Audio Upgrades

[kalimeeri]

Generally with speakers the bigger the better the audio quality. It's a rule that seems to work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I don't agree. It's what's inside the box that counts. A good speaker set should be balanced, so that you hear clean, crisp highs and mid-ranges, not overshadowed or muddled by bass. You should hear all of the music at low volume, without crackling or buzzing at full volume. Unfortunately, bigger speakers and even more $$$ doesn't guarantee that.

 

I use an Audigy2 ZS and was lucky enough to get my hands on a set of thin Monsoon 5.1's, which they apparently don't make any more. There was only one vendor who was still selling them at that time, but they were worth hunting for; they put my home theatre system to shame, and I threw away my stereo.

 

Creative simply has perfected the sound card. I went through ProAudio and Turtle Beach and some others over the years, resisting Soundblaster as long as I could. Just stubborn that way. But there has been no real competition since the Awe64 Gold; if you're going to put $ into a sound card, it's Creative all the way--if only for the fact that drivers for the thing will be around for the next ten or so years. And you won't always be wondering if you were missing something.

[Shadowstrider]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16829102188

 

What do you think about that?

[SamuraiGaijin]

Got to agree with most comments ... while most 5.1 cards (and even most onboard 5.1 solutions now) sound fine for most purposes, Sound Blaster is leading the pack ... has been for years.

 

I've got an Audigy 2 ZS in my system, and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, but if I was building a gaming rig (or Home-Theater PC, or started editing sound or video) with completely new parts today, I'd definitely go with X-Fi.