(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best computer internal sound cards

Building computers started as a hobby. I was always able to play whatever I wanted with an $800ish Gateway computer (before they went to crap, sorry Gateway) back in the 1999-2005 era. Then Battlefield 2 came out, while I was in college, and I couldn't run it on my machine. It was a slideshow.

I knew there were things I could do to make a computer faster, but I didn't know what exactly each thing "did". More RAM = faster computer? Did I need to overclock? Do graphics cards matter that much? Those were my thoughts back in 2005, and I did a bit of research and decided that for the money I had to spend, I needed a new graphics card and twice the amount of RAM as I had before. I looked up guides online (which were more sparse back then) on how to swap out a graphics card, how to install RAM, which I'd done years before, but had no idea what type of RAM I needed, or what speed was worth buying, or how much I wanted to shoot for. After some research, I went to Best Buy and grabbed what I needed.

I spent the afternoon with the computer case open on my bed in my apartment room, figuring out what wires I needed to move (probably none, but I was started from near-scratch with my knowledge), and making absolutely sure I did it correctly. When I closed the case panel and hooked it back up, it worked! I installed the drivers and it worked. It felt great.

Suddenly, Battlefield 2 was playable! I used that computer for a few more years, learning a bit more about processors and components, but not in a targeted way, just by osmosis through my gaming and web surfing. In 2008, my friend built his own computer, and used this cool clear acrylic custom case he basically built and drilled himself from a kit. I was too intimidated from watching him struggle with getting it together, his first build, and I decided against building my own computer. I bought some $850 "gaming machine" from Cyberpower. It was a C2Q Q6600 with a crappy motherboard, a crappy PSU, 2 gigs of DDR2 in 2x1 sticks, filling both RAM slots of the motherboard, and a GT8600 GPU. And the case was a tin toilet. No management options, and the whole inside was a rat's nest - I found that out years later when I wanted to upgrade and put in a new GPU.

When the 8600 was no longer cutting it, I decided to pick up a cheap GPU that would just barely get me back into gaming again. I grabbed a 5570 and opened up the case at home - and was again intimidated because of the clutter and wires. I sucked it up and installed the GPU, then played games for about a year. Then I started having problems with some games I really wanted to play, again. I was really irritated, had buyer's remorse over getting what I found out then was a really anemic GPU, and thought, "I'll just overclock my CPU to give me some more juice, maybe that will help". That's when I learned about how shitty my motherboard was, and how important a motherboard is for overclocking and expansion. I decided that the computer wasn't worth working with anymore, so I went to Fry's and cut loose. I had learned more about the components, and had spent a bit over a month on this wonderful subreddit researching parts and builds and what people recommended.

April 2012, I came home with an 8150, a new MSI G45 motherboard, 8 gigs of DDR3-1333 RAM, a new 550W "CoolMax" PSU, and a Radeon HD 7750. It was like Christmas building the thing, with my Macbook Pro next to me for reference, motherboard poster-manual spread out on the other side. I stuffed it all into the tin toilet Cyberpower case, and after booting and installing Windows 7, it worked! I was on cloud nine... for a few days. Then I realized that the 8150 was a pretty lackluster CPU, for the money, this generation, and after looking into overclocking, found out the G45 had a lot of problems supplying power at anything above stock for an 8150 because of its 4+1 power phase configuration. "What the fuck is a 4+1 configuration!?" I thought, frustrated. So I dug in, hard, into each component. I researched what motherboards have the ability to overclock better. I found out what GPUs really give you the best bang for the buck - but more importantly, what exactly they let you do, resolution and graphics settings-wise. I figured out what is considered important in a PSU. I found a slew of reputable brands. And I saved. And I waited.

Over the summer, I decided to overclock the 8150, as I'd heard good things about its overclockability. Motherboard and shitty PSU be damned. I got it up from 3.6 to 4.1 locked frequency. It was stable, so I left it there. I bought a second 7750, trying to get some more performance out of my anemic single GPU (good money thrown after bad), cranked the 7750s up to as high as they would go before artifacting in games. I gamed all summer, and in September it finally blew. The motherboard fried and took the CPU with it. I don't know if it was the crummy CoolMax PSU or the motherboard's lack of control over supplying the voltage, but it fried. I smelled burning for about 10 seconds, thought my house was on fire, then as I started to figure out the source was below me from the computer case, it was too late. It shut off instantly with a "snap" noise. Goodnight, sweet prince.

I had been waiting to upgrade, and although I was supremely angry with my lack of research that led to the components dying, I was more than prepared. I knew every fucking component inside and out. I knew every brand, which OEMs were behind everything, what was worth the money, what was necessary, what to absolutely not cut corners on, everything. I had spent 6 months, every day, on /r/buildapc, discussing components, viewing builds, reading comments and critiques. I went to Fry's with confidence, and though I had been burned a bit by the 8150's performance, the Piledriver generation had launched that week, serendipitously. I had been reading the early reviews, and it seemed to be a HUGE hit for the price. I got a great deal on an 8320, which I knew to be the same chip at a lower stock clock, got a better motherboard, got an Antec HCG 620W PSU, which I knew to be a Seasonic OEM and of great quality for the price, a Hyper 212+, and a Phantom 410 case. I also bought a new HDD. I came home and built the crap out of that computer. I cable managed everything into oblivion. I put in an extra fan in the front. I was very happy with every component choice.

After that, and after even more research, I decided to start building and selling custom gaming rigs. I knew it was a tough sell, and that a lot of people did it, but I used my business marketing degree to create a website and build some custom rigs. I sold them for $575 and $600 brand new, and they had the high-clocked Pentium dual cores in them with a 6950, which I found for a steal at around $150 on a clearance in the fall. They could play BF3, Tribes: Ascend, Source Engine games, and anything below it, like League of Legends and WoW and Diablo 3. They were an impressive amount of power, considering I had to buy Windows for them, at the time. But the important thing was I was doing something I loved and knew everything about. After a month of building, I had an opportunity to work for an IT company, doing break/fix work. I took it. I was able to land the job, in a field I had never worked, because of /r/buildapc. I knew hardware better than anyone in that company, even if I had to learn software troubleshooting as I went. Whatever, I'm a Google master.

I still had the 7750s, though. That little reminder of my first build, and all of the bad decisions that I learned from, irritated me daily. So I saved. And I asked for Amazon bucks for Christmas from every family member that still gives gifts. I'm 28, so I didn't expect much. But everyone game me Amazon bucks, and it totaled a bit over $200. I had my eye on a GTX660 this time around, wanting to get more than the crummy entry-level 128-bit bus, and get some power for new games like BF3. But I had some money, and the day after Christmas, the first day after getting the gift money, I saw a GTX 670 going for $280 on Amazon, in a ridiculous sale. I couldn't believe my eyes. This was a top-tier GPU, in my reach! I could taste it. I dropped the extra money on it in a heartbeat, got it in 3 days, and popped it in. My dream machine was under my feet. I had an overclocked processor capable of VM work, transcoding, gaming, and a GPU that, when overclocked, matched a stock flagship 680 GPU.

So I went from a gamer to a seller of custom rigs, and a worker in the IT industry, solely because of this subreddit. My most recent addition to my rig was a Soundblaster Recon3d Professional, because I wanted a headphone amp/sound card, and it is a killer deal right now. I love the Scout mode in FPS games, and the sound quality going from unpowered headphones to powered, surround-sound, full quality is night and day. I love PC building and PC hardware, and I build computers because of /r/buildapc.

Headphones I've used the past 10 years.

• ATH-AD700 - Discontinued now, but cheap used, open back, under $50, one of the biggest soundstage, but lacks bass
  
• ATH-AD700X - updated revision of the ad700, under $100 on sale, tiny bit better bass. The stock pad made my ears sore since it touches the driver. I replaced it with memoryfoam BrainWavz pad, and they feel much better. Puts less pressure on my eyeglasses too.
  
• ATH-M50X - My go-to music headphone, but I use it for travel gaming too since they fold up nicely and closeback for noise isolation.
  
• ATH-AD900X - Better version of AD700X
  
• Philips Fidelio X2 - About $200 on sale, a little bit less soundstage than AD700X, but much better bass. If you can splurge, I highly recommend this. They are balanced type headphones. Basically replaced the the M50X for music listening and AD700X/AD900X for gaming. It feels really nice, pad fits much better than the AD700X. I forget I am actually wearing headphones. If this is too expensive, SHP9500, is a cheaper alternative at 1/3 the cost.
  
• All of the headphones listed above are low impedance meaning you don't need an amp to get good sound output.
  
• Most gaming specific headphones aren't that good for the price. You're paying mostly for the marketing. Get any decent audiophile headphone and it will be much better.
  
   
  
  Virtual surround sound I've used
  
  
• Xonar U3 - Got this to replace my broken mobo sound, but found out it does virtual surround sound. Basically simulates 5.1/7.1 sound on a 2 channel headphone. Used it for many years gaming. Sounds awesome with good headphone that has big soundstage. Nice to hear directional audio to know here footsteps are at in games. Also acts like an amp with boost mode for high impedance headphones.
  
• Razer Surround Sound - free, but the worst virtual surround sound I've heard. Things sound muffled.
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi - Upgraded to this, it has better virtual surround sound technology.
  
   
  
  Hate wired headphone?
  
  
• How to convert wired phones into wireless gaming one
  
   
  
  Microphone
  
  
• ModMic - Used this for many many years, but got tired of wires dangling around
  
• Blue Yeti - Audio quality is so much better than the modmic, but it is big. Use a mic stand or arm.

Headphones huh?

Start with this mic. It's still in preorder status sadly, but it offers great flexibility in attachment. But honestly, any other clip on mic will do, voip comm in any game or program is heavily compressed.

As for headphones the Sennheiser HD800 are the best you can get for gaming.

But you'd definitely need to drive them with something more powerful than a onboard sound chip. For an external solution the Beyerdynamic Headzone Base Station gives you the best sound quality and amplification.

If you are more of a soundcard guy the Xonar Essence ST will do fine too, at least for gaming.

I'm completely new to this (basically have zero experience in the audio world) but I'm looking at getting a dedicated sound card. My use case is pretty much purely gaming, but I also listen to music a lot, just not hardcore like a lot of you folks do. I'm also a VR enthusiast and would be using this heavily for VR games. My setup would consist of 2.0 speakers, IEM's, and whatever sound card I get. What's important to me, in no particular order, is audio quality, immersiveness, surround sound, positional audio, ease of use/lack of hassle, build quality, and proper EMI shielding/lack of signal noise. The quality of audio through IEM's is more important than the quality of audio through the 2.0 speakers, since I wear IEM's while in VR. I'm not considering a DAC/amp at all, so please don't suggest that. My budget is $100 or less.

Here's what I've found so far, again in no particular order:

ASUS Xonar DSX

Creative Sound Blaster Z

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy RX 7.1

ASUS Strix SOAR

ASUS Xonar DGX

Out of these options, which do you think is best for my use case? Are there any better options in this price range I haven't considered yet? Will this even be a noticeable improvement over onboard audio? (Z270 motherboard)

Also, kinda unrelated but also kinda related: If I'm not horribly confused (which I am), the 2.0 speakers would require a left audio input and a right input, like this. However, I've noticed that none of these sound cards have left audio out/right audio out ports. Just front, rear, center, and woofer. (Plus a few more, like line in/mic in, but never left/right audio out.) So, uh... Where would I plug my speakers in? >.>

Also also, a lot of these sound cards advertise support for surround sound. Do I HAVE to have a 5.1/7.1 system in order to use surround sound, or would I be able to get surround sound with 2.0 speakers? Ditto for headphones - if I was using IEMs, would I be able to get surround sound? Or would it be the same as using onboard audio in that regard/make no difference because it's still only two speakers (one in each ear)?

I am not familiar with your specific motherboard. However, I have relied upon expansion sound cards (e.g., PCI and PCIe) for my builds exclusively for over 15 years even when my motherboard has decent audio processing thereon. While not a big fan of Creative and the bloatware and its performance (on and off) over the years, I have found the X-FI chipset to be a really decent performer. Like this one. I suspect there are cheaper units and really more expensive units, so do your own research. The Creative bloatware currently comes with a product called Creative Volume Panel or Audio Control Panel or something like that. This allows you to shift between different modes of operation, like gaming, entertainment, and "audio creation" to enable differing settings for each usage. The software is not good, but it does help to create a seemingly superior menu of options for audio enthusiasts.

There are likely other products to look into, also. But, I suspect an expansion card may give you the control you need. Also, look into the variation of gain in your audio source(s)? This could explain why the music audio is comparatively lower than other tasks. Lastly, the audio "mixer" in WIN 10 (presuming that is your OS) may alow you to tweak and/or individually specify audio levels for each process.

All this being said, try and mess with your current settings to see if there is a way to control the levels for each process and/or separate the audio processing to a dedicated processor. Obviously, make sure your drivers are up to date. It may help. *shrug*

Yeah but the biggest single changes you can make are getting a non-shit pair of headphones (~$30) and a USB DAC (~$25), because trust me, your computer is pumping so much interference into your headphones you don't even know.

I'm not a snob about it, a setup like this isn't too expensive and is phenomenal for anyone who enjoys music. And for a bit more money, you can get better headphones and a superior DAC/AMP, but beware diminishing returns, as it costs a lot of money to get even 10% better. There's not a need to go full-on Sennheiser Orpheus w/ tube amp.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor | £215.81 @ Amazon UK
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | £22.85 @ CCL Computers
Motherboard | Asus H87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | £87.44 @ Scan.co.uk
Memory | Patriot Signature 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | £37.15 @ Amazon UK
Memory | Patriot Signature 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | £37.15 @ Amazon UK
Storage | Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | £71.99 @ Aria PC
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card | £215.95 @ CCL Computers
Case | Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case | £77.70 @ Aria PC
Power Supply | OCZ Fatal1ty 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | £57.66 @ Amazon UK
Optical Drive | Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer | £12.99 @ Amazon UK
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) | £69.59 @ Aria PC
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | £906.28
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-04 02:08 BST+0100 |

Thanks to Intel's hyper threading technology the CPU is a eight core. You won't have any trouble video / audio editing.
You don't need an aftermarket CPU, but it is quieter and keeps the CPU cooler than the stock one.
A quality motherboard.
16GB RAM are plenty for audio / video creation.
SSD for OS and main programs.
HDD for media.
GTX 760 helps in video editing and can play any game at max settings atb1080p.
A silence optimized case.
A good power supply with more than enough headroom.
A cheap optical drive, because who uses those?
If you want the start menu back in WIN8, try Classic Shell or StartIsBack out.
I don't know about your audio gear, but if you need a sound card: Asus Xonar Essence STX, Creative Sound Blaster ZxR, Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR, CREATIVE Sound Blaster Z. You should definitely do more research on these cards.

Unsure as to whether this counts as a "purchase" or not, but even generic advice would be helpful. I currently have some Logitech X-540 5.1 speakers combined with a Creative Soundblaster X Fi Xtreme Gamer in my PC, as well as a pair of Sennheiser HD 205-IIs and Sennheiser CX 300 IIs. While I'm mainly asking about speakers, if you happen to have any headphone advice, that'd be appreciated as well.

I've been browsing the subreddit a lot more recently, and have a bit more disposable income than previously so am considering upgrading. However, I mainly listen to music through 320kb/s mp3s (iTunes + Spotify), so don't need anything particularly top end, and am basically wondering at what point your limiting factor becomes the file format?

Is it worth buying an entirely new set of speakers/headphones if they won't be able to reproduce the music any better, essentially?

I own a Marantz PM5004 Amplifier and Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 Bookshelf Speakers and have about £100 - £150 to spend on some new speakers. I have seen that What HiFi have awarded Best Budget Standmount Speakers 2013 to the Q Acoustics 2020i and I'm wondering if these are a worthwhile upgrade from the speakers I currently own. My only concerns are that I had not heard of this company prior to seeing them on What HiFi (but that could well be my ignorance) and two of their Best Buy awards went to this company which started to make me a little suspicious. The speakers are also quite old (?) now, released in 2011. I would appreciate a bit of advice on this upgrade or if alternative speakers would be more appropriate.

Thanks in anticipation!

tl;dr are Q Acoustics 2020i a worthwhile upgrade from Wharfedale Diamond 9.0?

Additional info: I listen to mostly Rock and Electronic music, using an Asus Xonar U3 USB DAC and my music is encoded at 190 Kbps VBR (which is likely unnecessary info but gives an idea of how much little I care about sound quality)

The 860k has slightly higher IPC than other current AMD CPUs, but is less than current intel CPUs. It's a great value for four physical cores that are decently fast. 6350 has six cores, and the 8350 has eight cores since you're curious.

For gaming you don't need a lot of space and a SSD has much faster load times. You can also search for files in much less time as well. It's definitely worth it in my opinion.

I would get a low end i5 if you wanted to bump up the performance.

I think I found something that would work for the sound card.

http://www.amazon.com/Rocketfish-RF-51SDCD-RF-51SDCD-5-1-Channel-PCI-Sound-Card/dp/B002WE9T2W/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1427153214&sr=8-9&keywords=S%2FPDIF+sound+card

•Budget - 200 for headphones, 200 for DAC/amp

•Source - unknown yet

•Requirements for Isolation - none

•Preferred Type of Headphone - over-ear monitor

•Preferred tonal balance - Neutral/warm

•Past headphones -280pros, m50s, m-100s

•Preferred Music - Blues, classic rock, electronic, house, PC gaming.

I need help with my computer setup. I currently have a PCIe sound card, sound blaster titanuim HD, which is ok. It doesnt impress me much, my e07k sounds way better when used as a usb DAC. I am mainly using my M-100s when on my computer,which i would like to replace. I am going to use my M-100s as my mobile and work out cans. So I would like to find a pair of cans that stays at my desk. Since my e07k will be with my M-100, would like an amp that stays at the desk. I was thinking of useing a e09k as a amp and my sound card as a dac. Or would it be better to go with Schiit mangi?

This is something I've been very interested in. I've found this post comparing the V20 to the Fiio E10K and Xduoo XD-05, and a head-fi review comparing the iFi Nano iDSD BL with the V30 (search V30 to find the review). I found it very interesting that the V20 reviewer found the V20 to be all around better sounding than the Fiio E10K

I'm currently debating between getting this LG thingy for my OnePlus 3, the iFi Nano iDSD BL, or simply upgrading to the V30. Choices :/

This is a phenomenal 2.1 speaker set

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Gaming-High-Power-Speaker-CA-SP211NA/dp/B004H0MQYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347479026&sr=8-1&keywords=sp2500


This is considered the best audio quality soundcard on PCI:

http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-Essence-24-bit-192KHz-Interface/dp/B002UVME88/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347479068&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+essence+st

Be warned it doesnt support EAX so you might have issues with gaming sounds.

There are plenty of other asus and asus rog cards which are very good and do support EAX so check them out.

Also creative have high end cards with EAX as well.

I just read a quick review of the Vengeance 1500 v2 and it is a very solid choice it seems. Definitely a better sound quality.
The only downside of this headset is the spatialisation in 2.0 mode, but you just have to use the 7.1.
However it is still emulated 7.1 (only a driver per side) but it still does a really good job at spatialisation.
A true 7.1 headseat would require five drivers per side but would also require a dedicated sound card

Do you still have a need/use for that port, though? Like I said, I'm sure you can find some old SoundBlasters and there are some poorly-reviewed cheap ones with that port as well. At this point it's more about whether or not you can use USB or something else, because even if you do slap in an old card there's no guarantee that you'll have drivers for Win 7/8/10 to use it.

EDIT: If you do need the legacy hardware, try the SoundBlaster SB0100

I have an asus xonar essence st (the pci version of the essence stx) but if you're not looking for something that expensive (~$200) and 7.1 is a must this looks good. Just make sure that you have a free pci slot. If you are really serious about sound quality though and getting more high end headphones (>$300 range) you should look into a stereo DAC/amp combo or separate dac and amp.

Hello,
I recently bought speaker system from the picture, called Audionic Pace 6.

http://www.audionic.co/product/pace-6-5-1-channel-speaker
http://imgur.com/smpBuoW (backside of the system)

I wanted to use it with my Creative SB0880 5.1 sound card

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51YuiRfQoUL.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0880-Express-Blaster-Titanium/dp/B001E25KDK

But I really don't know how to make the two work together. The yellow pins go into the detached speakers and the red/white ones are for my sound card. I tried using the 3.5mm RCA Audio Cable, but it only works 2 pins-to-1(if you even understand what that means).

So if I use this cable, 1 slot on the sound card uses up two slots on the speaker system(eg. FL and FR) - Which I don't believe is ideal..

http://www.vesalia.de/pic/35mm2xrca5m.jpg

Should I buy a new soundcard with similar inputs as being seen on the speakers? or something else.

Help would be appreciated.

i've been playing with a raspberry pi (3) + audioinjector sound card to rip some records on various systems for comparison. it's a great little card, does 192/24 and sounds wonderful.

i went with this, http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-GAME-ONE-Gaming-Headset/dp/B00GWU8FTK?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
and this
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-STRIX-SOAR-Sound-Card/dp/B019H3BI4W?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01

already have dt 770 pros 80 ohm... but they are about 11 years old and have too much base for overwatch... or at least thats what im testing out with the new ones... love the return policy on amazon.

Something like this is more geared towards gaming but I believe that something like this has a better headphone AMP.

I have a creative SB0880

Well the sticker says its a SB0880 but my card looks more like the SB0886 since it has the hawt Fatal1ty cover on it.

I also have a xonar essence stx if you are interested in that.

Going for the A55 board was definitely a good idea. the power supply, I'd rather the 80+ Bronze for an $8 difference after rebate. ($2 shipping on the CX430). With Changes :

Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD A6-3500 2.1GHz Triple-Core Processor | $77.99 @ Mac Mall
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-A55M-DS2 Micro ATX FM1 Motherboard | $49.99 @ NCIX US
Memory | Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory | $22.99 @ Newegg
Case | nMEDIAPC HTPC 1000B HTPC Case | $69.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | Antec 380W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | $44.99 @ Amazon
Optical Drive | Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer | $56.23 @ Amazon
Bluetooth | ASUS USB-BT211 Mini Bluetooth Dongle USB 2.0 | $12.99 @ Newegg
Remote | Sony PS3 BT Remote | $19.99 @ Newegg
Sound Card | Creative X-FI Titanium-Fatal1ty | Already Owned
Hard Drive | Seagate 80GB SATA | Already Owned
| | Total
| Prices include shipping and discounts when available. | $355.16
| Generated 2012-04-24 20:46 EDT-0400 |

EDIT: Added table with parts

That X-Fi Titanium HD is still a very competent card, I betcha you can find it relatively cheap! Amazon and Newegg.

There may be better options for the price, but I know this one is good.

Edit: for anyone who comes across this save yourself some headache. Find one component that will do everything that you want. because there are a lot of limitations with Asio4all and you might not be able to get sound.

I still have not found a solution to this.

Trying to get a Behringer 404 HD to talk with a creative sound card and AB/virtual cable using Asio4all within FL Studio I was unsuccessful in getting any sound to pass through to the card.

You can use FL Asio or Asio driver that comes with the card if it has one. But you will not be able to Output to a different Source or have a different source of input.

If anyone has had any luck actually getting this to work please message me and let me know your settings.


___

DAC was what i have been looking for.

After digging a bit deeper I'm may very well stick with the PCI just because I'm running out of USB ports.

Any recommendations internal or external?

I could just buy the 50$ card but i like how much this one puts out compared to others.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B073HT4GM4/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1522443903&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sound+blaster&dpPl=1&dpID=31PrI84vKLL&ref=plSrch

So far I have not encountered any issue as far as noise or interference from other components.

The OEM version of a Sound Blaster Recon3D is a good choice: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Recon3D-SB1350/dp/B00654PUPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348151945&sr=8-1&keywords=sound+blaster+recon3d

Great sound quality in a all-around effects package.

Hello, years ago I purchased the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro, http://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0886-Titanium-Fatal1ty-Professional/dp/B0018EFGTM

I am currently using HD598 and for desktop speakers the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1. I was wondering if I should replace my soundcard or add anything to get the best sound quality. Thank you.

Greets,
Thanks for the information. My apologies on not getting back sooner.

Currently my computer is across from my wife's; would the open back disturb her?

In regards to the sound card; the 'part number' listed is SB0880 on the back off the card. However it also has the 'Fatality' metal shroud so I expect it's the SB0886 version (as seen here). I'm using that instead of on-board because the MixAmp Pro wants Dolby Digital but DD isn't supported on-board (out of the box; I understand there are ways to 'hack' the onboard so it will also support DD); it is supported on the X-Fi (plus I already had the X-Fi). My plan is to switch to an FiiO E10K down the road but run the headphones from either the onboard or X-Fi for the time being.

I used the Claro II for a while with a 5.1 setup, it was fine but it just lacked what I needed (mainly used for games/music) went with a Creative Recon3D. I'd say get the ASUS Xonar that Posting_Account recommended, you'd probably have a better experience.

Cool! I noticed you linked the AudioInjector Zero. Is that the model you'll be testing with? They make another model, the AudioInjector Stereo Soundcard (Link), for not much more.

They both look like they have about the same functionality, but the Stereo doesn't have breakout boards like the Zero does. I imagine they're based on the same chip(s)?

I have one of these (Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D THX PCIE Fatal1ty Pro) because my current motherboard has some sound disfunction thing. If you're really interested in it, I'll sell it and buy myself a working mobo.

Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Fatal1ty-Champion-SB1354/dp/B0060SXDRI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1377681049&sr=8-5&keywords=soundblaster
or even just a better version of the asus you've got there: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-XONAR-Channel-Audio-Sound/dp/B001EZQ8YC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1377681131&sr=8-9&keywords=asus+xonar
Whatever suits you really!

While I'm not sure what the problem is in your setup, I can recommend using a cheap USB soundcard like the Asus Xonar U3 to connect your ModMic to your PC.

This way you can get rid of interference from the motherboard's circuitry and possibly (as you suggested) from the PSU as well.

Source: Using a ModMic with the above soundcard right now :)

My TV is a Hisense 50r7e (https://www.hisense-usa.com/televisions/all-tvs/50R7E_4k-uhd-hisense-roku-tv-with-hdr-49-5-diag). Couldn't I just run an optical cable to achieve Dolby 5.1? I don't have enough speakers anyways for 7.1 and would probably just piss off my neighbors in the apartments around me if I did.

If I also use my PC for hobbyist audio production, would it be beneficial for me to just purchase an internal sound card that can support higher quality audio for my studio headset as well as supporting my desire for surround sound from my stereo receiver? This is the only PCI sound card that appears to be decent: https://www.amazon.com/HT-OMEGA-CLARO-Channel-Sound/dp/B006U9OML8?pf_rd_p=c130f0c5-1076-46b6-ac60-7d7e80f8bef9&pd_rd_wg=iGx9D&pf_rd_r=K9AG4QWVX3K74FS7NE7S&ref_=pd_gw_cr_simh&pd_rd_w=EESxW&pd_rd_r=3118e971-fe9b-46ad-9360-1c091ff476d4.

I can't use a PCIe sound card because my graphics card is too large and gets in the way of all but one PCIe slot, which is already consumed by my WiFi/Bluetooth networking card. I don't want to a different motherboard, as I just built this PC back in December. Plus, that would also require me to purchase a new (larger) PC case.

You can get a USB soundcard and those work really well in windows. I have a Asus xonar (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Xonaru3-Mobile-USB-Soundcard/dp/B004ZI5E1S) and the sound is better for me compared to the headphone jack.

Hate to tell you but it's $99 on Amazon w/ free shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/LG-Hi-Fi-Plus-PLAY-AFD-1200/dp/B01DAER41K

Hello, i have a soundblaster x-fi titanium i was planning on putting up on here in the next day or two. im lookin for $40 shipped for the thing, and im strongly considering trading it for your board. tell me if any of this sounds ok to you, thanks

this is the exact card

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0880-Express-Blaster-Titanium/dp/B001E25KDK

Thanks so much. I'm definitely going to go with Stereo, however now I'm a bit confused with the connections going on. I'm specifically looking at these Fostexs. Do I need to have the DAC, or can I use the sound card I recently purchased?

You can try picking up this super cheap USB sound card to plug in the speakers and or your headset:

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Headphone-Microphone-Desktops/dp/B01N905VOY/

This is not a high quality or permanent replacement, just for testing.

If after you test with the super cheap USB sound card, and you don't get static, then you might consider purchasing a replacement sound card, and here are some examples from cheap to expensive that will work in your motherboard:

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/

https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-70SB174000000-BlasterX-Hi-Resolution-Gaming/dp/B073HT4GM4/

​

If however, you get the cheap USB sound card, and you still have static in both your headphones and speakers, I would consider at that point the PSU.

Care to educate then? I don't see where I went wrong.

My motherboard (Gigabyte X79-UP4) has more than adequate onboard audio coupled with my headset.

If I NEEDED a soundcard, I could easily pick up a PCI-E one for $40

Just cutting off the end and adding a USB plug will not work. The two plugs communicate using different standards and it will not transmit a usable signal for USB just by putting on a USB end. A lot of older and low end sound cards include a game port plug. Finding a older used sound card on eBay or a low end card with gameport will be your best bet. Here is an example that I found with a quick Google search. You may be able to do better if you search a bit longer.

http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Channel-Internal-Desktop-Computer/dp/B00M2FDQOS?SubscriptionId=AKIAITJUXVH7AUF2Q2SA&tag=computer-geek-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00M2FDQOS

This is the newer version http://cdn.mobilesyrup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/HTC-Vive-Pre-20.jpg

its just an usb hub I think. One is input and one is output.
It has a 3.5 audio jack aswell but thats audio over hdmi (=no microphone?) and its basically just an extension cable.

All the audio stuff is done in Windows.

I am sure every USB soundcard would work but my main problem is that I want one with good sound. Thats why I am here :D

These are the 3 more expensive ones that I found on Amazon

http://www.amazon.de/Asus-externe-Soundkarte-Digital-Support/dp/B004ZI5E1S

http://www.amazon.de/Creative-Blaster-Externe-USB-Soundkarte-schwarz/dp/B00JFRHLOM

http://www.amazon.de/Soundkarte-Virtuelles-Surround-Tablet-PC-10-kompatibel/dp/B017NH8M0C

and I have no idea which one I should choose.

Get a nicer sound card.

Ahh whoops, you're right! Derped.

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Titanium-Internal-SB1270/dp/B0041OUA38/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463282868&sr=1-12&keywords=Creative+soundcard

>Hardware-powered 3D positional audio and EAX 5.0 effects provide stunning audio realism over headphones and speakers.

You could get the 598's, a cheap USB DAC like the Fiio e10, and use Razer Surround for 7.1.

Alternatively you could get the Asus Xonar U3 and use the Dolby on there. It will be about the same.

https://www.amazon.com/HT-OMEGA-CLARO-Channel-Sound/dp/B006U9OML8

I wish I could still use this. Imo. This thing stomped on any other audio sound card. Heck I would say it still sounds better than my ZxR.

But sadly it doesn’t have a 6.35 headphone jack. So I can’t use it >.>

I had to make sure I wasn't imagining that so I looked for it. Lo and behold!

BAM!

http://us.store.creative.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-Recon3D-Fatal1ty-Professional/M/B00654PTT2.htm

Grab it off of Amazon or Ebay and experience the magic

Ooops, I meant internal sound cards like these ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Xonar-Phoebus-Gaming-Soundcard-Sound/dp/B007ZT1Q3E

Some of them come with the sound card that goes in your computer, and then an amplified box that sits outside your computer to plug in your headphones.

In your case, your JBLs are already amplified, so you dont need an amp. And I dont see any benefit to having an onboard sound card and a DAC - they would both be doing the same thing (sound processing), so it would be one or the other (if it turns out you need any at all).

Any suggestion for a onboard audio repalcement? the onboard audio for my new dell xps8930 desktop is really bad. the max volume is really low compare to my old desktop and their MaxxAudio software dont offer that much adjustment either.

Do you guys think this usb sound card is a good replacement option? any suggestion is appreciated. i mostly use a speaker (Logitech Z200) currently

Building a new desktop PC for home use.

ROG SupremeFX S1220 on the motherboard.
Current system has Creative Labs SB0880 PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium card.
Sennheiser Momentum headphones.

Where should I focus my ~200 USD budget?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DAER41K/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1475246347&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=lg+g5+module&dpPl=1&dpID=31fhh07Dz4L&ref=plSrch

Looking at your list on PC-Parts picker. Why are you going with Win10 Home and not Pro?

This is a little overkill: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card

Look into the:[ASUS STRIX SOAR Sound Card] (https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-STRIX-SOAR-Sound-Card/dp/B019H3BI4W)

Also personally I would go with a smaller boot SSD and a fast rotational HDD for data.

Its the SB1350.

This one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00654PUPA?keywords=recon3d&qid=1451804974&ref_=sr_1_3&sr=8-3

This card. I believe one jack carries 2 srround channels and the subwoofer, the other carries another 3 surround channels.

My suggestion is to buy a Soundblaster card, when you can afford it. The new one costs 140. I have an optical port on my new motherboard and opt to continue to use this. It takes a PCI slot so you will need one open. https://www.amazon.com/Creative-70SB174000000-BlasterX-Hi-Resolution-Gaming/dp/B073HT4GM4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=soundblaster&qid=1563742535&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Any game with surround sound (e.g. Left 4 Dead) and a 3D sound card will work.

Sound Blaster Recon3D azn

I have a Titanium X-Fi HD if you are still looking. Here are some pics

Creative 70SB174000000 Sound BlasterX AE-5 Hi-Resolution PCIe Gaming Sound Card

I use my HD555s w/ a modmic on ps4 with this usb sound card from Asus. It was the only setup that worked for me, the controller did not.

Also the G5, but it's an add on module
https://smile.amazon.com/LG-Hi-Fi-Plus-PLAY-AFD-1200/dp/B01DAER41K?sa-no-redirect=1

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Recon3D-Fatal1ty-SB1356/dp/B00654PTT2

Here's the dxdiag

64 bit Windows 7.

MSI 670 OC

i7 3820

MSI ATX motherboard X79A-GD45(8D)

16gbs of patriot viper ram

Recon soundblaster 3d soundcard

antec 650 watt psu

two velociraptor hdds in raid

I was using the latest nvidia drivers. 3.20. I'm currently using the 3.26 beta drivers.

Just a Creative X-Fi. They are cheap now, but it was ~ $100 when I got it.

I think just the direction is all that is needed, distance would be dictated by volume. One sound probably isn't too difficult, but calculating lots of sounds fast enough to have you hear it at the moment the graphics card displays a frame is more difficult.

I had the same issue when using my motherboards built in soundcard so I bought one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Xonaru3-Mobile-USB-Soundcard/dp/B004ZI5E1S and it fixed it. some motherboards have absolutely awful soundcards especially for microphones.

I'm apparently retarded and bought the X-Fi Xtreme which doesn't natively have it nor does the connect pack work for it. Now realizing this I went and bought the X-Fi Titanium

Will this be good enough?

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Converter-Adapter-Desktops/dp/B06XP5R449/ref=zg_bs_3015427011_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0588R0YE2P6TRRJ0CRT1

Or maybe should I take this?

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-Sound-Cards-XONAR_U3/dp/B004ZI5E1S

I saw this as a cheap USB-C one but it might be crap

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSC/dp/B071HJ98Q6#customerReviews

AKG K702 - about 500 hours on them
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD - hasn't been removed since installation in 2013
and a QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" 1440p Monitor
More on the Qnix: Minimal light bleed at bottom of screen. Only really visible with full black picture up, no dead pixels, and OC'able to 96 hz.

Furthermore - is trading the Qnix for a 144hz monitor (Asus or BenQ) fair?

Ich nehme mal an dass du eher im günstigeren Bereich bleiben willst. In dem Fall geht meine Empfehlung an die Asus Xonar U3. Klar, etwas teurer als deine bisherigen Karten, dafür aber von einem größeren Hersteller und mit Sicherheit ausdauernder als deine aktuellen.

Note: Evtl. musst du erst einen Treiber installieren bevor die Soundkarte korrekt funktioniert. Guckst du hier. Und für den Fall dass du Linux nutzt, die Xonar-Serie funktioniert meistens out-of-the-Box :)