Curse

pkodyssey · Nov 24, 2005, 03:27 AM // 03:27

Looking for opinions on sound cards. Brands, features, etc.

What are using and what do you like?

Any know issues with drivers or conflicts that I should know about?

I am using an old Audigy 2 in my machine without problem. ANy reasons I should avoid this card.

My wife is using the onboard P.O.S. and nobody can hear her on Teamspeak unless she is cupping the mic like some rapper wannabe. Yes I have the gain cranked and did the test and boosted the mic and adjusted the audio properties and this and that and some more of that and it still sucks.

Our machines are identical except for the sound card. Mine works perfect.

d4nowar · Nov 24, 2005, 03:29 AM // 03:29

The obvious solution to that would be to get an Audigy 2 for her also. I use some variant of that also and it works beautifully.

EternalTempest · Nov 24, 2005, 04:05 AM // 04:05

I would get the Audigy 2 ZS (not the older Audigy 2) or the newer Audigy FX (cheapest one) for her or get an Audigy FX for your self and move your Audigy 2 to her pc.

Avoid the Audigy 4 completely. The older a Creative lab card becomes the quicker Creative wants to dump it.

Akilles · Nov 25, 2005, 05:15 AM // 05:15

I say if it supports dolby digital sound and EAX-HD then dont bother, after all the human ear can only hear so much. one day these sound cards will reach their peak of audio reproduction for our human ear. digital is digital.

EternalTempest · Nov 26, 2005, 08:44 AM // 08:44

The newer cards can process EAX better using less system resources / have better processing power. Also, newer EAX standards use built in hardware support to play, where older cards have to support newer EAX via software emulation causing much more cpu usage.

The FX line as the ability to switch "modes" so when in gaming mode, it makes EAX decoding the focus, if you want music quality it cuts EAX down / off and focus on quality play back.

swaaye · Nov 29, 2005, 10:38 PM // 22:38

X-Fi you mean.

Ya X-Fi does support EAX5, but only 1 or 2 games actually use whatever that is. I'm not even sure how much better 5 is than Audigy 2 ZS's EAX4. I'm sure they made EAX5 just for X-Fi.

You'd be very well served by a "mere" Audigy 2 ZS, and they are quite cheap these days. Just don't go lower than that. There are Audigy LS cards (I think they are labeled) which are totally software-based. Dell even went so far to make a "fake" SBLive with a totally software-drive chip onboard instead of the old EMU10K1 which is more powerful.