dedicated audio card really needed?

pkozerski · Apr 2, 2010, 07:01 PM

asus xonar dx is pretty good and not expensive or d2x if You can pay more

DarthElvis · May 21, 2010, 02:59 PM

^this. Surprised ASUS cards are seldom mentioned here. I've had my D2X for a couple weeks now and there is no comparison. It blows away the ADI onboard I got and is definitely superior to my old Audigy 2 (may she rest in peace). I find myself just sitting there noticing things in some very familiar music that I've never noticed before, (Pink Floyd-The Wall 24/96 audiophile release is great for that).

If you care about quality of sound, then dedicated soundcard is the way to go. If you don't care, for whatever reason, then modern onboard is not absolutely horrible.

Judas · May 21, 2010, 04:12 PM

I've the Asus card....

Anything digitally output between it and the realtek ALC1200 or 889 is amazing.

Analog, depends on the manufacturer of the board for the outputs.

Apr 2, 2010, 07:01 PM	#31
pkozerski HardwareHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 60 Rep Power: 0	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? asus xonar dx is pretty good and not expensive or d2x if You can pay more

May 21, 2010, 02:59 PM	#32
DarthElvis HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? ^this. Surprised ASUS cards are seldom mentioned here. I've had my D2X for a couple weeks now and there is no comparison. It blows away the ADI onboard I got and is definitely superior to my old Audigy 2 (may she rest in peace). I find myself just sitting there noticing things in some very familiar music that I've never noticed before, (Pink Floyd-The Wall 24/96 audiophile release is great for that). If you care about quality of sound, then dedicated soundcard is the way to go. If you don't care, for whatever reason, then modern onboard is not absolutely horrible.