Suggested Audio Setup

[lorenzo44]

Ok...i'm not an experted in audio components...but i listen to music (classical) on my pc. I've some MP3's but i'm collecting more and more FLAC files(so i think like cd quality)

I have this sound card:
http://www.trust.com/products/product.aspx?artnr=12949

I recently changed my speakers from poor integrated ones to:
Pionner A-209R Amplifier
Indiana Line HC-505 Tower Speakers
(http://www.indianaline.it/?action=de...56&category=75)

Now i think that the worst component in my audio setup is the sound card...

In this case (i don't want to spent much) what can i do?
-Change the audio card (for example sound blaster xi-fi)
-Get an USB DAC?

Or maybe the trust card is ok for my system?

Thanks!

 

[HFat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorenzo44 In this case (i don't want to spent much) what can i do? -Change the audio card (for example sound blaster xi-fi) -Get an USB DAC?

I don't want to nitpick, but that's essentially the same things. Gear marketed as soundcards usually have a lot more features but it doesn't look like you need them anyway.
The x-fi is a gamer card. There's better bang for your buck out there if all you care for is music.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorenzo44 Or maybe the trust card is ok for my system?

You're the judge on this one... you and your wallet, that is.

 

[lorenzo44]

For X-Fi i mean the XtremeMusic one. My indecision is about the various solutions related to my system.
I mean, i see on the net that there are dac that costs more than 1000$ and sound cards (like the one i have) that you can find for less than 20$.

I think that for example if you have two poor speakers or you have to listen to 96kbit MP3's having a 1000$ DAC or a 20$ sound card doesn't make a lot of difference.

In my case i don't know if the card i have is ok, another PCI sound card (which one?) would be better or an external DAC is the best choice.

 

[HFat]

There are also very expensive souncards and relatively cheap USB DACs out there... whatever you choose, the function is essentialy the same.
I don't think price makes such a huge difference: there's nothing inherently expensive about making a decent sounding unit.
96k MP3s can sound pretty good (have you tried one of the newer versions of LAME?), but I'm not encoding my music at 96k and I'm not using a $20 soundcard either.

I don't know anything about your card... it might be crappy or it might be decent. Chances are you will hear an improvement if you upgrade your card... but you already know that, don't you? You need to try it for yourself if you want to know if the difference between your card and a better one matters to you.

Maybe someone else will chime in with better advice...

 

[dillon157]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFat The x-fi is a gamer card. There's better bang for your buck out there if all you care for is music.

I turned from a computer forum to this one when I was considering buying the XtremeMusic. I made it clear that I wanted a card just for music and that I didn't play games and it was still recommended by many users (on this forum). Furthermore I find that the sound out of the XtremeMusic is MANY times better than the sound out of my onboard audio. This surprised me too because, although I tried to remain optimistic during the purchase, I really didn't think I would notice much of a difference for $100.

I'm very content with the SQ of the XtremeMusic and I think you would see quite an improvement as well. Don't take just my opinion though, search the forums and see what others think. Opinions vary.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=187921

 

[003]

The X-fi cards are not that bad, and do not resample cd audio to 48khz like the Audigy2, however it is still no match for an ESI Juli@ or E-MU 0404.