How is the onboard audio with nForce 4 Ultra solutions?

[archcommus]

Would the onboard audio with the nForce 4 Ultra chipset be good enough for a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones? Or would investing in an Audigy or some other sound card be recommended?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you're just going to be using headphones, I'd recommend the Chaintech AV710 for a soundcard. Get the latest drivers and set it up for high quality mode using the 7/8 jack as stereo with it's wolfsen (sp?) DAC and you've got a really nice solution.

I have HD280 pros running in this way and am quite happy with it.

Best part is the card is under $30.

It does 7.1 also and has digital optical out. It shines for 2 channel and the digital out, but is a good music card in any configuration.

 

[archcommus]

Nice recommendation for the price. :thumbsup:

Anyone else agree or disagree with this? Will anyone recommend an Audigy? Or perhaps just the onboard solution?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Here's some info on the Chaintech vs other Via Envy based cards.

AVSforum link

Onboard audio is getting pretty decent lately too.

Maybe you should just hold off on a card until you try out the onboard sound first and see how you like it.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjelloMaybe you should just hold off on a card until you try out the onboard sound first and see how you like it.

True, but it may sound fine to me, and I may not know what I'm missing out on with a card.

Currently I have an Audigy 2 and a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 system. It's an awesome setup but the Klipsch can't come with me to college. So I've decided on the HD280 Pros, seem like a great set of cans. So I was just thinking maybe onboard sound would be good enough for them.

Can anyone here vouch for the nForce 4's audio?

 

[Mem]

Currently I have an Audigy 2 and a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 system. It's an awesome setup but the Klipsch can't come with me to college. So I've decided on the HD280 Pros, seem like a great set of cans. So I was just thinking maybe onboard sound would be good enough for them.

Audigy 2 will sound better then any onboard sound solution,however the difference does depend on the user which can vary from huge to small.

You could try the onboard sound first and see if you like it,you can alway stick your Audigy2 in later.

Don`t forget Audigy 2 is hardware based so CPU usage especially in gaming will be minimal as well.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

So you can't bring your Klipsch set or the Audigy to school?

Having a nice speaker set in the dorms is a good thing if you ask me

 

[Gamingphreek]

Well the DFI has very good sound for onboard (Karajan Audio Module). Comparable to Creative Soundblaster Live 24bit. Also the MSI board which uses Creative Soundblaster 24bit is decent.

However other than that onboard sound is horrible for Nforce 3 and 4. Nforce 2 and the Via Envy are the only other onboard solutions i would use.

-Kevin

 

[Pr0d1gy]

DFI fanboy^^^^^ lol

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: Pr0d1gy
DFI fanboy^^^^^ lol

What about it?

-Kevin

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Well the DFI has very good sound for onboard (Karajan Audio Module). Comparable to Creative Soundblaster Live 24bit. Also the MSI board which uses Creative Soundblaster 24bit is decent.

However other than that onboard sound is horrible for Nforce 3 and 4. Nforce 2 and the Via Envy are the only other onboard solutions i would use.

-Kevin

This is really surprising. You mentioned nForce 2 onboard audio being good, which I already knew. Thus, you would assume (at least I did) that nForce 3 and nForce 4 would have the same if not better onboard sound. But you're saying this isn't true?

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
So you can't bring your Klipsch set or the Audigy to school?

Having a nice speaker set in the dorms is a good thing if you ask me

I could very easily stick my Audigy 2 in my new computer for college but I'm not going to take the Klipsch. I will miss them very much but 1) I couldn't use them to their full potential very much in the dorms anyway, and 2) it would be WAY to big of a pain to bring the sub and speakers back and forth between home and school and to find space for them in my dorm.

So I guess the consensus is an Audigy 2 or other card would sound better, but maybe not enough to justify having it. My main audio uses will be music and gaming, not much DVD viewing.

 

[Gamingphreek]

This is really surprising. You mentioned nForce 2 onboard audio being good, which I already knew. Thus, you would assume (at least I did) that nForce 3 and nForce 4 would have the same if not better onboard sound. But you're saying this isn't true?

If you read my post you would understand why . The Nforce 3 and 4 do not have soundstorm and therefore do not have an APU, they depend on the CPU to do all the processing (excluding the DFI and the MSI board).

-Kevin

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

This is really surprising. You mentioned nForce 2 onboard audio being good, which I already knew. Thus, you would assume (at least I did) that nForce 3 and nForce 4 would have the same if not better onboard sound. But you're saying this isn't true?

If you read my post you would understand why . The Nforce 3 and 4 do not have soundstorm and therefore do not have an APU, they depend on the CPU to do all the processing (excluding the DFI and the MSI board).

-Kevin

What a shame, I wonder why they axed it.

 

[Gamingphreek]

CEO of Nvidia said it is coming back and "its going to be awesome" (quoted from his speech). He also said its coming back in a way that you might not expect.

-Kevin

 

[archcommus]

Well, doesn't really matter, anyway, I'm not exactly anticipating nForce 5, or whatever it'll be called.

I just don't get why they wouldn't at least carry over the audio solution from nForce 2, even if they didn't feel like changing it at all.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
CEO of Nvidia said it is coming back and "its going to be awesome" (quoted from his speech). He also said its coming back in a way that you might not expect.

-Kevin

Hmm, stand-alone cards? Or maybe integrated to video cards? That'd be cool...

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Well, doesn't really matter, anyway, I'm not exactly anticipating nForce 5, or whatever it'll be called.

I just don't get why they wouldn't at least carry over the audio solution from nForce 2, even if they didn't feel like changing it at all.

They didn't do it because they were hell bent on a single chip solution. According to Nvidia a single chip solution is superior in some way to a multi chip solution. I dont know how but thats how they tried to explain it.

The speculation so far is that it will be integrated into the next gen video cards. However standalone cannot be ruled out. Remember both of these are unconfirmed rumors, all we know is that there will be a SS2 somewhere down the line.

-Kevin

 

[PurdueRy]

If I can bring a full 5.1 system(not computer speakers) you can manage your computer speakers

 

[HeaterCore]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: archcommus
Well, doesn't really matter, anyway, I'm not exactly anticipating nForce 5, or whatever it'll be called.

I just don't get why they wouldn't at least carry over the audio solution from nForce 2, even if they didn't feel like changing it at all.

They didn't do it because they were hell bent on a single chip solution. According to Nvidia a single chip solution is superior in some way to a multi chip solution. I dont know how but thats how they tried to explain it.

The speculation so far is that it will be integrated into the next gen video cards. However standalone cannot be ruled out. Remember both of these are unconfirmed rumors, all we know is that there will be a SS2 somewhere down the line.

-Kevin

That makes a lot of sense, especially in light of the possibilities of using GPU architecture for audio processing. Check out this article at Toms.

-HC-

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Would making HDMI connections on the video cards be how they would do it?

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: rleemhui
If I can bring a full 5.1 system(not computer speakers) you can manage your computer speakers

How is your "5.1 system" different than my "computer speakers," with are also a 5.1 system?

And no, I can't. It'd be a lot of hassle to unwire all of it from this office, pack the sub and five speakers and the control tower in my car, somehow find space for it in those tiny tiny dorms, and then have to do the same at the beginning and end of the following summer.

So what does everyone think? Will I be satisfied with some type of onboard audio with HD280 Pros? Remember I'm a user coming from Klipsch and Audigy together.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I don't think any of us are going to be able to definatively tell you "no, it's not going to be good enough".

Are you listening to 128kbps mp3s with it? CDs?

If you get a soundcard, it's going to sound better. If you're just going to be using headphones exclusively, the Chaintech card is the perfect solution for you.

If you want to save some money, check out the integrated audio first and see how you like it.

If you want to not have to worry about it, spend $30 and get the Chaintech.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
I don't think any of us are going to be able to definatively tell you "no, it's not going to be good enough".

Are you listening to 128kbps mp3s with it? CDs?

If you get a soundcard, it's going to sound better. If you're just going to be using headphones exclusively, the Chaintech card is the perfect solution for you.

If you want to save some money, check out the integrated audio first and see how you like it.

If you want to not have to worry about it, spend $30 and get the Chaintech.

Sounds like a plan to me, since I WILL be using only headphones. I'll give the onboard a shot first, though.

But I'm sure there's someone here who has an nF4 board and uses the onboard audio. I must find you! Post here what you think of it.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: rleemhui
If I can bring a full 5.1 system(not computer speakers) you can manage your computer speakers

How is your "5.1 system" different than my "computer speakers," with are also a 5.1 system?

And no, I can't. It'd be a lot of hassle to unwire all of it from this office, pack the sub and five speakers and the control tower in my car, somehow find space for it in those tiny tiny dorms, and then have to do the same at the beginning and end of the following summer.

So what does everyone think? Will I be satisfied with some type of onboard audio with HD280 Pros? Remember I'm a user coming from Klipsch and Audigy together.

That was not meant to say that computer speakers are not 5.1 systems, that was two seperate thoughts. All I meant was that my speakers are not small like computer speaker usually are. YOyoYohowsDAjello also has large speakers at college with him. Considering I bring them only once a school year....its not so bad, well worth effort.

Secondly, I would probably get a card, I can't stand having any noise especially if I am using headphones.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Yeah, you're not kidding about the big speakers

When my two main speakers came in their box, they weighed 75 pounds.
My sub is 60 pounds without a box

Compared to these, my old logitech z560s were extremely portable.