Jump to content

Sound Card


jcmusic

Recommended Posts

  • 4 weeks later...

Computer Guru to the rescue! A sound card is a device that allows someone to hear music, sound effects, movies, and anyother audio effect. In a (modern pc) multimedia system this is an almost essential peripherial. In every PC built since 2000-2001-ish the Sound chip is usualy built in to the motherboard. Such chips are often called onboard sound and are usualy very low quality and sound muddy.


A sound card is an expansion or separate from the motherboard and usualy offers better quality sound with features like multichannel audio, sound up-mixing, pop and crackle removal, and high end DAC's that are found on very expensive audio equipment (like Denon or Onkyo Integra). It's almost always recomended that onboard sound be disabled or not used in favor of a sound card.

Before 2000-2001 sound cards were avalable in two types: ISA (obsolete) and PCI. Now you can buy PCI, and 1394 aka firewire aka i.Link, and USB. If you are buying a soundcard (and I recomend Onkyo or Creative labs X-Fi Fatlity or X-Fi Elite or X-Fi Platinum) be sure to get a PCI version. Do not buy USB, you will waste your money, slow your PC down (maybe 5-15%-ish), and get poor sound with very few features like up mixing. 1394 is an ok type and you can use it, but make it a second choice with USB as your last resort.

Recomended Products

http://www.audiocubes.com/product/Onkyo_SE-200PCI_HD_PCI_Digital_Audio_Board.html
http://soundblaster.com/products/x-fi/

Information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundcard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundblaster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac97

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...