2 sound cards... 1 for home theater, 1 for home audio... in the same computer?

teen-sex · Apr 1, 2011, 06:09 PM

Would there be compatibility issues? I have one 7.1 sound card and one stereo-only sound card for music. I do not plan on running both at the same time... rather one at a time, depending on what I am doing. Would one's circuitry interfere with the other's if I am only using one at a time?

d00msay3r3 · Apr 1, 2011, 09:34 PM

I think you may be asking this for the same reason I once did. If so let me explain. You can run multiple sound cards in your pc but you can't make them play the same sounds simultaneously. In other words if you want sound through hdmi while watching a movie, and then play music later through the soundcard it "kind of" can be done. You can pick the sound device used by different applications and they'll try to use them but most likely you'll have to go to the sound card properties to switch soundcards. I use a program called "VistaAudioChanger" and just setup hotkeys either on the keyboard or Media center remote and change from hdmi to speaker output that way. Hope this helps.

teen-sex · Apr 1, 2011, 11:42 PM

Thank you so much! You answered my question perfectly!

Judas · Apr 5, 2011, 11:28 PM

Windows vista and windows 7 handle multiple sound devices imo best..... windows XP not so well.

but either way.. if your running what it says in your specs which is windows 7 x64..

well it'll be great.

Typically set the primary sound device that you want to use.. usually 7.1 .... and then for your stereo music or what have you..... download an appropriate program that can pick the specific device.... such as winamp.. to use for your stereo sampling.

Apr 1, 2011, 06:09 PM	#1
teen-sex thank you for smoking... Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Baltimore Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	2 sound cards... 1 for home theater, 1 for home audio... in the same computer? Would there be compatibility issues? I have one 7.1 sound card and one stereo-only sound card for music. I do not plan on running both at the same time... rather one at a time, depending on what I am doing. Would one's circuitry interfere with the other's if I am only using one at a time?

Apr 1, 2011, 09:34 PM	#2
d00msay3r3 destroyer of senses Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: 2 sound cards... 1 for home theater, 1 for home audio... in the same computer? I think you may be asking this for the same reason I once did. If so let me explain. You can run multiple sound cards in your pc but you can't make them play the same sounds simultaneously. In other words if you want sound through hdmi while watching a movie, and then play music later through the soundcard it "kind of" can be done. You can pick the sound device used by different applications and they'll try to use them but most likely you'll have to go to the sound card properties to switch soundcards. I use a program called "VistaAudioChanger" and just setup hotkeys either on the keyboard or Media center remote and change from hdmi to speaker output that way. Hope this helps.

Apr 1, 2011, 11:42 PM	Thread Starter #3
teen-sex thank you for smoking... Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Baltimore Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: 2 sound cards... 1 for home theater, 1 for home audio... in the same computer? Thank you so much! You answered my question perfectly!