Which Soundcard

Rich-Ando · 28 Feb 2008 at 00:27

i've been too lazy to buy a sound card for the last 4 years and have just used the onboard ones.

now i am in a position where i want to out a lot of old music that i have on master tapes onto the pc so i can play with it and then put it to disc. Currently i am using the Logitech Z5500 speakers but through ordinary leads. i have been told i need an optical cable but have nothing to connect one too at the moment.

as i am so far out of date with this side of PC's, could anybody recommend which is best to get for both sound quality and recording. i don't mind paying up to £150+/- if i have to but if you say one at £80 will do exactly the same with all the inputs i need ect then that's just as good for me.

one final thing, is there a lead that allows me to use standard amplifier phone plugs to sound card jacks? amplifiers have left and right out but do sound cards just have one port?

Rich-Ando · 28 Feb 2008 at 10:17

thanks for both replies. now i have to decide which one is really the best one for my purposes.
i am guessing that the asus one is just a card that plugs in and only has port connections from the back, whereas the creative one looks like it has a front panel that might be handy.

looking at them it seems they might both have phono inputs which would be really handy. the remote control isn't really required as my speakers are remote control and that's all i need for volume remotely. i just wonder weather you are paying that bit extra for the creative one because it has a remote.

does anybody else have any views on the two cards suggested? i am happy to buy either. do these cards have those optical outputs as well or isn't that a good idea?

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i've just done a bit of searching for some more info, the Asus one appears to be 118DB over the Creative 116DB. 2DB is noticeable. also while looking for info on them i found this one by creative: -

Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite Pro 7.1 Soundcard - PCI Card With I/O Console and Remote

it seems an improved version of the the one you have suggested (nearly £200 though it's got me itching now) but again, is only 116DB.

Rich-Ando · 28 Feb 2008 at 21:33

thanks for the replies everybody.

do you know why they are ditching them now then?

are there many differences between he prelude and the asus?, i am leaning towards the asus one now.

Rich-Ando · 28 Feb 2008 at 22:27

thanks again C64.

the final question i would ask then, if you don't mind, given the choice (assuming you didn't already have one)

which of the two cards would you go for if you were choosing as i am? reading the reports i can see the Prelude seems to be showing a few driver probs,mine too would be for XP not Vista.

Reviewed by: MARTIN

solid piece of hardware that actually upmixes properly (unlike my new CL Elite Pro!). However, I wasted an entire weekend trying to install in a mid-range XP Pro based HTPC system due to faulty drivers. The problem was eventually solved with the 28 Dec 07 driver release, but its taken a few weeks to calm my rage and enjoy the finished product. Purchased specifically for its dual Coax/Optical I/O which provides unsurpassed connectivity and future proofs planned SS Amplifier upgrades.

I have subtracted one star purely due to the time wasted during installation, otherwise an excellent purchase and a real improvement over my top of the range CL soundcard fitted to my main gaming PC.

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 00:52

C64 said:
I have 2 xfi xtreme music given the choice I would get an xfi extreme music as I don't think the asus or any other card is worth double the cost.

i usually agree with that. when new processors are released there is always a price tag of at least double the one below it.

however, on this occasion, this isn't costing me anything up to £150 because it's sort of free money (easier not explaining it...legal though) so i don't mind at all spending that much. there must be a few advantages of those cards over the cheaper one, all be it that they may not be worth the double cost but that doesn't matter on this occasion.

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 01:13

thanks for that as well, just a little unsure which you mean though?

you say go for the xonar but the creative is better for gaming?

i do like the looks of the prelude, i actually like the front panel idea but it looks like the Xonar would be the better option.

i hate all this asking..i'm just dying to click that "add to cart" button

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 01:34

it's a good job it didn't add it. i can't believe what an idiot i have been. my mobo is over 2 years old. it's the old Asus A8V Deluxe rev 2 board.

it doesn't have any pci-express slots :mad:

now what

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 09:14

ahh so it's on again then

so there isn't much between the Asus Xonar D2 and the D2X but the D2 is PCi?

i'll have a look too because if the Prelude is a PCi and does come with a front panel, that would be handy for me on this occasion.

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ok i've looked. the Prelude does come with a front panel but is it definitely PCi only because it doesn't state what it is on there?

- Creative X-Fi CA20K audio processor
- One AKM AK-5394 super high performance 192kHz 24-bit ADC for analog input
- Four AKM AK-4396 192kHz 24-bit advanced multi-bit DAC for analog output
- 64Mbytes of memory for audio processing
- High fidelity audio OP-Amps for analog input and output
- Front L/R output OP-Amp is replaceable by end-user
- Dual mode S/PDIF receiver and transmitter
- One 3.5mm MIC input connector in rear panel
- One 3.5mm line input connector in rear panel
- One 4-pin AUX connector on board
- Four 3.5mm 8 channel line output connectors in rear panel (FL/FR/C/SW/RL/RR/RSL/RSR)
- One S/PDIF combo input connector in rear panel for receiving either coaxial or optical digital
- One S/PDIF combo output connector in rear panel for transmitting either coaxial or optical digital
- 16-bit to 24-bit recording sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz
- One 10-pin front panel connector on board for MIC input and headphone support
- One 40-pin digital extension header on board to support AD-Link and other digital functionality
- 24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96kHz sample rate
- 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96kHz to analog 7.1 speaker output
- 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of stereo digital sources at 192kHz to stereo output
- 16-bit to 24-bit recording sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz
- ASIO 2.0 support at 16-bit/44.1kHz, 16-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/44.1kHz 24-bit/48kHz and 24-bit/96kHz with direct monitoring.
- Enhanced SoundFont support of up to 24-bit resolution
- 64MB of X-RAM

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 17:34

thank you both for that.

don't you just hate decisions. you can always guarantee that whichever one i get I'll end up wishing i had the other

as i don't have one i can only go on what you guys say (i appreciate the help)

unless i have missed it it looks like this: -

Asus (very good name) does 118Db card with everything fully working

Prelude: - does slightly more than the Asus, has a nice front panel that i could utilize but has a bad microphone input and is 2DB lower in output.

for every 3DB we hear it appears the sound has doubled so 2 is quite large. i tend to blast music loud until the missus comes home :mad:

i do use TeamSpeak while gaming so the microphone worries me. if they have a problem with a microphone input, i begin to wonder if they have problems with Inputs in general. as i really need this card for recording what i have on cassette tape, i need to know it's inputs are functioning properly. i have used Asus products for years and i cannot fault them so i am fairly confident that i will be happy with the Xonar.

unless any of you can say that the Prelude will be better for recording music from my tapes, i will plummet for the Asus Xonar. i'm going to watch Rambo tonight so i'll buy it when i get back incase one of you has a valid reason for choosing the Prelude instead.

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just out of curiosity, i have noticed a few of you mentioning analogue outputs. i thought the optical out was supposed to be better? should i not buy an optical lead then?

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 18:42

dam i thought the prelude came with a front panel.

oh well that has made my mind up for sure. it's the Xonar then.

Rich-Ando · 29 Feb 2008 at 19:16

no i was talking about the I/O front panel. i assumed it came with it but as they said in a film once: -

" assumption is the mother of all F-ups"

i realise it doesn't come with it now.

all i actually wanted is a card that would allow me to connect an external tape deck to it, play a tape and record it without picking up all sorts of crap through the recording etc.
a front panel with all of the functions like the fatality would have been nice but without it, i see too many comments on XF-i problems but none on Asus Xonar ones.

Rich-Ando · 1 Mar 2008 at 00:15

james, i have heard 123Decibel at 1meter before, that hurts!!!!

the only reason i mentioned it is because if they boast a louder level then the chances are it can push the speakers to the max. a lot of people tend to run an amp that can't supply what the speakers can take and subsequently it distorts at a low level.

Rich-Ando · 1 Mar 2008 at 11:55

thanks James, i should have known that, i won't explain why because it bad enough i didn't see what i was saying let alone make myself look even dafter :rolleyes:

i don't have a problem with the amp, it's the Logitech Z5500 system and that is powerfull enough to make you put your fingers in your ears

buying the Xonar now from OCUK, good price and you always know a good service

only thing i havn't seemed to have an answer on is the "Optical lead"

i cannot find one on here but i also don't know why some are saying not to bother with it and stay with analogue?

Rich-Ando · 1 Mar 2008 at 16:01

so are you saying not to bother with an optical lead?

i do need a card because i want to do some recording that my onboard doesn't seem to be capable of.