Are sound cards a placebo?
I have a Xonar DG and the only thing it is good for is random BSOD
>>55248707
the problem with intergrated sound controllers is the fact that theyre integrated. being inside the case with a lot of electrical components makes it skeptical to electronic noise.
usually people will get an external dac to fix this problem
>>55248752
>skeptical
>>55248707
I have a .8 € USB card and it is enough.
The only time a sound card helps is if your motherboard is totally trash from 15 years ago, or if you need to make your audio louder
All they help with is reducing noise because you're plugging it into the back not the front. Literally the only use they have is to bait retards into using the back of their PC not the front to reduce noise or other issues
>>55248707
after equalization, my SB Live! 24bit pci can go much louder than my onboard without making noise audible or distorting
if you use an external amp and/or leave the sound unmodified, onboard is probably just fine quality-wise, unless you're unlucky
>>55248752
>skeptical
Is the Essence STX any good or is it just another placebo?
I own a xonar d2 I think its great it sounds much better than my motherboards onboard sound and far superior to my work laptops onboard too. If you have at least a decent set of cans you'll notice a difference. Unless you're rocking something ridiculous like an x99 motherboard then you'll struggle.
>>55249719
It has a built in amp so unless you're running something op or have a shit tier onboard/card its not going to be worth it
>>55249046
You still want to use the rear I/O ports on a motherboard than the front connectors on most cases simply because the cables cases use are total shit and you can get a drop in sound quality (notably you will often hear slight static when there is no sound playing). Plugging straight into the motherboard solves this.
However you are right, soundcards are a scam these days.
>>55248752
Sound chip: "Hmm, I'm not so sure about this electrical interference"
My onboard is shit so my Xonar DG is a huge improvement
Depends on your mobo. Some integrated Realtek sets like ALC1150 will be better than cheap soundcards like the Xonar DG.
>>55248752
>>55248903
>>55249176
>>55250913
>>55250479
>150€ sound card
Just why
>>55250538
Actually I need to plug my headphones in the front because the motherboard one added a lot of shitty noise since I "upgraded" my 460 GTX to a 390X
Fuck AMD
>>55248707
the mic preamp on those cards are way nicer than onboard, people online will hear better voice from you
>>55250981
underrated
If you need low latency audio with quality instrument/mic inputs, you need to go with an external box. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter.
>>55248752
Don't buy shitty MB. My ROG Maximus drive HD800 without noise and in "too" loud level.
>>55250981
>>55250913
No,not at all.Currently have a SoundBlaster XF-i Xtreme Gamer and it's been great.Was only $35.
>>55248707
Additional sound devices are useful in some situations:
>Electrical interference
Get a card with shielding or an external DAC. Most onboard systems are totally unshielded.
>High-impedance headphones
You need a card or DAC that can push enough power without distorting. Most onboard systems won't handle it.
>Amplification/EQ needs
You could always just get an actual amp (do this if you do any kind of audio production work), but if you want something smaller, a sound card or DAC with a built-in amp will do nicely. There is a massive difference in quality between a low-end onboard chip and a properly amplified low-SNR sound system, unless you are doing baseline unamplified sound playback.
Some motherboards have high-end sound systems. Asus X99 motherboards have excellent sound quality and EMR shielding, for instance.
Don't get gamer-oriented sound cards; they're placebos. Also, it's better to spend money on nice headphones/speakers, if you're not currently happy with your existing sound system.
>>55248707
No, you don't need a sound card. Your Motherboard is all you need.
>>55248707
ahahhahahah sound card stupid beginner audiophile noob
>Sound cards are marketed towards gaming and feature a ton of useless software and "enhancements" that are not needed for stereo music listening.
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/4pm1bo/a_question_about_sound_cards/
>inb4 reddit
>not using superior external dac and amps
fuck you for using internal shit
>>55258353
A couple sound cards are EMI-shielded and have an amplifier. They're more expensive than comparable DACs, though.
