do you really need a sound card ?

[joshuktech]

i am a media producer and i do alot of editing on my windows machine which is pretty good on specs and renders videos pretty good but my audio can be better since i have to edit my audio on my mac so i was think do i need a good sound card for audio editing since even on my mac i have to use a good set of cans 

[Jeroen1322]

 

 

EDIT: I know it is for gaming audio but it may have some good stuff to say about just all audio on your computer.

[Archangel1994]

I have one and compared to my onboard I have no hiss when it's just powered on but not doing anything and the mic has gotten heaps cleared, again no hiss when not saying anything. The emulated surround I have from this sound card in particular works perfectly (not distorting skype or anything).

 

I can recommend this oen

[Archangel1994]

I call BS that a sound card is a waste. Mine has improved quality and reduced hiss dramatically

 

Edit: Also one of the main complaints on the hyperx cloud mic was a hissing mic but mine now has 0 hiss whereas onboard had lots of it

[TheKDub]

You don't need a sound card in most situations, typically if you get a higher end mobo it will have good built-in audio.

[c3p0_]

For your needs I would say you want a DAC and a decent pair of headphones. If you want a mic just add a modmic to it and you should be set.

 

Example:

Audioengine D1, ATH M50's

 

Only example but thats an interface I know that works on mac's.

[SkilledRebuilds]

With normal headphones (nothing special) the onboard will be fine, esp the newer boards with headphone amps and better quality than previous onboard solutions.

However for better gear, a DAC and such would be ideal.

^Limited knowledge input.

[Litargirio]

Chances are you don't need a sound card, as most mobos have excellent built in audio. If this is not your case, then yes, get a sound card. But if the sound your computer produces is already good, then any change the sound card tries to do to it will likely just make it worse.

 

By the way, sound quality will be worse if you plug your headphones into a front audio connector of a pc instead of its back.

[A.D.A.M]

In most cases no but in certain scenarios like there being interference of audio getting a cheapo sound card of reasonable quality will fix that. For audiophile grade headphones a Dac+Amp would be prefered. *Keep in mind this is based on what i read in the internet*

[alexknipfer]

I think some mentioned this, but I had a sound card (decent one) and all I really used was headphones. I could not notice anything substantially different with just a pair of headphones compared to onboard. The one benefit I got was loudness, but no difference in sound quality in my opinion.

[Krishtrinity]

i am a media producer and i do alot of editing on my windows machine which is pretty good on specs and renders videos pretty good but my audio can be better since i have to edit my audio on my mac so i was think do i need a good sound card for audio editing since even on my mac i have to use a good set of cans 

Getting a DAC+amp combo like Schiit MODI&MAGNI can make your editing life easier if you own a studio speaker or headphone that is..and yes a good dac+amp(soundcard) does provide better audioquality than MAC,if you want to make it worse go for Asus or creative usb soundcards..just kidding:)

[SurvivorNVL]

Most motherboard audio is equivalent to soundcards, they're somewhat redundant for most headphones when in a desktop environment and the cost of the higher tier sound cards could instead be put toward an Amp / Dac which will give, normally, better audio quality, reproduction, little interference, cleaner sound, and sometimes even be portable.  So, mobo audio is mostly okay, but headphones should have proper amping and a dac, but not a soundcard, by my opinion - instead it'd be best to invest in something like an Objective 2, which would likely be the only amp / dac(I mention the combo) you'd ever need.  What cans are you using, though?