Best Sound Card / Roundup ?

[ZurgDawg]

Hello -

I am looking for a very good sound card for my computer. On top of gaming and music I will be recording and mixing audio from turntables and other gear. So I need something with a lot of quality and some good features. Can anyone recommend a sound card for me or point me to some type of 'roundup'? Thanks!

Zurg

Current Specs:

ASUS A7V266-E 1007
AMD Athlon XP 1700
512 MB Crucial DDR 2100
ATI Radeon 64DDR VIVO
IBM 10 GB Deskstar 7200
IBM 40 GB Deskstar 7200
16x Toshiba DVD
8x HP CD Writer
OrangeLink USB2.0/Firewire PCI

 

[powerMarkymark]

I'm looking at the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, I here it's excellent.

 

[cmaMath13]

I don't think you need to look at a round-up right now. I my mind there is only one "leader of the pack" currently, the Creative's Sound Blaster Audigy. Pick any from that product line and you will be very pleased.

 

[madthumbs]

In my mind, anything but Creative; Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, Philip's Acoustic Edge, Hercules Game Theater.

Really you should probably look here for expert advice; http://www.3dsoundsurge.com/

 

[bluemax]

I'd strongly consider a MUSICIAN's sound card, rather than a gamer's sound card for DJ type stuff. If you want TOP-NOTCH recording for the same price as an Audigy (but with waaaay better quality) try some cards from companies like:
EgoSys and
MIDIMan/M-Audio

Go to Harmony Central for some good reviews.
A Lot of the lower-end Pro Audio cards from EgoSys still have Windows Directsound drivers so they should work perfectly for games and DVD too.

 

[cmaMath13]

I am no soundcard expert, so I could be mistaken on some of the music creation/editing aspects of the Audigy. Here is a link to a review of the Audigy:

http://www.3dsoundsurge.com/reviews/AudigyEI/Audigy.html

 

[Jgtdragon]

cmaMath,
Thanks for the link! I got this Audigy for couple of weeks, and it sounded just like my SB live. I didn't realized the all the setting for it. Went into there after reading the article, and the sound rocks now with my Audigy.

 

[punkrawket]

I like my Fortissimo II

 

[Beatnik]

I think bluemax had a good post.

The MAUDIO Audiophile 2496 really looks like the card to beat:
Midiman Audiophile 2496
Their Delta 66 looks pretty nice also:
Midiman Delta66

But if you spend a bit more you can really get a full featured
thingy, like some of the Aardvark stuff. If you don't require
builtin MIC pre-amps, the LX6 looks nice:
Aardvark LX6
If you take one step higher, you get the builtin MIC pre's:
Aardvark DirectPro 2496

Other things to consider, what software. For example, are
you going to use Wavelab, or CoolEdit Pro, or Cubase, or
Nemysis Gigastudio. It really helps if you check for compatibility
with your software first.

And the OS you are using is a BIG consideration.
Win9X or WinNT is where these folks do their bread and
butter work. Win2K has a some good support, some bad.
And WinXP is virtually shunned. So make a good choice there.
A couple of interesting reviews at these two sites:
PCAVTech and
Extreme Tech

 

[Beatnik]

Gotta add one more, since I notice you have Firewire.
Mark of the Unicorn I believe has more of a Macintosh
user base, but this product just looks sweet:
MOTU 828 Firewire

Better view of the panels here:
MOTU 828 Intro
No midi, and the firewire sitting inbetween you and
your audio streams are the considerations. But I can
see where this kind of device would be very convenient.

 

[cmaMath13]

Jgtdragon,

Glad the link helped you out!

Looks like there is a lot more out there in the way of soundcards then I realized!

 

[ZurgDawg]

Thanks for some great replies all!

Some questions:

I think that the M-Audio Audiophile is a great contender for my recording but I am still going to need sound for gaming etc. Will this card and other 'audiocards' work with gaming and other software like media player etc? or will I need to buy another 'soundcard' that will work with games and most windows apps etc. like a Santa Cruz.

Would love to hear about experiences with high end cards etc.

Thanks!

zurg

 

[rbV5]

I'm seriously considering the DMX6 fire from Terratec. I want something to plug my POD into for recording guitar tracks, the Terratec card looks great performance wise, but a bit hard to find yet. Musician's friend has them for $249, but I'm waiting for a bit better deal.

Here's a shot of the Drive Bay mounted.

 

[bluemax]

That's why I recommended the EgoSys.... heck, it even comes bundled with PowerDVD. They appear to take great pride in their "Enhanced Windows drivers".... did you even check the link I gave?

 

[ZurgDawg]

bump