Sound Card suggestion to get rid of Realtek ALC4080

[Orodruin]

Hello everyone. I need your help regarding a sound card.

I am using the Asus ROG B650E-E model and I am not happy with the sound at all. It causes cracking in the sound especially in high basses. I tried different speakers but the result did not change at all. I have heard that there are many people who are using Realtek alc4080 and are not happy with this audio codec.
My previous motherboard was the ROG Crosshair X570. And it was much better in terms of sound.
Now, coming to my question, I want to buy a sound card.

 

Frankly, I do not have a very high-end sound system. But I want to buy a sound card that I can get quality sound with 2+1 or 5+1 systems for many years to come. I can choose the models I have shared below in the stocks of the country I am in.
Which one do you think I should buy?

 

Note: I do not want to buy a DAC because I do not want it to take up extra space.

 

Asus XONAR AE 7.1

Asus XONAR SE

Creative Audigy FX V2

Creative Sound Blaster RX

 

 

[191x7]

41 minutes ago, Orodruin said:

Hello everyone. I need your help regarding a sound card.

I am using the Asus ROG B650E-E model and I am not happy with the sound at all. It causes cracking in the sound especially in high basses. I tried different speakers but the result did not change at all. I have heard that there are many people who are using Realtek alc4080 and are not happy with this audio codec.
My previous motherboard was the ROG Crosshair X570. And it was much better in terms of sound.
Now, coming to my question, I want to buy a sound card.

 

Frankly, I do not have a very high-end sound system. But I want to buy a sound card that I can get quality sound with 2+1 or 5+1 systems for many years to come. I can choose the models I have shared below in the stocks of the country I am in.
Which one do you think I should buy?

 

Note: I do not want to buy a DAC because I do not want it to take up extra space.

 

Asus XONAR AE 7.1

Asus XONAR SE

Creative Audigy FX V2

Creative Sound Blaster RX

 

 

The Xonar SE uses a Realtek chip, an ALC 1220, or similar, so it should be the closest to your previous sound.

 

The Xonar AE is probably the best, especially for headphones. It uses roughly the same DAC components as modern $50-$100 USB-C DAC-s.

 

But, have you tried using IOBit Driver booster to update your Realtek drivers?

[Orodruin]

20 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

The Xonar SE uses a Realtek chip, an ALC 1220, or similar, so it should be the closest to your previous sound.

 

The Xonar AE is probably the best, especially for headphones. It uses roughly the same DAC components as modern $50-$100 USB-C DAC-s.

 

But, have you tried using IOBit Driver booster to update your Realtek drivers?

They published a patch on my motherboard's web page, but it's only a patch for the Digital output. The same problem occurs with analog. Especially in high-decibel sound ranges, i.e. intense bass or sounds, there are cracks. This happens when playing AOE4 and in some games. This new sound chip uses the USB interface. The old ALC1220 used a pcie interface. That's why I was not satisfied with the ALC4080 at all.

I updated it with the IOBit driver, but the result did not change. I tried everything.

What if I choose Xonar AE instead of Xonar SE? I hope these models do not have Windows 11 driver problems?

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, Orodruin said:

They published a patch on my motherboard's web page, but it's only a patch for the Digital output. The same problem occurs with analog. Especially in high-decibel sound ranges, i.e. intense bass or sounds, there are cracks. This happens when playing AOE4 and in some games. This new sound chip uses the USB interface. The old ALC1220 used a pcie interface. That's why I was not satisfied with the ALC4080 at all.

I updated it with the IOBit driver, but the result did not change. I tried everything.

What if I choose Xonar AE instead of Xonar SE? I hope these models do not have Windows 11 driver problems?

Are you using powered speakers or is it running thorugh an amp?

[Orodruin]

6 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

Are you using powered speakers or is it running thorugh an amp?

I am using Creative 2+1 Inspire T3300. But I have tried with other brands including Logitech and the result is the same.

[Blue4130]

29 minutes ago, Orodruin said:

I am using Creative 2+1 Inspire T3300. But I have tried with other brands including Logitech and the result is the same.

If you are using powered speakers, then get a DAC like the apple dongle or the moondrop dawn pro. They are small, usb powered and will be more that enough for what you need.

[saintlouisbagels]

7 hours ago, Orodruin said:

Note: I do not want to buy a DAC because I do not want it to take up extra space.

A soundcard is typically a DAC+amplifier+whatever extra stuff the manufacturer throws in.

Buying a soundcard is pointless unless you own powered speakers that require 5.1 outputs. And I would not waste money and space on a 5.1 system when you can just use the extra money on a better 2.1 system..

 

Just like @Blue4130 said, buy the $9 Apple USB-C dongle, check your local online retailers and search "CX31993", or look up any of the many USB DACs available online (like the Moondrop Dawn Pro).