In need of a sound card and would like some input

[laddiemawery]

I never thought I would need a sound card before, but recently I've been having some issues with games stuttering. Long story short is I had to disable realtek sound devices so make everything run smoothly. Not an issue for most games with a few exceptions being fps games where sound is important. The only audio I can get from my computer currently is through HDMI making my headphones useless right now.

With all that out of the way, what would any of you recommend I pickup for a sound card? I know next to nothing about how a card compares to the on board audio. If there's another solution someone can think of I'm willing to try it out.

Also would it be possible with a sound card to get audio from a Blu-Ray player and use my headphones instead of my TV?


Thanks in advance!

 

[digitaldoc]

http/www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432743166&sr=8-2&keywords=sound+card

Yes, you can try a sound card. Realtek audio, while generally adequate, is not that good.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... Realtek is a Software/CPU assisted device. There are Sound cards and external devices that have their own "Processor Chip" "Co-Processor" onboard, and thus will not use your CPU for Audio processing.

 

[DasHotShot]

Hello... Realtek is a Software/CPU assisted device. There are Sound cards and external devices that have their own "Processor Chip" "Co-Processor" onboard, and thus will not use your CPU for processing.

Usually these are AMP/DAC combos or USB interfaces.

I recently bought a Fiio E10k Olympus 2 to power my studio grade headphones. It's excellent and I can only recommend this.

Other than that a focusrite scarlett 212 USB interface is awesome as it includes connectivity for your mic etc.

These are pieces of hardware which will last and can be deployed again and again. You can even get portable amp/dacs with inbuilt batteries to power better sound for ipads/phones etc.

 

[Lumberboy]

I have an Asus Xonar DX and in my opinion it is the best sound card I have ever used. In the past I have always purchased Creative cards, but I recommend the Xonar.

 

[laddiemawery]

http/www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audigy-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00EO6X4XG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1432743166&sr=8-2&keywords=sound+card

Yes, you can try a sound card. Realtek audio, while generally adequate, is not that good.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll take a look at it!

 

[laddiemawery]

I have an Asus Xonar DX and in my opinion it is the best sound card I have ever used. In the past I have always purchased Creative cards, but I recommend the Xonar.

What really made the decision to go with the Xonar? Generally just cleaner audio?

 

[DasHotShot]

It's also important to factor in what device you will connect to the soundcard.

If it's a $20 plastic headset, you don't need anything better than a Sonar DG! You will simply not be able to tell a difference from anything more expensive.

 

[laddiemawery]

It's also important to factor in what device you will connect to the soundcard.

If it's a $20 plastic headset, you don't need anything better than a Sonar DG! You will simply not be able to tell a difference from anything more expensive.

It's a pair of Sennheiser 598s. I've loved them so far but I can't use them right now 🙁

 

[DasHotShot]

This changes everything!

A sound card will only go so far when driving high grade cans. I use Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm puppies. This kind of gear needs more than a $50 card. It needs an amp and a DAC to perform to the best quality.

You want to take a look at my first post where I recommend those combos, as they act as a soundcard too. Often better than the internal ones you can get.

For your gear the right path is sticking to PRO grade stuff, not gaming branded stuff. It will make a world of difference.

To top it off you can use Razer Surround (free or a small fee for premium) to get full virtual surround (works in many games) and an EQ etc to tweak your settings.

Would strongly suggest you look into that!

 

[laddiemawery]

This changes everything!

A sound card will only go so far when driving high grade cans. I use Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm puppies. This kind of gear needs more than a $50 card. It needs an amp and a DAC to perform to the best quality.

You want to take a look at my first post where I recommend those combos, as they act as a soundcard too. Often better than the internal ones you can get.

For your gear the right path is sticking to PRO grade stuff, not gaming branded stuff. It will make a world of difference.

To top it off you can use Razer Surround (free or a small fee for premium) to get full virtual surround (works in many games) and an EQ etc to tweak your settings.

Would strongly suggest you look into that!

Thanks for the suggestion! I took a look at the E10K you recommended above, but I don't understand a lot about it still. Is it basically and usb powered sound card and amp? I would prefer something internal just because it helps with space in my desk and keeps the long wire the headphones have out of the way. If you think this would be a better option though I'd be willing to pick it up and try it out.

 

[DasHotShot]

I am by no means an audiophile or expert, as I recently entered this realm of better sound myself.

The e10 is basically 2 things. A sound card which converts the digital signal it gets via USB to an Analogue signal for your headphones and an amplifier which essentially powers your cans. It will show up as a seperate devive in your playback devices list in the sound section of the control panel. Meaning it bypasses whatever onboard sound you may have. Alas, it is a soundcard with benefits.

If you want internal solutions, you have to ask other memebers whether they are getting enough power from those as usually the weak amps they have don't do a good enough job of running pro grade cans.

I could be wrong and some do, however I can only say from my personal real world experience, I feel like I am getting exactly the level of sound from my headphones as the money warrants.

 

[laddiemawery]

I am by no means an audiophile or expert, as I recently entered this realm of better sound myself.

The e10 is basically 2 things. A sound card which converts the digital signal it gets via USB to an Analogue signal for your headphones and an amplifier which essentially powers your cans. It will show up as a seperate devive in your playback devices list in the sound section of the control panel. Meaning it bypasses whatever onboard sound you may have. Alas, it is a soundcard with benefits.

If you want internal solutions, you have to ask other memebers whether they are getting enough power from those as usually the weak amps they have don't do a good enough job of running pro grade cans.

I could be wrong and some do, however I can only say from my personal real world experience, I feel like I am getting exactly the level of sound from my headphones as the money warrants.

No worries about not being able to compare, I did a little more research while I was at work. Most people are recommending an external or internal from what I've seen so far.

One last question for you though. Do you notice any delay between using the external amp compared to internal or onboard sound?

Also still open to other option is anyone has an idea.

 

[DasHotShot]

No delay. I game a lot, especially FPS and it is great.

 

[laddiemawery]

That settles that then. Thank you for the input! I'll be picking one up sometime next week hopefully.

 

[digitaldoc]

Great, and let us know how it turned out!