Spec me a Soundcard

Associate
Joined
24 Jun 2004
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1,995
You might have seen my name from when I purchased a brand new system from OcUK, and am still enjoying every minute

I am at the moment gaming with onboard audio, and must admit I do prefer to have a dedicated soundcard, as I really can tell the difference.

I was wondering if there is a decent dedicated soundcard to purchase at the moment? I have the latest Asus P8 Z68-V/Gen 3 Mobo, if that helps to see what can fit inside my case, as it is a hige Coolermaster with lots of spare room inside.

Not sure how good the cards are, but it looks like it is between Creative Labs & Asus
 
Associate
OP
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24 Jun 2004
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Back in the day I used to go for Creative Labs, but looks like they have not done much, where the Xonar cards have come from almost out of nowhere, to the point where they appear to be the best cards to go for, is that right?
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2009
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11,175
Creative have done little in the last few years. They have just released their Recon3D cards, but they are expensive for what they are, and according to a few people, not as good as the X-Fi range which came before. Before that they released the Titanium HD.

Creative really dropped the ball big time when Vista came out. They struggled to make decent drivers. Many people had to turn to modified drivers, in order to get cards to run properly. Creative drivers were shockingly bad. That's around when Asus saw an opportunity, and released the first Xonar, which was the D2.

Creative's drivers are a lot better now, although they still cause problems for some people. They still have the X-Fi Titanium, which is a very good card.

Some people still prefer what the X-Fi offers, whereas others think Xonar's are better. A matter of preference really.

Depending on what you want to spend, either a Xonar D1/X, or an X-Fi Titanium would be a great buy. Both very good cards for around the £60 mark.
 
Associate
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11 Oct 2006
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Reigate
Have you considered an Auzentech soundcard at all? I have owned a X-Fi Prelude (based off of the X-Fi chip but PCB design by Auzen) for a few years now and I am still surprised by the sonic quality of the thing.

Along with higher grade components it sports the ability for modding opamps on the PCB itself which in my view is a real step in the right direction - don't like the sound? Change it for a higher quality spare!

Auzentech's most recent card is the X-Meridian 7.1 2G iirc I haven't personally heard it but it would be my next gaming card choice without a shadow of a doubt!

However, these Auzens will cost more so yer listen to Marsman unless you want your wallet to hate you forever...
 
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