Will newer Audio cards REALLY make a difference?

[sulretal]

Is it worth spending the $100 for an Audigy 2 if you really only listen to music? Can a Creative Live! 24-bit, or a Audigy 1 LS give the same quality in listening to MP3's and MP4's? I really don't plan on editing music, or playing many games with the sound on. Music then becomes my essential need from a audio device.

Would it be wise to stick with my Audigy 1 LS if I want to just listen to music and ocassionally listen to the sounds in HL2? Also, are there any benchmark tests for Audio cards?

[Vulcan]

Is it worth spending the $100 for an Audigy 2 if you really only listen to music? Can a Creative Live! 24-bit, or a Audigy 1 LS give the same quality in listening to MP3's and MP4's? I really don't plan on editing music, or playing many games with the sound on. Music then becomes my essential need from a audio device.

Would it be wise to stick with my Audigy 1 LS if I want to just listen to music and ocassionally listen to the sounds in HL2? Also, are there any benchmark tests for Audio cards?
If the primary use will be music just get an av710 for 20.00. Also, now is not a good time to buy a creative card. X-Fi is supposed to be out at the end of the month.

[SK8]

If the primary use will be music just get an av710 for 20.00. Also, now is not a good time to buy a creative card. X-Fi is supposed to be out at the end of the month.


What he said. Get the av-710! If you have a decent rig then the diffrence in games is verry MINIMAL!

[Mr. Perfect]

Keep in mind that the cheapest of the new Soundblaster X-Fi cards will cost $130. There is, however, a Audigy 2 ZS for $39.19 after a mail-in Creative rebate in the Cyber Deals section (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=406506).

The question in my mind is wether there would be any noticable diffrence between a $40 Audigy 2 ZS and a $130 X-Fi... :eh?:

[zabomb4163]

if you dont have a big budget get a chaintech if you have a little larger budget get the doby digital turtle beach card from buy.com for only 55$.

[flixotide]

I don't know how big an impact the current developments on audio effects and audio reproducttion will have in the near future. Certainly the quality will get better, and we will have an extreme wealth in special effects zooming in and out of 7 channel speaker sets.

But there is no doubt that the development is needed, when I start recalling some articles on ultra harmonics. Its about 6-7 years ago when I read a few cases on ultra high frequencies being used to reproduce sound.

Imagine having 5 wireless match boxes standing in your living room, and instead of throwing out sound in the 20hz-20Khz range, these babies move in the ultra high frequency range and through harmonics reproduce sound in 20hz-20khz range.

The catch is, where a little snap, crackle and pop will just cause annoyances in the 20hz-20khz range, it could actually cause materials to shatter when using ultra high frequencies used in the project.

Hmm.. maybe I should look some of this stuff up again.. radical and very interesting, and stil calls for a lot of work on the audio consumer market.

[Vulcan]

Keep in mind that the cheapest of the new Soundblaster X-Fi cards will cost $130. There is, however, a Audigy 2 ZS for $39.19 after a mail-in Creative rebate in the Cyber Deals section (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=406506).

The question in my mind is wether there would be any noticable diffrence between a $40 Audigy 2 ZS and a $130 X-Fi... :eh?:
Well, my main point by that is that the prices on the other creative cards are going to plumet.

[zabomb4163]

no offence...but creative cards are far behind their compeditors in terms of sound quality. to buy their products at this point would reward them for poor invovation and indirectly hurt audio enthusiest in the long run. if cards like mytique take hold for their inovation then creative will take notice and improve their line.

[Mr. Perfect]

No doubt there's some great competition out there, but the problem is that all the game production companies support and use the newest EAX. If you're a gamer its considerably harder to walk away from Creative.

[Vulcan]

no offence...but creative cards are far behind their compeditors in terms of sound quality. to buy their products at this point would reward them for poor invovation and indirectly hurt audio enthusiest in the long run. if cards like mytique take hold for their inovation then creative will take notice and improve their line.
Creative is not THAT bad. However, I've never used anything newer than a SB Live!. The SB Live is a nice card once you start using the KX drivers. And, what was said by Mr. Perfect is true. Creative basicly has a strangle hold on pc gaming sound cards.

[sulretal]

I will use my Audigy LS untill I find a better card for a very nice price. I looked at the statistics of a SB! Live 24-bit and compared them to my Audigy 1 LS and they were basically the same.

Now, are there anyways to 'tweak' my card? Basically to enhance it.

[R4z0r4mu5 Pr|m3]

I will use my Audigy LS untill I find a better card for a very nice price. I looked at the statistics of a SB! Live 24-bit and compared them to my Audigy 1 LS and they were basically the same.

Now, are there anyways to 'tweak' my card? Basically to enhance it.

I read that the Live! 24-bit uses the Audigy LS chip, so they are pretty much the same.