whats the best sound card?

[ChirpyDinosaur]

im wanting a reliable sound card with very good sound something not to exspencive though any ideas???

[quteck]

Just get any card around $80 to $150 and you'll get the benefits of a dedicated processor and the features and software tied to them. Higher prices basically reflect the addition of more advance features such as specialised software, add-in hardware and "higher grade" components. Anything around $50 or lower is aimed mainly for casual entertainment like music and movies.

Just read the product description on cards in your price range, and keep checking if the card actually fits in your system and has the required connections.

[Theo]

Also depends on what you want it for, surround sound or headphones

[t0wer]

fiio e7 or e10

[sukhwant717]

asus xonar phoebus

[FamedKarma]

Whatever xonar is in your price range

[Jozi]

Go here to find out what soundcard is the most suitable for you:

http://event.asus.com/multimedia/xonar/find.htm

I have xonar dg and dgx. Both of them are pretty cheap and excellent soundcards.

If I had the money I would have bought xonar essence stx.

[X1XNobleX1X]

I would recommend the Xonar Essence STX it is the best soundcard you can get ATM. It is best used for music though.

[tobben]

I would recommend the Xonar Essence STX it is the best soundcard you can get ATM. It is best used for music though.

i wasn't that impressed with the essence stx .. isn't warm or nice sounding just .. clear and neutral end of story

and the drivers! oh the horror

[xNeon]

Internal PCI sound cards are not the only option. A USB 2 D/A converter is a great option, and is what I use to mix. The D/A converter chip is the most important part, it is what decides the noise floor, the accuracy of the wave that is being converted from PCM to voltage. And just like AMD and Intel's CPUs are different, so are these. Some will be better than others. These are the specs to look for: Bit depth, sample rate and noise floor. For bit depth and sample rate, the higher the number, the better. But for noise floor the lower the better. I use this - http://www.presonus.com/products/AudioBox-22VSL It does everything I need it to, and I'm really nit-picky. Just google "usb audio interface". USB 2 has more than enough speed and bandwidth to stream audio, usless you're recording a 32 line band, at which point maybe PCI is necesarry but for good, clear, fast gaming this will more than do it.

[Lyons]

A DAC like the Fiio e7 or e10, or the Audioengine D1. Don't bother with terrible soundcard drivers. Plug and play is the way to go.

[ChirpyDinosaur]

A DAC like the Fiio e7 or e10, or the Audioengine D1. Don't bother with terrible soundcard drivers. Plug and play is the way to go.

with a DAC can you only use headphones ?

[t0wer]

a desktop dac will usually have line out RCA so you can use it with typical integrated/pre amp.

a portable amp may only have 1/8" jack, but if it has line out you can use a 1/8" to rca adapter to use with standalone amp.(some Ibasso devices come to mind)

some dacs are combo DAC + headphone amps(audioengine D1 has both RCA line out and headphone amp)

[ChirpyDinosaur]

im looking at DACs now and I want something with clarity will the Audioengine D1 give me that ?

[Lyons]

im looking at DACs now and I want something with clarity will the Audioengine D1 give me that ?

Yep, if you're up for the ~$160. When I moved from onboard sound to the D1 I was so blown away. I couldn't believe how much better it was, it's just so, so much better. It has perect amplification for headphones like ATH-M50's or DT770's, but maybe quite enough for headphones like K702's (which I use currently). I use the RCA out of my D1 into a Little Dot tube amplifier now.

[t0wer]

I'd probably go with something like a maverick audio D1 or D1+ for the extra inputs and it's own power supply so you're not limited to the usb power, but the d1 is more portable if you're planning on tablet/laptop use.

You shouldn't be disappointed with either if you're moving up from onboard or even a xonar card.

[Lyons]

I'd probably go with something like a maverick audio D1 or D1+ for the extra inputs and it's own power supply so you're not limited to the usb power, but the d1 is more portable if you're planning on tablet/laptop use.

You shouldn't be disappointed with either if you're moving up from onboard or even a xonar card.

Do you really think it would be worth the $100 over an Audioengine D1? I expect you'd start to see diminishing returns after $160, especially if the headphones/speakers you're using aren't very (very) high end.

[t0wer]

it's only $40-50 more for the D1(+), $200-210

The d2 is $250 and it's a DAC only, no headphone amp.

The power supply should eliminate any weird sounds usb can transfer over like ticking from mouse movement, and should eliminate/greatly reduce any hiss at the dac level.

The noise will vary per system, but imo it would be worth it.

Also the extra I/O will allow some experimenting with new equipment if interest in audio grows.

[Lyons]

it's only $40-50 more for the D1(+), $200-210

The d2 is $250 and it's a DAC only, no headphone amp.

The power supply should eliminate any weird sounds usb can transfer over like ticking from mouse movement, and should eliminate/greatly reduce any hiss at the dac level.

The noise will vary per system, but imo it would be worth it.

Also the extra I/O will allow some experimenting with new equipment if interest in audio grows.

Hmm, ok, I haven't had any problems with any of that stuff, I couldn't even hear any hiss when I plugged my Shure IEM's in them, and they're extremely sensitive. I personally don't think going further than the Audioengine D1 is entirely necessary unless like I said before, you have some seriously high end gear.

[bradscoolio]

Whatever xonar is in your price range

pre much a general rule of thumb to anyone :)

[h264]

Oh, so you want an AMP/DAC combo that's not expensive, and by expensive you mean not over $300 total?

Well, I direct you to:

http://linustechtips.com/main/forum/member-reviews/119639-review-of-the-objective-2-odac-combo-desktop-version-by-mayflower-electronics

ok, well, MY version was $352, but the normal one is under $300 even with the AC adapter.

[josh_05]

IMO all of the suggestions t0wer and Lyons have made would be fantastic but I would choose accordingly to how good the OP's cans are.. Keep in mind also, all products at this level which are "budget" tend to at least have an aspect to their respective sound that is flawed, you cant get close to perfection unless you spend up really big, its defiantly worth looking in to what aspects each product excels at and where they aren't as talented.. For gaming, great imaging and detail are crucial.