Onboard Realtek HD Audio

In Windows XP, I use my X-Fi Platinum along with Windows Media Player. I have the most recent X-Fi drivers installed and I use the Creative Console Launcher software. I like the bells and whistles that come with that software, like the Crystallizer. The Creative Software also has an equalizer that affects all the OS sound. What it all amounts to is a full, deep sounding bass with clear highs.

In Windows 7 (as well as XP when I've toyed around with it), I have tried to use the onboard Realtek HD sound card. I have the most recent drivers installed but I do not see any of the bells and whistles that I see with the Creative software. I see an equalizer but there is no option for a custom equalizer as far as I can tell. The result is a very flat sound coming out of Windows Media Player. Everyone says the onboard sound is great and that I shouldn't notice a difference, but I do. It makes me think I'm doing something wrong. What is everyone's opinion about the onboard Realtek sound?

Sounds alright. *shrug*

I know for a fact head phones like my HD555s sound like shit with my Realtek HD compared to my X-Fi. Games might sound inferior on your Logitechs with the onboard but music and movies shouldn't be too much different.

Well, onboard is not OMG horrible, but the difference starts to be very noticeable the better the speakers get. The average joe uses the plastic speakers that came with their computer, so of course there won't be a difference for them. It's all relative. Every single sound card sounds different, and eventually you WILL notice the difference, that's just how it is. My onboard, X-Fi XtremeMusic, Xonar HDAV1.3, and Onkyo TX-SR606 all sound different. The onboard is Meh!, the X-Fi is balanced, the Xonar is clean, and the Onkyo is detailed. I wish I could mix the best out of each one, but that's not the case, so oh well.

BTW, you can use the equalizer inside WMP if you feel the need to use it.

I was using realtek onboard audio (gigabyte mobo) for a while, it was alright, but I randomly found a soundblaster audigy card from 2001 the other day and popped it in my system. It's genuinely a lot better sounding for whatever reason. The bass is particularly better.

I use the equalizer from the creative drivers, I find that if I use the equalizer in WMP also it's too much and distorts.

Glad to hear it, those Z-5500's are by no means high-end but they are good enough to hear the difference between the X-Fi's and the Realtek.

Tanatz said:

I use the equalizer from the creative drivers, I find that if I use the equalizer in WMP also it's too much and distorts.

Glad to hear it, those Z-5500's are by no means high-end but they are good enough to hear the difference between the X-Fi's and the Realtek.

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I agree I have x5500's also and have had them since they came out. I have only used onboard with test builds or friends PC's when they didn't want to pay for an X-Fi. I prefer the x-fi controls much more.

Realtek isn't bad. It's not audiophile quality but it will do just fine for playing mp3's and multichannel for movies.

Creative's way of messing with the sound is not nice at all. I can't stand how processed crystalizers output is. The hardware itself is fine, better than the ALC889a, but when they process the crap out of it it doesn't sound good at all.

Given a choice - I'll take realteks onboard audio. It's nice and flat, and you can use your own equalizer (hopefully nobody here is using a non-asio equalizer if you are using PC based equalization??!!) to match the levels to your listening room like god intended.

Creative "sounds" better because it's not very flat - they add equalization, like bose does sometimes - and the result is very poor.

Any equalization is not for the benefit of the listener, well it is, but you shouldn't think of an EQ as something you adjust song to song to "sound" better. You use an EQ to match your source, amplifiers, and drivers to your room, then you glue the damn thing down and never change it.

I know for a fact head phones like my HD555s sound like shit with my Realtek HD compared to my X-Fi.

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Cuz the Realteks aren't powerful enough to drive the HD555's, so they are cranked way up into distortion to hear anything at all.

bobdole369 said:

Cuz the Realteks aren't powerful enough to drive the HD555's, so they are cranked way up into distortion to hear anything at all.

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Exactly.

The issue I have with it is my microphone connection is very bad. i have to buy an external sound card because of this..