External USB soundcards - Worth it?

SideWinder · 16 Dec 2013 at 22:50

Currently using a 6 year old laptop which is usually connected to an Aegis 2.1 system or my headphones...getting a bit frustrated with crackling/poor quality.

Would a circa £20 external USB soundcard solve this? Simples?

Rilot · 17 Dec 2013 at 07:03

It depends on the device you buy. Some cheapo external devices have terrible DACs in them. uy one from a quality brand and you you'll be set.

Rhyswh · 17 Dec 2013 at 13:42

Do you mean the little ones with just a headphone jack and a mic jack? Same size as a memory stick?

SideWinder · 17 Dec 2013 at 22:32

Rhyswh said:
Do you mean the little ones with just a headphone jack and a mic jack? Same size as a memory stick?

Yeah i do.

Rhyswh · 18 Dec 2013 at 15:49

Never used one but at a guess I can't see them being any better than the audio jacks on your laptop! Just looked up a creative one for around the £20 mark. It supports upto16bit/48khz which is probably less than your laptop supports. I would say it's worth a shot to try and get rid of crackling but not for quality.

synixx · 19 Dec 2013 at 14:52

Have a look around for a cheap second hand x-fi xtreme audio laptop card. They aren't USB but plug into another expansion port. I manged to get one for just over a tenner on the bay and it's a lot better than the onboard sound with little/no crackling.

Creative Product Page

RimBlock · 20 Dec 2013 at 09:49

I have just bought an FiiO E10 (around 50 quid but maybe worth a stretch if you can manage it) having had their X3 music player for a while now. The E10 is being used to replace my Asus Xoner DX sound card and I am very happy with the choice.

It is a small USB DAC and headphone amp. Windows 8 detects it without any extra software (possibly Windows 7 as well but I have software installed for the X3 so cannot be sure).

I did try the E07k and the E17 but they did not really add anything for me as a desktop external DAC.

RB

SideWinder · 21 Dec 2013 at 20:15

Thanks guys!

erazor51 · 21 Dec 2013 at 23:58

Try this, you get the best experience.

SOUND BLASTER OMNI SURROUND 5.1

http://uk.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1

TheVoice · 22 Dec 2013 at 03:22

Rhyswh said:
Never used one but at a guess I can't see them being any better than the audio jacks on your laptop!

A lot of laptops have pretty abysmal audio chipsets/hardware though, especially ones that turn on and off when needed which means you often get sound with a slight 'crack' at the start and end. Pretty much anything would be an improvement.