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Sound card or no?

Corban227

Corban227

Gawd
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Dec 2, 2009
Messages
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So im considering buying logitec's Z5500 speakers for my computer. i was wondering if it would be worth it to buy a sound card with these speakers or just go with the motherboard sound?

if i do go for a sound card, what would be a good buy and how much should i spend on the card? sorry i dont have time for a long write up of what ive looked at. im pretty un-knowledgeable when it comes to buying sound cards
 
I don't think the sound card will matter at all if you use a digital signal instead of analog.

BTW, you should go with this :

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/544042190/jamo-s-413-hcs-5?s_c=site_search

and a $200 receiver of your choice.

Unless you get the Z-5500 setup for $200, this system will be night and day better in every way it's not even funny and you'll be paying the almost the same price for what the Z-5500 are ridiculously going for these days. ( almost $400?? haha )
 
question. would using a fiber optics cable be better than analog? i.e. if i get this system for my tv, could i leave everything plugged into my tv as it is now and just run a fiber optics cable from the tv to the receiver for sound? or would it be better to run everything into the receiver and then to the tv?
and also i was looking at this receiver
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_022RXV465/Yamaha-RX-V465.html?tp=179
it has 105 watts to 5 channels. does it also power the sub or does the sub get power from an outlet?
 
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Sound cards play a big role in our PC's these days...However, if you have one...Keep in mind that you'll always want to use a headset for gaming, maybe a 7.1 surround system for some music? :D

I personally have a Creative Sound Blaster Fatal1ty Pro Series card - It's done it's job perfectly for like 2 years now and it's still working like a beast with no problems, I used to have a 5.1 setup, until I decided to expand the surround amazingness, and upgraded to a 7.1 system a while ago.

I use this 7.1 system while doing anything, youtube, music, movies, anything, except for gaming, I always prefer the headset for gaming.

You should take a look at this: http://ae.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=872&product=17813&listby=
 
There is no benefit to a sound card, unless you have a sub par on board setup.
Some on board solutions introduce unwanted interference.
Save the money and spend it on a better solution than logitech.
If you are going to run your sound from a receiver than optical cables, digital signal, are the way to go. If your onboard sound has support for it.
 
"There is no benefit to a sound card, unless you have a sub par on board setup.
Some on board solutions introduce unwanted interference.
Save the money and spend it on a better solution than logitech."

i have to respectfully disagree. I do love good sound but do not consider myself an "audiophile." I have used tons of computer speakers with onboard sound and soundcards. If you have $100 creative speakers, no you're not going to notice a big difference from onboard sound and a high end soundcard. That said, if you have decent speakers (like my Swan MKIII's) paired with an awesome soundcard like the Asus Essence ST, then it can make a massive difference over onboard sound.

I played the MKIII's with onboard sound, an x-fi card, and finally my Asus Essence. It just got better each time. Essence has a fuller soundstage, richer, stronger, it just sounded better. is it subjective? sure. but i heard the difference and tons of reviewers would agree with me.

in the end, if you don't have great speakers, then yes, a soundcard is probably not worth it. but if you do...invest in a quality soundcard.
 
Sound cards are most beneficial when using powered PC speakers/monitors like Swans, M-Audio, Audioengine, Klipsch Promedia, etc. Higher end sound cards also offer dedicated headphone amps that work well. If you move to an A/V receiver + bookshelf/tower speakers rig and run digital to the receiver, a sound card has little benefit, save for some processing features that are also available through the onboard audio of most good motherboards.
 
DReborn said:
"There is no benefit to a sound card, unless you have a sub par on board setup.
Some on board solutions introduce unwanted interference.
Save the money and spend it on a better solution than logitech."

i have to respectfully disagree. I do love good sound but do not consider myself an "audiophile." I have used tons of computer speakers with onboard sound and soundcards. If you have $100 creative speakers, no you're not going to notice a big difference from onboard sound and a high end soundcard. That said, if you have decent speakers (like my Swan MKIII's) paired with an awesome soundcard like the Asus Essence ST, then it can make a massive difference over onboard sound.

I played the MKIII's with onboard sound, an x-fi card, and finally my Asus Essence. It just got better each time. Essence has a fuller soundstage, richer, stronger, it just sounded better. is it subjective? sure. but i heard the difference and tons of reviewers would agree with me.

in the end, if you don't have great speakers, then yes, a soundcard is probably not worth it. but if you do...invest in a quality soundcard.
Click to expand...


So middle of the road powered speakers sound better if you spend another $150 plus on a sound card, sounds good to me....??????
You say you want to disagree and than your explanation agrees with my opinion. If you are going to use logitech speakers you might as well spend the money on something else.
 
If you send a digital signal (via wire or fiber, your choice) to any semi decent modern receiver and speakers you will get next to no difference between onboard vs a soundcard. User above was sending an analog signal to the Swan's. Analog signals vary, due to the quality of the DAC's involved, between onboard and add in sound cards. Sending a straight digital signal and using a modern receiver DAC's (which are miles better than most common sound cards) will get you excellent sound from onboard sound.
 
I am particularly fond of usb soundcards. they are always a gain in quality over onboard. (analog, at least) i had a Turtlebeach AudioAdvantage til i broke the connector off :\

just got this Creative SB X-Fi Go! USB card at best buy for 50usd. came with a 6" extension. having learned from my mistakes, i am actually using it now.

my 275 sli eliminates the possibility of a pci-e soundcard, but the TB card treated me very nicely, linux included. here's to hoping this Creative card goes the extra mile.

(the TB AA also does 5.1 over spdif with a small adaptor that plugs into the 3.5mm headphone jack. this creative card claims to be able to handle surround sound setups, but i haven't researched much into this, yet.)
 
Snufykat said:
So middle of the road powered speakers sound better if you spend another $150 plus on a sound card, sounds good to me....??????
You say you want to disagree and than your explanation agrees with my opinion. If you are going to use logitech speakers you might as well spend the money on something else.
Click to expand...

you said that he should save his money on a soundcard and get better speakers. but those better speakers would sound better with a decent soundcard. it's a catch 22. im sorry if i misunderstood what you said but i think we both agree that cheap speakers do not really deserve a dedicated soundcard whereas higher end speakers get a nice benefit (and probably worth the expense for most) from a dedicated sound card.
 
DReborn said:
you said that he should save his money on a soundcard and get better speakers. but those better speakers would sound better with a decent soundcard. it's a catch 22. im sorry if i misunderstood what you said but i think we both agree that cheap speakers do not really deserve a dedicated soundcard whereas higher end speakers get a nice benefit (and probably worth the expense for most) from a dedicated sound card.
Click to expand...

Personally prefer receiver and book shelf speakers feed through a digital signal, but i do agree with you the op would not see a benefit worth the price with the equipment he mentioned.
 
well from everything said, the best sound quality with the z5500's would be through a digital signal right? it sounds like a good compromise between bad speakers and sound card or good speakers and sound card if i understand correctly..

is an optics cable or Coaxial cable better for a digital symbole, or does it not matter?
Also if i were to get the speakers linked from vans above, i might use them for my tv as well. if i were to do that would i get better quality from keeping all the HDMI plugs plugged into the TV and then run an optic cable from the tv to the receiver, OR should i run all the hdmi through the receiver and then run a HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV
 
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