Htpc Audio Card suggestions

[JSt0rm]

So with Creative's cards having issues with vista what other makers have made it through unscathed? Esoteric DAC's don't really matter as much as solid drivers and a good digital output for myself. Will creative be able to pull this around or will they be doomed because of hdmi?

 

[doggyfromplanetwoof]

EAX is useless in Vista, so they need to make an entire new chip.

 

[Chapbass]

I know the Chaintech AV-710 is a great card if you plan on using digital outs to go to a home theater receiver... inexpensive too (the analog outs arent the best, at least to me).

not sure about vista support though, not using vista yet on my htpc.

 

[Quasmo]

I would definately suggest a card that has Dolby Digital Live. I upgraded from a creative card, and have no regrets. I run all of my cound through coax, and it sounds amazing.
A DDL card will encode all sounds to DD on the fly.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Here's some info about connecting digitally

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=1940133&enterthread=y

 

[gobucks]

i think most of intel's ICH9 boards have the new ALC888 or ALC889 integrated audio, which include dolby digital live (i think). but if you are using old parts, i have heard good things about the chaintech board. just steer clear of the x-fi - its expensive and doesn't include DDL, or even optical out, which is ridiculous for such a supposedly high-end card.

 

[Chapbass]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Here's some info about connecting digitally

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=1940133&enterthread=y

Any chance we could get that post stickied in here? now that we have a dedicated thread, guides and the like that relate to sound and HT stuff IMO should be stickied.


mods?


edit: btw nice post count jello. :X

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Chapbass

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Here's some info about connecting digitally

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=1940133&enterthread=y

Any chance we could get that post stickied in here? now that we have a dedicated thread, guides and the like that relate to sound and HT stuff IMO should be stickied.


mods?


edit: btw nice post count jello. :X

Maybe I'll make some updated versions of a couple of my general threads and stick them in here eventually

 

[Chapbass]

I'd definitely be interested in reading em. gets my vote!

 

[sdifox]

Unless you want to get DD5.1 from your games into your HT, why would you need anything more than just a normal optical/coax out of your htpc?

 

[jtvang125]

Vista support for the Chaintech is still in beta (since Feb of last year) and no news about final drivers as of yet. Due to the beta drivers I could not get DD or DTS pass through on the S/PDIF outputs at all. Chaintech's website don't even show the sound card under their product lines. You get what you pay for.

I'm using the HT Omega Striker 7.1 that does DD Live and DTS Live in my new HTPC. Alittle expensive at $60 but boy does it sound good. Also has good support for Vista 32 and 64.