# MSI or Asus onboard Sound better?



## mclaren85 (Mar 18, 2022)

Hello,

I'm not professional but always consider myself as an audiophile. Therefore when I buy a laptop or desktop, the onboard audio quality and software support is always taken into consideration. So if we look at the two big rivals, Asus and MSI, which one sounds better? Has anyone here experienced and try one of these?

MSI
Nahimic 3 + Audio Boost 5
Realtek ALC4082 + ESS Sabre9018 DAC

Asus
DTS X Ultra + Asus Supreme FX
Asus exclusive S1220A +ESS Sabre9018 DAC


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## Bill_Bright (Mar 18, 2022)

mclaren85 said:


> which one sounds better?


The one with the better speakers.

That said, if you consider yourself an audiophile (as I do) does it really matter? I mean no computer speaker will ever come close to my living room system where just one of the front speakers costs way more than an entire laptop or PC computer's surround sound system. And of course, my living room speaker still needs an entire amplifier system not included in the price of the speaker.


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## claes (Mar 18, 2022)

An external DAC is the only answer


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## JATownes (Mar 18, 2022)

I just switched from an Asus X570 Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi to an MSI X570S MEG Ace Max and the onboard sound is head and shoulders above the Asus.  Granted, I do my gaming on headphones with a DAC, so can't really speak to that, but the media experience is substantially better on my speakers with the MSI.  

I must also admit I thought the Nahimic thing was pretty gimmicky, but it has impressed me upon hearing it.

Just my two cents for what it's worth.

JAT


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## GerKNG (Mar 18, 2022)

every onboard audio solution is crap.

buy a cheap USB DAC (the sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S costs ~30 bucks and is insanely good)
Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S review: Surprisingly cheap USB sound solution with real headphone amplifier as an insider tip for connoisseurs | igor'sLAB (igorslab.de)


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## eidairaman1 (Mar 18, 2022)

Get a Sound Card


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## mclaren85 (Mar 18, 2022)

JATownes said:


> I just switched from an Asus X570 Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi to an MSI X570S MEG Ace Max and the onboard sound is head and shoulders above the Asus.  Granted, I do my gaming on headphones with a DAC, so can't really speak to that, but the media experience is substantially better on my speakers with the MSI.
> 
> I must also admit I thought the Nahimic thing was pretty gimmicky, but it has impressed me upon hearing it.
> 
> ...


We use the exact same motherboard! I love the audio quality for sure, but the basses seems weak to me. What do you think for bass and is there any preset to overcome the bass problem?



Bill_Bright said:


> The one with the better speakers.
> 
> That said, if you consider yourself an audiophile (as I do) does it really matter? I mean no computer speaker will ever come close to my living room system where just one of the front speakers costs way more than an entire laptop or PC computer's surround sound system. And of course, my living room speaker still needs an entire amplifier system not included in the price of the speaker.


Thank you for your explanation. That means everything comes down to money 
There's no end in the audio world like many other things..


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## Cutechri (Mar 19, 2022)

GerKNG said:


> every onboard audio solution is crap.
> 
> buy a cheap USB DAC (the sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S costs ~30 bucks and is insanely good)
> Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S review: Surprisingly cheap USB sound solution with real headphone amplifier as an insider tip for connoisseurs | igor'sLAB (igorslab.de)


Hey, are there any drivers for this or is it just plug and play with my Realtek drivers?

Also, any headphone extension cables you recommend? My headphone's cable is a bit too short to reach the back of the PC and I don't wanna plug in the DAC to the front panel. Preferrably one that supports a mic + audio combo, no splitters.


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## Deleted member 202104 (Mar 19, 2022)

Cutechri said:


> Hey, are there any drivers for this or is it just plug and play with my Realtek drivers?
> 
> Also, any headphone extension cables you recommend? My headphone's cable is a bit too short to reach the back of the PC and I don't wanna plug in the DAC to the front panel. Preferrably one that supports a mic + audio combo, no splitters.



It's plug and play - it actually will act as a second sound device so Realtek won't be a part of it.

As for the cable:



			https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00SWYTGLU/


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## Cutechri (Mar 19, 2022)

weekendgeek said:


> It's plug and play - it actually will act as a second sound device so Realtek won't be a part of it.


So does that mean I can just disable the onboard audio?



weekendgeek said:


> https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00SWYTGLU/


Thanks! Gonna give these two a try after horrible failures with an internal 200 euro Creative sound card. Never again.


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## Deleted member 202104 (Mar 19, 2022)

Cutechri said:


> So does that mean I can just disable the onboard audio?



Yep.  I have an external USB DAC that I do just that with.



Cutechri said:


> Thanks! Gonna give these two a try after horrible failures with an internal 200 euro Creative sound card. Never again.



I haven't tried this particular cable, but I have tried others from this brand.  They seem to have held up well.


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## Cutechri (Mar 19, 2022)

Here's hoping I don't regret it like I did with Creative.


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## GerKNG (Mar 19, 2022)

Cutechri said:


> Hey, are there any drivers for this or is it just plug and play with my Realtek drivers?


Yes Plug and Play and i recommend to just disabled onboard audio like weekendgeek just said.
i used to have a soundblaster XG6 and it broke after a year. replaced it with the Gaming DAC and it sounds basically identical.

still using it for every audio device i have (Bose companion speakers, Sennheiser/HyperX and Sony Headphones)
especially in teamspeak where my Sennheiser GSP600 sounds over onboard like a walkie talkie and superb with this thing.


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## Cutechri (Mar 19, 2022)

I have HyperX Cloud Alphas, I hope it'll make some sort of difference and that I don't need expensive audiophile grade headphones to notice a difference


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 19, 2022)

I'm using a Cambridge audio Dacmagic 100 from my rear USB C lovely. 

My board has onboard USB ALC4080


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## Cutechri (Mar 22, 2022)

Update: got it today. Disabled Onboard audio in the BIOS, rebooted, plugged it in, and it just worked. And it sounds amazing. Both for my microphone and for my sound quality be it music or games. I'm in love.

Thanks for the recommendations, this thing is already much better than Creative's sound card. Set it to 96 KHz and detected properly.





Like I legitimately just plugged it in and boom:





Goodbye Realtek!





Thank you @GerKNG and @weekendgeek for your recommendations, both the cable and DAC are working perfectly and the audio is crispy clean even on my microphone, no more crackling.

Would definitely recommend this to anyone with onboard audio.


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## kapone32 (Mar 22, 2022)

GerKNG said:


> every onboard audio solution is crap.
> 
> buy a cheap USB DAC (the sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S costs ~30 bucks and is insanely good)
> Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S review: Surprisingly cheap USB sound solution with real headphone amplifier as an insider tip for connoisseurs | igor'sLAB (igorslab.de)


That is actually no longer true the 1220 codec is really good. I tried a Asus Xonar AE card vs the 1220 adn the 1220 was louder and crisper than that. I must say I was truly impressed. Knock on Wood but the on board audio chip dying prematurely also seems to be resolved.



mclaren85 said:


> We use the exact same motherboard! I love the audio quality for sure, but the basses seems weak to me. What do you think for bass and is there any preset to overcome the bass problem?
> 
> 
> Thank you for your explanation. That means everything comes down to money
> There's no end in the audio world like many other things..


I have that board too and I also find the bass aw little bit weak but the mids are stellar


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## Cutechri (Mar 22, 2022)

kapone32 said:


> That is actually no longer true the 1220 codec is really good.


My board has the 1220 yet the Sharkoon delivers better quality sound and much better microphone quality


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## kapone32 (Mar 22, 2022)

Cutechri said:


> My board has the 1220 yet the Sharkoon delivers better quality sound and much better microphone quality


Interesting. I have one of those external DACs I might try it and see what happens. Thanks


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 22, 2022)

an external dac is better than onboard, my board has alc4080 but using the DAC


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## ThrashZone (Mar 22, 2022)

Hi,
I don't mind supremeFX as long as realtek equalizer works which on win-11 is dead, ms removed it during upgrade from 10
Not sure if it went store only app or what, 11 driver dictator at work.

Might add asus drops bios support after three years 
Msi is 5 years I believe so this might make a difference in mobo choice.


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## mclaren85 (Mar 22, 2022)

JATownes said:


> I just switched from an Asus X570 Crosshair VIII Hero Wifi to an MSI X570S MEG Ace Max and the onboard sound is head and shoulders above the Asus.  Granted, I do my gaming on headphones with a DAC, so can't really speak to that, but the media experience is substantially better on my speakers with the MSI.
> 
> I must also admit I thought the Nahimic thing was pretty gimmicky, but it has impressed me upon hearing it.
> 
> ...


That is the exact answer I was looking for. I was not sure if I did correct decision by choosing MSI. Thank you!


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## ThrashZone (Mar 22, 2022)

Hi,
One issue with msi is they were caugh red handed scalping their own gpu's during the mining craze.

Think asrock is rated better.


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## GerKNG (Mar 22, 2022)

Cutechri said:


> Update: got it today. Disabled Onboard audio in the BIOS, rebooted, plugged it in, and it just worked. And it sounds amazing. Both for my microphone and for my sound quality be it music or games. I'm in love.
> 
> Thanks for the recommendations, this thing is already much better than Creative's sound card. Set it to 96 KHz and detected properly.


i am glad that you like it


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## chr0nos (Mar 22, 2022)

Just gonna leave this here so all of u know


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## 80-watt Hamster (Mar 22, 2022)

kapone32 said:


> That is actually no longer true the 1220 codec is really good. I tried a Asus Xonar AE card vs the 1220 adn the 1220 was louder and crisper than that. I must say I was truly impressed. Knock on Wood but the on board audio chip dying prematurely also seems to be resolved.
> 
> 
> I have that board too and I also find the bass aw little bit weak but the mids are stellar



Codec only gets you so far.  An awesome DSP can't help poor signal integrity or amplification.  Two 1220 implementations can end up very different quality-wise.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 22, 2022)

chr0nos said:


> Just gonna leave this here so all of u know


Got a C type one and a iPhone one, both pretty good, C type works fine on a phone or a PC


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## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Mar 24, 2022)

mclaren85 said:


> Realtek ALC4082 + ESS Sabre9018 DAC


Msi is better, as it has a better realtek audio processor over the ASUS, the ESS Saber is for front audio i think



GerKNG said:


> every onboard audio solution is crap.


I disagree, this isnt 2007 anymore, any board with atleast a realtek ALC 1150 or above will give a satisfactory audio quality for most users, unless its a cheap board with Realtek 887 or 897, i wouldn't invest in a external sound card


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## ir_cow (Mar 24, 2022)

Just going to leave this here. I Think Igor explains onboard audio well and compares ALC1220 vs ALC4080.

LINK
Igorslab - Disadvantages of onboard sound – Influence of graphics card, headphone sensitivity and motherboard layout


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## oobymach (Mar 24, 2022)

chr0nos said:


> Just gonna leave this here so all of u know


Without an amplifier my speakers don't make any noise, I can't just plug my speakers into a usb adapter and call it a day, there needs to be wattage pushed through a wire or the speakers they no worky.


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## GerKNG (Mar 24, 2022)

Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:


> I disagree, this isnt 2007 anymore, any board with atleast a realtek ALC 1150 or above will give a satisfactory audio quality for most users, unless its a cheap board with Realtek 887 or 897, i wouldn't invest in a external sound card


i don't say that they are unuseable but i have boards with the highest end ALC 4080/4082 and it is still a LOT worse than the sharkoon USB DAC. and i am not an audiophile person at all. but it sounds like a FLAC file from a CD compared to the youtube version in 144p.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 24, 2022)

GerKNG said:


> i don't say that they are unuseable but i have boards with the highest end ALC 4080/4082 and it is still a LOT worse than the sharkoon USB DAC. and i am not an audiophile person at all. but it sounds like a FLAC file from a CD compared to the youtube version in 144p.



Have to agree.

Though to be fair, i read a review of a board with the same onboard audio as mine Realtek  ALC4080 and Savitech SV3H712, who said-

Objective performance from the audio chain is excellent based on RMMA’s weighed scoring. Now frequency response is flat with minor deviations from the 0dB centered 1KHz frequency. As for THD, jitter is acceptable since the harmonics are well below audibility. IMD on the other hand also looks decent but the presence of harmonics at 100-200Hz worries me a bit. Shouldn’t be audible.

Subjectively, this is one of the best DAC and Amp combo I have tested in recent times. The Realtek  ALC4080 and Savitech SV3H712 outputs an ESS like sound signature, providing good macro details, separation, stage and imaging. Amplification is excellent too, able to power up my Hifiman HE400i (94dBSPL/mW) at generous levels that would otherwise distort from other onboard solutions that just couldn’t provide the current required to drive planars. It synergizes really well with the HD58X and the more power hungry HD600. Nothing to dislike here.

I just prefer my USB DACs sound, it seems crisper. I guess PC audio is subjective and down to the listeners taste.


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## Jetster (Mar 24, 2022)

They are the same bird


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## Chrispy_ (Mar 24, 2022)

Another vote here for an external DAC.

Onboard sound quality has dramatically improved in the last couple of decades, but converting to analogue before it leaves your PC's case means it *WILL* pick up a bit of EMI from components inside no matter how well the audio circuits are isolated from the rest of the board.

You don't even need a fancy DAC, cheap DACs are good for speakers up to a few hundred bucks and unless you're going to do room calibration there's no point spending silly money on DAC or speakers because the room modes will likely be the next biggest hurdle for audio quality after an external DAC.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 24, 2022)

Read the igors lab link. External Dac wins, however good the onboard is, there is interference from the GPU, even with a soundcard installed.

 I have a Cambridge audio Dacmagic 100 and a Samsung USB C dongle, and even that sounds better than the onboard.


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## mclaren85 (Mar 24, 2022)

Chrispy_ said:


> case means it *WILL* pick up a bit of EMI


Can we even recognize these uninvited EMI signals? By using external DAC, what extent does the sound improve?


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 24, 2022)

mclaren85 said:


> Can we even recognize these uninvited EMI signals? By using external DAC, what extent does the sound improve?



It would be cleaner, more crisp, no interference. just get a cheap USB DAC to try it, you will notice the difference imo


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## mclaren85 (Mar 24, 2022)

Tigger said:


> It would be cleaner, more crisp, no interference


I will, If only Nahimic software would still be active.
Do you say USB Dac is even better than an external soundcard?



ir_cow said:


> Just going to leave this here. I Think Igor explains onboard audio well and compares ALC1220 vs ALC4080.
> 
> LINK
> Igorslab - Disadvantages of onboard sound – Influence of graphics card, headphone sensitivity and motherboard layout


That is an excellent comparision. Thank you


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## bug (Mar 24, 2022)

claes said:


> An external DAC is the only answer


That, or digital out. Either way, onboard sound is rarely worth a second thought (or an extra penny).


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## Chrispy_ (Mar 24, 2022)

mclaren85 said:


> Can we even recognize these uninvited EMI signals? By using external DAC, what extent does the sound improve?


They're usually audible as faint squealing/screaming noises and you sometimes get pulsed clicks too. It depends what's in your case but for most people a GPU under load will make an EMI storm that most analogue internal audio can pick up with ease.

Let's put it this way - I've never not heard it for any onboard audio. Back in the old days of internal analogue soundcards it was the same issue. The problem isn't the quality of the DAC or the analogue circuits, it's that the minute the signal is analogue it's susceptible to any magnetic field. The digital signal is susceptible too, but it gets cleaned up to a pure 1 or 0 again at the end of its noisy journey down a trace or cable.


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## ThrashZone (Mar 24, 2022)

Hi,
I don't like headphones personally 
Ears get clammy after a short time.
Taking them off my hearing is all messed up so I just let the external speakers air it out


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## Deleted member 24505 (Mar 24, 2022)

ThrashZone said:


> Hi,
> I don't like headphones personally
> Ears get clammy after a short time.
> Taking them off my hearing is all messed up so I just let the external speakers air it out



I mainly use speakers, same reason plus i wear glasses so they hurt my ears. Only ever wear phones for talking to buds on discord.


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