Opinions using "Onboard Sound Card?"

[gizbug]

Due to the lack of drivers from Creative Labs, been using onboard soundcard and really can't complain. I don't know why people bash onboard sound, seems to work and sound fine to me. Maybe sometime in the next year when creative updates to a decent vista64 driver for the XFI ill put my card back in.

 

[MarcVenice]

It works for me, but then again, I've never really owned a soundcard, unless we're talking about the really old soundcards, that have since been replaced by onboard solutions. Some people say they really notice a difference. Music and games work perfect for me though, and I don't own a 7.1 dolby installation powered by 10k speakers.

 

[gizbug]

Running an ASUS P5N32 SLI SE Deluxe.
What drivers do I need for onboard? AC'97 Audio Codecs or the HD audio ones?

 

[0roo0roo]

depends on your speakers.
hd audio probably good enough to get by on
there are a lot of nitwits buying expensive soundcards to drive ~$100 speakers these days.

 

[montag451]

I thought it was a resource issue.

Not to sure about the recent lot of mobos, but it used to be that onboard sound sucked up cpu cycles like a Tour de France yellow jersey rider sucked up steroids.

 

[nerp]

Yeah, most onboard solutions are adaquate. Creative cards aren't all that great anyway. Real audiophiles and musicians wouldn't touch Creative junk if they know their beans. An m-audio card or something along those lines are where it's at.

 

[gizbug]

I have klipsch 4.1 speakers

 

[KermitM42]

onboard sound is adequate for most people. a few of my friends are audiophiles and cant stand onboard, so i guess it really just depends on the person.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: nerp
Yeah, most onboard solutions are adaquate. Creative cards aren't all that great anyway. Real audiophiles and musicians wouldn't touch Creative junk if they know their beans. An m-audio card or something along those lines are where it's at.

Most computer peeps are not real audiophiles or musicians!!

Also Creative cards are totally better than anything onboard!!

Peace!!

 

[corkyg]

As a general rule, onboard sound with good speakers sounds better than any add on sound card with average computer speakers. Speakers are where the rubber meets the road.

 

[Puffnstuff]

While running xp pro I had my x-fi fatal1ty in and it was without a doubt the best sounding card I've ever used. When I migrated to vista that all changed and now the x-fi collects dust in a box and I use onboard sound because realtek can write vista drivers and keep them current. Go to the creative forums and read the overwhelming threads on problems and their lack of solutions from creative. I'm hoping that someone will release a full featured card soon that is 100% functional in vista and I will buy it. In the meantime I'm using my onboard hd sound.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: KermitM42
onboard sound is adequate for most people. a few of my friends are audiophiles and cant stand onboard, so i guess it really just depends on the person.

Yup. I personally have $30 Logitech speakers and onboard sound. Sounds perfectly fine to me.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: corkyg
As a general rule, onboard sound with good speakers sounds better than any add on sound card with average computer speakers. Speakers are where the rubber meets the road.

link please....
becasue that is just not true!!

 

[corkyg]

Link? Just 45 years of audio experience and common sense. Besides, audio quality also depends on the room, speaker placement, and above all - a very subjective evaluation by the listener.

Sound reporoduction should result in as natural a copy as possible.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
While running xp pro I had my x-fi fatal1ty in and it was without a doubt the best sounding card I've ever used. When I migrated to vista that all changed and now the x-fi collects dust in a box and I use onboard sound because realtek can write vista drivers and keep them current. Go to the creative forums and read the overwhelming threads on problems and their lack of solutions from creative. I'm hoping that someone will release a full featured card soon that is 100% functional in vista and I will buy it. In the meantime I'm using my onboard hd sound.

Your experience mirrors my own almost identically. We also have the same motherboard, total RAM, and OS. I posted a great deal about it over in the video forum about gaming with Vista. Personally, I think the problem is more directly associated to the chipset rather than Vista/Creative, but still it all starts with MS decision to remove DirectSound support.

Just curious what specific problems you encountered, maybe we can find a work around until the problem is fixed. I also ended up pulling my X-Fi for now, but there's a Vista CD floating around online that supposedly fixes the Creative Audio Console missinge features.

But ya, with the same speaker set-up, EAX5 with an X-Fi in XP absolutely blows onboard in Vista out of the water. Its not even close. Even my Audigy 2 sounded better in games than arguably the best onboard sound solution to date, Nvidia SoundStorm.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Link? Just 45 years of audio experience and common sense. Besides, audio quality also depends on the room, speaker placement, and above all - a very subjective evaluation by the listener.

Sound reporoduction should result in as natural a copy as possible.

Thats a cop out......
You can be anything you want on the internet even an audio expert passing our misinformation.....rofl

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Link? Just 45 years of audio experience and common sense. Besides, audio quality also depends on the room, speaker placement, and above all - a very subjective evaluation by the listener.

Sound reporoduction should result in as natural a copy as possible.

Well, I think a distinction needs to be made between audio quality/reproduction and overall listening experience. There's a few other comments in this thread that don't distinguish between the two, but there is a difference. Like the comments about Creative vs. "professional audio grade" cards like M-Audio. Sure, M-Audio cards may have better sound quality/reproduction, but Creative cards still blow them away in terms of overall listening experience in games. That's always been the knock/trade-off with Creative cards, but I think most would agree that the difference in sound quality/reproduction on Creative cards vs. professional cards is smaller than the positional/dynamic sound of non-Creative cards vs. Creative cards in EAX-enabled games.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Link? Just 45 years of audio experience and common sense. Besides, audio quality also depends on the room, speaker placement, and above all - a very subjective evaluation by the listener.

Sound reporoduction should result in as natural a copy as possible.

Well, I think a distinction needs to be made between audio quality/reproduction and overall listening experience. There's a few other comments in this thread that don't distinguish between the two, but there is a difference. Like the comments about Creative vs. "professional audio grade" cards like M-Audio. Sure, M-Audio cards may have better sound quality/reproduction, but Creative cards still blow them away in terms of overall listening experience in games. That's always been the knock/trade-off with Creative cards, but I think most would agree that the difference in sound quality/reproduction on Creative cards vs. professional cards is smaller than the positional/dynamic sound of non-Creative cards vs. Creative cards in EAX-enabled games.

 

[corkyg]

I would agree with that.

Link

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: corkyg
Link? Just 45 years of audio experience and common sense. Besides, audio quality also depends on the room, speaker placement, and above all - a very subjective evaluation by the listener.

Sound reporoduction should result in as natural a copy as possible.

Thats a cop out......
You can be anything you want on the internet even an audio expert passing our misinformation.....rofl

Compare the distortion and frequency response of a PC speaker to the distortion and frequency response of a $20 AV-710 and you will have your reason why putting more money into speakers vs. the sound card is wise.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda

Originally posted by: corkyg
Link? Just 45 years of audio experience and common sense. Besides, audio quality also depends on the room, speaker placement, and above all - a very subjective evaluation by the listener.

Sound reporoduction should result in as natural a copy as possible.

Thats a cop out......
You can be anything you want on the internet even an audio expert passing our misinformation.....rofl

Compare the distortion and frequency response of a PC speaker to the distortion and frequency response of a $20 AV-710 and you will have your reason why putting more money into speakers vs. the sound card is wise.

Actually I was not questioning this statement.....
Not the statemet to which you emphasized which was--Compare the distortion and frequency response of a PC speaker to the distortion and frequency response of a $20 AV-710 and you will have your reason why putting more money into speakers vs. the sound card is wise.

I was quesationing this statement--
here is what I was questioning -- As a general rule, onboard sound with good speakers sounds better than any add on sound card with average computer speakers. -- to which i say again to corkyg...links please???

 

[gizbug]

The static is intermittent in vista 64. Using the drivers on the vista cd (seem to work the best). The latest ones on creative's site, cause non-stop static.
Sine MS took out directsound, what should we set for the output, say in winamp? Waveoutput?

 

[Synomenon]

I used to waste money on high end sound cards, but recently have started using onboard audio. Most motherboards these days come with more than adequate onboard audio.