Sound Cards.....

[molsen]

if you're really into quality sound (which i think you are), don't fall into the trap of paying extra for soundcards with "enhancers" and "crystalizers".... if you truly want good soundquality, get some well-balanced speakers (try before you buy!!) and clean sound from the soundcard. a good setup should need little equalization and almost no "enhancements"... keep that in mind when making your decision.

in the end, just trust your ears.

 

[bryan64]

if you're really into quality sound (which i think you are), don't fall into the trap of paying extra for soundcards with "enhancers" and "crystalizers".... if you truly want good soundquality, get some well-balanced speakers (try before you buy!!) and clean sound from the soundcard. a good setup should need little equalization and almost no "enhancements"... keep that in mind when making your decision.

in the end, just trust your ears.

The only "flaw" with this theory is that ANY speaker you buy WILL sound different in YOUR space than it did in the store, therefore I disagree with the little equalization. You will need as much equlization as your ears and the room wants to get the sound you are happy with, as every room is not the same; what is on the walls, are there walls at all, the size of the room, placed in a corner of the room as opposed to along the wall, blah, blah, blah.

But yes you have to trust your ears, just trust them in your own room and not the store.

Now, if we all lived in an anechoic chamber, that would be a different story.

 

[molsen]

im sorry i should have been more clear....i meant equalization as in treble and stereo enhancements... like the "crystalizer" function does on some SoundBlaster cards.

bass equalization is always tricky, yes, because every room reverberates at different frequencies.

 

[alexsabree]

I am only getting speakers for the bass.... i listen to a bunch of rap and songs with good bass to them... So as long as i could get crisp clean bass i wouldnt much care for the sound of voices and such.... so should i get some real good speakers and a Creative live! or get decent speakers with a very very good sound card????

Dante_Caligari im srry if this question has been asked before but i just want questions and answers of my perference.... and if u look on this forum, everything has already been answered before, asking again doesnt hurt..... but thanks

Also..
If i get the logitechs, would they sound good on my on-board... its 5.1 so it would get all speakers working.... right??

 

[bryan64]

I would get the best speakers you can afford that you like the sound of. Too bad you don't have the budget for the Klipsch Ultra Pro 5.1's. Shake the foundation and rip the organs from your body with 500 watts of pure **** YA!

 

[Tyler1989]

X-Fi with decent speakers.

 

[alexsabree]

Ok i have just raised my budget to $350
(i might need to squeeze in a powersupply)

Ok i have now settled on a decision

I will get these speakers: Z-5500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16836121120

I will get this sound card: X-Fi Xtreme Music
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16829102188

DO u think the Z-5500 is better than the Z-5300e by much
if i get the Z-5300e i could get a DVD burner... which i dont have...

Thanks,
Alex

 

[Timaphillips]

I use on-board sound (realtek HD) but my speakers are the 2.1 Bose system. I haven't used a sound card before besides what ships with the computer so I am a little unclear on actual differences since it can't be measured objectively unless you physically HEAR the difference in person. Upgrade speakers first.

 

[sonanse]

for under a 100$ get the logictech 530 5.1 speakers with live 24 bit. yeah i know it's the cheapest card but if you fool with the settings right it sounds 3 times better than on board plus in game eax support for most games

 

[Shumway]

I would just grab a cheap Audigy and the x-530's,It will sound decent and leave you money for something else that you want