PC Peripherals Which sound card????

S

sonuverma

Disciple
Dear all,

Few day back I posted a thread for speakers and I got very best best best suggestions from all of you.

I am going to purchase MX5021.

My onboard sound is Realtek ALC882 High Definition Audio 8-channel CODEC.

Do I require an additional sound card for MX5021 to get best quality sound???

If yes which one I shall go for around 3k. I can extend it also around 5k.

Please suggest a good one!!
 
if you want music/ movies with fidelity high on your list , then an SB live 24 bit is all you need( it contains the section of the audigy 2ZS which is responsible for 24 bit playback)

if on the other hand ,if games is high on the list, and you want to play mp3's in surround (not recommended...esp when the MX 5021 is doing the fronts, but some people want to anyway), a low end audigy

EDIT:Just read your requrements for the speakers again.. i think #1 is better .. you can always get a S/W surround upmix later for mp3
 
greenhorn said:
if you want music/ movies with fidelity high on your list , then an SB live 24 bit is all you need( it contains the section of the audigy 2ZS which is responsible for 24 bit playback)

if on the other hand ,if games is high on the list, and you want to play mp3's in surround (not recommended...esp when the MX 5021 is doing the fronts, but some people want to anyway), a low end audigy

EDIT:Just read your requrements for the speakers again.. i think #1 is better .. you can always get a S/W surround upmix later for mp3
Click to expand...
I want it for music+movies only.
The only game I play on pc is chess. That does not require any kind of sound.

Now please tell me the model no. for this requirement.

Thanks
 
SB live 24 bit :

96/24 bit playback, cheap Digital->analog converters, a little bit of DSP arnd 2k

Audigy value

96/24 bit playback, cheap Digital->analog converters, better DSP, arnd 4k

Audigy 2ZS

96/24 playback, better Digital->analog converters, good DSP arnd 6k

The prices are a ballpark figure, not sure tho
 
greenhorn said:
SB live 24 bit :

96/24 bit playback, cheap Digital->analog converters, a little bit of DSP arnd 2k

Audigy value

96/24 bit playback, cheap Digital->analog converters, better DSP, arnd 4k

Audigy 2ZS

96/24 playback, better Digital->analog converters, good DSP arnd 6k

The prices are a ballpark figure, not sure tho
Click to expand...

Technically I know nothing about sound cards.
You already know my requirements.

So just suggest me best one, which will give best quality output for MX5021.

If it is further costlier than I’ll wait till my next salary.
 
greenhorn said:
SB live 24 bit :

96/24 bit playback, cheap Digital->analog converters, a little bit of DSP arnd 2k

Audigy value

96/24 bit playback, cheap Digital->analog converters, better DSP, arnd 4k

Audigy 2ZS

96/24 playback, better Digital->analog converters, good DSP arnd 6k

The prices are a ballpark figure, not sure tho
Click to expand...
LOL all three use the same DAC heh.... CS4382KQ. Even the XFi cards other than the Elite Pro use the same DACs :p. They use the cheapest available opamp as well at the output stage. XFi sounds better for other reasons since it doesn't resample. So if its just audio quality you are looking for, live 24bit and audigy2 zs will sound nearly the same. Someone in the forums (zhopudey) is looking to sell a modded M-Audio Revolution. Its also 7.1 but it has been modded with much better AD827 opamps. The M-Audio has a better DAC as well. If you are okay without warranty, thats a really good deal.
 
as far as you are concerned , the battle is between the live 24 bit(106 dB) and the audigy 2 ZS(108dB)
is the extra 2 dB SNR worth an extra 2K to you?

do you think you would be able to hear the difference?
 
Chaos said:
LOL all three use the same DAC heh.... CS4382KQ. Even the XFi cards other than the Elite Pro use the same DACs :p.
Click to expand...

er, Wiki says
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, improved upon the Audigy 2 by having a slightly improved signal-to-noise ratio (108 vs. 106 dB) and added built-in DTS-ES (Extended Surround) for improved DVD playback. The Audigy 2 ZS supported up to 7.1 speakers (although the 4.1 speaker configuration was still in reality only 4.0; a dedicated low-frequency-effects channel output was only available with 5.1 and higher, requiring the presence of a centre speaker)

The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value was a somewhat stripped down version of the Audigy 2 ZS, with an SNR of 106 dB, no IEEE-1394 Firewire connector, and no DTS-ES 6.1 playback. It is, however, fully hardware accelerated for Directsound and EAX 4 and was sold as a cheaper companion for the more expensive ZS
Click to expand...
 
sonuverma said:
I am going to purchase MX5021.
My onboard sound is Realtek ALC882 High Definition Audio 8-channel CODEC.
Do I require an additional sound card for MX5021 to get best quality sound???
Click to expand...

Non-techie suggestion :
Buy the speakers first, try them out with onboard audio, then decide if you really need a sound card. Most people don't have 'golden ears' and find onboard audio sufficient. If you then think you need a sound card, find someone who has the same speakers and a sound card, see if you find a improvement in sound quality. Then decide, you can always buy a sound card later.

Don't take anyone's word blindly, especially mine ;-), these things are very subjective.
 
greenhorn said:
er, Wiki says
Click to expand...

LOL doesn't matter what wiki says... for all you know the dude who created that article copy pasted it from somewhere else. RMAA measurements are completely meaningless and these 106dB vs 108dB arguments are as hollow as the 3000W PMPO vs 10000W PMPO arguments :p. Do you know that tubes won't even give a 60dB SNR if they are tested but well as you know more than half the audiophile world is a blind follower of tubes heh. So look for whats there inside and don't suck up what the marketing department tells u ;).
 
i thought the 2ZS had the cs4382, and the live and value had something lesser..

guess not

btw, the wiki quote was to emphasize that point , not anything about sound quality..
 
parhaps the thread was made to guide me and suggest best to me as you fine people did in case of speakers.

I hope I will get the best answer very soon.
 
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