# How many people still use sound cards?



## dirtyferret (Nov 30, 2017)

I know the sound card is going the way of the Dodo for PC gamers (still viable for audiophiles) but earlier in the year I purchased an Asrock Z270 mobo.  Board works great outside of the audio and I got it for under $100 but I did noticed little issues during some games.  For example when a dragon would flap its wings you would hear a "cracking" sound in the animation audio.  It's not a major deal but I personally did find it annoying and unsurprising as I knew the audio was lacking before purchase.

_The two motherboard that we are testing today are worlds apart in terms of audio performance. MSI’s new Realtek ALC1220 codec delivers excellent performance figures, with the dynamic range reaching above 102 dB(A) and THD + Noise hitting -88 dB(A). On the other hand, the performance of the ALC892 codec on the ASRock Z270 Killer SLI is poor, even when compared to older boards that feature the same chipset. Even though it is lacking an optical SPDIF out port, the MSI Z270 SLI Plus is much superior than the ASRock Z270 Killer SLI in terms of audio performance.
_
https://www.anandtech.com/show/11284/msi-asrock-z270-sli-140-bucks/7

While I have an old creative lab sound card it needed an PCI slot that the new mobo lacks. I picked up an Asus Xonar DGX PCI-E for $20 and the problem was solved. 

So I'm curios, anyone still rocking a sound card?


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## Kursah (Nov 30, 2017)

I have my Auzen X-Fi Forte PCI-e collecting dust, but at the ready if need-be. Was a damn good card during it's use.

I do however use an Aune T1 Mk1 USB DAC/AMP for my primary audio output device, which would count as using a sound card, albeit external. My onboard ACL1150 on my Asus Z87 Pro isn't too shabby and at one point I was using it to feed my Denon AVR a couple years back.


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## EarthDog (Nov 30, 2017)

Negative. Onboard audio, high end ones (Realtek ALC1220 today), serve me just fine for my midrange speaker and cans setup and should do well for all but the most critical of listeners with good+ speakers/cans. 

What they bring to the table, to me, just isn't worth the added expense.


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## rtwjunkie (Nov 30, 2017)

I use a Soundblaster Z. The audio.boost and amplification are the prime reason I use one. When disconnected, the sounds are all still there, just not as "full." So I continue to use one for gaming.


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## P4-630 (Nov 30, 2017)

Never had a sound card.... Have always been using onboard. (Realtek)


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## JackDarx (Nov 30, 2017)

My 13 years old Audigy 2 ZS refuses to die, i'm still using it though onboard would be fine if I needed to use it.


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## hat (Nov 30, 2017)

Using optical audio with my sound bar, I would use onboard if it had optical. It doesn't, so I have to use my old x-fi. If I were building a new system I'd want a board with decent audio (like that ALC1220) and I'd be okay with that, even for analog speakers.


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## jboydgolfer (Nov 30, 2017)

My RT1150 does well enough for my needs, but im confident even a mid range sound card would give that extra quality that all but the highest standard of onboard cannot provide.


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## FordGT90Concept (Nov 30, 2017)

I've had too many problems with sound cards so I use external DACs now or onboard.


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## agent_x007 (Nov 30, 2017)

ASUS Essence ST Deluxe 7.1 (with changed OpAmps)


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## Deleted member 67555 (Nov 30, 2017)

I use a Sound Blaster Audigy FX... It's barely better than my onboard audio if at all but has a way better software package than the realtek.

With the SB I can use one single preset and everything sounds great... With the realtek everything needs it's on preset..music, movies etc...

I suppose the SB does sound a little bit better with better speakers it does have a headphone amp...
I guess if you spent more than $50 on speakers a sound card is better..
If you're hooked up to a receiver HDMI through the gfx is good enough.


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## Jetster (Nov 30, 2017)

I was using a ASUS Xonar DSX, well its still I the computer but I've switched to a usb dac.
Honestly the $30 Xonar DSX is amazing and is allot better than any onboard and my onboard is the Creative Sound Core 3D.


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## Seba_82 (Nov 30, 2017)

I use a Sound Blaster Z... the headphone out its excelent! maybe for the H&K AVR 165 its no necessary but... i prefer... sorry for my bad english!


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## Deleted member 67555 (Nov 30, 2017)

The onboard audio circuit on my board is isolated to make it sound better and it's not bad... I just can't seem to keep the sound quality on different types of audio like I can with the SB...
I tried modded drivers and such to no avail... Sure it only takes 2 seconds to fix but I wanna be able to not think about it...

Yes that's a nit pick but $30 at the time through the present was and is totally worth it imo.


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## lZKoce (Nov 30, 2017)

I use a second hand Creative Recon3D and I don't regret it for a bit. There was something I wanted from this package, and I got it. I hope it works for a looong time.


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## _UV_ (Nov 30, 2017)

Today sound cards just lost its focus in selling hardware and games. Especially after all that DRM, which prohibit using real hardware processing in either movies or games... And we lost hardware 3D sound with Vista. VR 4K 144FPS HDR that does matter for the masses, nobody cares about that shitty sound from usb or laptop speakers.

I'm  using Creative Titanium HD now, and Elite pro in WinXP retro rig, and AWE64 in DOS one, and hoping Audigy 2ZS Plat or 4 pro for the W98 rig. Also some E-Mu 0404USB and 1616m. Maybe one day i'll buy old Roland or Yamaha hardware or GUS for a full nostalgia dreams, i didn't have money for that being a child, ESS1868 and live 5.1 was best my parents can afford at that time.


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## erocker (Nov 30, 2017)

Even onboard sound solutions for motherboards that claim "great sound" are generally garbage sounding to me. I've been somewhat satisfied with my Sound Blaster Zx, though I'm probably looking to get something better soon.


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## natr0n (Nov 30, 2017)

I prefer a sound card. Very fond of the x-fi series. I'm used to that extreme clarity.

Some onboard realtek uses creatives software, but you cant beat the real thing.


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## Vayra86 (Nov 30, 2017)

erocker said:


> Even onboard sound solutions for motherboards that claim "great sound" are generally garbage sounding to me. I've been somewhat satisfied with my Sound Blaster Zx, though I'm probably looking to get something better soon.



In the first half of this sentence you sound like an audiophile, and in the second half you say your speakers are Sound Blasters. Something ain't right here 

Sound is so much more than just the hardware you use to drive it, IMO. The room you put it in and what speakers you use with it are elemental aspects of good sound. In my living room I've got a proper setup both in hardware and acoustically, there is no single setup I could place upstairs with my PC to match that. I've actually tried placing the towers I have downstairs up here, but its horrible


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## puma99dk| (Nov 30, 2017)

Kursah said:


> I have my Auzen X-Fi Forte PCI-e collecting dust, but at the ready if need-be. Was a damn good card during it's use.
> 
> I do however use an Aune T1 Mk1 USB DAC/AMP for my primary audio output device, which would count as using a sound card, albeit external. My onboard ACL1150 on my Asus Z87 Pro isn't too shabby and at one point I was using it to feed my Denon AVR a couple years back.



I owned a Auzentech I think it was the X-Fi Bravura or was it the Forte back in the day I don't remember but I regarded selling it when I did even I moved over to a Asus Essence STX that I replaced too and now I am onboard Creative Core3D chip.


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## FreedomEclipse (Nov 30, 2017)

rolling with an SB-Z here. I would of still had an Asus Xonar soundcard but their cards run like garbage when it comes to gaming. At least this was my experience.


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## RejZoR (Nov 30, 2017)

Sound BlasterX AE-5 here. I'd never trade it for anything in terms of audio quality. They just need to sort out dumb glitches in their new panel. But at least they are releasing drivers more often, tech support actually responds quickly and in general, drivers are much more slim and faster installing.

@FreedomEclipse 
I've had Xonar Essence STX. Excellent sound with literally the worst driver in existence of all soundcards. Not even SB Live! back in 1999 was worse. I think their Strix soundcards have better software now with more control, but I don't know how much support they offer. Back when I had it, support page didn't even have "Sound Card" category...


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## _JP_ (Nov 30, 2017)

Xonar DX. 
On-board is ALC892, which I already had on my previous motherboard. The chip is good but the DX has that extra "oomph" that I want, especially for headphones, The DX has a dedicated amp for them. 
Not an audiophile, but I guess I can tell when sound isn't as rich as I'd like  My pockets sure aren't, so the DX will do


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## jallenlabs (Nov 30, 2017)

My Asus Xonar pci sound card just took a dump, so I am back to onboard.    Probably replace it with the same card.  Im no audiophile, but I do like good sound and that card sounds better than my onboard, especially with my headset.


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## LightningJR (Nov 30, 2017)

Using an OEM X-FI Extreme Music atm. When I do change it up ill be going with an external option. Maybe the Dragonfly. Although my 5.1 setup needs something more than an external stereo device, maybe i'll just do optical if it comes to that.


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## FireFox (Nov 30, 2017)

I have never used one, always Onboard


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## yogurt_21 (Nov 30, 2017)

what no turtle beach peeps? seem to have some nice looking headsets now, but back in the day I used to love their sound cards. 

it seems like most of us just settled rather than onboard actually being sufficient. Granted I'd still run a mixing board even when I did have a nice sound card. 

But the past 2 rigs I swear I got lazy and just went with onboard without even testing the difference.


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## eidairaman1 (Dec 1, 2017)

ZxR here


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## AlienIsGOD (Dec 1, 2017)

Xonar DSX here w/ Modded Uni drivers


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## Apocalypsee (Dec 1, 2017)

I have a couple of soundcard, Xonar HDAV1.3 (not the slim one) and XFi Titanium HD but I'm not using it. What I use currently is an USB Digidesign MBox. Surprisingly it worked well on Win10 Fall Update, this thing is nearly 15 years old. I never use an onboard sound, always have a soundcard since socket 7.


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## EarthDog (Dec 1, 2017)

I would have to wonder how a 15 y.o sound card compares to ALC1220...


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## xorbe (Dec 1, 2017)

toslink to external dac, to avoid video card hum on the audio output


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## THE_EGG (Dec 1, 2017)

I used to use an Asus Essence ST and frankly the headphone out on that was GLORIOUS buttttt, the driver experience was not and would frequently BSOD in certain games too. Then PCI slots went extinct so I went to a Creative SB-Z (back in 2013 or 2014 I think) and I've been quite satisfied. Better in-game sound than the Asus and more stable however the sound quality of FLAC files and some movies just aren't what they used to be when I had the Essence ST. I tried the on-board sound on my mobo but I wasn't pleased.


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## INSTG8R (Dec 1, 2017)

SB ZX pretty much always had a soundcard since I went 5.1 years ago. Audigy, Audigy 2 ZS, X-Fi Fatality and now my ZX. I finally got “The Daddy” Logi Z906 5.1 so I’m a pretty happy chappy.


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## EarthDog (Dec 1, 2017)

Wish this had a poll.....

It would probably be nice to see statistics to answer the question in the OP.


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## RejZoR (Dec 1, 2017)

THE_EGG said:


> I used to use an Asus Essence ST and frankly the headphone out on that was GLORIOUS buttttt, the driver experience was not and would frequently BSOD in certain games too. Then PCI slots went extinct so I went to a Creative SB-Z (back in 2013 or 2014 I think) and I've been quite satisfied. Better in-game sound than the Asus and more stable however the sound quality of FLAC files and some movies just aren't what they used to be when I had the Essence ST. I tried the on-board sound on my mobo but I wasn't pleased.



Go with AE-5 then. Better drivers (though control panels are a bit funky) and at worst, same audio quality as Xonar ST/STX.


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## dirtyferret (Dec 1, 2017)

rtwjunkie said:


> When disconnected, the sounds are all still there, just not as "full." So I continue to use one for gaming.



I definitely notice the "full" sound especially along the mid range and a lower base frequency with more punch.  I have the klipsch promedia 2.1 speaker set up and they do a good job.

I also noticed the fuller range with my old creative blaster sound card as well but I found that had issues in certain games due to drivers so I switched over to on-board sound with my last two builds until this recent purchase.  The creative sound card got demoted to my wife's PC which uses cheap cambridge sound works speakers; aka two glorified tin cans strung together by a string.



EarthDog said:


> Wish this had a poll.....
> 
> It would probably be nice to see statistics to answer the question in the OP.



I don't see in the option in the edit feature.  I'll check with one of the mods.


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## f22a4bandit (Dec 1, 2017)

I'm running a Creative Sound Blaster Z right now. It's actually my first soundcard as I'd used onboard previously. I'm able to pick up game sounds much sooner than some of my friends which is nice. Plus the audio experience is richer when doing other things like listening to music or watching shows.


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## EarthDog (Dec 1, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> I don't see in the option in the edit feature.  I'll check with one of the mods.


Thank you. I am pretty curious to see how many in the enthusiast segment actually do this.


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## R00kie (Dec 1, 2017)

Xonar DSX here with a custom OP-AMP, onboard sounds too stale and crackly for my tastes.


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## Slizzo (Dec 1, 2017)

dirtyferret said:


> I know the sound card is going the way of the Dodo for PC gamers (still viable for audiophiles) but earlier in the year I purchased an Asrock Z270 mobo.  Board works great outside of the audio and I got it for under $100 but I did noticed little issues during some games.  For example when a dragon would flap its wings you would hear a "cracking" sound in the animation audio.  It's not a major deal but I personally did find it annoying and unsurprising as I knew the audio was lacking before purchase.
> 
> _The two motherboard that we are testing today are worlds apart in terms of audio performance. MSI’s new Realtek ALC1220 codec delivers excellent performance figures, with the dynamic range reaching above 102 dB(A) and THD + Noise hitting -88 dB(A). On the other hand, the performance of the ALC892 codec on the ASRock Z270 Killer SLI is poor, even when compared to older boards that feature the same chipset. Even though it is lacking an optical SPDIF out port, the MSI Z270 SLI Plus is much superior than the ASRock Z270 Killer SLI in terms of audio performance.
> _
> ...



I too have a DGX, pushing my Klipsch Promedia Ultra 5.1s. Never been a fan of headphones overall. Also can't really wear them as I need to have the audio only baby monitor with me when I am downstairs on the computer at night.


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## dirtyferret (Dec 1, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> Thank you. I am pretty curious to see how many in the enthusiast segment actually do this.



I don't have the option to do it in my OP but talked to a mod and he is looking into it.  My bad for not originally doing it but I did not think it would be two pages of comments 



Slizzo said:


> Also can't really wear them as I need to have the audio only baby monitor with me when I am downstairs on the computer at night.



Been there done that


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## CAPSLOCKSTUCK (Dec 1, 2017)

Soundcard for me









im using it to play this.....sounds ace


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## Mindweaver (Dec 1, 2017)

X-Fi Extreme Gamer, here. I thought about upgrading it but it still works well with my HD 518 headphones.


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## dirtyferret (Dec 1, 2017)

props to Kursah and Sneekypeet for giving us a poll


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## Red_Machine (Dec 1, 2017)

I started using sound cards when I got some old Sound Blaster Audigys for free from work in around 2010/11, which I used for a while until we scrapped an Alienware PC that had an X-Fi PCIe card in it.  That had an annoying glitch where once every few months the audio would get a nasty hiss that could only be fixed by cleaning out the drivers and reinstalling them, so I instead bought an Audigy Rx that I used for a few years until they stopped releasing new drivers for it.  Then I replaced it with a Sound Blaster Z, which, frustratingly, seems to have been abandoned now that Creative have released their new AE-5 line.  The only reason I replaced the Rx was because I didn't want to be using unsupported hardware with obsolete drivers.  I feel cheated.


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## rtwjunkie (Dec 1, 2017)

Red_Machine said:


> frustratingly, seems to have been abandoned now that Creative have released their new AE-5 line


The Z keeps getting new drivers. I have the latest set from April, I think. I just reinstalled after Fall Creator's update and they work as well as they did before. 

They have been putting new ones out at a twice a year pace, trying to keep up with MS who think they need a new OS every 6 months now.


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## INSTG8R (Dec 1, 2017)

rtwjunkie said:


> The Z keeps getting new drivers. I have the latest set from April, I think. I just reinstalled after Fall Creator's update and they work as well as they did before.
> 
> They have been putting new ones out at a twice a year pace, trying to keep up with MS who think they need a new OS every 6 months now.


Yeah Creators broke my centre channel. Reinstalled all good again.


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## Aquinus (Dec 1, 2017)

For speakers, I'll use on-board because the differences in quality are less apparent however, when I'm using headphones, I now use a portable USB DAC + headphone amp.


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## EarthDog (Dec 1, 2017)

jebus... 3 out of 4 still use one... wow.............

I cannot believe it is that high, honestly.


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## dirtyferret (Dec 1, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> jebus... 3 out of 4 still use one... wow.............
> 
> I cannot believe it is that high, honestly.



same


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## Melvis (Dec 1, 2017)

P4-630 said:


> Never had a sound card.... Have always been using onboard. (Realtek)



Same here  not that im a fan of realtek though 

Onboard has just got better and better over the years that I didnt see a point in getting a sound card


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## Assimilator (Dec 1, 2017)

The last time I used a discrete sound card was when PCs didn't have audio built into the motherboard. The last time I used a 3.5mm audio jack was probably 3+ years ago, because that's when I switched to a wireless USB headset and have never looked back.

Hence I neither know nor care how good or bad onboard audio is versus discrete sound cards, since I use neither. I personally wish they'd start making motherboards without onboard audio to lower the price (and maybe put useful things, like more USB ports, on the back panel instead).


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## Jetster (Dec 1, 2017)

Assimilator said:


> I personally wish they'd start making motherboards without onboard audio to lower the price



They can leave off the RGB too


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## P4-630 (Dec 2, 2017)

Melvis said:


> Onboard has just got better and better over the years that I didnt see a point in getting a sound card



Yeah, it's good enough for me, besides that I don't have the most expensive speakers either so I'm good with it.


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## Cvrk (Dec 2, 2017)

I voted yes,even tho right now it's not installed. Reason why, cuz i was worried it will take away the cooling from the graphics card. I am yet to test to see the temp difference, i am almost sure there is less than 1 degree. 

But yeah, dedicated i use a Realtek ALC 1220, the sound is decent, but it wont let me use all 5 speakers fill in effect. My extremely old Creative Sound Blaster 2 does this with the most ease.


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## Assimilator (Dec 2, 2017)

Jetster said:


> They can leave off the RGB too



That was implied


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## Filip Georgievski (Dec 2, 2017)

Using my onboard sound from my P7H55 USB3 mobo, but i have 2 sound systems hooked up to it on same cable, with spliters, and both systems have headphone amp which gives me better sound with any headphones i use, even earbuds.


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## EarthDog (Dec 2, 2017)

Cvrk said:


> I voted yes,even tho right now it's not installed. Reason why, cuz i was worried it will take away the cooling from the graphics card. I am yet to test to see the temp difference, i am almost sure there is less than 1 degree.
> 
> But yeah, dedicated i use a Realtek ALC 1220, the sound is decent, but it wont let me use all 5 speakers fill in effect. My extremely old Creative Sound Blaster 2 does this with the most ease.


lol, put the card in. Im sure you have the headroom...


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## RejZoR (Dec 2, 2017)

Sound Blaster Z and AE-5 support this. Select 5.1 and then increase Surround percentage. This will expand stereo content to 5.1 surround to a degree you want. It can be barely expanded to rear and center or it can be a 100% copy.


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## Robert Bourgoin (Dec 2, 2017)

I have an Asus Essence STX II using quality RCA blue jean cables hooked up to AudioEngine 5+ speakers teamed with an SVS  sub woofer . Nice


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## Kovoet (Dec 2, 2017)

My Hyper clouds are fine and just plug them into the USB


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## Vario (Dec 2, 2017)

*Do you still use a sound card?*

 Maybe?  I don't know if this thing counts but it was worth $5 for sure. Fixed so many problems I was having with my mic and the audio quality is really decent.  I don't even have my audio chipset drivers installed because I hate the VIA chipset audio.




Not a card though so I voted No.  I have had them in the past but they always caused problems for me.  Last one I had was the Audigy 2 ZS back in the early 2000s. 

*SD-CM-UAUD*
http://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=691




dirtyferret said:


> IThe creative sound card got demoted to my wife's PC which uses cheap cambridge sound works speakers; aka two glorified tin cans strung together by a string.



I know the exact ones, I have em.


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## Jetster (Dec 2, 2017)

Vario said:


> *Do you still use a sound card?*
> 
> Maybe?  I don't know if this thing counts but it was worth $5 for sure. Fixed so many problems I was having with my mic and the audio quality is really decent.  Not a card though so I voted No.  I have had them in the past but they always caused problems for me.  Last one I had was the Audigy 2 ZS back in the early 2000s.  View attachment 94459
> 
> ...



That qualifies as a DAC and not a sound card


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## EntropyZ (Dec 2, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> I would have to wonder how a 15 y.o sound card compares to ALC1220...


Well, my dad for some weird reason prefers using an Audigy 2 PCI instead of his on-board ALC1150 which should be about the same, though spec wise the on-board might have the lead. He has a 7.1 Creative Inspire system, most of the speakers have been replaced with old speakers that were top quality for their time and now 1 unit could cost as much as a pair of quality studio speakers.

I guess he does like the Creative software much more over what Realtek offers, I've seen him adjust the loudness/equalization a lot because of distance the speakers are placed at and the sound the individual speakers produce. Creative software just has a lot more customization options.

Myself, I've never used anything other than on-board sound, the price just doesn't seem to justify the purchase unless you can get a used one and find drivers that won't blue screen.

I did contemplate getting a Xonar DX, some people like it and some say it's complete garbage. I don't know what to believe. Until I heard it myself, I just don't want to invest in something that *is *likely to be not much an improvement over on-board for me personally.

I prefer listening on earphones, they're light and seem enough combined with on-board sound, though I do find myself tuning the equalizer for individual styles of music, A LOT. I can't seem to find a medium which fits everything.

With speakers I have a problem, the subwoofer of the budget CT Inspire kit does it's job. But the satellites that come with it are lackluster, and most of the good sound seems to either not come out them or most of the sound is being absorbed by the furniture. Or maybe my hearing has gone to sh*t from listening on headphones at high volume.

My own personal experience with sound goes only as far as getting the most of speaker placement and the equalizer.

I just don't have the money to experiment if it is my hearing, the DAC or the speakers/headphones that is impeding the experience.

It seems like the only way to get a good budget audio setup is to dive blindly and decide for yourself if everything is worth the money.

I've tried searching for good upgrades, but reviews only do so much, and people's opinions range wildly. With everything combined, it seems extremely difficult to decide.

There are a few used SB X-Fi cards floating for 50 euros. But that's as much for a whole budget motherboard or an SSD. And I'm not sure about it being worth that.

I've also tried listening to the audio through HDMI from my monitor and tried comparing that. It seemed like there is no difference.

I *do* have access to an SB Live! and SB Live! 5.1 and an older PC that has some PCI slots. Maybe I'll try that, but I don't think it's gonna make a difference to something like ALC 889 or 892. It does state in the wiki these cards have design flaws and are really old.

This pretty much should sum up old pre-Audigy era cards. https://hardforum.com/threads/the-truth-and-my-view-onboard-sound-vs-sb-live-5-1.1396019/


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## GoldenX (Dec 2, 2017)

Still have a PCI Sound Blaster Live 24 bit. I intend to keep using it even on my next desktop Ryzen, Realteks may be good, but that old small card is still better.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Dec 3, 2017)

Because of this thread I spent the last day adjusting the audio...
No... My realtek onboard is not even close to the quality of the Audigy FX and that card isn't known to be a great card either....my onboard is ALC889.

I really really prefer the Audigy FX....
I made the mistake of slightly adjusting my setup and went OCD for 7 hours fixing it... no audiophile


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## ASOT (Dec 3, 2017)

Back 10 years ago i used Sound Blaster Creative..nowdays integrated audio sound evolve alot, 1220/1150


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## IceScreamer (Dec 3, 2017)

I never had anything close to good sound setup/speakers/headphones so I never needed (or wanted) a soundcard, always used onboard. 
Would definitely give it a try someday.


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## micropage7 (Dec 3, 2017)

no, the last was audigy but after that i run onboard soundcard


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## cookiemonster (Dec 3, 2017)

I use the Creative Sound Blaster Z PCI Express 5.1Ch Sound Card before  that it was on board and before  that  it was an Xfi Fatality sound cards seem to have a little edge compared to onboard sound.


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## Thefumigator (Dec 3, 2017)

-Sound Blaster Live (died, which explains my avatar) it was really cool when the unofficial kx drivers were installed.
-Emu 0404 for making music. It also died. It was the best sounding card I ever had,
-Sound Blaster Audigy RX for ASIO 2.0 music playing and recording. Very good sound card. Still works.
-Onboard on my secondary computer (MSI A320 Grenade) got some "hi-fi" golden capacitors, which makes it sound very good.


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## Divide Overflow (Dec 3, 2017)

This poll is like asking how many people are still using discrete graphics cards.  Don't you know most PCs come with onboard video these days!?  /s


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## Tatty_One (Dec 3, 2017)

SoundBlaster X-fi Elite pro here, still going strong and still happy with it.


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## MetalRacer (Dec 3, 2017)

Still like my Asus Xonar Essence STX.


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## Liviu Cojocaru (Dec 4, 2017)

I've used my onboard Creative Sound Core 3d for a while but now when I got my new speakers (Edifier 2000RB) I also bought an ASUS Xonar DGX...I am really pleased with it.


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## Eroticus (Dec 4, 2017)

I had ASUS Xonar D2X upgraded it to Creative Z. (to remove the power cable)..


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## evernessince (Dec 4, 2017)

JDS Labs Element.  Blows away every soundcard on the market and many DACs.  Has enough Amp power to turn your headphones into a boombox.


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## silapakorn (Dec 4, 2017)

I always have a soundcard in my PC. Onboard sound is too weak to produce enough sound impact for me. 
I even sneaked one of my old soundcards into my office computer so that I can enjoy quality music via headphones while working.
A good soundcard paired with good quality speakers and headphones can make a huge difference in audio experience.
My current speakers (bought them at $1000) have a built-in DAC but it still can't compare to my $250 soundcard. 
Besides, you can adjust so many things to suit your listening preference. Onboard sound chips usually have very limited audio options.


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## X800 (Dec 4, 2017)

I have still Asus Xonar DX and the sound is better than onboard.


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## Komshija (Dec 4, 2017)

Back in the days integrated sound cards were bad and some motherboards didn't even have them, so many people bought them as a separate hardware. I remember that my dad had one in the late 90's on his first PC. 
Not so long ago integrated sound cards became very good and very capable, heck, even the medium-range motherboards come with very good integrated sound cards. Unless integrated sound card is defective and there's no option to RMA a motherboard, I don't see a reason why anyone except professional audio editors and maybe professional video editors would use them.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Dec 4, 2017)

Because integrated does not meet the expectations of my ears.


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## EarthDog (Dec 4, 2017)

jmcslob said:


> Because integrated does not meet the expectations of my ears.


I mean, you are using the nvidia audio...lol


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## Deleted member 67555 (Dec 4, 2017)

EarthDog said:


> I mean, you are using the nvidia audio...lol


Was... temporarily... And onboard...
This is the first thread I've admitted to having let alone using a sound card..
I'm horrible at updating my system specs...and I lack specifics...I also admit to that...lol


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## Doc41 (Dec 9, 2017)

still using my X-fi titanium fatality pro, will have to move on to onboard or usb DAC's when i re-build my PC in the future


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