New card or use an old one?

T

TheForumTroll

Weaksauce
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Oct 11, 2009
Messages
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Simple question (though I have no idea if the answer is simple too):

I was happy with my onboard audio (the ASUS Sabertooth P67 has a Realtek ALC892) until I needed to use my microphone for Mumble. Yikes! So. Much. Noise! So now I'm thinking, do I need to buy a new dedicated card or is my old Creative Audigy 2 ZS worth digging out from.. somewhere?

If not, what would be the best card for me with these requirements:

Must:
* Available outside the US
* Optical and headphone out
* Mic in
* Good protection from outside noise, compared to the onboard and maybe the Audigy(?) (I'm not recording music with it but I do need to use a microphone for talking when gaming)

Not needed:
* Surround sound
* Creative driver issues...

Price idea: $100-150?

Edit: It doesn't have to be a card. External is fine too.
 
Asus Xonar cards have got good reviews in the past. I suggest doing research, reading reviews.
 
I have and just like when I bough my old card (the Audigy) Creative cards got good reviews. I don't know much about soundcards but I do know that worse drivers than theirs have seldom seen the light of day. I don't know if it is better today or the reviews are like back then though, so I didn't learn much, hence why I'm here.

Looking at the shop I usually use there are a these ASUS Xonar cards: D-KARA, DS/A, Phoebus Solo, D2/PM and a D2X/XDT. Of those only D-KARA and DS/A has any optical output at all. Those are both ~$50 cards.
 
TheForumTroll said:
I have and just like when I bough my old card (the Audigy) Creative cards got good reviews. I don't know much about soundcards but I do know that worse drivers than theirs have seldom seen the light of day. I don't know if it is better today or the reviews are like back then though, so I didn't learn much, hence why I'm here.

Looking at the shop I usually use there are a these ASUS Xonar cards: D-KARA, DS/A, Phoebus Solo, D2/PM and a D2X/XDT. Of those only D-KARA and DS/A has any optical output at all. Those are both ~$50 cards.
Click to expand...

If you use the cards optical output you're bypassing most of the card so that makes no sense. If you plug your amp optically the amp is doing the decoding not the sound card. So basically you're just looking for a better microphone preamp?
 
The newer Audigy drivers should be just fine.

Try it and see if it works for you.

I have had Creative cards since the Soundblaster 2.0 was out so I am very aware of what issues they used to have.
 
Just give the Audigy 2 ZS a shot, it will probably serve your needs just fine. The only reason I'm not still using one of my older Audigy or X-Fi cards in my current rig is because I wanted the space under my GPU free for airflow and a 1x PCI-e card fits above my GPU.
 
The creative zx is the best gaming sound card available in your price range.
 
I was using an audigy zs 2 for about 12 years. When it died, I was forced to go back to the horrible onboard.

I'd say use the audigy till you can save up for something nice.
 
pheonix991 said:
I was using an audigy zs 2 for about 12 years. When it died, I was forced to go back to the horrible onboard.

I'd say use the audigy till you can save up for something nice.
Click to expand...

Original post already has a budget of $100-$150, how much more do you think he needs to spend for a better mic input?
 
I'd say mod the crap out of that card. I got the same card on the test bench. I plan to add 12AU7 tubes to the output build a new power supply to compensate the heater and filament requirements and bypass the JRC4556 opamp's on the output stage on the card.

Might replace the jitter clock for a better TCXO replacement.

If I do stay with opamps then its LM47920 for me. Need a SOIC8 part only have DIP8's. :/ The horror the horror.
 
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Snufykat said:
Original post already has a budget of $100-$150, how much more do you think he needs to spend for a better mic input?
Click to expand...
Depends. Really depends on his goals. I got my Anuzentech xfi bravura from a buddy for $20. It has a headphone amp, optical out, it's amazing.

I don't have any suggestions aside from trying to grab something used.
 
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