PC hooked up to tube amp: Sound card for equalizer software?

[M11293]

Hey folks,

I have my PC audio powered by a tube amp with no pre-amp. I am interested in getting a sound card, because my HD Realtek On Board sound does not have great software (equalizer) for example.

Could someone help me out with this? I may need to ask my friend about some specs on the tube amp, but I am currently running it to 4 speakers via RCA connectors with one running to my motherboard sound inlet. I would guess Dolby 5.1 would be best.

Thanks!

M

 

[M11293]

Or should I just place an equalizer between the tube amp and my PC? I would rather have it bundled into an audio card that is in my PC; that way I can just use software without extra hardware/dials/etc.

M

 

[hang-the-9]

If you are using a tube amp for the speakers, I would get a sound card just to get a cleaner sound to the amp. http://www.newegg.com/Sound-Cards/SubCategory/ID-57?Order=RATING as you can see, the top cards can get pricy, but a $40ish ASUS or CreativeLabs card should be OK also.

 

[americanaudiophile]

If you are using 2 channel tube amp so you can't do 5.1 channels. You would need a 5 channel amp. Rather than a soundcard I would suggest that you use a DAC
http://schiit.com/products/modi-2
For two channel music this is the better way to go. If the amp doesn't have a volume control you would need one.
For EQ you could try these
http://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/
http://profound-sound-csharp-win7-64.en.softonic.com/
http://ccm.net/download/download-21097-graphic-equalizer-studio-64-bits