Sound card question

[SameerK]

So my computer is hooked up to the home theater in the living room via audio cables. Unfortunately, there's a horrible fuzz and I'm assuming that it's because I don't have a sound card and that I'm using on-board sound. I'm not looking for anything fancy except to remove the fuzz. Would these sound cards do the trick?

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live!

Turtle Beach Riviera Sound Card

If these sound cards won't do the trick, do you recommend any other ones (and deals, if possible)?

Also, when my roommate connects his nice HP laptop (on board sound, as well) to the surround sound, it doesn't hiss at all.

 

[mshan]

It's possible you're getting electrical noise from the mobo contaminating your onboard audio. I've typically had this problem when listening to headphones via front panel audio outputs.

It's also possible that you've simply created some sort of ground loop when you hooked up your computer to your home theater audio components.


P. S. - If you only need 5.1 sound, the TB Santa Cruz is supposed to be a better card than the TB Riviera (better sound quality). I've got a lightly used one for sale in my signature below, if interested (I would have PM'd you this offer, but your profile and personal messaging options aren't enabled).

 

[SameerK]

Originally posted by: mshan
P. S. - If you only need 5.1 sound

I'll tell you honestly, I don't know much about sound cards, but all I need is for an audio cable to go out of my speaker jack in the back to the surround system in my living room. Now, when I do this right now on my onboard sound, all 5 speakers work fine, except that there's a hiss. I only have a 2 speaker system for my PC (and plan to keep it that way). Would I need this 5.1 sound card that you have, or should I just get some cheapo card for 10 or 15 bucks?

 

[mshan]

Hiss may just be the baseline noise level of your integrated sound, amplified to perceptible levels by your home theater audio components. A separate sound card (at least a well designed one), should reduce this.

If you're getting a constant hum (60 Hz), this may be a ground loop.

If you're getting staticy or high pitched whine, your integrated sound may be picking up emi and rfi from within your computer.

This is a great reference for computer sound:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=59

 

[SameerK]

Originally posted by: mshan
Hiss may just be the baseline noise level of your integrated sound.

If you're getting a constant hum (60 Hz), this may be a ground loop. If you're getting staticy or high pitched whine, your integrated sound may be picking up emi and rfi from within your computer.

ha, boy, would I love to know what you are exactly talking about

 

[mshan]

Are you getting a hiss or very loud hum?

If it's hiss from the baseline noise level of your integrated sound, just try turning the volume up and down on your audio components and see if the hiss does the same?

 

[SameerK]

a hiss. Also note, my roommate's laptop does not make any hiss. It works just fine with his laptop (same wires, too)

edit: yea, if I turn up the volume on either my computer or the receiver, the hiss will also increase

 

[mshan]

Look at the Signal to Noise ratio (S/N ratio) of any sound card of interest to get some idea of how well it blocks out all of the EMI / RFI within the computer case (which, I believe, is one of the things that produces the hiss you're talking about).

If you have an optical or coaxial digital output on your computer and an optical or digital input on your audio receiver, this may be a good way to reduce or hopefully eliminate the hiss I believe you are talking about. Optical is probably the best way to isolate your computer from your audio components, but toslink cables can get expensive over long runs (you could probably just use a standard rca cable lead as a coaxial digital cable)

 

[SameerK]

thanks for the help though, I think I'll just end up buying a sound card from BB (and return it later) and if it works, then I'll know I need a sound card. If that's the case, I'll PM you to buy the sound card off of you. thanks anyway

 

[mshan]

If you have an optical input on your receiver, the Chaintech AV-710 is supposed to be a very nice sounding card. (I think it might even include a plastic toslink cable). They are typically around $25 shipped at http://www.newegg.com or http://www.chiefvalue.com.

Just go to that Head-Fi link I provided above and you can research sound cards.

Hope this helps!