soundcard for watching movies... do I need it? and if so help me pick one

T

TMCM

[H]ard|Gawd
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The last dedicated soundcard I used was an AWE-32. I didn't put it in my NForce2 system because the onboard sound on that mobo was freaking awesome. Over the year on the past few builds I just stuck with onboard sound because it had been "good enough".

My current PC mobo is http://www.msi.com/product/mb/870A-Fuzion.html
and I am using Klipsch promedia 2.1 speakers. I use the computer mostly for watching movies/TV with some music and every now and then I will binge and play something like Saint Row3 for a week straight.

I have noticed that when I am watching movies during action scenes I can hardly hear the peopel speaking and I end up turning on the freaking subtitles. I generally use VLC Media player as my tool for watching movies/shows and windows media player for music. Rarely do I ever use headphones on my computer but I do some times.

From reading reviews of soundcards recently it sounds like my problem is the onboard sound. I would like to spend under $100 because I am not an "audiophile" but I do have a discerning ear.

I though about buying a Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD since I can pick one up new for around $100 but I am not sure if I would be just as happy with a $50 card as well. I may upgrade from the Klipsch promedia 2.1 speakers to soundbar but that wont be for a while so something that has good simulated 5.1 or can take a 5.1 sound source and create an emulated 5.1 sound from a 2.1 setup would be sweet

Thanks for the help
 
If you can't hear voices I would seriously doubt that your onboard sound is the problem. You have blown speakers probably since those Klipsch aren't the worst things ever. Spend less than $100 on a pair of Dayton Audio bookshelfs and a Lepai amp to drive them and then investigate your sound card situation after that.
 
speakers aren't blown. you can hear the voices, its just that the sound from the other stuff overwhelms the sound of the dialog
 
In short, if your current hardware is working fine and meets your needs for music playback, there isn't a hardware issue.

Check the VLC audio configuration. Most media players have a plentitude of adjusts for audio processing. Your setup may simply be configured incorrectly or require some tweaking.
 
Krispy Kritter said:
In short, if your current hardware is working fine and meets your needs for music playback, there isn't a hardware issue.

Check the VLC audio configuration. Most media players have a plentitude of adjusts for audio processing. Your setup may simply be configured incorrectly or require some tweaking.
Click to expand...

thats the issue, I am not sure if the hardware is meeting my needs, thats why I am asking about getting a discreet sound card vs using the onboard sound i have. The problem is that with most movies/TV shows I watch on my computer is that during the action moments its extremely hard to hear the dialog due to all the other sounds. reading the [H] reviews such as this one: http://hardocp.com/article/2011/09/20/creative_xfi_hd_usb_sound_card_review/6
Read specifically this part "Analog 2.1 Speaker Playback"

it seems like I am not getting that experience. I am sure my klipsch speakers are some what comparable to the Corsair speakers [H] used. But from their description of watching that movie with that gear, it seems like I am not getting the experiance they are. Thats why I wonder if my onboard sound is the problem.
 
If you have it on 5.1 or the output is somehow 5.1, the voices are trying to be played through the center channel. A speaker that you don't have.

Set everything to stereo or 2 channel in the media player and in windows. That should do it.

Otherwise, any asus soundcard will be a good upgrade in sound quality.
 
everything is set to stereo in windows and the realtek thing
 
yeah, I was looking at the Asus DSX from amazon for under $70 shipped but I can also get the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD... seems like for only $30 more I get much more sound card... I am surprised the Asus is marked up so high but it is Xmas time
 
again, its not that the dialog cuts out... its that it is drowned out and therefor unhearable due to all the other sounds going on in the movie...

Here is a generic description. 2 people in a car talking while driving around... you can hear the dialog fairly well. Then all of a sudden a car chase scene happens and there is still lots of dialog but due to all the tires screeching, gun shots, and engines roaring, you can really hear the dialog anymore, its just super drowned out. I watch the movie at my mothers house on her AVR with 5.1 sound the dialog is clear, on my computer not so much
 
Yeah, that really sounds like it is trying to play through a center speaker. voices will play on all speakers but when the action hits the center speaker really makes a difference bc just about the only thing coming out will be voices and the side speakers are everything else with a little bit of voice.

If they sound fine and really clear when it is a quiet scene, then you might just have issues with the on board. Do you have any headphones? Try plugging those in and see what happens. This will double check and make sure the speakers aren't the issue.

Can't hurt to buy a cheap asus sound card though. they start at $25 I think. Doing that will certainly clean the sound up.
 
I will have to give it a try with some headphones when i get back in town, but I get the feeling its the fact that the onboard realtek sound does a crap job down converting the 5.1 and 7.1 surround to stereo via the analog output.

and due to the price of shipping something back I would rather buy once. hence why I am thinking about either the Asus DSX for $70 or the X-fi Titanium HD for $100... if the damn Asus was under $60 then I would just buy it now but at only a $30 price difference how much better of a card is the creative?
 
I would get the asus. Not any difference that you could hear. I have the older DX and it sounds great.
 
TMCM said:
speakers aren't blown. you can hear the voices, its just that the sound from the other stuff overwhelms the sound of the dialog
Click to expand...

welcome to most content these days... speech is low and everything else is cranked too dam high!
 
Everything you describe sounds like a file or media player issue.

Music = stereo = to stereo speakers sound fine
movies with 5.1 audio = converted to stereo by media player = sounds bad

So again, reread my first reply.
 
Is it the media player that's converting to stereo or is it the realtek hd software settings? ?
 
Are there any media players that can take a file that has a 5.1 or a 7.1 sound track and then create a virtual surround sound that sounds decent from my 2.1 speakers? I vaguely remember the Nforce2 sound software had a really good VSS setting that I used to use when I would watch DVDs
 
Depends on how you have the media player configured, and assuming you allow the media player to perform the processing, which codecs are needed/installed.

As for "virtual surround", I have no idea. I have a 5.1 system on my multimedia PC for when I want it, otherwise, for most material, it is simply downmixed to stereo. There should be an abundance to audio settings in the media player.
 
I guess I'm just getting old because my hearing sucks... :(

thanks for the help though
 
guitarslingerchris said:
If you can't hear voices I would seriously doubt that your onboard sound is the problem. You have blown speakers probably since those Klipsch aren't the worst things ever. Spend less than $100 on a pair of Dayton Audio bookshelfs and a Lepai amp to drive them and then investigate your sound card situation after that.
Click to expand...

This. I am very satisfied with this setup.
 
its not that I cant hear the dialog, its that I cant hear it when there is lots of other sounds going on. Like the other sound channels are drowning out the center channel due to there only being 2 speakers and a sub. I might end up looking at an AVR in the next few months and skip buying a soundcard since I can just use the digital out on my onboard and let the AVR do all the decoding
 
What source format(s) are we talking about here?

Blu-ray, DVD, streaming... other?

Movies generally have dedicated stereo tracks, but these are often only available in disk formats. If given the chance, always opt for the stereo track if using two channels.

Downmixing can be hit or miss depending on the movie and any settings. I doubt a sound card will help you here. This sounds like it is a settings issue. Play around with VLC, and you still are not happy, your money is better spent elsewhere.
 
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