Sound card

[Yangsing]

Is it even worth it to get a sound card if you only have 2.1 speakers? Or is the integrated sound that comes with most motherboards good enough? Also, any good sound cards for 2.1 speakers?

[Grandcross]

Depends on the motherboard really, but most made in the last few years should be more than good enough. I actually got a sound card though, I like EAX sound effects in my games.

[Isiolia]

More a matter of how much audio you listen to through your computer. Even if you aren't using a surround setup or something, you can still get cleaner, better sounding audio with a sound card than with onboard. Typically you have lower CPU usage as well.

But onboard is generally fine too.

Creative cards tend to be good, Turtle Beach, M-Audio are a couple others. Via also had a chipset out that several companies make cards for, though their drivers haven't impressed me much. The chip itself is very capable though.

[Killgannon]

ive always liked creative (tried turtle beach and m-audio) just because they typically sound fuller idk really maybe i just didnt get a comparable turtlebeach/m-audio card...

and the word via sends shivers down my spine =/

[Isiolia]

I've tended to stick with them for much the same reason, plus well, I've had Creative cards for like 15 years or so, always worked fine...

I'm not keen on Via either, but figure that even M-Audio and such are using Envy series chips on some cards. Like I said, they're capable chips...matter of drivers.

[Epical]

Getting a sound card is just a good idea in general, especially if you're a gamer and/or care about your music quality. I'm both, and even though I only have a 2.1 speaker system, I've noticed a huge difference between my onboard Realtek HD Audio and my Creative XtremeGamer X-Fi sound card. Sound is a lot more crisp, and the bass is "truer", if that makes any sense. Not to mention the fact that sound cards help with game performance if you have sound quality turned up, too.

[Isiolia]

Well, goes without saying too that if you care about audio from your PC, get good speakers too. Or headphones.

Just don't spend too much on "PC" speakers...if the budget starts getting up there, stop kidding yourself and get studio monitors and an amp or something (or regular speakers set farther away).

[levish]

i would invest in a nice set of Grado Headphones to start with for the PC and a headphone amp since this way you can crank up the sound for better immersion without bothering people nearby or in the next room 8)

[Resin]

Also, keep in mind that a "good soundcard" varies greatly depending on application. Creative cards are considered good for games because of all the effects and support, but from a music-only standpoint, they're pretty much the bottom of the barrel.

But yes, for all-around use, a soundcard is a good investment.

[Isiolia]

They're reasonably good for music too. Generally quite good for consumer playback type stuff.

If you're recording/editing sound on a semi-serious level though, then sure, there are cards more suited to the task.

[Resin]

They're reasonably good for music too. Generally quite good for consumer playback type stuff.

If you're recording/editing sound on a semi-serious level though, then sure, there are cards more suited to the task.

Aww, come on. You know damn well that there are options for sound costing half as much as an AudigyExtremeWhatever that are considerably better for audio only.

[Isiolia]

Yes and no =P

Definitely, there are some solid cards out there that lack the 3D sound stuff that most Creative cards have, and cost less to boot.
But at the same time, you can get more than the $160 deluxe editions too. The X-Fi and Audigy chips sound good. At least the incarnations I've owned. You can get them in the $30-60 price range now.

A $25 Envy-based card, provided you have good drivers for it, sounds good too. Whether it really sounds better than a Creative card I think is rather subjective. The one I've owned was clean, but the sound wasn't as punchy as the Creative DSP. While the X-Fi particularly filters sound a bit (at least by default), most people aren't listening to their music with a flat EQ.

For me, I bought it to try and get 96k audio over optical to my receiver...which it -did-, with hacked up drivers, a hidden setting, and while picking up noise inside my case that the Audigy didn't...so I went back to that.

I haven't exactly gone and purchased every card on Newegg to play with, just going on my experiences with various cards over the years.

[Resin]

The next thing you should definitely try is an external USB DAC. The difference is huge and you eliminate a big source of noise by moving the adapter outside of the case. ^^