Rampage IV Gene Audio Quality vs. Sound Cards

[Theo]

There's only one sheep? That's @ShearMe

 

But really, all advice we give is backed up by science and measurements. It's all objective. You would know if you read the FAQ.

Saying all onboard is better than all sound cards is wrong.

However some onboard is better than some sound cards, dont tell me (I know you hate soundcards) that a realtek s/c is better than an stx.

[EmoRarity]

Saying all onboard is better than all sound cards is wrong.

However some onboard is better than some sound cards, dont tell me (I know you hate soundcards) that a realtek s/c is better than an stx.

Um....it is, marketing is a bitch ain't it.

[Theo]

Um....it is, marketing is a bitch ain't it.

Ignorance is a bitch, read some more on the 2 and then we can talk.

[wpirobotbuilder]

Wow, this escalated quickly.

 

 

The OP has not specified what is he going to use his sound card so you cannot flatly say that onboard sound is better. 

 

Probably with speakers (SP2500s?), but I might invest in a pair of headphones around ~$100. Certainly nothing on the order of a 598

[EmoRarity]

Wow, this escalated quickly.

 

 

 

Probably with speakers (SP2500s?), but I might invest in a pair of headphones around ~$100. Certainly nothing on the order of a 598

Speakers wouldn't benefit from a soundcard, neither would 598's (Go for the 558's, they are a better value.) Your onboard solution is more then adequate. 

[CwGoh]

Wow, this escalated quickly.

 

 

 

Probably with speakers (SP2500s?), but I might invest in a pair of headphones around ~$100. Certainly nothing on the order of a 598

 

For the SP2500s onboard is fine. For about $100 the ATH-M50s are good with on board too, but they do have potential with a better DAC, like @MayflowerElectronics O2 amp.

[EmoRarity]

Ignorance is a bitch, read some more on the 2 and then we can talk.

Educate yourself before calling people that understand audio in its truest form and not what Asus selling for twice the price and a fifth the function. 

Soundcards are useless, out of date, snake oil products over designed and over priced to make money off people that don't know better. 

There is nothing good to say about them other then they look nice, and are a great back up if you don't have onboard or your onboard fails. Other then that take your business else where, if you even have business to conduct, which most people don't. 

[EmoRarity]

For the SP2500s onboard is fine. For about $100 the ATH-M50s are good with on board too, but they do have potential with a better DAC, like @MayflowerElectronics O2 amp.

Not a better dac, you don't need to decode what isn't encoded that high anyway. The amp is the important part. Which amusingly enough you mentioned immediately afterwards. 5 points to you. 

Expansionary explanation: Your music is encoded 16bit, 48khz tops, and really its because you don't need much more than that. There is minimal measurable improvement if any! So really you don't need to get a DAC that encodes anything more then that because you will never end up decoding more then that. And anyway, your modern onboard DAC can decode (Generally) 24/92. On a side note, a DAC is not responsible for any changes in tonality or sonic reproduction, its just there to turn ones and zeros to squiggly lines. 

[Theo]

Educate yourself before calling people that understand audio in its truest form and not what Asus selling for twice the price and a fifth the function. 

Soundcards are useless, out of date, snake oil products over designed and over priced to make money off people that don't know better. 

There is nothing good to say about them other then they look nice, and are a great back up if you don't have onboard or your onboard fails. Other then that take your business else where, if you even have business to conduct, which most people don't.

Let me guess, you're an "audiophile" who will crucify anyone who likes the "dirty" computer audio manufacturers because they aren't one of the established and true audio companies?

Go look at some measurements taken from an stx, lemme save you sometime, they are pretty good, granted you'll get similar results from an external solution at a lower price but not everyone has the space.

Get off your high horse will you.

[EmoRarity]

Let me guess, you're an "audiophile" who will crucify anyone who likes the "dirty" computer audio manufacturers because they aren't one of the established and true audio companies?

Go look at some measurements taken from an stx, lemme save you sometime, they are pretty good, granted you'll get similar results from an external solution at a lower price but not everyone has the space.

Get off your high horse will you.

-I'm an audiophile in the truest sense of the word, I love music, I'm not a spend-more-techophile like a lot of the people that claim to be audiophiles. My favorite headphone in the world cost less then a hundred bux, and its as simple as that, I would listen of  onboard if I had any, but I don't, so I have a dac/amp and FiiO solution depending on what mood I'm in, the weather outside, or the day of the week, or if there is a goat herder picking his nose in Yogoslavia. 

-Measurements. You won't find any frequency measurements or anything really hardcore, just because the people that have the means to do those measurement don't care enough, though it has something like a 25ohm output impedance which is laughable at that price. 

-

Other then that, I find it amusing that you just said you can get similar products for less. You just said that the product was a bad value. With drivers, numbers, and science aside you need nothing more then that to sway your purchase, if the product is a bad value, don't buy it. 

[Lauen]

*OFFTOPIC* 

Good! Someone else who agree's with me. I thought I was the only one

I forgot my M50's at a friends house, so now I have to use my Sennheiser PC360 until I can get the M50's back. so I'm stuck with these, and I miss the sound of the M50's so much. 

[EmoRarity]

*OFFTOPIC* 

I forgot my M50's at a friends house, so now I have to use my Sennheiser PC360 until I can get the M50's back. so I'm stuck with these, and I miss the sound of the M50's so much. 

Immacry. 

[MayflowerElectronics]

*OFFTOPIC* 

I forgot my M50's at a friends house, so now I have to use my Sennheiser PC360 until I can get the M50's back. so I'm stuck with these, and I miss the sound of the M50's so much. 

 

Yeah the M50's are much much warmer than the sennheisers. 

[Theo]

-much text, such snip

You will find measurements actually cause I've looked, has around 10 ohm output and when I said for less money, I also said for people who don't want more stuff on their desk, or want their pc to look nicer or whatever, there are reasons.

If someone wants a good audio solution I'll recommend a dac and all, but if someone wants a s/c for space reasons, I'll recommend a s/c, and not try and question his intelligence like some members do.

[CwGoh]

Not a better dac, you don't need to decode what isn't encoded that high anyway. The amp is the important part. Which amusingly enough you mentioned immediately afterwards. 5 points to you. 

Expansionary explanation: Your music is encoded 16bit, 48khz tops, and really its because you don't need much more than that. There is minimal measurable improvement if any! So really you don't need to get a DAC that encodes anything more then that because you will never end up decoding more then that. And anyway, your modern onboard DAC can decode (Generally) 24/92. On a side note, a DAC is not responsible for any changes in tonality or sonic reproduction, its just there to turn ones and zeros to squiggly lines. 

 

Typo on my part, I meant a amp. forgive me though, down with severe flu.

[wpirobotbuilder]

Speakers wouldn't benefit from a soundcard, neither would 598's (Go for the 558's, they are a better value.) Your onboard solution is more then adequate. 

What would be a match for 598's? Out of curiosity.

[MayflowerElectronics]

What would be a match for 598's? Out of curiosity.

Nothing, your onboard is more than enough.

[mr moose]

If someone wants a good audio solution I'll recommend a dac and all, but if someone wants a s/c for space reasons, I'll recommend a s/c, and not try and question his intelligence like some members do.

 

You've missed the point,  why pay $140 for a sound card for space reasons when you already have an onboard solution that takes up no space, has a better output impedance and less known driver issues?

 

The only time anyone needs to upgrade from onboard is if you have interference noise you can't get rid of.

[RatedBlam]

You've missed the point, why pay $140 for a sound card for space reasons when you already have an onboard solution that takes up no space, has a better output impedance and less known driver issues?

The only time anyone needs to upgrade from onboard is if you have interference noise you can't get rid of.

Or when the mobo manufacturer cheaps out on caps and they blow up. That'd what I think the souncardpeople mean by better quality. Though if Asus has bad caps they're audio solutions will have bad caps too I guess. (Asus was an example)

[MayflowerElectronics]

Or when the mobo manufacturer cheaps out on caps and they blow up. That'd what I think the souncardpeople mean by better quality. Though if Asus has bad caps they're audio solutions will have bad caps too I guess. (Asus was an example)

 

Capacitors have almost nothing to do with audio quality.

[RatedBlam]

Capacitors have almost nothing to do with audio quality.

but if they blow or am I wrong assuming that when they break they screw up something. I know for a fact that bad caps can screw up amps atleast

[mr moose]

Or when the mobo manufacturer cheaps out on caps and they blow up. That'd what I think the souncardpeople mean by better quality. Though if Asus has bad caps they're audio solutions will have bad caps too I guess. (Asus was an example)

Yeah, I just haven't heard any one complain about bad caps, sudden failure or bad sound. 

 

EDIT: should clarify, lots of people complain about bad sound from onboard, however never in a blind test and the rest of them haven't actually done a side by side comparison.

[MayflowerElectronics]

but if they blow or am I wrong assuming that when they break they screw up something. I know for a fact that bad caps can screw up amps atleast

 

It's very rare to have a properly designed circuit make a capacitor pop. If you have capacitor's pop on your motherboard/circuit then you have bigger issues than quality.

[RatedBlam]

It's very rare to have a properly designed circuit make a capacitor pop. If you have capacitor's pop on your motherboard/circuit then you have bigger issues than quality.

I'm mostly talking about capacitor aging, which should be a thing. At least I've had numerous old electronics have problems with caps, especially with the non-solid ones Edit: afaik, quality of the capasitor is very key when talking about it's longevity

[ShearMe]

You will find measurements actually cause I've looked, has around 10 ohm output and when I said for less money, I also said for people who don't want more stuff on their desk, or want their pc to look nicer or whatever, there are reasons.

 

That 10 ohm output impedance is THE main issue. Sure, there's reasons to prefer a soundcard, but audio reproduction is not one of them.

 

 

I'm mostly talking about capacitor aging, which should be a thing. At least I've had numerous old electronics have problems with caps, especially with the non-solid ones Edit: afaik, quality of the capasitor is very key when talking about it's longevity

 

Yeah, but bad caps affects your entire computer, not just audio.