Favorite Soundcard - Opinions Welcome.

[Patrick]

Damn we're good, aren't we Elie?

O Canada, our home and native land...

[Brian Ellis]

Hey, you guys! What about the new motherboards that do not have ANY ISA slots? They are becoming more and more common. Do you remember when PCs had 1 16 bit ISA slot and 4 8 bit slots? Evolution means that the ISA slot will disappear on new computers within a couple of years, then what?

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Brian (the terrible)

[Pertti]

Brian,

What new motherboards, no worthwhile NEW motherboards has come out this winter, due to Intel screwing up the 820 chipset with the Rampuss thing

Maybe in couple of years the soundcard manufacturers finaly get the PCI ones to work as troublefree and at the same level of compatibility as the old SB:s, but until that happens, you just have to make the right choises

Pertti

[This_Idiot]

For non-ISA buffs, I've been using a Yamaha XG192 (PCI) for over a year without any problems.

But guess what is in my other PC ?

(wrong, it's an AWE32 value)

[hella356]

I'm using a Xitel Platinum A3D 2.0 PCI card with no problems at all. The sound is fine for capture on the RR-G. This is the only card I've used with the RR-G, so I can't compare it to others, but I'm happy with it. The gaming performance is great.

[Elie]

Hi Guys,

sorry to dissapoint you Doc
But my second machine has the Turtle Beach Montego II Digital Quad 4 PCI.

Excellent for DVD playback due to it's AC3 digital optical out, though any game that uses the A3D environment audio like UT and Quake 3 just crashes

But I have no problems with audio sync and the Marvel G400.

The audio quality if you compare it to the Audio Trix simply sux, the Montego II sounds muffled like trying to say something with your hand on your mouth.
And midi is no comparison either, the soundfonts on the Montego II sounds like an FM based soundcard

But it's great for DVD's, TRUE 5.1 channel AC3 by the way


Regards,
Elie

[Fogduck]

I rolled further and further down in disbelief, but it looks like I am one of the few with an Aureal Vortex-based audio card.

Diamond Monster MX300 here. (Aureal Vortex2)

Don't read that as an endorsement for Diamond at all. Their driver support has always lacked. Aureal continues to vigorously support the chipset, which works fine for this card, as few manufacturers deviated from the reference specs in building cards around the Vortex2.

I'd say "its sounds great and I have had no problems with it" except thats pretty useless, here's why:

Sound-card technology has not been advancing very rapidly (or needed to).

Most people don't have sensitive enough audio equipment to detect signal differences between current competing audio cards ANYWAY.

If anyone is having hardware problems with a sound card, that is probably the LEAST of their problems, if you get my meaning.

For most users, an embedded Yamaha chip on their motherboard will serve them just as well. 16-bit sounds like 16-bit, unless you went for super-bargain-basement crap -- which it never pays to do.

Finally, most users are looking in the wrong place when critiquing sound cards, or considering upgrades: UPGRADE YOUR SPEAKERS.

The biggest and most exciting product to come around for the PC regarding sound:

-- begin plug --

Klipsch Pro-Media v2.400
- THX certified
- 400W RMS (4 x 60W satellites, 160W subwoofer)

I don't get excited about hardware much, but I nearly wet my pants when I finally got to hands-on these things.

Probably the greatest thing about these is that they will outlive all the other hardware on my system, even the monitor. Makes $250 USD seem like quite a bargain, especially if you know anything about audio and have ever shopped for home-theatre hardware.

They more than amply could double as home-theatre hardware.

-- end plug --

[Mark F]

I'll add my vote for VORTEX2. Exellent results and no problems with MX300(reference drivers) and now a SQ2500.

Mark F.

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OH NO, my retractable cup holder swallowed a CD

[Elie]

The problem with reference drivers is that not everyone can use them!

My card, the TB Montego II digital is also based on the Aureal chipset, but when I install the reference drivers I loose the digital in/out capabilities.
Yes games might run fine but I don't care too much for games, I just wan't to use the digital out feature.
Looks like Turtle Beach have some work to do.

Cheers,
Elie

[hella356]

Elie, you might want to try copying the Turtle Beach drivers into a folder, download the current Aureal drivers and copy them into the Turtle Beach folder. Overwrite all. Upgrade the drivers with the new folder. I found that doing this with the Xitel drivers kept the functions of the Xitel while using the newer Aureal files. I also did this with a Creative TNT card, updating with the new NVidia files, but keeping the CL interface with no problems. I haven't tried it with a Turtle Beach, but it might be worth a try.

[Elie]

Thanks

I'll give it a try.
Thanks again,
Elie

[coolfish]

Sb Live. If it doesn't work for you, it's cuz you screwed something up, yer own damn fault.

Seriously, if you're still in the old school ISA crowd, your missing out on sound quality. My move from an Sb16 to an Sb Live was like a kick in the head, the sound was that much better.

If you have troubles setting up any PCI cards, try juggling 'em -- different slots and whatnot. It might take a few tries b4 you find the config that works for you, but it's a small price to pay for somethign that much better.

coolfish.

[Hunsow]

I totally agree, I have a G200/G400/RRG/SB Live combo for a while now used every liveware and matrox driver with it never had any trouble.

[fluggo99]

Yeah, that's quite a leap, about the same leap as from a SB16 to an AWE64. The sound quality is so similar, why bother going with the PCI card everyone's complaining about?

So NYAH NYAH!!

(Incidentally, I've never had any problems with my Live!, either...)

[This message has been edited by fluggo99 (edited 30 January 2000).]

[Elie]

Just for your information GUYS...!

Sound quality doesn't depend on whether the soundcard is PCI or ISA.
It's the chipset that matters and if you think the soundblaster live offers good quality just because it's PCI..well your absolutely wrong.

I know many ISA soundcards that will blow the Live to bits

Regards,
Elie

[This message has been edited by Elie (edited 31 January 2000).]