Who here uses Sound Cards?

DAC: ODAC
Amp: Semi-custom O2
Drivers: Default W10 drivers
Reason: Volume knob on the front and device is easily moved

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People still use sound cards?

I have a few of them but I moved away from that so long ago…

Offtopic answer

Pretty much, it’s just one of those things where opinions are really drastically split

Bandwidth most of the time isn’t a factor, but it can be, depending on USB controllers etc.

As I mentioned AFAIK, Xonar sound cards with UniXonar drivers have the lowest latency which is why I’m using one.

Yes, many reasons why you should use them over alternatives and many reasons why some of the alternatives are better.
What sound cards do you have? Maybe you have something pretty good on your hands?

I mean, I get USB interfaces and DACs but like legit ‘cards’, in a PCIe slot cards? I thought that was basically dead at this point.

well one is PCI and from the era when on board sound wasnt really a thing.

The other is one of these bad boys

http://www.ascendtech.us/creative-labs-sound-blaster-x-fi-sb0670_i_sccrsbxfisb0670.aspx

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Why would they be dead? 1)They are really convenient for desktop PCs, 2) a lot of them offer really good sound quality and they aren’t as overpriced as some of the external interfaces using same components, 3)the quality of components in newer PC’s has made sure that interference for PCIe devices normally isn’t an issue(and at a point where it is, it can be an issue for USB devices as well), 4)For gaming UniXonar drivers are magic, lowest latency you can get.

My main setup these days is a fiio k3, running the fiio driver and software.

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I thought the same, until the point when I needed a replacement for my SoundBlaster Z (because I need the optical input).

People even mod them…


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it’s not bad, but it’s most pressing issue is lack of drivers.
The fiio for you is very convenient as you’re using a laptop as a daily driver.

Some of the mods I’ve seen on them make them outperform some really expensive external interfaces

I use the fiio on my desktop. I hate the look of sound cards in systems such as the one I use. I disagree about noise in the system, but thats a debate for another time. They’re more expensive and not better in any appreciable way for me.

Technically an external DAC, but yeah, i do.

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I have a FocusRite Scarlett Solo Gen 2. I love it. That said I don’t use it much but I love it. I use Asio4All with it because it was intended to be used with Ableton Live and a Push. Finally getting the ear pads replaced on the AKG K553 Pro’s that go with it. Gonna be nice.

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I use a Digigram Vx222e connected to an external dac with aes/ebu. Has an isolation transformer on the board like most pro stuff using aes/ebu to keep the nasty away from the audio gear. Works out of the box in linux with alsa-firmware, does need pulseaudio 13 though. Found it used on ebay, new they are quite pricey.

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Scope XITE-1 w/ Creamware A16 Ultra
I record entire live performances w/ 40 I/O’s and mix in real-time with the included Mixers and Effects.

The 1U Rack also has 23 years of development in its devices, synths and even a Modular Synth that interfaces via ADAT, AES/EBU or analog with CV EuroRack/500 Series gear.

18 x Analog Devices SHARC DSP Chips adds immense power to any PC/Mac.

Below is the PC, DSP rack and Converter.

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I use Schiit Modi and Magni for my DAC and amp via a USB link from the PC.

Like this -->

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Yes I do use one. Been years between using one. Currently using a Creative Sound Blaster ZxR PCIe.

The reason being 2 fold first one being that it paired better with the pair of klipsch r-14pm reference speakers I have.

The second and more important reason is that the onboard audio software setup under windows 10 SUCKS badly.

First i have to install the drivers from the mobo website over the default windows 10 drivers then install the sonic studio 3 and nahimic apps from the windows store to complete the install. And then i have to start tweaking settings / reinstalling drivers / updating drivers and settings just to get the sound to be output consistently for the games that i’m playing. A windows update or even a simple reboot would throw out the sound profile. The setup and tweaking may take me 10 - 60 minutes each time and when all i want to do is watch a video or play a game to relax … it got to much for me. For reference the onboard sound card on my asus rog strix x570-e motherboard is a SupremeFX S1220A, DTS® Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III.

Like most of you I use my machine as a test bed for troubleshooting other peoples problems / testing out new software / game install / uninstalls … so having to reinstall windows is constant and fighting the software setup of a simple onboard sound cars is not worth the headache.

My $0.02 for what it’s worth.

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Creative Sound Blaster Z through a PCIe slot on my MSI X570 Tomahawk motherboard. They power my Sennheiser HD 6xx quite well. The software player of my choice for all my music is JRiver Media Center and I love the ability to configure exactly to my needs.
I also got the Dolby Atmos codec when it was on sale for like $5 from the windows store a while back. All in all I love this setup.

I am however also looking for alternatives down the line for an External DAC/AMP as I plan to move to a mini ITX build and they won’t have an extra PCIe slot. So will have to use USB connectivity for that.

Sorry for the bump to the thread. I’m going through some of these setups and they look great. Hopefully they help me decide what to get next once I sell off my Sound Blaster Z.

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I was also using a SoundBlaster ZxR until recently. Under Linux the support is really amazing, AlsaMixer supports all of the Creative driver native features (bass boost, redirection, crystallizer, etc.).

My problems were under Windows Server 2022. Didn’t seem like the drivers would catch it, even though it was shown in the device manager.

Currently using a Creative EE-MU 0202 that I bought years ago to digitize some vinyl. No PCIe space anymore now that my machine is mATX. The output seems better quality than the G6 I was using previously, and capture quality is worlds better.