[NguyenAdam]

I'm not the OP if you were confused... I have a desktop.

 

[genclaymore]

It makes perfect sense when you talking about Digital and analog outputs sound signature, Analog and digital do not have the same sound. When ever I use digital then use analog, I find analog sound much better then digtal which why I always use analog when I not factoring in the op-amps I currenty using. Unless you have those high costing receivers  that uses better components. But then I not bill gates and dont have a money tree in my back yard.
 
 
But yea I have used both Digital and analog, and with the last sound card I had that I used the Qinpu Q1 amp on. I perfer the sound of the  HDAV1.3 and the Qinp Q1 vs onboard audio and the Q1.The diff was big for me since I was using the amp with my headphones. Then I have used digital when I was waiting for a sound card with a receiver doing straight digital wihtout the use or any encoding. I didnt like it but at the time it was better then using the analog on my onboard.
 
oh god yea I did get confuse now I see the op has a mac book pro, I thought page 2 was page one  =X. So the whole time I thought adam was the op. I also think i got names mixed up as when i was responding on the last page as well.

 

[NguyenAdam]

Hahaha. I think BOTH of you got me confused with the OP.

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

I'm not the OP if you were confused... I have a desktop.

Nope, you didn't mention gaming, really.  I was assuming the conversation was on the gamer, the OP.  BTW, you should still let me help you price out that new computer.  <_<
 
Quote:

It makes perfect sense when you talking about Digital and analog outputs sound signature, Analog and digital do not have the same sound. When ever I use digital then use analog, I find analog sound much better then digtal which why I always use analog when I not factoring in the op-amps I currenty using. Unless you have those high costing receivers  that uses better components. But then I not bill gates and dont have a money tree in my back yard.
 
But yea I have used both Digital and analog, and with the last sound card I had that I used the Qinpu Q1 amp on. I perfer the sound of the  HDAV1.3 and the Qinp Q1 vs onboard audio and the Q1.The diff was big for me since I was using the amp with my headphones. Then I have used digital when I was waiting for a sound card with a receiver doing straight digital wihtout the use or any encoding. I didnt like it but at the time it was better then using the analog on my onboard.
 
oh god yea I did get confuse now I see the op has a mac book pro, I thought page 2 was page one  =X. So the whole time I thought adam was the op. I also think i got names mixed up as when i was responding on the last page as well.

No, it doesn't make sense at all.  You're confusing terms and... pretty much everything else.
 
Using the digital output of a sound card means that another device is used as a DAC.  Using the analog outputs from the sound card means that the sound card is used as the DAC.  So the difference you're describing is the difference between the two DACs, not some kind of analog vs digital thing.

 

[Draca]

A sound card and DAC are essentially the same thing. Both take a digital signal and convert it to an analog one. The analog signal can then be amplified (via a headphone out for example).
 
For gamers, the only thing a sound card may offer over a DAC is EAX support etc.
 
Quote:

It makes perfect sense when you talking about Digital and analog outputs sound signature, Analog and digital do not have the same sound. When ever I use digital then use analog, I find analog sound much better then digtal which why I always use analog when I not factoring in the op-amps I currenty using. Unless you have those high costing receivers  that uses better components. But then I not bill gates and dont have a money tree in my back yard.
 
 
But yea I have used both Digital and analog, and with the last sound card I had that I used the Qinpu Q1 amp on. I perfer the sound of the  HDAV1.3 and the Qinp Q1 vs onboard audio and the Q1.The diff was big for me since I was using the amp with my headphones. Then I have used digital when I was waiting for a sound card with a receiver doing straight digital wihtout the use or any encoding. I didnt like it but at the time it was better then using the analog on my onboard.
 
oh god yea I did get confuse now I see the op has a mac book pro, I thought page 2 was page one  =X. So the whole time I thought adam was the op. I also think i got names mixed up as when i was responding on the last page as well.

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

A sound card and DAC are the same thing. Both take a digital signal and convert it to an analog one. The analog signal can then be amplified (via a headphone out for example).
 
For gamers, the only thing a sound card may offer over a DAC is EAX support etc.
 

 

NO a DAC and a soudncard are NOT the same thing.  A DAC is a part of a soundcard but there are many others parts also such as the ADC, chipset..etc..etc.
From the basic standpoint they can do the same thing for music output but the soudncard has many more features and funciton them a plain old DAC.
 

 

[Draca]

Quote:

NO a DAC and a soudncard are NOT the same thing.  A DAC is a part of a soundcard but there are many others parts also such as the ADC, chipset..etc..etc.
From the basic standpoint they can do the same thing for music output but the soudncard has many more features and funciton them a plain old DAC.
 

 
Care to elaborate on those features? And 'chipset' is just a generic term...
 
P.S. had you read my post I had already said soundcards offer more features, I referenced hardware accelerated EAX in my post above... I'm aware there are subtle differences but for the purposes of the argument Hybrys was involved in I wanted to clarify some base misunderstandings. Please don't add to them with pedantic yet vague distinctions...
 

 

[ROBSCIX]

 
Quote:

 
Care to elaborate on those features? And 'chipset' is just a generic term...
 
P.S. had you read my post I had already said soundcards offer more features, I referenced hardware accelerated EAX in my post above... I'm aware there are subtle differences but for the purposes of the argument Hybrys was involved in I wanted to clarify some base misunderstandings. Please don't add to them with pedantic yet vague distinctions...
 

Sure features such as HRTF functions, time and frequency based effects in real time, signal routing..etc..etc.  Inputs, Dolby Digital, DTS decoding or encoding. Not to mention support for how many audio routines such as TrueHD, Dolby Digital plus, DTS-HDMA etc..Multiple inputs for line mics, preamps for mics, multiple outputs Based on what card you go with -Do I really need to continue?
 
As for chipset, generally refers to the controller on the card either software based controller or hardware based DSP chip again depending on the card you go with.
Subtle difference?  The differences between a soundcard and a DAC are anything but subtle.  I guess they can be "vague" if you don't know the difference between a DAC and a full soundcard.
 
 A soundcard and a DAC are just not the same thing.

 

[wmf]

 
Quote:

 

Sure features such as HRTF functions, time and frequency based effects in real time, signal routing..etc..etc.  Inputs, Dolby Digital, DTS decoding or encoding. Not to mention support for how many audio routines such as TrueHD, Dolby Digital plus, DTS-HDMA etc..Multiple inputs for line mics, preamps for mics, multiple outputs Based on what card you go with -Do I really need to continue?
 
As for chipset, generally refers to the controller on the card either software based controller or hardware based DSP chip again depending on the card you go with.
Subtle difference?  The differences between a soundcard and a DAC are anything but subtle.  I guess they can be "vague" if you don't know the difference between a DAC and a full soundcard.
 
 A soundcard and a DAC are just not the same thing.

 
 
... which is why i run both ... best of both worlds ..... soundcard/and DAC  .....

only change i need to make is in the creative software, switching from game mode/to audio creation for music   .... works great for me .....
 

 

[ROBSCIX]

 
Quote:

 
 
 
... which is why i run both ... best of both worlds ..... soundcard/and DAC  .....

only change i need to make is in the creative software, switching from game mode/to audio creation for music   .... works great for me .....
 

Sure, I recommend such hybrid systems to people around here all the time.  These soundcard and DAC systems have different limitations also...nothing is perfect for everybody.
On a side note, for awhile I was running a dual soundcard system.  One card was used as the DSP card and the other as an output card.  You had the first to process your games and send the digital audio to the next card for output.  We developed the software awhile back for such systems, it is called "VelBac".  The entire idea was to improve gaming audio as you could use the options and features of BOTH cards yet the sound quality was produced by the second.  So for instance, using a low end X-fi and a X-Meridian 7.1.  The was prior to the release of the Prelude and other gaming card which upped the quality for gamers.  However, the software can still be used to produce some very high quality audio systems for gaming which can surpass single card systems. 
 

 

[Draca]

Quote:

 

Sure features such as HRTF functions, time and frequency based effects in real time, signal routing..etc..etc.  Inputs, Dolby Digital, DTS decoding or encoding. Not to mention support for how many audio routines such as TrueHD, Dolby Digital plus, DTS-HDMA etc..Multiple inputs for line mics, preamps for mics, multiple outputs Based on what card you go with -Do I really need to continue?
 
As for chipset, generally refers to the controller on the card either software based controller or hardware based DSP chip again depending on the card you go with.
Subtle difference?  The differences between a soundcard and a DAC are anything but subtle.  I guess they can be "vague" if you don't know the difference between a DAC and a full soundcard.
 
 A soundcard and a DAC are just not the same thing.

Head Relative Transform Functionality (HRTF) is generally done by the sound card's drivers on the computer, not on the sound card itself. Fail. You can easily download software that will help you achieve the same result online. If you really want to be pedantic, if the sound card has multiple inputs and mic preamps, it's an 'audio interface' (e.g. Saffire Pro 40, MOTU 896 mk3, I personally use the Apogee Duet). You also said Dolby Digital twice, but that's okay, whatever makes you feel like you're listing more differences. As for chipsets, DSP chips are found in Audio-GD's reference dacs. Do I really need to continue?
 
All we're arguing here is semantics, and you have a slightly different but equally valid interpretation (you just conflate 'audio interface' with 'sound card').
 
The differences between a DAC and sound card or audio interface _can_ be great, but generally for the vast majority the main difference will just be how many channels the interface is capable of outputting (e.g. a stereo DAC versus the 5.1 sound cards - although certain devices based on the Sabre32 DAC chipset can include 7.1 outputs).
 
All I wanted to point out initially was at the basic level, a simple consumer sound card will perform the same basic functions as a DAC. In the frame of reference of the group of posts it was in, it was for the simple clarification of the fact that both the soundcard and DAC perform digital to analogue conversion, one is not solely 'digital' and one is not solely 'analogue'.
 
Is that qualifier really so difficult for you to comprehend, or do you enjoy ranting about minutiae irrelevant to the context of the discussion at every possible juncture?

 

[forciano]

Quote:

Uhhh...  You don't NEED a sound card to game.  And there aren't any good gaming sound cards for laptops.  Both Creative 'solutions' are terribad.
 
I'd recommend just going with an external device, and feeding it with the MB's onboard optical out.

Your obviously not a gamer, and if you had a bad experience with your sound card thats terrible but, if you are at least a little bit reasonable you will realize that there is tons of people who didnt have major problems with their x-fi cards.
 
And CMSS-3D is still the king of headphone positional sound, says a real gamer

 

[ROBSCIX]

 
Quote:

Head Relative Transform Functionality (HRTF) is generally done by the sound card's drivers on the computer, not on the sound card itself. Fail. You can easily download software that will help you achieve the same result online. If you really want to be pedantic, if the sound card has multiple inputs and mic preamps, it's an 'audio interface' (e.g. Saffire Pro 40, MOTU 896 mk3, I personally use the Apogee Duet). You also said Dolby Digital twice, but that's okay, whatever makes you feel like you're listing more differences. As for chipsets, DSP chips are found in Audio-GD's reference dacs. Do I really need to continue?
 
All we're arguing here is semantics, and you have a slightly different but equally valid interpretation (you just conflate 'audio interface' with 'sound card').
 
The differences between a DAC and sound card or audio interface _can_ be great, but generally for the vast majority the main difference will just be how many channels the interface is capable of outputting (e.g. a stereo DAC versus the 5.1 sound cards - although certain devices based on the Sabre32 DAC chipset can include 7.1 outputs).
 
All I wanted to point out initially was at the basic level, a simple consumer sound card will perform the same basic functions as a DAC. In the frame of reference of the group of posts it was in, it was for the simple clarification of the fact that both the soundcard and DAC perform digital to analogue conversion, one is not solely 'digital' and one is not solely 'analogue'.
 
Is that qualifier really so difficult for you to comprehend, or do you enjoy ranting about minutiae irrelevant to the context of the discussion at every possible juncture?

The only person ranting is you.

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

Your obviously not a gamer, and if you had a bad experience with your sound card thats terrible but, if you are at least a little bit reasonable you will realize that there is tons of people who didnt have major problems with their x-fi cards.
 
And CMSS-3D is still the king of headphone positional sound, says a real gamer

Uhhh... How was I being unreasonable?  The two Creative laptop products don't even have the X-FI processor, iirc.
 
I am a rather hardcore gamer, and that's great if you find CMSS-3D works for you.  Congrats on using a real DESKTOP card, and not being able to read.

 

[Draca]

Quote:

 

The only person ranting is you.

I see what you did thar.