Need advice. I'm deaf. This is for my stepdad.

[Mr. Stryker]

I'm completing a new system build with some of my spare parts, including a FX-6350, 8GB, GTX 660 Ti, etc. He is coming from an Athlon XP setup.


Cutting to the chase, he loves staying in his room to listen to music. He's never had a sound card; only the Realtek AC'97 shit. So I thought I should please his ears more by throwing a nice sound card in there. He calls himself an audiophile, but I think he'd take anything that's a step up from whatever the onboard audio is.


For those wondering, the motherboard will be a cheap ASRock 980, still not anywhere close to having something like a Sound Blaster.


My budget is around $50 to 90, so throw any ideas my way. Thanks.

 

[evilsofa]

What will be plugged into the soundcard? Speakers, headphones, receiver, etc?

 

[Mr. Stryker]

Speakers. He has, uh, Klipsch Promedia or something like that.

 

[Quix]

The cheapest sound card I'd ever recommend is a Sound Blaster Z $82@newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3&cm_re=soundblaster_z-_-29-102-053-_-Product Although it's more of a gaming card than audiophile. It's a good fit for larger PC speakers like the Klipsch Promedia line.

Anything under that is just the same type of codec and DACs that you'd get as onboard sound slapped on a card.

 

[Mr. Stryker]

Anything under that is just the same type of codec and DACs that you'd get as onboard sound slapped on a card.

Is that so...?

 

[rezerekted]

Yea, I doubt he would hear any real difference.

 

[B00nie]

The biggest potential for improvement is in the speakers there. The promedias are not exactly hi-fi.

 

[Mr. Stryker]

Hmm, I assume I could build the system without a sound card and let him be the judge of the sound quality. See what he says.