[MonkeysAteMe]

I have a Creative SB live sound card (around at least 6 years old). Is there a sound card that is a significant step up without breaking the bank(under 100 dollars)? Or would I be better off just buying a DAC?

Should I get a nicer sound card now and get a DAC later or should I get a DAC because there isn't a significant step up in sound quality in my price range or should I not get anything?

THanks.

I found a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4 7.1 for $40. Is this a good performance to price or are there better?

 

[azncookiecutter]

Comparing my old SB soundcard with my PA2V2, compared to the HPDAC, clear difference in SQ. The SB sounded very tinny to me, with no mids and screechy highs. Night and day difference for me, at least. I know the HPDAC can't speak for other DACs, but a good entry level DAC (such the the Alien DAC) would be a great upgrade from the SB Live.
And Audigy soundcards are not well regarded here for some reason. Search it up, although I have never owned one.

 

[MonkeysAteMe]

So you get either a DAC or a sound card? Not both?

Sorry I'm kind of new to this. What exactly does a DAC do?

 

[azncookiecutter]

A DAC is a digital to analog converter. Simply put, it gets fed with a digital stream of audio, and it converts that to an analog signal, where an amp can use it.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeysAteMe So you get either a DAC or a sound card? Not both? Sorry I'm kind of new to this. What exactly does a DAC do?

azncookiecutter's explained the DAC part, and as for the 'either or both' question, you'd need a soundcard with a S/PDIF output in order to connect your PC to the DAC, and from the DAC to your amp/headphones.

 

[MonkeysAteMe]

Would getting a better sound card help or would any one with that kind of output perform the same?

 

[ROBSCIX]

Most new soundcard have digital out SP/DIF, even onboards -well most of them will have eithr coax or fibre optic out. then you connecte this line to a DAC to get it decoded what you do with it from there is up to you. Even though these soundcards will give you the digital out you want it may not be the quality you want...

 

[BushGuy]

You don't have to have a DAC IF you get a decent soundcard (of course, decent interconnects) and amp. and 'phones - and of course, it is assumed you have well-encoded MP3 or .Flac or APE files. All pieces of the chain are significant.
The bottom level of soundcard, to me is EMu 0404 which is usually sold in the $85-9. A significantly better choice (and will not end up being replaced, in the long run) is ESI Juli@ (I last bought at $129 - but recent price seems to be $159). The 0404 imparts a "plasticy" sound to piano, some slight emphasis to bass, and on rare occasions temperamental drivers requiring reboot or even re-install. The Juli@ operates flawlessly and inparts a true rendition of music only surpassed by much more expensive cards. Pls do not consider Creative-branded cards. If you watch eBay auctions for RCA-mini Zu Pivot, you will win bid for said cable for aprox. $36.......an Amp - Portaphile w/ Elpac wallwart or Corda Headfive should cover your needs, nicely, until you are ready to spend bigger bucks.....encode MP3's at 256VBR or above (certainly not less than 192).......then you're on your way.

 

[MonkeysAteMe]

Where is a good online place to get sound cards?

What is the difference between a DAC and a soundcard? Would onboard audio with an external DAC be better or worse than a sound card (for the same price)?

 

[SonicDawg]

Instead of getting only an expensive soundcard, why not try to get a Chaintech AV710 and then a good (and cheap) DAC? I am willing to bet that this combo is much better than any stand-alone soundcard can achieve at around the same price range ($200).

 

[SonicDawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeysAteMe Where is a good online place to get sound cards? What is the difference between a DAC and a soundcard? Would onboard audio with an external DAC be better or worse than a sound card (for the same price)?

Most onboard audio solution are atrocious in critical music playback: they are ladden with statics and noises. Just go with my previous recommendation. The AV710 are only around 20 bucks, and they support bit-perfect playback, which most lower end Creative soundcards lack.

 

[MonkeysAteMe]

What is the benefit of a DAC over just a sound card, as in a high quality sound card vs. high quality DAC?

What is the difference between the two they seem to do the same thing.

 

[infinitesymphony]

Sound cards (internal, external, USB, etc.) have built-in DACs that can potentially be equal to or better than external DACs. However, many people choose the external DAC instead of a sound card for several reasons:

1. The external DAC can be hooked up to multiple sources, not just the computer.

2. Since there's a direct electrical connection from the sound card to the motherboard in the computer, some of the operating noise can leak onto the sound card and thus, the output. This doesn't necessarily happen in every computer.

In the end, a DAC is a DAC. Its job is to convert the digital signal back to analog as cleanly as possible. Both sound cards and external DACs are capable of doing this well. How you want the signal path to flow from your computer to your speakers or headphones is up to you.

 

[MonkeysAteMe]

So if I get a DAC of the same quality as a nice new sound card they will either sound the same or my DAC will be better? Will my SB live! card bring the DAC's performance down?

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeysAteMe So if I get a DAC of the same quality as a nice new sound card they will either sound the same or my DAC will be better? Will my SB live! card bring the DAC's performance down?

The answer to the latter question depends on whether or not you can get bit-perfect digital output from the card. With its stock configuration, the SB Live! and many other sound cards automatically resample everything to 48 kHz via shoddy methods that spoil the signal before it leaves the card. Unfortunately, this is a hardware problem that can't be corrected by the usual means (i.e. ASIO [Audio Stream Input Output] and KS [Kernel Streaming] workarounds). This is one reason so many people are recommending the Chaintech AV-710--it's well-documented, easy to get bit-perfect digital output, and it's cheap.

Also, the Wolfson DACs that are in the Chaintech's analog section will already be a significant step up from the SB Live!, even if you don't decide to get an external DAC.