Would a old Soundblaster Audigy 2 be better than my onboard Realtek ALC889A?

[Headbust]

I have an old audigy 2 kicking around, would this be better than my onboard Realtek ALC889A ?

thanks

 

[bobdole369]

Realtek alc889a is one of the best sounding least noisy onboard sound solutions. I have and love this one. Granted it can't do headphones and if you try - it sounds like shit. (pssst get a headphone amp)

 

[obobski]

this gets asked about once a month, and I reply about the same once a month (and get senselessly flamed about once a month by someone who shows up late to the party)

the Audigy 2 will offer a number of advantages over your onboard audio:
- EAX support for EAX 3 and 4
- DDL encoding for 5.1 output (it can do 6.1, but not via DDL)
- reduced issue of EMI/RFI (if you have no problem with this with the onboard, strike this point)
- more inputs/better inputs (very likely to have a better mic preamp/in, as an example)
- CMSS
- MIDI/game port (with a breakout cable or front bay)


so if giving up a PCI slot isn't an issue, I honestly don't see a reason not to have the Audigy 2 installed, there isn't anything bad about the ALC889, but the Audigy 2 has a number of advantages, so if you've already got the thing on hand, costs you nothing to make the upgrade

bobdole:
the realtek is not the entire solution, its just the codec, some mainboards could make use of this and have it end up as total garbage, and others it may sound just fine (just like any other integrated solution)

 

[bobdole369]

Nods to this.

Check out the specs if your a real nerd:

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/creative-audigy2-zs/

ftp://202.65.194.211/pc/audio/ALC889_DataSheet_1.0.pdf

What motherboard is your 889a on? Gigabytes tend to be very very well done.



Oh and this article is very interesting too albeit a bit dated:

http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/whitePaper/meas100.pdf

Fairly sure if the MB is "Dolby Home Theater" than it can handle DDL and generate prologic 2 as well out through the sp/dif

EAX support it will not have anything besides 1.0 or 2.0

EMI/RFI is a nonissue for my board, this will vary.

CMSS is situational, but nice.

 

[ecmaster76]

Yes

 

[jeremyshaw]

this gets asked about once a month, and I reply about the same once a month (and get senselessly flamed about once a month by someone who shows up late to the party)

the Audigy 2 will offer a number of advantages over your onboard audio:
- EAX support for EAX 3 and 4
- DDL encoding for 5.1 output (it can do 6.1, but not via DDL)
- reduced issue of EMI/RFI (if you have no problem with this with the onboard, strike this point)
- more inputs/better inputs (very likely to have a better mic preamp/in, as an example)
- CMSS
- MIDI/game port (with a breakout cable or front bay)


so if giving up a PCI slot isn't an issue, I honestly don't see a reason not to have the Audigy 2 installed, there isn't anything bad about the ALC889, but the Audigy 2 has a number of advantages, so if you've already got the thing on hand, costs you nothing to make the upgrade

bobdole:
the realtek is not the entire solution, its just the codec, some mainboards could make use of this and have it end up as total garbage, and others it may sound just fine (just like any other integrated solution)

HP Slimline Motherboards do pretty well with the 888 Realtek.
(mostly I use the S/PDIF, however, but headphones work just as well).
HP Slimlines use a custom ASUS motherboard (they used to be Mini-ITX, but are now mATX).


Is there a low profile version of the Audigy 2?
I used to have a soundblaster 24, but it's too big for my case.

 

[obobski]

HP Slimline Motherboards do pretty well with the 888 Realtek.
(mostly I use the S/PDIF, however, but headphones work just as well).
HP Slimlines use a custom ASUS motherboard (they used to be Mini-ITX, but are now mATX).


Is there a low profile version of the Audigy 2?
I used to have a soundblaster 24, but it's too big for my case.

no, there is no low profile Audigy 2, theres a few low profile X-Fi boards as well as a pair of low profile Xonar boards, and iirc one of the lower end Audigy value boards (LE or SE or something), but no idea on availability of that board (and the quality wasn't that great, also didn't have that many features (keep in mind, this was some years ago))

and I don't doubt there are good mainboard solutions, it isn't all onboard = bad, but not all onboard = good, it really varies model to model (some Asus boards bleed like crap, some work fine, the same is mostly true of Gigabyte, MSI, etc)

 

[Malakai]

I have the 889a sound onboard my Gigabyte MA790GP=UD4H, and I can attest that it sounds fantastic.

I have 2.1 200w logitechs, model is in my cig, and both an audigy 1 and the onboard sound installed and functional in my box. I have my headphones hooked intot he audigy1, and my speakers and mic hooked into the onboard.

Through the speakers, there is no question that both onboard and audigy 1 both have crystal clear sound, with no background noise, hum, or any other distortion. I was surprised,since only my old nforce board way back in the day had onboard sound that didnt hiss or sound like poop.

I thought it was just that these headphones sucked, atm the headphones are on the onboard and the speakers are on the audigy. Im gonna switch them and see if it rly is the onboard sound thats makin these cans sound terrible. Im returning these phones (sony mdr-v150, 20 bucks at walmart) when my koss portapros arrive from amazon, just bought em to hold me over for now.

edit: Meh I dont hear much if any difference on the headphones, through aud or the onboard. Shiz onboard sounds a tiny bit better on the cans.
edit2: Well with the audigy set to headphone mode in the creative audio console, I guess the audigy sounds a tiny bit better. Hard to tell with such crappy cans so =)
I want the speakers hooked to the audigy for some sound card processed EAX action so the cans are staying on the onboard for now anyway