We don't have a sound-card forum, and this question pertains to cpu-usage, so I'm posting it here rather than "Peripherals." I hope that doesn't offend anyone's delicate sensibilities
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I would like to know which sound card people feel is the best at 2.1 audio; I don't need a 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 card, I use a nice 2.1 setup (receiver, speakers, subwoofer). This is the catch: I need it to faithfully reproduce musical audio as well as sound great in games. I'd like for the cpu-usage of the card to be as low as possible but let's face it, I've got cpu cycles to burn these days; audio quality is more important than processor usage.
I've been using a Philips Seismic Edge, which has a nice natural tonal quality to the sound but occasionally pops and/or cracks when I switch apps; this can be a bit unnerving when my stereo is cranked up! I've had SoundBlaster Platinum (same problem, less prominent), GameTheaterXP (no popping, sound seemed too effected), Vortex2 (got weird in some games, prolly a driver issue in WinXP since they're out of business), and various onboard sound solutions. The one solution I've used which I was satisfied with is the onboard on NForce2 in my LAN box, but my main rig has a P4 and I'm not switching platforms to accomodate the onboard sound flava, so don't even suggest it (yeah, you know who you are). It's been a while since I've gotten up to speed on current sound card tech, and beauty is in the ear of the beholder, so I'm wondering if there are any audiophile/gamer types out there who've faced the situation I'm facing now and come up with a satisfying solution? Please help!
Thanks,
Erik
.I would like to know which sound card people feel is the best at 2.1 audio; I don't need a 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 card, I use a nice 2.1 setup (receiver, speakers, subwoofer). This is the catch: I need it to faithfully reproduce musical audio as well as sound great in games. I'd like for the cpu-usage of the card to be as low as possible but let's face it, I've got cpu cycles to burn these days
; audio quality is more important than processor usage.I've been using a Philips Seismic Edge, which has a nice natural tonal quality to the sound but occasionally pops and/or cracks when I switch apps; this can be a bit unnerving when my stereo is cranked up! I've had SoundBlaster Platinum (same problem, less prominent), GameTheaterXP (no popping, sound seemed too effected), Vortex2 (got weird in some games, prolly a driver issue in WinXP since they're out of business), and various onboard sound solutions. The one solution I've used which I was satisfied with is the onboard on NForce2 in my LAN box, but my main rig has a P4 and I'm not switching platforms to accomodate the onboard sound flava, so don't even suggest it (yeah, you know who you are
). It's been a while since I've gotten up to speed on current sound card tech, and beauty is in the ear of the beholder, so I'm wondering if there are any audiophile/gamer types out there who've faced the situation I'm facing now and come up with a satisfying solution? Please help! Thanks,
Erik
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