Recommend a sound card please

[Traxan]

I recently upgraded to a Core 8700 and that meant a new motherboard, and new z370 motherboards have no PCI slots, just PCIe. So my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 was useless in the new PC, and I loved its audio quality for music.

I purchased an Audigy fx and the thing is CRAP. Sounds like redacted. The onboard AC97 is also subpar because, well, it's 1997 technology. So I need a sound card that's good for music. I didn't blow this money on Bose speakers because I felt like it.

I am looking for recommendations for a good two-channel sound card that handles music very well. Suggestions?

No profanity in the tech forums
Usandthem

 

[rchunter]

Just get a good usb dac.

 

[UsandThem]

The only choices with a product that still gets driver updates from the manufactuer are the Sound Blaster Z series or the AE-5. Asus seems to have stopped updating drivers for their sound cards.

 

[whm1974]

The only choices with a product that still gets driver updates from the manufactuer are the Sound Blaster Z series or the AE-5. Asus seems to have stopped updating drivers for their sound cards.

Well the OP could get a USB sound card. Personally I don't see what wrong with Intel's Audio HD which I'm using and it is pretty good if you have decent headphones or speakers.

 

[UsandThem]

Well the OP could get a USB sound card. Personally I don't see what wrong with Intel's Audio HD which I'm using and it is pretty good if you have decent headphones or speakers.

I agree there. I am quite happy with my Realtek ALC 1220 audio on my Z270 Taichi, and that Gigabyte board listed in the OP's signature should sound pretty dang good (my GA-Z170X-UD5 board had outstanding ALC1150 on it as well). But I can only recommend what they ask about.

 

[whm1974]

I agree there. I am quite happy with my Realtek ALC 1220 audio on my Z270 Taichi, and that Gigabyte board listed in the OP's signature should sound pretty dang good (my GA-Z170X-UD5 board had outstanding ALC1150 on it as well). But I can only recommend what they ask about.

True. However aside from special uses, the sound card is pretty much dead at this point. Onboard audio has gotten good enough for most people use cases that the market for sound cards is now on life support.

 

[UsandThem]

True. However aside from special uses, the sound card is pretty much dead at this point. Onboard audio has gotten good enough for most people use cases that the market for sound cards is now on life support.

I agree. For me the Realtek 1150 (when properly implemented on the motherboard) was the first onboard chipset where I ditched my old Creative sound card. There are some lower-end boards where they don't isolate the audio, shield it, etc. where it sounds just ok, but on a mid-to-high end motherboard, it should sound great (and if it doesn't, don't buy the motherboard to begin with). Asus ROG boards usually are the best of the best in the audio department (in my opinion).

 

[DaveSimmons]

OP, do your Bose speakers have an optical digital input or just analog?

For my home office music jukebox I use optical digital to a receiver, then a pair of Polk speakers.

 

[rchunter]

I'm the same way. What i'm using now is optical from my mb to the back of my yamaha 2 ch amp, Kef Q300 speakers. So the amp does the digital to analog conversion.

 

[Traxan]

I agree there. I am quite happy with my Realtek ALC 1220 audio on my Z270 Taichi, and that Gigabyte board listed in the OP's signature should sound pretty dang good (my GA-Z170X-UD5 board had outstanding ALC1150 on it as well). But I can only recommend what they ask about.

I can tell you the onboard audio is a major step down from the Audigy 2. The music is quieter, lacking in range and richness. You can't even control bass and treble like you could with the Audigy 2.

OP, do your Bose speakers have an optical digital input or just analog?

Just analog.

 

[UsandThem]

I can tell you the onboard audio is a major step down from the Audigy 2. The music is quieter, lacking in range and richness. You can't even control bass and treble like you could with the Audigy 2.

You should be able to control treble and bass through the Windows (or the Realtek panel). I know I could on my Gigabyte Z170 board I mentioned earlier. This review states the audio needs some manual tweaking to make it sound good, but at 121dB, it should be in line with about every higher end sound card:

http://techreport.com/review/32669/gigabyte-z370-aorus-gaming-7-motherboard-reviewed/2

On the audio front, Gigabyte employs its usual arrangement of Nichicon and Wima capacitors in the board's analog audio path. The codec that feeds this array is Realtek's now-ubiquitous S1220 codec, complemented by an ESS Sabre 9018Q2C DAC. This chain is claimed to be good for an analog SNR of 121 dB, or on par with the claimed specs for many high-end onboard setups.

I had high expectations from the ESS Sabre DAC on this board, but the default voicing of the Gaming 7's analog audio chain is surprisingly low-mid and low-heavy, with distant, anemic highs. A little manual EQ woke up the potential of the system, however, and I was treated to an impressively wide soundstage, deep and expansive bass, and detailed, sparkly highs afterward. The Gaming 7 might be voiced for bass-heavy music by default, but I've never heard such an aggressive bias in any recent motherboard. Still, impressive sound is possible from this board with a tiny bit of tweaking, and it's definitely worthy of the price tag. Of recent motherboard audio I've heard, I'd say only that of Gigabyte's own Z270X-Gaming 8 is better.

 

[jkauff]

I really like my ASUS Essence STX II card. I sometimes use it with a USB DAC, but it sounds excellent on its own. Drivers are signed and are working fine on my Win 10 Fall Creators Edition desktop.

My ASUS TUF Z270 motherboard was advertised as having high-end onboard audio, but it can't compare to the Essence. Depends on your ears, of course, but I can hear a major difference.

 

[Rifter]

My old Asus Xonar STX sounds great, both the RCA oputs and the headphone amp portion as well. Works with win10 as well.

 

[daveybrat]

I have 2 of these cards in each of my systems. It has full Windows 10 driver support and the sound quality is night and day better than the onboard Realtek on my motherboards. It also has a headphone amp boost which i love.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...32052&cm_re=asus_xonar-_-29-132-052-_-Product

 

[funboy6942]

I know you spent that money on Bose, but I had it with crap too, and just use optical out to a Onkyo Receiver, which can be had soooooo cheap on the shopgoodwill.com website (or Yamaha, Denon, Sony, ETC), then to some nice bic/and 80's vintage JVC speakers, or for you maybe your bose, and a good sub (which again I bought there at that site, an Infinity). I dont even bother with a dac, and this way I have my old sony dual cassette into it, and a old record player as well. And because my mobo is a new Gigabyte AX370_Gaming K5 has a pretty good chip in it, for the heck of it, even went as far as hooking up all the 5.1 analog to the receiver as well. Doesnt sound all that bad, but I can hear the diff between the Analog and Optical when playing my music, despite my analog having some crazy hertz settings available (32Bits 192000hz).

 

[Traxan]

Well gonna try the SB Z card. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the input.

 

[UsandThem]

My old Asus Xonar STX sounds great, both the RCA oputs and the headphone amp portion as well. Works with win10 as well.

Are the drivers from Microsoft (automatically installed) or are you using one of the older drivers from Asus (or UNi drivers from MaxTech)?

 

[Rifter]

Are the drivers from Microsoft (automatically installed) or are you using one of the older drivers from Asus (or UNi drivers from MaxTech)?

When originally installed i used the old asus drivers, which worked fine since march. Then when the fall creators update installed last week it decided to overwrite a bunch of my drivers with microsoft drivers(thanks MS you f****** idiots!). I have since disabled driver updates again but have yet to reinstall the old Asus drivers as the MS ones appear to be working fine, for now anyways.

 

[UsandThem]

When originally installed i used the old asus drivers, which worked fine since march. Then when the fall creators update installed last week it decided to overwrite a bunch of my drivers with microsoft drivers(thanks MS you f****** idiots!). I have since disabled driver updates again but have yet to reinstall the old Asus drivers as the MS ones appear to be working fine, for now anyways.

Thanks for reporting back. I had a similar thing with my Creative X-FI Titanium. I had used it for years, and loved the sound. However, Creative moved it into end-of-life, so new drivers. After the first big Windows 10 update, it broke it and when I brought my computer out of sleep, it wouldn't work until I rebooted. I then moved to using my onboard sound.

I just think it's crazy that both Creative and Asus still sell high end sound cards, but simply stop updating the drivers. For someone who owns say a Creative ZxR or Asus Essence STX II, I think if they want people to keep buying them in the future, provide at least some dang support.

 

[whm1974]

I think the Asus sound cards uses C-Media DSPs or least the ones I was looking at do. C-Media may still be providing drivers for their chips. I know the Asus USB sound card I was thinking of getting is still supported in Linux at least.

 

[UsandThem]

I think the Asus sound cards uses C-Media DSPs or least the ones I was looking at do. C-Media may still be providing drivers for their chips. I know the Asus USB sound card I was thinking of getting is still supported in Linux at least.

Yeah, I think I've read somewhere that Asus tries to place the blame on waiting for C-Media to provide it, but it's been a couple years since they have updated most of their sound card lineup. I know so many owners were frustrated, they use unsigned UNi drivers from Maxedtech. I think about 6-9 months ago, Amazon had a killer price on the Essence STX II, and the only reason I didn't buy it was because of the lack of driver updates. Oh well, maybe they will fix it someday.

 

[Traxan]

Got my SB Z today and love it. The sound quality is light years ahead of the onboard Realtek audio. I don't know how anyone can settle for less. I can only conclude people don't know the difference and what they are missing.

So thanks for the input.

 

[whm1974]

Got my SB Z today and love it. The sound quality is light years ahead of the onboard Realtek audio. I don't know how anyone can settle for less. I can only conclude people don't know the difference and what they are missing.

So thanks for the input.

Well I for one have hearing loss and probably can't hear the difference anyway.

 

[corkyg]

And, unless you have really good transducers/speakers, you probably can't hear the difference.

 

[funboy6942]

If you really, REALLY, want to make it shine , buy this guys receiver, and some nice Bic books shelf 8" speakers to surround you in 5.1, or 7.1, and a bic 12" sub, and you will be in pure bliss, on the cheap cheap

https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1410259

That receiver has 5.1 in and out, along with hdmi, and several other inputs, for many other toys to put into it. Using a receiver as you main amp source, and you will never look back bro Can input HDMI, Optical, and 5.1 Analog from your Sound Blaster you just got into it, and on the other side, can back track out of the receiver into the line in of the sound card, and if you have a record player, or cassette deck, like I do, can then make digital copies of all your music, or what not as well, for that is what that card is also made to do as well, I had 2 of them. EDIT** I just looked, and in fact, that receiver has optical out as well.

All Ill ever say on this again