Sound Blaster AE-5 vs onboard audio

[Octopuss]

I've had Sound Blaster AE-5 card for several years now. I have been using various Creative cards for decades, always simply buying a newer model every few years when I got an upgrade itch.

I have recently been questioning whether I need the card at all with onboard sound probably improving since 20 years ago or so.

My setup is BIG stereo speakers and an integrated amp on the desk, and I run the Sound Blaster in direct mode. I just like my music to sound good. I'm a boomer and listen to FLACs stored on the PC

The onboard sound chip on my Asus B550 motherboard is something from Realtek the Asus website describes as "Realtek ALC S1200A". I have no idea what exactly that is, and there are hardly any results about it on Google (that specific model).

Can anyone who knows something about audio tell me whether the Sound Blaster card is supposed to sound noticeably better considering my setup or whether there should be hardly any difference? I wouldn't mind ditching a card from the PC, leaving room for more airflow or whatever. I just like minimalism, heh.

 

[bruhmoment01]

In my experience, motherboard integrated audio tends to have a very bad signal to noise ratio.

What this means is you’re more prone to hearing undesirable electronic chirps and hums or white noise, especially through amplified speakers. This can be very distracting. Discrete sound cards and external DACs usually advertise a signal to noise ratio >120db (bigger number means more “signal” relative to “noise”).

If you want to ditch the card, an external/USB DAC like a MOTU M2 (or M4, depending on how many channels you want) would give you a similar or better signal to noise ratio. There are numerous options from Focusrite, Universal Audio, Presonus, etc.

Part of the SoundBlaster value add is their software suite of equalizer tools, bass boost, crystalizer, etc. although all these effects can be duplicated with other software like FXSound.

A friend of mine who used a B550 board said the onboard audio was “flat” and “lacked stereo separation.” I never listened to the system, so I can’t quantify it more than that.

As always the best test is to listen with your own ears!

 

[eidairaman1]

Onboard audio is a value added function, keep the sound card you have.

Back when people used teamspeak, i used my sound card for game audio with speakers and the onboard for voice comm on a headset wrapped around my neck.

 

[londiste]

When audio output is analog then obviously DAC matters a lot.
What about digital output? Is there a benefit from discrete audio card when sound output is something like optical or HDMI? Or would that depend on the DAC in whatever receives the signal - how do these fare against ones in discrete audio cards?

 

[Aken Bosch]

I tried my setup on both onboard and SB because of you. My Sennheiser screamed for help and my 5.1 demanded a raise in salary.

Jokes aside, stay with the AE-5.

My 2c.

 

[Octopuss]

It sounds the same. Or so it seems to my ears. I removed the card from the PC and will sell it. The large beefy speakers are what makes the sound quality anyway, not some theoretical small differences in numbers in specs.
I used the SB in direct mode anyway, so any hypothetical extra value from software was useless anyway.
I've been using Sound Blaster cards for probably 25 years and never used any onboard sound in all the time, but if the claims about horrible sound quality you keep finding on the internet are true, something good must have happened in the recent years, because aside from slightly lower volume, music sounds exactly the same between the two sources.

I might eventually buy a standalone DAC, the Schiit Bifrost 2, but only because of the claimed noise cancellation circuitry or whatever it is - basically the damn noise you can hear when you pump volume up significantly. I could never make it disappear with any components, and few years ago I tried changing just about everything, and nothing helped.

 

[Aken Bosch]

Whatever suits your ears.