To Sound Card or Not

[bigahi]

Just built my first box, runs good, all high end. The only thing I didn'd include was a sound card. People I respect told me that the Asus P4C800Edeluxe sound circuitry was good, which it is. Would I hear a difference in sound qualtiy with a card. If I bought one it would probably be the Audigy 2 ZX. Nothing fancy for speaks, Klipsch Promedia 2.1. Thanks.

 

[PizzaDude]

I would reccomend getting one. A nice sound card can be had for less than $50. Take a look at Turtle Beach Santa Cruz cards. I have one paired with my Klipsch Promedia 2.1's and I love it.

 

[pirred908]

Originally posted by: bigahi
Just built my first box, runs good, all high end. The only thing I didn'd include was a sound card. People I respect told me that the Asus P4C800Edeluxe sound circuitry was good, which it is. Would I hear a difference in sound qualtiy with a card. If I bought one it would probably be the Audigy 2 ZX. Nothing fancy for speaks, Klipsch Promedia 2.1. Thanks.

I'd say those speakers are pretty fancy. Yes, you will definitly hear a noticeable difference between onboard and a PCI sound card. Especially at high volumes. Do you mean the Audigy 2 ZS not ZX? If so, that would be a great buy. Even though it's made for 5.1 its still going to give you awsome 2.1 quality.

 

[yhelothar]

Chaintech AV710 hands down. Smokes Audigy2 in sound quality, and costs 1/5th the price.

 

[CraigRT]

I love the sound quality on my SL-75FRN2-L... I have also read in a few reviews where they say it's good too.. no complaints

I don't honestly know if buying a soundcard for a 2.1 setup is worthwhile.. but that's just IMO.

 

[bigahi]

Thanks for the all the input. Yeah, I looked at the Turtle Beach. It expressly stated that it did support 2.1. No phone support though, not that it helps much anyway. It's just that sometimes I want an instant answer, without waiting for emails. Know what I mean? Yeah, I did mean ZS, thanks. I will check out that Chaintech. At this point, money is not the most important criteria. I want compatibility and stability. I have strived for stability over complexity. System: P4 3.4 w/ Thermalright SP94, Asus P4C800Edlx, Mushkin DDR 400 (2-2-2-7), Seagate 80's (Raid 0 - 160), Plexwriter & 708A, eVGA 7900XT, Lian Li Quiet w/ PC Power 625w, cooled with 5 Panaflo 92mm controlled by Hardcano 12. All power cables sleeved with red Techflex, datas with uv blue. Case and psu from Performance PC. Protected by Trend and AdAware. All stock, but runs like hell. Scored highest for same config at PC Pitstop. But NO sound card. Think I'll change that! Thanks guys.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

If your gaming I don't think anything compares to the audigy 2 zs. Nothing else supports eax 3.0 and 4.0.

 

[bigahi]

Thanks bro. Wouldn't call myself a gamer just yet. Right now the box is pretty much for biz. Trying my hand at day trading. TOUGH GIG! My rig runs Fidelity Active Trader instantaneously. I'm pretty proud of my work. Spent 3 weeks getting it just right. Cooling, lighting and cable routing took up most of the time. Runs 29-31 C under medium heavy load (according to Asus Probe mobo utility). Thanks for the thought!

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
If your gaming I don't think anything compares to the audigy 2 zs. Nothing else supports eax 3.0 and 4.0.

 

[newParadigm]

I had a Santa Cruz till i got Soundstorm, SantaCruz was awesome, soudned great, and nice features.


Only reason i gave it up was b/c of the S/PDIF, IN/OUT on the SoundStorm.

 

[newParadigm]

Btw, if you are considering the Santa Cruz, i have one here i am selling.

$30 and its yours.

Suports, EAX and EAX2, Dolbyu Surround sound and more,

Link: http://www.turtlebeach.com