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Sound card for Bad Company 2?

Zoeff

Zoeff

Member
Curious, what is AT's opinion on the sound quality of bc2? In particular, is it worth it to buy a high quality sound card? I don't find the 'wartapes' option that attractive right now. It adds some nice effects but makes explosions sound muffled as if the sound quality is maxed out somehow.

I've seen many conflicting posts about how bc2 and sound cards interact. Some say that all of bc2's sound comes from the CPU and it just piped trough to the sound card, only allowing for post-processing techniques.

I currently have a USB headset which from what I can tell means that it's completely separate from the onboard sound (In fact it's currently disabled in the control panel) and also completely digital right up to the moment it reaches the speakers. It doesn't have 5.1 compatibility though. Is it worth it to get a 5.1 enabled USB headset?



Moved from PC Gaming

Anandtech PC Gaming Moderator
KeithTalent
 
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I've been using an X-Fi for years now to use CMSS-3D to create virtual surround sound over my 2.0 headphones.

If you're going to go with a USB headset, avoid the gimmicky sets that have multiple speakers, stick with 2.0 that use a downmixing technology with Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) such as Razer's Megalodon or Logitech's G35, which is similar to what the X-Fi does with CMSS-3D (I'm not sure what tech Razer uses, but the G35 uses Dolby Headphone)

I love it not only for gaming, but also for watching movies with surround sound over my headphones, its far more immersive.
 
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I went from using an Audigy 2 for several years to just recently onboard sound and to be totally honest I can't tell a difference..
 
When I used my X-Fi card, I remember there being a pretty sizable difference in sound quality...but I don't use it anymore, and I can't say I miss it too badly. It seems like most games now are just going to use a CPU core for sound.
 
TheUnk said:
I went from using an Audigy 2 for several years to just recently onboard sound and to be totally honest I can't tell a difference..
Click to expand...

I actually have the exact same card and also decided to switch to onboard (before I bought the USB headset) and didn't notice any difference either.

@bunnyfubbles: So the USB headset itself has to support 5.1 channels? If only 2 speakers are required then isn't it possible for my current headset to function like this?
 
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bunnyfubbles said:
I've been using an X-Fi for years now to use CMSS-3D to create virtual surround sound over my 2.0 headphones.

If you're going to go with a USB headset, avoid the gimmicky sets that have multiple speakers, stick with 2.0 that use a downmixing technology with Head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) such as Razer's Megalodon or Logitech's G35, which is similar to what the X-Fi does with CMSS-3D (I'm not sure what tech Razer uses, but the G35 uses Dolby Headphone)

I love it not only for gaming, but also for watching movies with surround sound over my headphones, its far more immersive.
Click to expand...

I have the Sound Blaster Arena headset and it works great.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/2010/01/03/the-best-gaming-headset/3
 
Zoeff said:
I actually have the exact same card and also decided to switch to onboard (before I bought the USB headset) and didn't notice any difference either.

@bunnyfubbles: So the USB headset itself has to support 5.1 channels? If only 2 speakers are required then isn't it possible for my current headset to function like this?
Click to expand...

The USB headsets he's talking about use software mixing to simulate 5.1 and it works really well. If you have regular headsets you could buy an X-Fi sound card and it can use CMSS-3D to simulate the surround sound.
 
Zoeff said:
I actually have the exact same card and also decided to switch to onboard (before I bought the USB headset) and didn't notice any difference either.

@bunnyfubbles: So the USB headset itself has to support 5.1 channels? If only 2 speakers are required then isn't it possible for my current headset to function like this?
Click to expand...
No, the way USB headsets work is that they essentially have sound processors built into them.

The headsets I'm referring to take it a step further from just 2.0 sound in that their hardware supports mixing technology such as Dolby Headphone which will take a multi channel source in play it over just the two discrete speakers of the headset in such a fashion that it sounds like 5.1 system (or better).

So unless your headset already supports such technology/functionality, it won't be capable of 5.1.


zerocool84 said:
I have the Sound Blaster Arena headset and it works great.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/peripherals/2010/01/03/the-best-gaming-headset/3
Click to expand...

Yeah, looks like an all-in-one Creative headset + USB X-Fi soundcard, so I'd imagine it uses CMSS-3D Headphone much like the Logitech G35 uses Dolby Headphone. Definitely would probably recommend this as you also get EAX + Alchemy for older games.
 
I just picked up a Creative X-Fi - only because it was cheap, not because I thought I needed it - and WOW did I not realize what I was missing! Sound quality is just amazing in comparison to onboard, 5.1 sounds so much better; you hear every bullet, insect, and ambient sound.

Not to mention music sounds awesome as well. Rip all the FLACs you want, your music still won't sound good without a dedicated card. I highly recommend getting a sound card. You really don't know what you're missing until you have one.
 
Going to have to agree with everybody on the Xi-fi. No other soundcard that I've tried has made such a noticeable difference. It blew my mind the first time I plugged in some headphones and played mass effect with it.
 
unlike previous BF games like BF2, 2142, the sound engine is all software driven. just stick with onboard sound. why are you using war tapes? i use home cinema for my 5.1 setup but war tapes is a little too raw for my tastes.
 
The value in a sound card over onboard for modern games like BC2 is not in hardware acceleration, but in features such as Dolby Digital Live if you're streaming out to a HT receiver or a headset like the Astro A40, or using CMSS-3D Headphone if you're using an X-Fi (or Dolby Headphone for the few soundcards that support that). Improved overall audio quality due to better DACs and other various sound processing components would be another reason, but that would probably hold more weight for music than gaming.
 
Unless you need some sort of onboard sound processing there's zero difference between the quality of onboard and some pro sound card.
 
lsv said:
Unless you need some sort of onboard sound processing there's zero difference between the quality of onboard and some pro sound card.
Click to expand...

lol, no, the DACs (digital to analog converters) and other components on dedicated sound cards rape the shit out of onboard, and that's just an average sound card. The higher end audio cards are even better.

So unless you can do a digital pass-through with your onboard audio to something like a HT receiver, the sound is going to be shit in comparison to someone with decent speakers/headphones and is without hearing problems.
 
minmaster said:
unlike previous BF games like BF2, 2142, the sound engine is all software driven. just stick with onboard sound. why are you using war tapes? i use home cinema for my 5.1 setup but war tapes is a little too raw for my tastes.
Click to expand...

I was using war tapes for a while. Its too much war for me. Shit sounded too real and it was just shit blowing up all the damn time.
 
None of you have heard X-Fi unless you've done the Op-amp mod, and shorted the muting transistors.

Don't even pretend to know what good sound is..

Before mod = muffled bass, and noisy highs, the cheapo muting transistors adds a ton of signal noise as well. little clicks etc etc.. sounds like a subtle pssssssssssss behind everything.

After mod = more accurate bass, and no more noise.

X-fi's actually bottom bucket compared to pro stuff, but for PC it's the best you can get for <$100

The problem with the x-fi is much more the muting transistor and opamp vs DAC. It's not like you can swap that DAC anyway. there's at least 30 pins on it.

Yes of course you can if you're solder god.

The best part about this is the MOD IS FREEEEEE... You can get the parts for free if you're a student, or Pose as a student.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/226975/hotrodding-the-x-fi-a-layman-s-guide-no-56k

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/226975/hotrodding-the-x-fi-a-layman-s-guide-no-56k

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY CAPACITORS, they make near 0 difference. The board wasn't designed for that shit to matter.
 
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tp4tissue said:
None of you have heard X-Fi unless you've done the Op-amp mod, and shorted the muting transistors.

Don't even pretend to know what good sound is..

Before mod = muffled bass, and noisy highs, the cheapo muting transistors adds a ton of signal noise as well. little clicks etc etc.. sounds like a subtle pssssssssssss behind everything.

After mod = more accurate bass, and no more noise.

X-fi's actually bottom bucket compared to pro stuff, but for PC it's the best you can get for <$100

The problem with the x-fi is much more the muting transistor and opamp vs DAC. It's not like you can swap that DAC anyway. there's at least 30 pins on it.

Yes of course you can if you're solder god.

The best part about this is the MOD IS FREEEEEE... You can get the parts for free if you're a student, or Pose as a student.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/226975/hotrodding-the-x-fi-a-layman-s-guide-no-56k

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/226975/hotrodding-the-x-fi-a-layman-s-guide-no-56k

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY CAPACITORS, they make near 0 difference. The board wasn't designed for that shit to matter.
Click to expand...

Potentially damaging your X-Fi is also free too. No offense, but your post reeks of audiophile woo-woo with no definite evidence to back up your claims.
 
StrangerGuy said:
Potentially damaging your X-Fi is also free too. No offense, but your post reeks of audiophile woo-woo with no definite evidence to back up your claims.
Click to expand...

This.

Plus I don't think any of us here are claiming to "know what good sound is", yet recommending lower-end sound cards. The whole debate is on the merits of hardware audio over onboard, of which, there is no doubt.
 
All I know is my Essence ST > Realtek Onboard (whatever's on the Evga p55). Music there is a very large difference, games not so much, but the headphone amp > no amp onboard.
 
I like my Asus Xonar Essence STX. It's a great card if you have headphones that can take advantage of the built in amp.
 
bunnyfubbles said:
lol, no, the DACs (digital to analog converters) and other components on dedicated sound cards rape the shit out of onboard, and that's just an average sound card. The higher end audio cards are even better.

So unless you can do a digital pass-through with your onboard audio to something like a HT receiver, the sound is going to be shit in comparison to someone with decent speakers/headphones and is without hearing problems.
Click to expand...

He's playing a video game. Not mastering tracks.
 
StrangerGuy said:
Potentially damaging your X-Fi is also free too. No offense, but your post reeks of audiophile woo-woo with no definite evidence to back up your claims.
Click to expand...

You're an amazing fellow. Read the link [redacted].

Removed personal attack
-ViRGE
 
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