On board sound?

[Andybtsn]

I have HP small form factor PC with on board sound. I had my music on pretty loud the other day and could hear crackling, I had the "In Windows" volume turned up to full.

I turned down the "In Windows" volume down a little and it seemed the crackling went away a tad.

What kind of setup do you use with volume? And should I really buy a PCI sound card to improve sound??
Can anyone recommend a really cheap sound card?

Thanks

 

[phil675]

It might be do to with your speakers, or the quality of the music file. If turning it down a bit solves the problem its probably not worth getting a new card