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ken0042 · 01-02-2009, 02:17 PM

Put me in the sound from the onboard card camp as well.

The big thing for me- if I'm looking for high end sound then I'm watching a DVD/Blu ray or listening to a CD. The fact that many people have 128 kbps MP3s tells me that the days of the audiofile are nearing their end. And I still think you will get better sound listening to a 320 kbps MP3 with an onboard card than any PCI card playing a 128 kbps MP3.

Plus, the OP mentions his #1 issue is the type of cable he is using, not the sound quality. To me that is a telling tale right there.

If you are "somehow" downloading DVD quality movies complete with 5.1 audio, and want to hear that 5.1 audio, then you need to determine where you want to spend your money; is it better to buy that $200 sound card, or just put a $40 DVD player along with your 5.1 audio system and burn movies to DVD. The advantage to burning them on the spot is you can also free up a lot of hard drive space by not keeping 4 GB files kicking around.

01-02-2009, 02:17 PM	#5
ken0042 Playboy Mansion Poolboy Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout Exp:	Put me in the sound from the onboard card camp as well. The big thing for me- if I'm looking for high end sound then I'm watching a DVD/Blu ray or listening to a CD. The fact that many people have 128 kbps MP3s tells me that the days of the audiofile are nearing their end. And I still think you will get better sound listening to a 320 kbps MP3 with an onboard card than any PCI card playing a 128 kbps MP3. Plus, the OP mentions his #1 issue is the type of cable he is using, not the sound quality. To me that is a telling tale right there. If you are "somehow" downloading DVD quality movies complete with 5.1 audio, and want to hear that 5.1 audio, then you need to determine where you want to spend your money; is it better to buy that $200 sound card, or just put a $40 DVD player along with your 5.1 audio system and burn movies to DVD. The advantage to burning them on the spot is you can also free up a lot of hard drive space by not keeping 4 GB files kicking around.