is Motherboard audio becoming really good to a point that having a separate audio card is becoming useless/a thing of the past?

[Tech_Dreamer]

Just something that i've been thinking, current high end mobos & upcoming future motherboards boast a lot of features in the audio section , they're even separating a motherboard section & dedicate the space purely for audio with proper shielding, pretty neat feature if you ask me, plus it come with audio features that most sound cards come with or even better,

 

So , What are your thoughts on this? what do you think is happening & where do you think this is headed?

 

 

Dayum dat title length!

[byalexandr]

Wow, what a long topic title. Yeah, audio cards are useless at this point, although if you're really an audiophile, there are some nice ones that just don't compare to onboard audio.

[ZetZet]

It's either mb audio or external dac. Soundcards are useless already.

[Aniallation]

Having a separate audio card is pretty pointless. There's two kinds of people, those who are perfectly happy with onboard audio, and those who go straight to a dedicated DAC and amp.

[Lays]

Motherboard audio is indeed improving, if you really care about sound quality the only things you should be considering if you're NOT going to use onboard sound, is to use external amp/dacs IMO.

[iShad]

Just something that i've been thinking, current high end mobos & upcoming future motherboards boast a lot of features in the audio section , they're even separating a motherboard section & dedicate the space purely for audio with proper shielding, pretty neat feature if you ask me, plus it come with audio features that most sound cards come with or even better,

 

So , What are your thoughts on this? what do you think is happening & where do you think this is headed?

Pretty much most mobo's built in soundcard is capable enough to drive headphones nowadays adequately except maybe orthodynamic and electrostat stuff. I tried plugging in my headphones directly to the mobo sometimes and the difference is minimal compared to a dedicated amp/dac setup.

[Syntaxvgm]

I'm not expert to speak on this, but I found a lot of on board audio still gives muddled sound on nicer headpphones, and worse yet, perfect good sound cards have drivers that give "enhancements", especially on laptops, that just...ugh...fuck up the audio quality so bad, and it can be difficult to get all of the features working without these "enhancements" if you can't find a standalone driver without all of that extra crap....cough....realtek....(beats software on hp laptops well, worse but more apparent that you need to get rid of it )

 

Still, the ONLY reason I've bought a sound card in recent years is if the onboard one just sucks that bad (be it bad sound or unacceptable white noise or EMI on cheaper boards), and I get something that just works right for a good price, not "hi-fi". If I wanted really nice, I would consult someone and buy an external dac/amp combo that'd I'd only consider buying if my budget was at least a few hundred bucks for headphones alone 

[Guest]

Audio cards are kinda useless nowadays.

 

However, if you are professional, Audio-cards in the $1,299-$3,000 USD Range are all the rage.

[AMICLG]

Sound cards aren't worth the money.  As of right now I don't know of any motherboard that can power HD 600 properly and putting an amp in a computer is just asking for interference.

[TacticlTwinkie]

Unless you are one of those people who just has to use 1/4 inch jacks, there isn't a need for a sound card. Onboard is more than good enough for the vast majority of users, and external amp/dacs are a better option most times compared to a sound card. Now in the professional production realm, pro-grade sound cards have their uses, but that is a totally different discussion.

[1Scotty1]

I used to have a soundcard... most wasted 60€ in my life... now I am completely happy with onboard audio

[TumbleButt]

The Purity Sound 2 audio chips that are built-in ASRock motherboards nowadays have some really nice audio quality that getting a DAC is debatable if you really need one or not. 

[SSL]

"Becoming?" I'd say we're already there. That doesn't mean it's good across the board, there is definitely variation, but I'd say that it is good enough for the majority of people running non-ridiculous headphones.