I'm considering getting a new sound card...

ScytheScythe Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 46NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver
edited March 2007 in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Advice requested!</div>So I'm finally sick to the gills with my onboard piece of crap sound card and I'm looking for an alternative.

The #1 stipulation is that it must be able to mux 5.1 into a DTS signal and output it over digital optical/coax. I've got an external decoder that can handle a DTS bitstream. I hear there are a few cards around nowadays that can do this kind of thing. Note that this isn't the same as being able to pass a DTS signal through from a DVD playing in a DVDrom drive. It's gotta be able to mux the signal together in situ.

I'd like it to be a fairly popular brand given the nature of sound card drivers, they're almost impossible to find if it isn't a big-name piece of hardware.

I'm not an uber-audiophile so don't worry about carbon-nanotube-laced, oxygen free, pure-gold-plated optical audio contacts or anything. As long as it's got the stuff that games nowdays use. EAX nine million or whatever.

Any suggestions?

--Scythe--

P.S. PCI-E <b>not</b> required.
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Comments

  • SwiftSwift Lost Keys Join Date: 2005-02-19 Member: 41683Members, Constellation
    <a href="http://www.bluegears.com/b-Enspirer.html" target="_blank">http://www.bluegears.com/b-Enspirer.html</a>

    This is what I use. Top notch sound, great hardware.

    ABOUT EAX, it supports 2.0 I believe, but personally for me it sounds better than my old creative card when EAX is disabled.
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  • FaskaliaFaskalia Wechsellichtzeichenanlage Join Date: 2004-09-12 Member: 31651Members, Constellation
    edited March 2007
    <a href="http://www.turtlebeach.com" target="_blank">www.turtlebeach.com</a>

    Good soundcards, no driver issues.

    Just great.

    (I got hooked with turtlebeach after my first santacruz. Such a great card. *sob*)
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    I got the Creative XFI..best buy I ever did last year. I wasnt much of an audiophile before aquiring it, but certainly am now with the amazing quality.
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  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    I didn't know people cared about sound cards. I'm happy with my asus mobo's beeps and boops.
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  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    My only problem with my X-Fi is that it seems really difficult to find that bass "sweet spot" where its obviously heavy, but its still bass and not buzz(and I've got high quality equipment, so I'd think I'd have a bit more range to this). Otherwise, the additional effects you net with an X-Fi are pretty excellent. And, its the only one of the cards that will net you a huge performance boost in some of the newest games.
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  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    I don't know if it's been said yet, but I'd stay away from Creative stuff. I've only ever had issues with ish I've bought from them.

    "The system does not detect an installed Creative sound card, ending installation"
    What the ish? Im looking at it plugged into the mobo right now!
    "The system does not detect an installed Creative sound card, ending installation"
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  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1611856:date=Mar 6 2007, 09:09 PM:name=Xyth)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Xyth @ Mar 6 2007, 09:09 PM) [snapback]1611856[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I don't know if it's been said yet, but I'd stay away from Creative stuff. I've only ever had issues with ish I've bought from them.

    "The system does not detect an installed Creative sound card, ending installation"
    What the ish? Im looking at it plugged into the mobo right now!
    "The system does not detect an installed Creative sound card, ending installation"
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Mine works fine. Maybe it's just your computer.
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  • TykjenTykjen Join Date: 2003-01-21 Member: 12552Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    "I dont know if its been said yet." awesome.
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  • HellbillyHellbilly A whole title out of pity... Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 3931Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    Get anything besides Creative. Their drivers are so much crap and take so much space and resources it's a joke. And their supposedly awesome 24bit onchip mp3 awesomeness secret formula is nothing but a multiband dynamics effect. Stating they can make an mp3 be better then the original CD is the funniest thing ive heard.
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  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited March 2007
    I've seen X-fi not being able to be installed or many other weird problems on many systems. People end up returning it and getting an audigy or other non creative brands...
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  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1611894:date=Mar 6 2007, 06:23 PM:name=Kouji_San)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kouji_San @ Mar 6 2007, 06:23 PM) [snapback]1611894[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I've seen X-fi not being able to be installed or many other weird problems on many systems. People end up returning it and getting an <b>audigy</b> or other non creative brands...
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Audigy is just the name of a brand of Creative cards....
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  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited March 2007
    orly <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />

    [edit]
    now that I look at that sentence, I probably should've said

    "getting an audigy or <b>some</b> non creative brand"

    my bad <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
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  • HellbillyHellbilly A whole title out of pity... Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 3931Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
    I just dont get why their drivers need to be like 2-300 mb's, heck the drivers for my pro audio card are 5mb <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />

    But then again, Creative pretty much rule the market for consumer/prosumer cards so there is not much competition left, until you get up to Pro Audio.

    You can check out Terratec Aureon cards, cant beat german engineering. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />

    <a href="http://sounden.terratec.net/" target="_blank">http://sounden.terratec.net/</a>

    (i've had a terratec pro audio card for 5 years now without a glitch)
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