[snafup]

Hi,
 Does the emi shielding on the newer sound cards for computers actually do anything, or is it a gimmick to impress unwary consumers?When ever i see it i think of framistan converters and carbon fibre spindle sticks.
 
Whats up with that?

 

[tmars78]

Quote:

Hi,
 Does the emi shielding on the newer sound cards for computers actually do anything, or is it a gimmick to impress unwary consumers?When ever i see it i think of framistan converters and carbon fibre spindle sticks.
 
Whats up with that?

I don't know what it does, but the one on my Essence sure looks pretty. 

 

[beeman458]

Does the emi shielding on the newer sound cards for computers actually do anything, or is it a gimmick to impress unwary consumers?
 
There's suppose to be a boat load of EMI going on in a computer box and it's been shown that shielding is a good thing.
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Whether it works or not, I haven't seen a soundcard with decent output power.

 

[dex85]

it's probably just a gimmick, but soundcards often measure better in many areas than many boutique DACs (i'm not saying that measurements are telling us the whole picture or that it's the most important aspect of sound). the point is that new decent soundcards don't suffer from noise problems or PC power supplies related issues. e.g. look at Stereophile's review of Asus Xonar Essence ST. whether a shield is helping this or not doesn't matter. 
 
Uncle Erik, what do you mean by decent output power? r.m.s.v. or subjective sound quality?

 

[Uncle Erik]

By decent output power, I like to see upwards of 300mW and true class A operation with a good power supply.

 

[beeman458]

...and true class A operation...
 
How would the above, enhance the listening experience over a sound card like the Xonar STX?
 
???

 

[ROBSCIX]

I think in many cases it is added for cosmetic reasons.  From a technical point of view, if it was implemented right and grounded it could help with EMI/RFI....  However, there is much less interference inside a PC then many suggest there is around here.

 

[beeman458]

However, there is much less interference inside a PC then many suggest there is around here.
 
That would be me, and if it is, kindly reread what I wrote so as to maintain the context of what I responded to when I wrote.  Thanks!
 

 

[ROBSCIX]

No just making a general statement.  If I was talking directly to you, I would have quoted you.

 

[Dalamar]

If your pc has an EMI/RFI problem you'd know/hear it. Most problems are from a video card. Probably poorly designed oscillating ones... like mine. Essence's design clearly did something right, because my audible game video-synchronized interference went away when I installed it.
 
FYI, I've heard of computers easily interfering with radios and such, and I have never gotten good radio reception or tv reception from my room.

 

[Uncle Erik]

There's plenty of noise inside a computer.  Heck, a switching power supply is a mess unto itself, not to mention everything else in there.  If any of you know an amateur radio enthusiast, see if you can borrow a RFI meter and stick it inside a running computer.  You'll absolutely find RFI hash.  You can also buy a RFI meter from MFJ for about $90 and perform your own experiments.
 
The reason I keep my equipment away from RFI is because it's a tricky beast.  Waves reflect, bounce around and get through the tiniest of openings.  Trying to shield something is like trying to waterproof something, except that the water getting in is invisible.
 
Beeman458, here is the Wikipedia article on amps with a good discussion of the various operating classes and their benefits and drawbacks.

 

[WindspEEd]

Interested to know also. Anyone who have experience please share.

 

[ROBSCIX]

 
Quote:

There's plenty of noise inside a computer.  Heck, a switching power supply is a mess unto itself, not to mention everything else in there.  If any of you know an amateur radio enthusiast, see if you can borrow a RFI meter and stick it inside a running computer.  You'll absolutely find RFI hash.  You can also buy a RFI meter from MFJ for about $90 and perform your own experiments.
 
The reason I keep my equipment away from RFI is because it's a tricky beast.  Waves reflect, bounce around and get through the tiniest of openings.  Trying to shield something is like trying to waterproof something, except that the water getting in is invisible.
 
Beeman458, here is the Wikipedia article on amps with a good discussion of the various operating classes and their benefits and drawbacks.

 
Yes but there is also interference from any electronic system.  The EMI/RFI is nowhere near as bad as some suggest it is.
If the EMI/RFI is so bad, why do many internal cards measure better then some external DAC's for noise..etc...  where is the noise?
If you want to use an external unit great, suggesting external is always better for this reason is not true.  If the noise was indeed that bad, the system would never start up.
 

 

[leeperry]

 

There's plenty of noise inside a computer. 

 
Hehe, you're in the computer sub-forum telling those ppl that they're listening to noise factories..not very nice, is it?

 
That reminds me of that guy who when he put a plastic side door on his computer, his and his neighbor's electronic garage door stopped working: http://www.overclockers.com/the-problem-with-windows/
 
Life is merely an illusion, and internal soundcard manufacturers need to make a living too ya know

 

Hi,
 Does the emi shielding on the newer sound cards for computers actually do anything, or is it a gimmick to impress unwary consumers?

Well, the RMAA measurements are identical whether the shield's on or removed on the D2..ixbtlabs call bs on the metal shields, it's the PCB that's 4 layers and shielded. The metal case is just here to make n00bs happy("OMG it's got teh metal shield thingie, do want"): http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/multimedia/asus-d2.html

 the screen on the Xonar D2 has a symbolic value - it makes users feel safer, those who have no idea of the true physics here. There is at least one negative effect from using this screen - elements on the PCB get noticeably hotter, which raises intrinsic noises.

 
Actually CL said they started using shields to avoid having customers rip off components...meaning less RMA in the end, and who cares if it cooks the components heh. Their latest cards use plastic shields I think, so they don't even try to lie about it.