Any point to using Sound Card if using BT?

harmattan · 2025-12-21T12:07:53+0000

I've got an old SoundBlasterX AE-5 lying around and was wondering if it was worthwhile for my use case to install. I'm using a selection of BT headphones (B&W Px7, Sony WX-1000M4, M&D MW65) mostly, but some times cut over to my trusty wired Denon AH7000s if I'm listening to Spotify (I'm on Premium plan and use lossless).

I'm currently running a Gigabyte x670 Auros Elite motherboard with a Zotac triple-slot 5090 where the last PCI-E slot would give good clearance between the video card and sound card, so spacing shouldn't be an issue.

Any sense installing the SB card and away from my onboard audio?

Edit: I'm not looking to go down the external DAC route. I spent way too much time and thousands going down that rabbit hold a 10-15 years ago. My questions is more "I have this piece of equiqment lying around -- any point using it?"

hornetstinger · 2025-12-21T12:09:10+0000

No. As audio is kept digital until the bluetooth transmitter

If sound quality was the priority you wouldn't be using bluetooth

andy_mk3 · 2025-12-21T12:09:35+0000

Absolutely no point if using Bluetooth, any sound card in the system would do nothing at all. The headphones use a digital stream of audio directly.

harmattan · 2025-12-21T13:26:51+0000

hornetstinger said:
No. As audio is kept digital until the bluetooth transmitter

If sound quality was the priority you wouldn't be using bluetooth

Thanks, figured as much. Was wondering if there was some other feature that it would useful having for. Oh well, the card will continue to sit in a drawer

hornetstinger · 2025-12-21T13:35:12+0000

The encoding feature is useful- so you can send gaming sound to a AVR for discrete multi channel audio- rather than just two channel PCM.