a software setting need to be changed in order for this to happen.

I'm very interesting in looking into something like this for my laptop

 

[Wodgy]

It's digital. D/A conversion is done on the device itself. USB audio devices need drivers for the audio to appear on the bus, but there are generic drivers already built into Windows (and MacOS)... a lot of devices (e.g. the Xitel units) just use these generic drivers and so there's nothing to install. Just plug it in and it works. The Sonica has its own drivers.

FYI, Antness, since you might be interested in the technical details, the DAC used in the Sonica is the AKM AK4353VF. The USB interface chip is the TI TAS1020A. The Xitel HiFi Link and Stereo-Link use the all-in-one Phillips UDA1321, which in the datasheet they recommend not be bus-powered (this might explain the Xitel's poor bass performance).

 

[Audio Redneck]

Wodgy, what laptop do you have?

My old IBM 560 sounds pretty good (quiet) compared to my Toshiba 1750 Satellite which is the pits (lots of hiss). The Toshiba uses a Crystal SoundFusion chip.

 

[DarkWolf]

What sound card does your laptop have? That's what matters. On my desktop, I went from an SB Live to a Terratec DMX 6-Fire. The changes were subtle, yet, it made a world of difference. If you are unhappy with the current sound, it is likely that the sonica would make a difference. If you have a good sound system, the differences will be much more pronounced. Since I haven't finished saving and deciding and choosing and second guessing and spending money on other stuff and saving again while continuing to third fourth and fith guess while watching prices rise, I am still just using my Klipsch PM 4.1 speakers. They actualy sound pretty good in my small room and offer good detail, but I expect a real headphone system to blow them away. Then I think the SB would have been really bad, and my investmen in this card will pay off. You should fiund a plavce where you can return the sonica if you don't like it, and try it out. Hve fun!