Abit Ip35 Pro Onboard Sound..or...X-fi Platinum???

[dr150]

Is onboard sound really that bad on the Abit IP35 Pro mobo???

....All I heard was marked electrical static noise in the headphone port on the front of my Antec P182 case and on the back....or is it my board only (defective?)???


OPTIONS:
1.) Should I replace my Abit board (defective electrical sound?) or buy the $150 X-Fi Platinum?

2.) Is my old trusty Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (that I have in the closet) obsolete vs. the X-FI Platinum (i.e. worth the sound improvement upgrade)?


(BTW, the PCIe Xonar DX ain't an option...I think it'll hit my RAM sticks.)
.
.
.
I run XP PRO and use Senn. 580 headphones for gaming and music.

 

[Soundmanred]

It's not defective, it's noise picked up by the front panel connector cable. I had the same problem and thought it was the crappy on-board sound. I got a headphone extender and hooked up my headphones to the rear panel (directly to the mobo) and there's no noise, etc.
I had an Audigy2 ZS and took it out and never looked back.

Edit: Forgot to say - I have the IP35-E (non pro)

 

[dr150]

I put my headphones to the back of the case, and it still makes the same level of electrical noise as in the front. So it's either a defective sound from the mobo or it's just how it comes...with electrical noise.



Anybody else want to chime in?..........

 

[Psynaut]

You could get a Razer Barracuda AC-1 the next time woot puts them on sale for around $45.00.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

X-Fi Platinum is great if you have games that can take advantage of it and/or you could make great use of its awesome front panel.

While the X-Fi line has certainly helped to improve Creative's rep when it comes to sound quality, the cards aren't anything super spectacular. At a different point in time I might have recommended the X-Fi, but Creative has been extremely silly/stupid with how they've handled things, I don't think they're behavior should be rewarded at the current time.

 

[crontab]

I don't think this is normal.

I have a ip35 pro and my front panel audio has static, I have an antec solo. But my rear panel ports are clear. I just use those ports.

If I were to get a sound card, I would get a xonar.

 

[Foxery]

It may just be a grounding problem - I've experienced this with headphones before, where hooking up regular speakers or running to a fullsize amp is crystal clear. On my last machine, (which actually had a SB Live card,) headphones and microphones had massive noise. Strangely, muting and unmuting the Windows volume control made it stop - some day I'd love to find out why. Give it a shot for shits'n'giggles.

I own an IP35-Pro, and through a standard amp, it's crystal clear with fantastic quality. Not sure what to tell you if you only have headphones available, but I wouldn't run out and spend a lot of money only to risk having the same problem anyway...

 

[Capt Caveman]

I use a X-Fi Fata1ity on my Abit IP35 Pro. Works and sounds great.