[H] - Request for Sound Card Review

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ShadowTalyn

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I view several forum review sites though [H] has been my favorite over the years due to the testing methodologies and your ability to state the facts.

I was unable to find recent [H] Audio Card reviews with Vista, if I missed something, can someone link it. If I didn't miss it, can [H] please do a review of Audio solutions from the perspectives of Gamers and Enthusiasts.

Thank you!

//ShadowTalyn
 
Yeah that would be awesome, ASUS Xonar D2X vs. Auzentech Prelude vs. Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty (w/64MB of X-Ram lol) vs. Realtek (onboard).
 
I guess I'll second this, but I don't want to see any boring RightMark loopback testing. Rent a dedicated audio analyzer and do it right.

My guess is that Kyle'd have to hire someone to get this done. Shoot him an e-mail if you really think they ought to do it (and point him to this thread to show the interest).
 
Ditto. I'm dying to hear what the [H] has to say about sound cards.
 
That would be great. Make sure to include the newly released cards as well. A shootout published in May or June would be great.

No pressure or anything... :D
 
Eighth'd on this. Technical aspects, feature comparisons, ease of installation / driver issues will be good, but i'm also interested in the subjective tests as well (noticeable differences when listening).

I trust [H] reviews over most any other, and haven't felt compelled to get a new sound card since my old audigy mp3+. right now i'm on onboard with no complaints, but who knows what a review might do to persuade me.

edit: and just to be clear, this review will not be worthwhile if it doesn't include whatever creative card is de facto right now ;) but you already knew that
 
I'd like to see this to, been seriously considering updating my soundcard along with new vista install.
 
I would be all over this story. I'm thinking of a new card soon and such a review would be detrimental to my purchase.
 
I would like to see this as well. Might want to throw in an onboard solution for comparison.
 
I'd be interested in a review like this. I'd like to see how much competition the other cards can give to Creative, since I can't see myself buying Creative anytime soon with what they've been doing recently.
 
I'm very interested in this too, I've always owned CL soundcards but I'm fed up with their idea of support and I'd love to hear what [H] has to say about the competition.
 
Here here..especially with the fiasco with Creative right now, people are really looking for an alternative and I bet it would be a really popular review
 
I have never owned a Creative Labs card before the X-Fi that I bought 18 months ago. First card I used was a Monster Sound from Diamond with the Aureal Vortex chip. I then upgraded to another Monster Sound card with the Aureal Vortex 2 chip. I remember it always being better than the SB Live! at the time. I was then out of the scene for a long time and just got back 18 months ago to find the X-Fi as the last man standing...but it seems there is another contender for the title out there and I want to know if the Xonar does 3D positioning better than the X-Fi.
 
I'd like to see this too. I'd also like to see how ASUS new Xonar utilities that support EAX work. I'd really like attention paid to what kind of 3D-positional audio support there is under Vista in games, now that DirectSound3D no longer exists.

It'd be good to include Creative, Auzentech, HT Omega, M-Audio, and Razer, in addition to onboard Sigmatel/ADI and Realtek of the current generation. I'd love to see someone who can equal Creative in gaming; I think they can already be beaten for audio playback and home theater.
 
well, isn't eax finished with vista, so technically everyone will get (~SQ) the same sound effects with any sound card they use
 
LoneWolf said:
I'd like to see this too. I'd also like to see how ASUS new Xonar utilities that support EAX work. I'd really like attention paid to what kind of 3D-positional audio support there is under Vista in games, now that DirectSound3D no longer exists.

It'd be good to include Creative, Auzentech, HT Omega, M-Audio, and Razer, in addition to onboard Sigmatel/ADI and Realtek of the current generation. I'd love to see someone who can equal Creative in gaming; I think they can already be beaten for audio playback and home theater.
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Agreed. Hope it's a good comprehensive review! :)
 
To add this, I'd really like to see the ]H[ard review this.

The ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 appears to be a low-cost alternative to the Xonar D2 line, while still using a PCIe interface. NewEgg's front page says that it uses the same AV200 chipset as the high-end, however, the item description lists the AV100 chipset instead.

It would be interesting to see the differences and compare them to the D2, aside from the obvious A/V ins/outs. No-one has reviewed the card yet, so its capabilities are unknown.
 
I'd love to see this. How about the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude - They licensed the Creative proprietary parts, made them into a better card, and wrote proper drivers I hear.
 
It won't be complete without the EMU 0404-usb. It's the de-facto standard for budget head-fi ers everywhere for audio quality, but it's feature set is sometimes intimidating, and there hasn't been a lot of reviews actually comparing them to PCI- mainstream sound cards.

Audio review's are hard though, because numbers and specs don't tell half the story...

Also, a comparison between the ALC888 chip found on a big chunk of current motherboards should be good to have.
 
I am glad to see that I am not the only one with an interest in this. Hopefully Kyle (I linked the thread to him in a PM) and the Hard crew can put something together for us.
 
This would be a great thing, I am not picking up a sound card for my system, since I have dedicated players for most of my stuff. Though I would like to see how onboard sound handles up against dedicated cards.
 
i just want to see the experience one would get with each sound card in games? Do you need EAX?? and so on
 
JamesL said:
It won't be complete without the EMU 0404-usb. It's the de-facto standard for budget head-fi ers everywhere for audio quality, but it's feature set is sometimes intimidating, and there hasn't been a lot of reviews actually comparing them to PCI- mainstream sound cards.

Audio review's are hard though, because numbers and specs don't tell half the story...

Also, a comparison between the ALC888 chip found on a big chunk of current motherboards should be good to have.
Click to expand...

I think with the [H]'s readership, a review would be more geared towards a gaming experience. The 0404 usb is a pro type device, better suited for budget "audiophile" gear or home musicians. I would think a [H] review would focus more on gaming and maybe how it pairs with movie watching.

This is just what I think, I don't really know how [H] wiould approach a sound card review.
 
odoe said:
I think with the [H]'s readership, a review would be more geared towards a gaming experience. The 0404 usb is a pro type device, better suited for budget "audiophile" gear or home musicians. I would think a [H] review would focus more on gaming and maybe how it pairs with movie watching.

This is just what I think, I don't really know how [H] wiould approach a sound card review.
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true, gaming should be #1 and movies second
 
I asked Kyle about doing a review on audio a while back. and basically he told me that not enough people care about audio to make it worth it. nor did they have anyone qualified to do such testing.
 
Syndicated_Death said:
I asked Kyle about doing a review on audio a while back. and basically he told me that not enough people care about audio to make it worth it. nor did they have anyone qualified to do such testing.
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Plenty of people care. The problem is that sound card reviews would be subjective. I think a list of features and a basic comparison would be more likely than a which-one-is-best scenario considering the nature of sound cards.

ShadowTalyn said:
I am glad to see that I am not the only one with an interest in this. Hopefully Kyle (I linked the thread to him in a PM) and the Hard crew can put something together for us.
Click to expand...

It would take at least the entire [H] staff to thoroughly test each card as they should be tested. Even then, [H] members would differ as to what they prefer for their application.
 
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