SoundBlaster vs Integrated

thenewoc

thenewoc

thenewoc

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Hi,
I have an old SoundBlaster Live pci card from around 2000 and wondered how it would fair to modern motherboard integrated ones on a z77 mobo?

Worth robbing from old system or new integrated type better?
 
thenewoc said:
Hi,
I have an old SoundBlaster Live pci card from around 2000 and wondered how it would fair to modern motherboard integrated ones on a z77 mobo?

Worth robbing from old system or new integrated type better?
Click to expand...

Not such an easy call. It's an old card, and depends which Z77 board you have. The more expsensive ones have better onboard audio.

hewhohasissues said:
Id like to know also

my soundblast X-Fi or mobo integrated one?
Click to expand...

I'd say the X-Fi. Even if you have an Xtreme Audio, which is the least best of the X-Fi's, it should be better than any onboard audio.

Also depends on what board you have, if you have a Z77 also, and which one.

The two biggest factors for both of you, are what speakers or headphones you are using, and your own ears.

Some people can hear more differences between a sound card and onboard audio, compared to others.

Majority of people do find a sound card better, if the speakers and/or headphones are decent enough. Although an old card, such as a SoundBlaster Live! might have been passed by the better onboard audio solutions.
 
Marsman said:
Not such an easy call. It's an old card, and depends which Z77 board you have. The more expsensive ones have better onboard audio.



I'd say the X-Fi. Even if you have an Xtreme Audio, which is the least best of the X-Fi's, it should be better than any onboard audio.

Also depends on what board you have, if you have a Z77 also, and which one.

The two biggest factors for both of you, are what speakers or headphones you are using, and your own ears.

Some people can hear more differences between a sound card and onboard audio, compared to others.

Majority of people do find a sound card better, if the speakers and/or headphones are decent enough. Although an old card, such as a SoundBlaster Live! might have been passed by the better onboard audio solutions.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice btw it's a Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Music, I brought it 6 years ago - still superior?
 
I would say anything older than 3 Years has probably been surpassed. New Cheap Sound Cards are around £20-30 and can make a nice difference on cheaper headphones or speakers. If though like myself have a pair of AKG's, Denon and all the others then things like the Titanium HD makes you feel like you're in the room.
 
Razargh said:
I would say anything older than 3 Years has probably been surpassed. New Cheap Sound Cards are around £20-30 and can make a nice difference on cheaper headphones or speakers.
Click to expand...

Anything older than 3 years has been surpassed? You have surely have got to be kidding?

I'm surprised. Especially coming from someone that has good headphones, and a Titanium HD, if indeed you do have a HD that is. I'm assuming you do, as the Titanium is not far off 4 years old.

Quite a lot of people have found that a Xonar DG sounds better than the onboard audio of their motherboard, and in some cases, a top of the line motherboard.

There are quite a few people that find the DG sounds poor in comparison an X-Fi, which 6-7 years old now. There also are people who are still using an Audigy 2, that find it better than modern onboard audio, and that card is about 8/9 years old now.

Onboard audio has only surpassed very old cards, such as the SB Live!, or those cheap unbranded ones.

There are people who cannot tell a difference between their onboard audio and a sound card, such as a Xonar D1/X, and in some cases a D2/X. I've seen some guy say he found both a Xonar Essence and an X-Fi Titanium HD, no better than his onboard audio.

It's not because onboard audio is as good as such sound cards. It's either because people are not using anything good enough to allow them to hear that difference, or they cannot differentiate between varying quality of sounds.

There are quite a lot of people that use cheaper 2.1/5.1 PC speakers, and find the bass really good. It isn't good at all, it's rubbish. If said people can't tell between poor quality bass, and good quality bass, then any argument they put forward, that modern onboard audio solutions are as good as the majority of sound cards, that doesn't hold a lot of water, does it.
 
hewhohasissues said:
Thanks for the advice btw it's a Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Music, I brought it 6 years ago - still superior?
Click to expand...

I've still got my Xtreme Music. Very good sound card, still used by many. There is no question it will be better onboard audio.

I'd say the only onboard audio that will come close, would be motherboards that have an X-Fi chip, and I don't mean the old SupremeFX X-Fi ones, as they were just software based.
 
Marsman said:
I've still got my Xtreme Music. Very good sound card, still used by many. There is no question it will be better onboard audio.

I'd say the only onboard audio that will come close, would be motherboards that have an X-Fi chip, and I don't mean the old SupremeFX X-Fi ones, as they were just software based.
Click to expand...

thanks :)
 
I wonder how many people just spent £30-150 on a sound card and then there forced to believe it sounds better then there on board ;)

I believe the newer gigabyte Z77 mobos some have the new creative soundcard built in...

I have yet to ever see a proper test or review whos tested just how bad or good the newer on-board sound cards are compared to those lovely sound cards on the market.
 
Thanks all, interesting, i like the idea of the integrated one if possible as it will save a slot and crowding gfx card. Eventually i'd like something like the basic onkyo set as they can double as speakers for the tv too.
 
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