Best audio card for music listen ??

2008 and 09 will see huge leaps in the usb based streaming audio device market. My little UD-10 is a first generation product that does more to reduce jitter and emi than I have previously had.

USB is the deal with vista. Truly remarkable sound. As a PC transport, it is tops.

WTF?

what was that?
 
Now show us a few slides in power point and comment on Asustek market presence, will you? You are all as credible as Pentagon talking about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. :D

Pro-sumers do not exist by the way. Never met one. Or do you mean someone who
spends enough money to buy pro gear on things that are consumer-grade?
(I call them morons, and they do exist, agreed)

Honestly who cares about HHDDAVXY7 Deluxxxe if the lux-less D2X costs already $170?:eek:
When a good and thoroughly tested X-Fi or M-Audio Revolution or Audiophile2496 can be had for half of this price or less? I hear you all your elaborate arguments - still Xonar does not have a right price to appeal to anyone going by the rationale. And as I noted earlier its 80's software goes hand in hand with the requirement for that floppy connector or your smashing new asus card won't output even a single sad fart and forget that cheerful blinking on its rear.

Now please someone register another n00b account just to chime in and say how xonar changed their aural and love life, and I am sure everyone will be sold.
:rolleyes:

Unca J,

You seem to have a problem with anyone who actually has a large amount of experience with soundcards and receivers and offers an honest opinion. You also seem to have a problem with people who actually give real and relevant information rather than laying about them with ingnorant rants like an Internet child. Hmmm...Why is that? ;) I'm far from a noob. Even on this site. I'm registered here under this name now, but I've been on and off this site since its inception. Your n00b comment is based on understandable ignorance... Just like most of your other comments.

Prosumers DO exist. My best friend in Tucson, AZ manages and plays in 2 bands, is a professional keyboardist/pianist and percusionist. He's been a musician and composer for 25 years and has used high-end soundcards for his work and for pleasure listening since the first cards were available for Windows based PCs years ago. He is a PRO-SUMER if I've ever met one. I've personally built several computers for him and with him for these purposes. You should really keep quiet about things you know nothing about...

You've proven time and time again that you have no real knowledge of or experience about most of the products being discussed here. Me? In addition to plenty of other equipment, I've actually owned or still own 3 different Oxygen HD/CMedia cards and two different X-Fi based cards--not to mention plenty of other Sound Blaster, Aureal and other cards over the years. It would be best if you stick to stuff you've actually used instead of constantly slamming stuff you have no real clue about...

For the OP,

I stand by my comments above about waiting to see what this new card has to offer before taking the plunge. These cards are the real deal, whether from Creative, Auzentech, HT-Omega or Asus. The DACs are better than those found on many mid to "high-end" recievers can offer. There is a very good reason why so many enthusiasts use computer based DACs connected to an amp instead of AV receivers for their audio listening, whether they be on the sound card or through a USB connection. They actually often offer more bang for the buck. Exactly the OPPOSITE of what Uncle Jim is trying to argue about. You can get the equivalent sound quality that you might have to pay a grand or more for from a receiver of the same capabilities. You can actually have a good amp or even a decent receiver with a good quality amp and great speakers/monitors or headphones and get truly amazing analog sound out of these little--and actually relatively inexpensive--devices.

So, to get the same level of audio quality just playing your sound digitally from SPDIF to a high-end receiver, you'd potentially have to spend a lot more money than $200 on a sound card. I've done plenty of comparisons on different receivers, speakers, sound cards and amps of different levels--many of which I actually own(ed) myself and were not just on friends' or clients' equipment. What it comes down to is what your sensitivity level is, how much you want to spend, and what you consider "good" or "good enough" sound quality. There are a vast array of choices out there. All (or at least most of us :rolleyes: ) are offering up valid choices for you to look at. Good luck!
 
Just as another side note (not that I haven't jabbered on enough already! :p ), you can get away with onboard audio or a cheaper sound card for stereo musit listening as long as you have a really good DAC that you're feeding the signal to and you have your digital audio ouput correctly setup. Receivers such as the Panasonic SA-XR digital amp series and a couple of others can offer a very good listening experience when fed a proper digital source from your computer without breaking the bank. I use an SA-XR57k in one of my rooms that I've fed from a RealTek source in a little Shuttle computer before that sounded pretty darned good.

As I said, there are a lot of choices for you out there. If you want to really dig deep into this stuff, I would recommend you check out HeadFi.org, AVSForum.com and some of the other sites for some real world info from more people who acutally have years of experience with this stuff. There are even actual industry people who comment there and (sometimes :D) give there honest opinions to go with the good amount of discussion and info they provide.

I love [H], but there are a lot of kids on here who get off more on arguing than actually providing good info or actually trying to help other people.
 
I haven't read through the whole thread yet but to answer the original question of the topic, in my experience if one is serious about sound quality of music and nothing else, then just get a soundcard that does good bit-perfect digital out and an external DAC.

I bought my E-MU 1212m years ago before X-Fi came out, and at that time the 1212m was one of the best cards for music listening. Then later on I got myself an external DAC and I am never going to look back at upgrading soundcard again. Even though the 1212m was said to be one of the best soundcards for music, my low end external DAC (CIAudio VDA2) just beats it in every way. I know there is a big price difference, but IMO the extra cost is well worth it.
 
I haven't read through the whole thread yet but to answer the original question of the topic, in my experience if one is serious about sound quality of music and nothing else, then just get a soundcard that does good bit-perfect digital out and an external DAC.

I bought my E-MU 1212m years ago before X-Fi came out, and at that time the 1212m was one of the best cards for music listening. Then later on I got myself an external DAC and I am never going to look back at upgrading soundcard again. Even though the 1212m was said to be one of the best soundcards for music, my low end external DAC (CIAudio VDA2) just beats it in every way. I know there is a big price difference, but IMO the extra cost is well worth it.

Well yeah. For music that is what I always propose. These days, some of the Receivers have such good dacs like the panasonic xr-57, that you are better off just getting that instead of a stand alone dac.
 
Honestly what kind of speakers would you have to buy to match a $170 sound card meant just for playing music?

Did anyone answer this question yet? lol

I am curious because I have a 2.1 setup..Klip...and currently using onboard sound. I am trying to figure out how much of a difference would I hear if I had a $100 sound card or something. I play a few games, I watch dvd's and play music.
 
Did anyone answer this question yet? lol

I am curious because I have a 2.1 setup..Klip...and currently using onboard sound. I am trying to figure out how much of a difference would I hear if I had a $100 sound card or something. I play a few games, I watch dvd's and play music.

We're trying, man... we're trying! :D

I can guarantee you that, with an analog connection, you will hear a massive difference even on a lowly pair of Logitech x-230s! I can wholeheartedly attest to this because I still have a set in my closet that I used to use with that Shuttle XPC. It makes them sound as if they are a much more expensive set of speakers--that is until you plug the card into an amp and actually connect it to a better set of speakers... :p Then you're in another world entirely.

I would honestly urge you to try it. It will be very hard to turn back afterward. If you're a latent audiophile in the making, you'll be wanting better and better equipment (speakers, amps, etc.) just to see what the limits of the new found sound really are... It starts to become a pretty expensive hobby...:D
 
We're trying, man... we're trying! :D

I can guarantee you that, with an analog connection, you will here a massive difference even on a lowly pair of Logitech x-230s! I can wholeheartedly attest to this because I still have a set in my closet that I used to use with that Shuttle XPC. It makes them sound as if they are a much more expensive set of speakers--that is until you plug the card into an amp and actually connect it to a better set of speakers... :p Then you're in another world entirely.

I would honestly urge you to try it. It will be very hard to turn back afterward. If you're a latent audiophile in the making, you'll be wanting better and better equipment (speakers, amps, etc.) just to see what the limits of the new found sound really are... It starts to become a pretty expensive hobby...:D

yeah..pretty expensive hobby....thanks a lot man. Really appreciate the comment/opinion
 
I can guarantee you that, with an analog connection, you will hear a massive difference even on a lowly pair of Logitech x-230s!

I agree. Even my cheap $80 TDK desktop speakers show a big difference between onboard and my E-MU soundcard. The onboard sound I have here has boomy, bloated bass with extremely recessed mids and highs, plus a lot of background noise. I must admit that my onboard sound is really below today's average onboard sound though.

It starts to become a pretty expensive hobby...:D

Totally agreed! A few years ago I started to upgrade my sound system with a $100 M-audio sound card, and by now I have already spent a few grands. :eek:
 
wow, long topic!

Anyway, for music I have and highly suggest the HT Omega Claro+ ... yes, it's more expensive but it's soooo worth every penny I spent on it. Installation was a breeze, HT's site had updated drivers (and they seem to keep up to date on them) and I've not had a single hiccup from it. Just beautiful sound.

My tech who installed it (needed a reinstall due to a bad creative driver update - which is what made me get the new Claro) was even impressed with the difference in sound quality, ease of installation and how lightweight the drivers/applications are.
 
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