[Dazed&Confused718]

I have the Realtek ALC888S Onboard sound card and was wondering, if there is a USB Sound card i could get for under $80 that is Much better than it?

 

[asmileforyou]

I have an ALC888 too and I recommend you to stay with your current on-board audio unless you have enough money for an USB EMU 0404 or better. Only then you will notice an improvement in audio quality. You should also have a good pair of speakers or some nice headphones if you'll want to notice some differences.
If you've got any other questions/thoughts, feel free to ask. Even if I don't manage to give a straight answer to them, there are more experienced audiophiles here that can help you

 

[eric0531]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dazed&Confused718 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have the Realtek ALC888S Onboard sound card and was wondering, if there is a USB Sound card i could get for under $80 that is Much better than it?

Define "Much".

I've been using a DAC Destroyer from Hot Audio with my laptop and like it a lot. It's got RCA outs in addition to a mini-jack, so you can use it simultaneously to feed powered speakers and headphones without needing to fiddle around with connecting/disconnecting wires. It has no problem driving my HD595s (granted they are pretty easy to drive).

But the previous poster is right, unless you've got decent headphones then the difference from onboard audio may not be all that noticable.

 

[fenk]

Don't think it.Enjoy what you have,or pay much more.

 

[IDK]

how does the Realtek ALC888 sound compared to an ipod classic?

 

[lh0628]

I just went from onboard AC97 to a NuForce uDAC and it's a very nice upgrade for $99. Search for the thread, it's a good read.

 

[FallenAngel]

OK, onboard is onboard.

1) Why USB?
2) What exactly do you need it to do? Headphone output? Speaker output? Multi-channel? Game processing? Give us all the details before we can really recommend anything.