Sound quandry

[ChicagoPCGuy]

I have resolutely refused to use Creative cards since the SoundBlaster Live! POS that gave me so much trouble -- and not just with old VIA southbridges either. BUT, I am now building a new rig, which has integrated Realtek 7 Channel AC97 (850 codec) built in, and have been using Turtle Beach Santa Cruz sound cards for the last four years (they are trouble free, but getting harder and harder to find). The way I see it, I can go with the integrated AC97 ALC850 nVidia sound (this is a Foxconn nF4 board), use a Envy24HT-S based sound card such as the Chaintech or Gainward, I can continue to look for a Turtle Beach card, or *gasp* go back and use a Creative Audigy2 ZS or Audigy2 Value. I do not like pieces of hardware that cause trouble, and Creative's drivers are LEGENDARY for causing all sorts of mayhem. What do you think? I will put a poll up. Please vote.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

What are you hooking them up to?

If it's something with optical in, then Envy24...

I don't think you're going to have driver problems with an audigy2 I had a SB live pos too and upgraded to a TBSC before I got the Envy24.

 

[leedog2007]

the audigy will take up less cpu cycles than the onboard and the zs isn't worth the extra $

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Forgot to add that I definitely intend to use the high-end Z-5500 Logitech speaker system with digital optical--although I think the Audigy2 can do coax digital and the Logitechs will support that too.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Well, if you plan to hook them up digitally, i'd go with the chaintech card since it's only $25 and even comes with an optical cable.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Well, if you plan to hook them up digitally, i'd go with the chaintech card since it's only $25 and even comes with an optical cable.

Thanks. Yeah, I know the Chaintech comes with the optical cable, but I would probably end up buying a Monster high-end optical cable anyway.

CPU usage, while important, is not THAT critical since I am going to be running a 3500+ and Radeon X800XL with a Gig of RAM at 2-2-2-10 1T.

 

[tiap]

Anything but Creative.
Since these speakers can decode, just use the spdif passthrough from your onboard for now. You will be surprised how good it will sound. You may decide not to bother with an add on card

 

[ribbon13]

M-Audio Rev 7.1. Envy24 based.

For games... Creative has got a monopoly...

I want SoundStorm back!!!

Maybe I'll find some whitepapers on it and make a prototype PCIe card.
With soldering skills and an Allied Electronics catalog, anyone could butcher an old nf2 board to make thier own sound card. That would kick ass.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Here's a really nice review of different VIA envy based solutions

Oh, and don't waste your money on a really expensive optical cable. If you do, don't get one from monster, you can get much better for the money, or get something as good for less. I think with optical cables, buying something really expensive matters even less than with RCA type cables since it's a digital signal and it's light you're sending rather than electrical signals more prone to interference.

Unless you hook up to some really amazing speakers, I doubt you're going to be able to tell any difference between cable types you use.

Having said this, the cable that comes with the card is pretty darn thin and fragile looking. I'm using mine now to hook my DVD player up to my receiver while I got an acoustic research cable for my computer connection. Both sources sound excellent.

 

[ribbon13]

$6.90 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 1.5'
$7.70 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 3'
$8.80 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 6'
$11.70 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 12'

$6.90 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 1.5'
$7.80 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 3'
$9.50 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 6'
$12.70 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 12'

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
$6.90 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 1.5'
$7.70 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 3'
$8.80 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 6'
$11.70 Dayton Digital Coaxial Cable 12'

$6.90 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 1.5'
$7.80 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 3'
$9.50 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 6'
$12.70 Dayton Digital Optical Cable 12'

Thank you ribbon13! You saved me about $30.

 

[Macro2]

M-Audio Rev 7.1. Envy24 based.

 

[bfonnes]

audigy 2 Value... just make sure you have at least WinME cause I had win98 SE, and it wouldn't install.... so, I had to D/L WinXP shhhhh, don't tell,

BFonnes