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Sound Card Recommendation

Q

Quixfire

Diamond Member
Hello,
I have a friend who wants to edit and mix music files on his new computer, yet to be built. Other than on-board sound, what type of sound card or other hardware device would you recommend to install.

The specs on the new computer are still unclear at this point, but something like a nforce2 mobo and AthlonXP with DDR.
 
nForce you say?

Use that! It's equivalent to a Audigy 1.

🙂

And don't let people talk you into " It wastes CPU cycles"

It doesn't.
 
Originally posted by: bjc112
nForce you say?

Use that! It's equivalent to a Audigy 1.

🙂

And don't let people talk you into " It wastes CPU cycles"

It doesn't.
Click to expand...

It actually uses less CPU time than regular sound cards... but that's not the point...

The onboard sound doesn't have the features for recording/mixing/creating music. Go with an Audigy 2 Platinum.
 
Originally posted by: Quixfire
Hello,
I have a friend who wants to edit and mix music files on his new computer, yet to be built. Other than on-board sound, what type of sound card or other hardware device would you recommend to install.

The specs on the new computer are still unclear at this point, but something like a nforce2 mobo and AthlonXP with DDR.
Click to expand...

Seeing as he sounds like he's not a gamer, I'd recommend the M-Audio Revo 7.1 with the Audigy2 as a second choice. Both cards are consider consumer-level sound cards and can be had for under $100. If he's really serious about editing music, I'd check out some of the other semi-professional offerings from M-Audio. These are a bit more in price though.
 
Originally posted by: Jeff7181
Originally posted by: bjc112
nForce you say?

Use that! It's equivalent to a Audigy 1.

🙂

And don't let people talk you into " It wastes CPU cycles"

It doesn't.
Click to expand...

It actually uses less CPU time than regular sound cards... but that's not the point...

The onboard sound doesn't have the features for recording/mixing/creating music. Go with an Audigy 2 Platinum.
Click to expand...

Sorta overlooked that..

😱

Is it possible you could get some software to record/mix and what not... ???

Not an audiophile...

😀
 
Thank you for all the replies, I sent your suggestions to my friend and he has choosen the Audigy 2 Platinum EX.
 
If your really worried about sound quality maybe you should check out Terratec as well as the previously mentioned M-Audio. These are more professional cards around same price at a basic audigy 2 or an audigy 2 platinum. Although the reviews I have linked to are for the DMX 6 fire, they do have newer and more advanced cards. If anyone has any links for review showing graphs of sound quality and distortion please post the urls here. I can't help but wonder if M-Audio and Terratec make much better cards, since the DMX 6 Fire (an older card) performed so much better than the audigy 1. I have not found any reviews showing analytical analysis of their newest cards, but the companies do cater to the pro's, and their older cards performed very well. Also M-Audio uses Via's Envy 24HT chipset which is well worth checking out. You also might want to keep in mind that these cards are "audiophile quality cards" and standard mp3's may be your weakest link because of lossy compression.

Terratec DMX 6Fire 24/96 vs. Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum
http://www6.tomshardware.com/video/20020115/index.html

specifically check out the converter quality benchmarks for the DMX 6 Fire at
http://www6.tomshardware.com/video/20020115/terratec-09.html#converter_quality_benchmarks
all I can say is WOW!!! This is what is most important to music mixers, the distortion.


audigy 2 review at
http://www6.tomshardware.com/video/20021106/index.html

 
Originally posted by: Brian48
Originally posted by: Quixfire
Hello,
I have a friend who wants to edit and mix music files on his new computer, yet to be built. Other than on-board sound, what type of sound card or other hardware device would you recommend to install.

The specs on the new computer are still unclear at this point, but something like a nforce2 mobo and AthlonXP with DDR.
Click to expand...

Seeing as he sounds like he's not a gamer, I'd recommend the M-Audio Revo 7.1 with the Audigy2 as a second choice. Both cards are consider consumer-level sound cards and can be had for under $100. If he's really serious about editing music, I'd check out some of the other semi-professional offerings from M-Audio. These are a bit more in price though.
Click to expand...

Finally, someone on the right track. If he's doing any kind of "music" that involves making his own, DO NOT USE A GAMING CARD! The Audigy2 may have clear sound for gaming but it is NOT NOT NOT NOT made for pro-audio applications. It may say it has a low-latency ASIO driver but it DOES NOT WORK in the pro audio apps ASIO was made for. Probably another reason ASIO2 has been released. 😉

I have the perfect card. The M-Audio Audiophile 2496. It's low-cost, DX and ASIO enhanced, even gives you a MIDI port. For a musician, it's an excellent place to start on a budget.

It does stuff the Audigy2 wishes it could - run pro audio apps like they were meant to! The Audigy2 is for gamers and music LISTENERS! That's what it was designed for.
 
Originally posted by: Brian48
Originally posted by: Quixfire

Seeing as he sounds like he's not a gamer, I'd recommend the M-Audio Revo 7.1 with the Audigy2 as a second choice. Both cards are consider consumer-level sound cards and can be had for under $100. If he's really serious about editing music, I'd check out some of the other semi-professional offerings from M-Audio. These are a bit more in price though.
Click to expand...

Concur.
The Revo 7 offers superior sound quality over the Audigy (which is more directed at a gaming audience). If he's a gamer, the Revo 7 just won't do--frame rate hits.
Click to expand...
 
--------------
Finally, someone on the right track. If he's doing any kind of "music" that involves making his own, DO NOT USE A GAMING CARD! The Audigy2 may have clear sound for gaming but it is NOT NOT NOT NOT made for pro-audio applications. It may say it has a low-latency ASIO driver but it DOES NOT WORK in the pro audio apps ASIO was made for. Probably another reason ASIO2 has been released.

I have the perfect card. The M-Audio Audiophile 2496. It's low-cost, DX and ASIO enhanced, even gives you a MIDI port. For a musician, it's an excellent place to start on a budget.

It does stuff the Audigy2 wishes it could - run pro audio apps like they were meant to! The Audigy2 is for gamers and music LISTENERS! That's what it was designed for
---------------


Finally///and there are a whole slew of studio cards out there...
http://www.sbfilmaudio.com/audio.html
Soundblasters are for gaming
 
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