Jump to content

Best Soundcard?


jonpratt

Recommended Posts

i just got a sb live x-gamer 5.1. i cant believe the difference. i first had my v2 400's hooked up to a pci 128 card and it was just crap. the speakers were good but the card sucked for games. i just got my sb live x-gamer 2 days ago and the fact that it has EAX is so cool. also the sound quality is much better in games. plus its not too expensive. i only paid 65 for mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd have to say that the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live 5.1 series is probably the best right now. There are 3 models, the Platinum, X-Gamer, and MP3+. I think the MP3+ is kind of worthless because most of the software it comes with can be downloaded for free. The X-Gamer is a good deal because it comes with the full versions of Unreal Tournament, Deus Ex, Thief 2, and MDK2. The Platinum is the best. It comes with all the games the X-Gamer comes with, as well as all the software the MP3+ comes with. It also comes with the Live Drive and a wireless remote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

heheh, the platinum also comes with a fairly phat price tag, I have a soundblaster Live Value and think it's the best bang for the buck, it's half the price of the Gamer/MP3 cards and is the same thing minus gold plated connectors and games you can borrow from friends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Philips Acoustic Edge - $70.

Pros: Best gaming soundcard ever made. Better than the entire Sound Blater line. Comes with WinDVD. Has QMSS, which ROCKS. Cheap.

Cons: headphone quality isn't up to par, a few CD playnack problems, a couple of problems with win2k...

Of course, the "best" soundcards are the professional ones, but they aren't good for games...but you can use the, say, Audiophile 2496 WITH an Acoustic Edge...heehee...

------------------

"Feh."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keep in mind that the Phillips Acoustic Edge may be great but it has the following problem Windows 2000 and they aren't planning to fix this - wish it weren't so. I had to return mine because of it.

From Phillips:

"The PSC706 Acoustic Edge sound card is compatible with the Windows 2000 Professional operating system. However, there appears to be an issue with the way the operating system handles the surround capabilities and quad expander technology. Therefore, you may only receive 2 channel sound from the card on the system thus defeating the purpose of the 5.1 channel technology. It is not know at this time if updated drivers will be developed to correct this issue."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Thanx for the leads on the Phillips and the Fiji.... Will be upgrading my soundcard within a month or two and was leaning towards SB Live Platinum but apparently its so buggy with my Mobo (Asus P3V4X) that I am a little nevous to spend 270 for a paperweight.

Klipsch Rocks

The BB Is The Best

& Amy Is A Goddess of Tech Assistance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the X-Gamer (standard version) and the sound is really great! Plus the fact that I was lucky enough to get gold plated jacks on it. The value is really good also, but still, I would rather spend the money to get the box with all the softwares that come with it.

Anyone has tried the ISIS from Guillemot? I wanna know what this sound card sounds like.

I can be find at around 400$ canadian. It's not professional, but almost.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From what I've heard, the people using and liking their Acoustic Edge cards must be able to enjoy bassless sound, as those cards supposedly have very weak bass. Not sure if it's a driver bug or part of the hardware, but I know I wouldn't like it. Neither would my ProMedia sub or my 15" floorstanding speakers or my 15" powered sub...they'd be kinda bored dontcha think?

I own a Live! X-Gamer and I'm not saying that it's the best card ever made, but it is excellent for the price. Like monitors and speakers, sound cards are something you don't have to upgrade often (unlike CPU's/video cards) and this card has definitely proven its worth in millions of systems. I guess I've always thought of Sound Blaster as being the universal compatible sound card...the standard by which other (non-professional) cards are judged...so I'd have a hard time picking up a Philips AE or another "off-brand" sound card (even though they might offer a great sound solution as well).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have any of you checked out 3dsoundsurge.com?

Compare then choose.

Turtle Beach has better distortion, Creative has all the bells, Phillips is the new guy on the block w/QMSS.

Has anybody bought the Hoontech gear yet? You can trick out their cards for less than a bare Live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you want to listen to AC3 and DTS audio?

Then you will need a decoder. There is no software DTS.

If you want surround gaming thats 4 point surround. Do you want to go into settings to switch between movies and games?

With a decoder you just switch source on the remote.

Has someone mentioned driver problems with the phillips?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...