Is a sound card worth it?

[MontyBonjangles]

Hey people, I have been using on board sound for as long as I can remember and am now considering a sound card. I was suspicious if the audio perfomance increase is worth the investment to make, so heres the question:

Is almost any mid-range card going to be better than onboard? If so, by what degree (Generally)?

[LuukvanA]

Hey, if it's worth it buying a sound card depends on what quality of speakers or headphones you are using, so for us to help you some more information about your setup would be nice:)

[MontyBonjangles]

I have (in terms of base system): AMD phenom II x4 955

Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 (VIA VT1708S 8-Channel audio)

Asus Geforce GTX 650 (Probably not required info)

I have, audio wise: Sennheiser HD 201 Headphones. ( I'd say they're mid range-ish)

Nothing much to song and dance about, but its good for me

[Helltech]

I would say so, yes.

[MontyBonjangles]

I would say so' date=' yes. [/quote']

Is that mainly due to the fact that via sound is frowned upon ;)

[T-D0S]

My take is that it depends on your headphones/speakers. In your case, upgrading you headphones would make a bigger difference in sound quality.

[LuukvanA]

As T-D0S says, you would be better off buying better headphones, you will get more 'quality up per dollar' if you'd buy a better pair of headphones.

And second, I expect you wasn't planning on spending $60+ on the soundcard. in that case don't bother buying a soundcard at all, there are soundcards on the market for $25 or less but they will not sound that much better then an onboard soundcard.

[nillas12]

I got an Asus Xonar Essence STX along with my new system. I already had a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, and for me it has been worth it. I haven't tried them on the onboard audio but on my old system there was a slight zzz sound (Dunno think sorta electrical). This is gone, and the bass went up a ton along with the overall sound quality.

I had a pair of 201's at one point (Broke) that I used with my phone and pc, and they were quite good. The sound were a bit flat for me, so I think a sound card would have been a good option for me back then. For you I will recommend the Asus Xonar Dgx sound card. Good "entry level" sound card, that won't break the bank (40 bucks is 40 cheeseburgers at the golden wings, and will last you for much longer), while still providing good sound.

Please do write what you end up going with.

[LuukvanA]

I got an Asus Xonar Essence STX along with my new system. I already had a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, and for me it has been worth it. I haven't tried them on the onboard audio but on my old system there was a slight zzz sound (Dunno think sorta electrical). This is gone, and the bass went up a ton along with the overall sound quality.

I had a pair of 201's at one point (Broke) that I used with my phone and pc, and they were quite good. The sound were a bit flat for me, so I think a sound card would have been a good option for me back then. For you I will recommend the Asus Xonar Dgx sound card. Good "entry level" sound card, that won't break the bank (40 bucks is 40 cheeseburgers at the golden wings, and will last you for much longer), while still providing good sound.

Please do write what you end up going with.

Hey Nillas, I think buying a $40 soundcard for a $25 headset isn't really relative, but that's how I see it, I think you compare it to buying a $300 videocard and stay with your old, non-HD VGA monitor, you will probably notice a difference in the quality but you won't get the effect you want to have: a big quality increase.

This is how I think of it, I will be okay with it if you don't agree, just let me know why, then I can maybe change my thoughts. It's always interesting to hear other opinions about a certain point.

Yours Sincerely, Luuk.

[nillas12]

I got an Asus Xonar Essence STX along with my new system. I already had a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, and for me it has been worth it. I haven't tried them on the onboard audio but on my old system there was a slight zzz sound (Dunno think sorta electrical). This is gone, and the bass went up a ton along with the overall sound quality.

I had a pair of 201's at one point (Broke) that I used with my phone and pc, and they were quite good. The sound were a bit flat for me, so I think a sound card would have been a good option for me back then. For you I will recommend the Asus Xonar Dgx sound card. Good "entry level" sound card, that won't break the bank (40 bucks is 40 cheeseburgers at the golden wings, and will last you for much longer), while still providing good sound.

Please do write what you end up going with.

The way I see this is upgradability. I plan to use my soundcard for my 2-3 next builds. In my eyes a soundcard doesn't decay quite as quickly as, say a graphics card.

Also the hd 201's (Which are the ones the OP has are $50 on NCIX (30 on newegg)) and there will be a noticeable quality increase.

However I do have to agree with you that the OP will get better sound with a better pair of headphones, but around 50 dollars there aren't really anything that will give him much improvement over the ones he currently has. However if he saved up a bit, its a whole different story.

Also I forgot how cheap the hd 201's were. But yeah, I do agree with you.

[the_devil52]

Audio from a sound card sounds so much better than onboard audio as long as you have a decent pair of headphones. In your case i would recommend upgrading your headphones before getting a sound card. Or if you have the money, upgrade both at the same time.

[LuukvanA]

I got an Asus Xonar Essence STX along with my new system. I already had a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, and for me it has been worth it. I haven't tried them on the onboard audio but on my old system there was a slight zzz sound (Dunno think sorta electrical). This is gone, and the bass went up a ton along with the overall sound quality.

I had a pair of 201's at one point (Broke) that I used with my phone and pc, and they were quite good. The sound were a bit flat for me, so I think a sound card would have been a good option for me back then. For you I will recommend the Asus Xonar Dgx sound card. Good "entry level" sound card, that won't break the bank (40 bucks is 40 cheeseburgers at the golden wings, and will last you for much longer), while still providing good sound.

Please do write what you end up going with.

I've bought a Creative Sound Slaster x-fi HD, pretty happy with it, especcialy because it is usb connected, i can also use it for my laptop so yeah, decent sound cards are future-proof enough to go along for about 2 builds I think! :)

[Harbz]

I would suggest buying anything from the Asus Xonar line, as On board sound is poop compared to it :), i used to own the Asus Xonar DX/XD, it was very very good, and cheapish too :)

[Emach]

To piggy back on this thread, I have a set of Corsair SP 2500 running off my on board. Should I get a sound card? And if so how high of a sound card would offer me optimal sound from that setup?

[LuukvanA]

To piggy back on this thread, I have a set of Corsair SP 2500 running off my on board. Should I get a sound card? And if so how high of a sound card would offer me optimal sound from that setup?

Yes, it would be a big difference! I Think an Asus Xonar DX/XD would be a nice solution!

[MontyBonjangles]

Thanks everybody who replied, It has been a great help

[christoi]

Just thought I'd drop in my opinion, but...

Don't expect a huge difference with the sound card in terms of audio quality. I'm currently running a DGX with a Sennheiser HD380 and when I first upgraded, the improvements were nice, but definitely subtle at the same time. Often it's more of the headphone itself that's pushing you back in terms of quality, so do keep that in mind when purchasing. Part of this is possibly because I'm not an audiophile by any means, but you get the idea. That said, it can be a nice investment and personally am satisfied with my purchase. It is debatable though, if it's worth the (small, albeit present) costs.

[Wats]

My favorite upgrade was my Xonar Xense. I use it mostly for music but it also has virtual Dolby surround that actually works for games like FPS's and Racing sim's. I was lucky enough to find a NEW one last month in the USA (just the card, no headset included). Looks so good and sounds amazing compared to my ALC892 onboard. Which my ALC892 is really good, I still use ALC892 for my monitor's speakers when I watch my YouTube subs.

Really though, unless you have high end headphones...Well even if you don't..Just get a dedicated card for your audio (does not have to be a costly one). You already have a dedicated video card, why not enjoy higher quality audio as well?

Don't bother if you just have earbuds -.-

[DrainDoc]

Hey people' date=' I have been using on board sound for as long as I can remember and am now considering a sound card. I was suspicious if the audio perfomance increase is worth the investment to make, so heres the question: Is almost any mid-range card going to be better than onboard? If so, by what degree (Generally)? [/quote']

I suppose it depends on how important sound/audio is to you? Music, Movies, Gaming??? And just FYI........Sound Cards make a Huge difference, especially if paired with quality

sound system. It's very pricey but it's worth it. I have the Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card and Corsairs' SP 2500. the combination of these may just be the best audio I have

had with a PC. Possibly of any Audio....PC or other wise. But thats only if you are into that kind of thing. Makes a major difference, but really not that necessary.

[Zoboomafoo]

I would say so, yes.

I love Morrowind.